Bang & Olufsen Beolit 20

Bang & Olufsen Beolit 20 Portable Bluetooth Speaker

Named after the year of its release, the Beolit 20 marks the 4th Generation of Bang & Olufsen’s renowned Beolit speaker first introduced back in 2012. Combining premium speaker components with wireless Bluetooth 4.2 connectivity, wireless Qi charging and 8-hour battery life; the Beolit 20 is the perfect choice for your portable home audio.

• 5.5” long-stroke wideband woofer combined with 1.5” full-range tweeters for great bass-high frequency performance
• Will fill a room of up to 50m²
• True360 sound for even audio dispersion
• Bluetooth 4.2 connectivity
• 8-hour battery life at higher listening volumes
• Wireless Qi Charging for connected devices

Acoustic Excellence

Incorporating 5.5” long-stroke wideband woofer with three 1.5” full ranges and two 4” passive bass radiators; the Beolit 20 will expertly handle your home audio with a 77dB bass capacity and 93dB mid-range volume. The soundstage produced is wide and dynamic with a frequency range of 37-20,000Hz; easily filling rooms of between 10-50m² in size.

You’ll have full control over the Beolit 20 with EQ settings being fully customisable in the B&O app. True360 sound evenly disperses audio so that every listener experiences a full and dynamic sound no matter where they’re sat in relation to the speaker. Bang & Olufsen have also built-in DSP (Digital Signal Processing) which will handle audio to avoid distortion at higher volume levels without squashing the dynamic high and mid-bass performance.

Wireless Connectivity

Bluetooth 4.2 connectivity (AAC and SBC) is inbuilt making it easy to connect to the Beolit 20 from your chosen device. The Bluetooth pairing button is located on the top of the speaker, making it quick and simple to connect within a matter of seconds. This Bluetooth pairing also allows for the Beolit 20 to be stereo paired with another Beolit 20 or the previous Beolit 17 iteration giving you the option to grow your system with a wider, stereo-separated soundstage.

If you’re interested in using a wired audio source with the Beolit 20, B&O have conveniently incorporated a 3.5mm jack allowing you to connect easily.

Battery Life and Wireless Charging

Up to 37 hours of playtime is offered when listening at a background volume, with an impressive 8 hours at louder levels. This playtime is 30% longer than previous iterations of the Beolit, showing B&O have evolved the internal battery components for the new 2020 Beolit 20 model. Zero to full charge takes about 3hours, with a charging cable included and LED battery level indicator built into the speaker.

Wireless charging is very modern technology and something we’ve rarely seen incorporated into home audio products. Wireless Qi charging is handily inbuilt into the top of the Beolit 20, allowing you to sit your phone or compatible device on the charging circle so that you’re actually charging your device rather than draining the battery when listening to music.

Effortless Design

As a more premium portable speaker compared with others on the market, you definitely benefit from a high-quality finish. Available in both Black-Anthracite and Grey-Mist colourways, the Beolit 20 features a wraparound, anodised aluminium grille that gives it a timeless feel. Its solid is reminiscent of an old transistor radio, without being too heavy to transport around and use day-to-day. The vegetable-tanned leather carry handle aids this portability.

You might be more concerned with how the speaker will hold up in day-to-day usage than with how it looks, and the brains at B&O have incorporated some handy features into the design of the Beolit 20. Volume and play/pause control buttons are located on the top of the speaker making it easy to navigate, with a Bluetooth pairing button aiding easy setup. The Qi charging base is hidden beautifully within the top panel, denoted by a circle of dots.

FAQs

Q. Is the Beolit 20 waterproof?
A. No, this speaker isn’t weatherrated so we’d advise caution when using it outdoors or in a wet room. B & O have advised that the Beolit 20 has a degree of weather resistance along with a ruggedized base, so it will be fine if placed down on grass or sand.

Q. Will Qi Wireless Charging affect the speaker battery?
A. If using the Qi feature when the speaker is not plugged in via the supplied charging cable, you will experience a drop in battery level. If using Qi when the speaker is plugged in the battery level wont be affected.

Q. Can I use the Beolit 20 with Voice Assistant?
A. As the speaker relies solely upon Bluetooth connectivity, you won’t be able to use any Wifi based voice assistants like Alexa, Google or Siri. If you have this feature installed on a connected phone or device, you will be able to play any voice assistant replies or content through the Beolit 20 - you’ll just need to make commands to your phone rather than the speaker.