Beosound 2 vs Beoplay A9

#Note: Find full B&O review list at the bottom. 

Let's begin with the summary of the biggest differences you should be aware of when comparing the Beosound 2 vs Beoplay A9: 

• Beoplay A9 is able to crank out much stronger sound output (almost TWICE as much as Beosound 2) and it also looks prettier to most (this Nordic Ice Kvadrat color is especially liked by many - including me)
• Beosound 2 propagates the sound much better (almost TWICE the angle of Beoplay A9), and is also much more portable, much more versatile and a little bit easier to use. 

Also, do make sure to check out the informative Beosound 2 vs Beoplay A9 chart on bang-olufsen.com. 

The most important thing when it comes to speakers, the sound quality, of these speakers are comparable. Unless you have a PhD on speakers and studied these two for weeks, I'm pretty sure you won't notice a difference. 

However... 

If you own a spacious room (more than, say, 60 m² (645 ft²)), I'd strongly recommend you to disregard Beosound 2. Chances are, its power is going to suffer. 

In that case, go check out my Beosound Edge vs Beoplay A9 article. 

Here's the Beosound Edge vs Beoplay A9 vs Beosound 2 chart: https://www.bang-olufsen.com/en/us/comparison/products?slug=speakers&p1=beosound-2&p2=beosound-edge&p3=beoplay-a9 

If you own a much smaller room, you need much smaller speakers. In which case you should stop reading this post and go check out my Beoplay M3 vs M5 article. 

After all, B&O is always a safe bet when it comes to sound quality - especially with high-end products like these two. 

At a whooping four figures, these speakers are far from cheap. So I'd recommend you to read this post entirely. But if you want a quick summary, here it is: 

If your new speaker will take place inside a mostly 50-60 square meters apartment flat, then Beosound 2 can mostly be a better choice. Any room larger than that and Beoplay A9 can be more suitable - especially for detached houses.

Let's dive deeper. 

Sound quality, strength & propagation 

The sound quality is top-notch for both speakers, so my recommendation is to disregard it completely while choosing between the two. It's impossible to dislike the sound coming out of either one of these speakers anyway. 

Moving on, as mentioned earlier into the post, Beoplay A9 produces stronger sound output than the Beosound 2. 

But what should this tell us? 

It tells us a lot about their most suitable environment types and sizes. 

If you're living inside a regular apartment flat up to, say, 50-60 square meters, then chances are, you probably won't even use it at half of its full power. 

Referencing to the introduction image, its enormous size compared to Beosound 2 is also going to be restrictive in terms of placement with smaller sized rooms. 

On top of that, the plate-like speaker is also pointed slightly upwards, aiming to respond better to high ceiling environments. 

All these combined make Beoplay A9 a perfect corner speaker option for larger sized rooms/areas. 

Beosound 2 is strong as well - but not as much as Beoplay A9. 

It comes with a woofer at the bottom, two mid-ranges and a tweeter at the top - which puts it two drivers ahead of its sister Beosound 1. 

Its power would be enough to blast your neighbors without necessarily going full volume. 

• Also, do make sure to check out the informative Beosound 2 vs Beoplay A9 chart on bang-olufsen.com. 

Just because Beosound 2 provides 360 degrees of sound propagation, doesn't mean that it must be placed somewhere central in the room. 

Because, it allows introducing its whereabouts in the very room it's placed at. 

The app lets you choose either one of these three options: Corner, wall or freestanding. 

The freestanding option is one of the most important selling points for the Beosound 2, though. 

Just like its cousin Beoplay M5, one of the most beautiful things about Beosound 2 is that you get the same sound quality no matter where you're located at relative to the speaker. 

In summary, it's always a safe bet to place a Beosound 2 on the table in the middle of a 50 - 60 square meter room. 

Needless to say, Beoplay A9 doesn't provide 360 degree sound propagation. I mean, look at it. You don't need a feature like that with it anyway. However, it too allows adjusting the sound according to its room positioning. 

Ease of use 

I love how graciously slick the mechanical head of Beosound 2: 

• Just tap it to play the music. You're literally one tap away from it. 
• Tap it twice and it changes to your favorite playlist (comes with built-in Spotify, Airplay and Chromecast). 
• Rotate the head to turn the volume up or down.  
• Swipe it to shuffle through your playlist. A cool feature I like: Embedded proximity sensor detects the angle you're approaching the speaker, so you can always use the same swiping direction. 

Beoplay A9 isn't any less capable. It carries out very same capabilities through a touch-operated backpanel: 

As you see,

• Swipe hand across the top to turn volume up or down. 
• Rest hand on the top sensor for a few seconds to mute sound.
• Tap to the right to play next track and left to play previous track.
• Short tap in the center to initiate last played source.

Lastly, both speakers require full power all the time. Disregard the Beoplay A9 outdoors image above where you can't see any cables whatsoever! 

Lastly, do make sure to check out the informative Beosound 2 vs Beoplay A9 chart on bang-olufsen.com.