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. When 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 house or within the background on an episode of Entourage. Now you should buy it once more as a brand new merchandise from Bang & Olufsen moderately than bid for one on eBay.
That is the second challenge in a sequence of what the corporate calls “recreated classics.” Bang & Olufsen sourced 200 unique models of the Beosound 9000 and introduced them to the corporate’s manufacturing facility in Struer, Denmark. There, the Bang & Olufsen group—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 satisfy B&O’s audio requirements.
To lend it a extra trendy look, the group inverted the black and aluminum finishes of the unique. The brand new black backplate makes the CDs stand out much more as artistic endeavors. However by no means worry—all of the aluminum components 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 in keeping with the seems to be of the traditional participant.
The dressed-up CD gamers will solely be offered as a part of a bundle that features a pair of high-end Beolab 28 audio system and a elaborate Beoremote. The merchandise are bundled collectively underneath the title Beosystem 9000c. Solely 200 models 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 just actually simply can’t get anyplace 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 lovely $2,000 Bluetooth speaker that was designed to be simply repaired; the battery, wooden, and material components are all replaceable, giving the speaker a lifespan of a long time as an alternative of years.
“The patron electronics business is just not as resource-efficient appropriately,” says Mads Kogsgaard Hansen, the top of product circularity and portfolio planning at B&O, who I reached over e-mail. By tackling obsolescence via design, he says, his group can “create a motion towards a extra long-lasting future, the place merchandise serve a function 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 internal 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 fundamental performance is gorgeous.
After all, as of late it’s no massive deal to see a transparent pc case or a folding cellphone with an uncovered hinge. However again within the Nineties, watching a easy 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 report retailer—which we referred to as a report retailer, though we principally offered CDs. That is the place bands performed free daytime reveals and did CD signings and the place we wandered over to the dying steel or African funk listening stations as a result of the nation part was too crowded.
That click-click-click of individuals shuffling via bins of jewel circumstances is completely embedded in my mind. Lots 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.
