At present, Bang & Olufsen—the audio firm that has made what we referred to as “the prettiest gadgets in the world”—is rereleasing its iconic CD participant, the Beosound 9000. In case you have been alive within the Nineties, you positively noticed this CD participant standing in a spot of honor, six discs and glass lid gleaming, both in your bougiest pal’s dwelling or within the background on an episode of Entourage. Now you should buy it once more as a brand new merchandise from Bang & Olufsen fairly than bid for one on eBay.
That is the second undertaking in a collection of what the corporate calls “recreated classics.” Bang & Olufsen sourced 200 authentic items of the Beosound 9000 and introduced them to the corporate’s manufacturing facility in Struer, Denmark. There, the Bang & Olufsen workforce—a few of whom labored on the unique fashions—rigorously disassembled, cleaned, and repaired every unit. Every was then individually examined and fine-tuned to fulfill B&O’s audio requirements.
To lend it a extra trendy look, the workforce inverted the black and aluminum finishes of the unique. The brand new black backplate makes the CDs stand out much more as artworks. However by no means concern—all of the aluminum elements are nonetheless from the unique Beosound 9000s. The items have been all brushed, etched, and blasted in Bang & Olufsen’s manufacturing facility, then re-machined and re-anodized to convey them according to the appears to be like of the traditional participant.
The dressed-up CD gamers will solely be bought as a part of a bundle that features a pair of high-end Beolab 28 audio system and a flowery Beoremote. The merchandise are bundled collectively below the identify Beosystem 9000c. Solely 200 items are being produced, and every bundle prices $55,000. Even when that worth places it out of attain for many of us, the Beosound 9000’s design is worthy of celebration for what it represents.
What Goes Round
The Danish model has lengthy prioritized product longevity, utilizing high-end supplies and protecting sturdiness in thoughts. Additionally, its merchandise exude timeless, quirky vibes that you simply actually simply can’t get wherever else. I all the time consider the Beosound Bluetooth speaker that appears just like a picnic basket, however in 2021 the corporate additionally launched the Beosound Level, an exceptionally stunning $2,000 Bluetooth speaker that was designed to be simply repaired; the battery, wooden, and fabric parts are all replaceable, giving the speaker a lifespan of a long time as an alternative of years.
“The patron electronics business shouldn’t be as resource-efficient correctly,” says Mads Kogsgaard Hansen, the top of product circularity and portfolio planning at B&O, who I reached over electronic mail. By tackling obsolescence by design, he says, his workforce can “create a motion towards a extra long-lasting future, the place merchandise serve a objective after their first helpful lifecycle.”
The unique Beosound 9000 was designed by David Lewis, a legendary industrial designer whose work is at present showcased in the Museum of Modern Art. The participant’s design—with its interior workings on full show and encased in glass—was primarily based on the idea of “audiovisuality,” which is the concept exposing a music machine’s primary performance is gorgeous.
In fact, nowadays it’s no large deal to see a transparent laptop case or a folding telephone with an uncovered hinge. However again within the Nineties, watching a clean clamp slide soundlessly between CDs or seeing the Beosound 9000’s motorized glass lid slowly swing open was the peak of luxurious.
Comes Again Round
Bang & Olufsen’s rerelease additionally comes at a time of a CD revival. In my twenties, I labored in a file retailer—which we referred to as a file retailer, despite the fact that we principally bought CDs. That is the place bands performed free daytime exhibits and did CD signings and the place we wandered over to the loss of life metallic or African funk listening stations as a result of the nation part was too crowded.
That click-click-click of individuals shuffling by bins of jewel instances is completely embedded in my mind. Plenty of us miss it, even these of us who weren’t sufficiently old on the time to take heed to music on compact disc, as evidenced by Gen Z consumers gobbling up long-neglected CD collections.
