After the Titan, Shadow and Mirage editions, Bang & Olufsen closes its centenary by unveiling the two final chapters in its anniversary series with the B&O Beolab 90 Monarch Edition and Beolab 90 Zenith Edition speakers. These radically different interpretations of its flagship speaker each explore a unique approach to material, light and texture, while retaining the acoustic essence of the Beolab 90.
The ultimate Bang & Olufsen active speaker
Founded in Denmark in 1925, Bang & Olufsen soon made a name for itself with its unique approach to audio, where technology is inseparable from design. From the earliest decades, Bang & Olufsen sought to integrate its products into the home, in collaboration with renowned industrial designers. This philosophy of form and function is still at the heart of every Bang & Olufsen creation.
Read more: Bang & Olufsen: 100 years of audio innovations and bold aesthetics
Launched in 2015 to mark the brand’s 90th anniversary, the Beolab 90 is fully in keeping with this tradition, while marking a major technological breakthrough. Designed as a showcase for Bang & Olufsen’s expertise, this active speaker aims to solve one of the most complex problems of all: the interaction between the speaker and the listening room.
To achieve this, the Danish engineers developed an unusual architecture based on 18 drivers, with seven 1″ tweeters, seven 3.4″ midrange drivers, three 8″ woofers positioned on the sides and rear, and a 10″ front woofer. Each is powered by its own amplifier module, for a total output of 8,200 W per speaker. The drivers are controlled by a digital processing system capable of analyzing and adapting the speaker’s behavior in real time to ensure perfectly linear reproduction from 12Hz to 43kHz. This architecture gives the B&O Beolab 90 the unique ability to form multiple sound beams. Unlike a traditional speaker, which diffuses sound relatively uniformly, the Beolab 90 is able to precisely control the direction of the audio signal. In this way, it can concentrate energy on a specific listening area for focused reproduction, or on the contrary, widen the sound stage for a more enveloping experience.
This control of acoustic radiation not only optimizes the perception of detail and spatial imaging, but also reduces the influence of unwanted reflections from the room. As well as its performance, the Bang & Olufsen Beolab 90 speaker is also distinguished by its sculptural design. Its faceted chassis plays a direct part in managing sound waves, with every surface designed to limit diffraction and optimize dispersion.
More than ten years after its launch, the Beolab 90 remains an absolute reference, as much for its technical sophistication as for its avant-garde vision of the active speaker. The Monarch and Zenith collections are built on this exceptional technological foundation, now enhanced with increasingly refined materials.
B&O Beolab 90 Monarch Edition: the warmth of wood
With the Beolab 90 Monarch Edition, Bang & Olufsen follows Scandinavian design traditions, where wood takes center stage. The sumptuous aluminum chassis is covered with sloping rosewood slats, creating a sense of movement around the speaker. This visual rhythm, visible at 360 degrees, evokes both traditional fabrics and the lines of Danish furniture.
Every detail seems designed to create a dialogue between materials. The contrast between the warm, organic rosewood and cold, technical aluminum creates a particularly striking visual effect. Bang & Olufsen takes sophistication a step further with the incorporation of wooden inlays. At the front, one of them is illuminated by a thin strip of light, adding an extra dimension to the object. The speaker is no longer just something to be looked at; it comes to life.
The design is crowned by an upper ring made of solid rosewood, which defines the silhouette and reinforces this sense of continuity. Even the lower sections feature the same slatted pattern, ensuring perfect overall cohesion. This approach gives the Monarch Edition a unique presence. It stands out as much as a piece of furniture as it does as a speaker, deliberately blurring the lines between design and technology.
B&O Beolab 90 Zenith Edition: light as matter
In contrast to the Monarch, the Beolab 90 Zenith Edition explores a completely different path. Here, it’s not wood that structures the object, but light. Bang & Olufsen has imagined a surface made up of thousands of anodized aluminum spheres, spread over several panels. Each sphere captures and reflects light differently, creating an ever-changing visual effect. These elements are organized according to a color palette inspired by pearls, with subtle nuances that reinforce the visual depth of the speaker. The result evokes both a precious object and a contemporary sculpture.
The front panel has a bead-blasted and anodized finish, in a dark gray hue reminiscent of the surface of an oyster shell. At the top of the speaker, a mother-of-pearl disc creates a real focal point. It captures and softly diffuses light, reinforcing the object’s organic character. As with the Monarch, the panels are slightly curved to match the lines of the Beolab 90.
With the Monarch and Zenith editions, Bang & Olufsen completes a series of five chapters. Each model offers a different interpretation of the Beolab 90, exploring notions of material, light, contrast, and texture. The brand offers a vision of luxury hi-fi in which technical performance is only the starting point. The extremely limited production, with only ten pairs for each edition, reinforces this aspect and makes them true collector’s items. Each speaker comes with a certificate of authenticity, as well as a miniature sculpture of its design.
