Examining Beosound Edge (left) and Beoplay A9 (right).
#Note: Find full B&O review list at the bottom.
When you're getting a B&O speaker, you never pay just for the functionality.
You always pay a significant amount for its lovely style as well.
For this reason, when deciding between Beoplay A9 vs Beosound Edge, I'd highly recommend you to check out the B&O AR Experience app before buying.
Using your smartphone camera, it simulates how each B&O speakers would exactly look like in your own already furnished home.
Beosound Edge is listed at 3,500 - 3,800 USD and Beoplay A9 at 3,000 - 3,250 USD - depending on the color selections.
You see, these speakers are far from being cheap, so I'd recommend you to read this relatively short post entirely, but if you're looking for a summary, here it is:
- Inside an apartment flat: You'd probably better get a Beoplay A9.
- For large estates (like mansions) and/or for commercial uses (restaurants, stores, etc): Keep in mind that Beosound Edge propagates the sound on both ends, and then proceed at your own taste for their looks.
Now let's get to their bolts and nuts.
Power
As I clarified in my previous post, Beoplay A9 is pretty strong.
Disregard them. They're for the 3rd generation Beoplay A9, which is discontinued.
I contacted the B&O Customer Service about this as well (mail history at the bottom of this post) and shared my findings in the table below.
So much that if you're living in an apartment flat without any soundproofing, then let alone full volume, you probably wouldn't even need to / be able to use it at half of its power.
In larger spaces, Beosound Edge is even stronger than the Beoplay A9, but that's mainly because it propagates the sound on both ends (more on this in a minute).
If you place both Beosound Edge and Beoplay A9 in the corner or in front of the wall, Beoplay A9 might even sound stronger than the Beosound Edge.
But the most important take away here is that if you're living in an apartment flat, I'd recommend you to disregard the difference between their powers. They're both much stronger than enough.
Amplifiers | 1 x 400 Watt class D for bass 2 x 200 Watt class D for midrange 2 x 200 Watt class D for fullrange 2 x 150 Watt class D for treble | 2 x 200 Watt (woofer) 4 x 100 Watt (mid-ranges/tweeters) |
Driver units | 1 x 8" Woofer 2 x 3" Midrange 2 x ¾" Tweeter 2 x 1½” Full-range | 1 x 10” dual coil woofer 2 x 4” midrange 2 x 3/4” tweeter |
Maximum loudness | 100 dB SPL | 104 dB SPL |
Bass capability | 95 dB SPL | 92 dB SPL |
Bass capability refers to producing high basses. Generally speaking, the more the bass capability, the less the distortion with the songs with strong basses.
However, you won't be able to notice the 3 dB of difference - even if you have a PhD on these speakers.
Sound quality
Let me tell you something right off the bat.
Room acoustics, particularly room dimensions and speaker positioning, will have an immense effect on sound quality.
The impact of the combination of these two is actually so strong that in most cases, it doesn't even make sense to utter a single word on sound quality without speaking of them.
This is why I'd hiiiiiiighly recommend you to check out this simple, 2D, online speaker placement calculator.
It's GOOOOLLLDDDDD. I've had an Acoustics & Audio PhD build this tool specifically for this purpose:
Default values:
- Ceiling height: 106 inches or 8 feet 10 inches or 2.70 meters
- Most standard ceiling height
- Listener's height: 32 inches or 2 feet 8 inches or 0.80 meters
- Average height of a sitting person
Central heights of speakers (measured from the ground) and examples to them:
- Soundbars: 30 inches or 2 feet 6 inches or 0.75 meters
- 8", 10" or 12" Subwoofers: 8 inches or 0.20 meters
- 360 degree speakers: 32 inches or 2 feet 8 inches or 0.80 meters
- Horizontal speakers: 32 inches or 2 feet 8 inches or 0.80 meters
- Floor standing speakers: 20 inches or 1 feet 8 inches or 0.50 meters
- Bookshelf speakers: 32 inches or 2 feet 8 inches or 0.80 meters
- Center speakers: 32 inches or 2 feet 8 inches or 0.80 meters
Side note: This tool can and will return inaccurate results for small, portable Bluetooth speakers such as JBL's Go Series. It will, however, deliver just fine for more powerful, packed bluetooth speakers such as this one.
ASAP Science made a video on the loudest and quietest rooms in the world. A mind blowing example of the importance of acoustics (time adjusted video).
Other parameters such as the age/materials of the building, the furniture & carpets in place, etc can and will, of course, have an effect on room acoustics, too. But much less.
Also...
Did you know you could also virtually hear any speaker online?
Crutchfield had recently created a tool that virtually simulates the sounds of many different speakers; such as those of SVS, Klipsch, KEF and B&W. Nothing will, of course, beat hearing the speakers in reality. But I'd still recommend you to give it a shot.
While you're at it, blast my Hidden Electronic Gems list to test them:
Anyways...
Also, check out the sound propagation section below.
Sound propagation
This is what you should primarily base your decision on.
Beosound Edge propagates the sound from both sides.
This is why, when placed at the corner or in front of a wall like this, it'll be able to operate mostly on one end only.
However, since the sound coming out of only one end of the Beosound Edge is still much more than enough even for large living spaces, I don't think you should worry about it too much. Especially if you dig its harmony with the overall design of your room.
The above example is an outsider, though. Beosound Edge is mostly either casually placed on the floor or mounted on a wall like a bar sign:
This makes the Beosound Edge more suitable for
This is why I say Beosound Edge is a more niche product.
Its design is intended more for an additional element for already elegant looking restaurants, stores, etc - and mostly comes too unique for the majority of personal uses. The only exceptions might be for large estates, like mansions.
Although you need a really large living space to be able to appreciate all the aspects of Beosound Edge you pay for, this is less the case with the Beoplay A9.
Because unlike Beosound Edge, Beoplay A9 propagates the sound through one side only - as you can guess.
Speaking of which... Beoplay A9 can also be mounted on the wall using this wall mount.
This is how wall-mounted Beoplay A9 looks like in the end.
As I already mentioned in my Beosound 2 vs Beoplay A9 post, Beoplay A9 still requires a larger living space compared to other B&O speakers - as I
Ease of use
The urge to rock the Beosound Edge left and right actually does have a functionality - it turns the volume up and down.
In my opinion, this is more of a waste. I mean, it's a really cool feature and all, but who is really going to use it?
As you can guess, this isn't the only way to adjust the sound for the Edge. It also offers a touch-operated control panel on its edge:
Beoplay A9 also offers a touch operated control panel at its backside:
*Video is time adjusted. Play it to see how to adjust the volume of Beoplay A9.
My back and forth mails with Bang & Olufsen Customer Service
I decided to delete this part of the post after noticing following statement at the bottom of their mails:
The information in this email and any attachment is BANG & OLUFSEN CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION and is solely for the attention of the addressee. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that you have received this message in error and that reading it, copying it, or in any way disclosing its content to any other person is strictly unauthorized.