Right this moment, Bang & Olufsen—the audio firm that has made what we referred to as “the prettiest devices on the earth”—is rereleasing its iconic CD participant, the Beosound 9000. Should you have been alive within the Nineties, you undoubtedly noticed this CD participant standing in a spot of honor, six discs and glass lid gleaming, both in your bougiest good friend’s residence or within the background on an episode of Entourage. Now you should buy it once more as a brand new merchandise from Bang & Olufsen relatively 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—fastidiously 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 fashionable 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 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 carry them in keeping with the appears 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 title 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 preserving sturdiness in thoughts. Additionally, its merchandise exude timeless, quirky vibes that you just actually simply can’t get wherever else. I at all times consider the Beosound Bluetooth speaker that appears identical to a picnic basket, however in 2021 the corporate additionally launched the Beosound Degree, an exceptionally stunning $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 a substitute of years.
“The buyer electronics trade will not be as resource-efficient correctly,” says Mads Kogsgaard Hansen, the pinnacle of product circularity and portfolio planning at B&O, who I reached over e-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 goal after their first helpful lifecycle.”
The unique Beosound 9000 was designed by David Lewis, a legendary industrial designer whose work is presently showcased in the Museum of Trendy Artwork. The participant’s design—with its interior workings on full show and encased in glass—was based mostly on the idea of “audiovisuality,” which is the concept exposing a music machine’s primary performance is gorgeous.
After all, nowadays it’s no massive deal to see a transparent laptop case or a folding cellphone 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 report retailer—which we referred to as a report retailer, regardless that we largely bought CDs. That is the place bands performed free daytime exhibits and did CD signings and the place we wandered over to the demise 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. A number 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.
