Bang & Olufsen CES 2014 - Beolab 18 speaker overview

**Bang & Olufsen Beolab 18: A Masterpiece of Design and Sound Technology**

At the Hardware conu 2014 CS coverage, brought to you by ncx technology connected, we had the pleasure of speaking with John, the President of North America for Bang & Olufsen. He introduced us to a groundbreaking product that has captured the attention of audiophiles and design enthusiasts alike—the Beolab 18. This speaker is not just an audio device; it’s a testament to innovation, design, and craftsmanship.

### The Iconic Beolab 18: A Legacy of Excellence

The Beolab 18 is the successor to the Beolab 8000, which has been a staple in Bang & Olufsen’s lineup for over two decades. Over 650,000 units have been sold since its introduction, establishing it as an iconic product in the world of loudspeakers. However, with the passage of time, the need to upgrade and modernize this beloved speaker became evident.

John emphasized that the process of upgrading the Beolab 18 was approached with extreme care. The goal was to ensure that the new features didn’t compromise the legacy of the original product. This meant investing significant time and effort into both technological advancements and aesthetic enhancements, resulting in a speaker that remains true to its roots while offering cutting-edge capabilities.

### Wireless Innovation: WISA Technology

One of the most notable upgrades to the Beolab 18 is its integration of WISA-enabled wireless technology. Bang & Olufsen was one of the first companies in the world to introduce this innovative technology, which operates on a frequency range similar to aviation. This ensures minimal interference and creates a stable, high-speed connection for uncompressed audio content at 24 megabits per second—better than CD quality.

The WISA technology not only enhances sound quality but also adds unparalleled flexibility. With this feature, users no longer need to worry about tangled wires; all that’s required is a power cable. This makes the Beolab 18 an ideal choice for those seeking high-quality audio without the hassle of complicated setups.

### Aesthetic Elegance: A Marriage of Materials

The design of the Beolab 18 is as impressive as its technology. The speaker features a beautiful combination of aluminum and wood, blending organic materials with sleek, modern aesthetics. The high-polished finish adds depth and allows the speaker to harmonize with any interior decor, making it a versatile addition to any room.

The front grille comes in three different versions—oak, black, and white—allowing users to choose the one that best complements their space. This attention to detail ensures that the Beolab 18 is not just functional but also a stunning piece of manufactured art.

### Sound Performance: A Wider Sweet Spot

The Beolab 18 also introduces lens technology, which is used in Bang & Olufsen’s newer family of loudspeakers and can even be found in luxury cars like Audi and BMW. This technology shapes the sound into an elliptical form, spreading it out over 180 degrees. Unlike traditional speakers that create a narrow beam of sound (around 30 degrees), the Beolab 18 offers a much wider sweet spot. This means that no matter where you place the speaker in your room, everyone will enjoy an exceptional stereo image—eliminating “cheap seats” in the listening area.

### Availability and Pricing

The Beolab 18 was launched in December, and its popularity has been overwhelming. Currently, there is an almost eight-week wait time to get one, highlighting its demand in the market. The speaker comes in three versions: oak, black, and white composite material, with price points ranging from $6,300 to $7,200 depending on the grille selected.

### Conclusion

The Beolab 18 represents the pinnacle of audio technology and design. It combines innovative features like WISA wireless technology and lens sound distribution with a stunning aesthetic that complements any interior space. With its iconic status and continued evolution, it’s no wonder that this speaker has become one of the most sought-after products in Bang & Olufsen’s lineup.

As we wrap up our coverage of CS 2014, we encourage you to stay tuned for more updates on the latest hardware innovations and don’t forget to subscribe for future content. Thank you for joining us in exploring the Beolab 18—where art meets audio perfection.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enyour Hardware conu 2014 CS coverage is brought to you by ncx technology connected all right guys so now I'm here with John the president of North America for bang Olson and they're going to talk to us about about this very unique and very popular speaker so this is the the bolab 18 as you can see it has a very uh it's a got a verical design so I guess to be placed within you know mly beside TVs and things so this is a beautiful piece of uh manufactured artart yeah you can call it art right so what is uh why are people diverted towards this as you said this is one of the most popular speakers here yeah so so bab um 8000 was its predecessor and it has really become an iconic Bang Old in loud speaker uh actually over 21 years we have sold almost 650,000 of them wow so um obviously over that period of time we need to continuously upgrade the product so to speak and this upgrade that we've done here we were so careful not to you could say ruin this iconic product so we really spend a lot of time making sure not only the technology that we added to it but also the Aesthetics that we upgraded would be perfect so some of the things that we've done to it we've made it Wireless um so we are one of the first companies in the world to introduce a Wisa enabled loud speaker which basically is a new wireless technology uh so we're the first uh to to bring that out congratulations um thank you very much and actually what it what it is in in in layman's terms it's basically uh a new band uh uh that is in the same frequency range as as Aviation so and it goes back and forth in terms of of of uh creating the the best and fastest highway to be on so to speak right so it means that it is the brand that is separate from all the other brands yes since that we have yes so you can actually play uncompressed uh 24 um megabit um content on it so better than CD quality uh Wireless game which is very unique Wireless so so that's one of the things that we added to it we changed the the front of it and added wood so this beautiful marriage between aluminum and wood this very organic material we also made it um um High polished uh which basically means that it it picks up the um the colors of the background and so forth so it really fits into any Decor then we added the lens technology which we use in in our newer family of loudspeakers it's also in all the Audi's and BMWs and so forth so what is really unique about it is it plays up into an ellipse form and fans it out in 180° so really where before your loudspeakers would have a a beam of you could say 30 degree angle and then you put your your your couch in the middle now there's no Sweet Spot Al s there is there is a much wider sweet spot so basically no cheap seats in the house anymore you can place a speaker anywhere you want and get fantastic stereo image and now also with it being Wireless all you need is a power stock you don't need to run any other wire so you have incredible amount of flexibility so what happened was we launched it in um um in December M arrived in the stores in December and we we now are up to almost 8 weeks wait time to get it so really it's really become a popular um seller for us so so yeah it seems like it is becoming more in demand you have to wait for such a beautiful art get to finally get to you but uh I do appreciate the craftsmanship that goes into creating such amazing type looking speaker not only amazing looking speaker but Bane also obviously known for their audio so uh we did listen to a demo and they sound incredible guys what's the price point and I guess uh um sure that comes in a couple of different versions so you can actually match your the front grill to your Decor so it comes in this Oak which is the higher end version of it and then you have a black and a white composite material uh and the difference is about $800 in price in depending on uh what front grill you go with um so they start at $6,300 and go up to uh um 7200 and so this Wireless technology I'm glad that we're finally getting something some so such premium speakers uh that where you only need to do have the power cable and you can still enjoy your audio wirelessly so guys this has been our bang in olon coverage here at CS 2014 don't forget to subscribe and stay tuned for more CS 2014 coverageyour Hardware conu 2014 CS coverage is brought to you by ncx technology connected all right guys so now I'm here with John the president of North America for bang Olson and they're going to talk to us about about this very unique and very popular speaker so this is the the bolab 18 as you can see it has a very uh it's a got a verical design so I guess to be placed within you know mly beside TVs and things so this is a beautiful piece of uh manufactured artart yeah you can call it art right so what is uh why are people diverted towards this as you said this is one of the most popular speakers here yeah so so bab um 8000 was its predecessor and it has really become an iconic Bang Old in loud speaker uh actually over 21 years we have sold almost 650,000 of them wow so um obviously over that period of time we need to continuously upgrade the product so to speak and this upgrade that we've done here we were so careful not to you could say ruin this iconic product so we really spend a lot of time making sure not only the technology that we added to it but also the Aesthetics that we upgraded would be perfect so some of the things that we've done to it we've made it Wireless um so we are one of the first companies in the world to introduce a Wisa enabled loud speaker which basically is a new wireless technology uh so we're the first uh to to bring that out congratulations um thank you very much and actually what it what it is in in in layman's terms it's basically uh a new band uh uh that is in the same frequency range as as Aviation so and it goes back and forth in terms of of of uh creating the the best and fastest highway to be on so to speak right so it means that it is the brand that is separate from all the other brands yes since that we have yes so you can actually play uncompressed uh 24 um megabit um content on it so better than CD quality uh Wireless game which is very unique Wireless so so that's one of the things that we added to it we changed the the front of it and added wood so this beautiful marriage between aluminum and wood this very organic material we also made it um um High polished uh which basically means that it it picks up the um the colors of the background and so forth so it really fits into any Decor then we added the lens technology which we use in in our newer family of loudspeakers it's also in all the Audi's and BMWs and so forth so what is really unique about it is it plays up into an ellipse form and fans it out in 180° so really where before your loudspeakers would have a a beam of you could say 30 degree angle and then you put your your your couch in the middle now there's no Sweet Spot Al s there is there is a much wider sweet spot so basically no cheap seats in the house anymore you can place a speaker anywhere you want and get fantastic stereo image and now also with it being Wireless all you need is a power stock you don't need to run any other wire so you have incredible amount of flexibility so what happened was we launched it in um um in December M arrived in the stores in December and we we now are up to almost 8 weeks wait time to get it so really it's really become a popular um seller for us so so yeah it seems like it is becoming more in demand you have to wait for such a beautiful art get to finally get to you but uh I do appreciate the craftsmanship that goes into creating such amazing type looking speaker not only amazing looking speaker but Bane also obviously known for their audio so uh we did listen to a demo and they sound incredible guys what's the price point and I guess uh um sure that comes in a couple of different versions so you can actually match your the front grill to your Decor so it comes in this Oak which is the higher end version of it and then you have a black and a white composite material uh and the difference is about $800 in price in depending on uh what front grill you go with um so they start at $6,300 and go up to uh um 7200 and so this Wireless technology I'm glad that we're finally getting something some so such premium speakers uh that where you only need to do have the power cable and you can still enjoy your audio wirelessly so guys this has been our bang in olon coverage here at CS 2014 don't forget to subscribe and stay tuned for more CS 2014 coverage\n"