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Bluetooth Speakers

True Score Methodology v1.0

Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore Review

November 16, 2023

True Score

Mixed Reviews

Experts

1,217

Consumers

Expert Rankings

(

)

The Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore had reviewers pleased with its excellent build quality and compact size. They liked that it had a long-lasting battery and produced a wide soundstage, but they didn’t appreciate its mediocre bass levels and its lack of support for voice assistants or WiFi connectivity.

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Table of Contents

Overview
What Is Not on the Box
Product Comparison
All Stores
Score Card
Expert Score Breakdown
Customer Score Breakdown
Learn More About Bluetooth Speakers

Overview

The Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore is a top-tier wireless Bluetooth speaker that was first announced mid-2021. Similar to the top speakers designed for outdoor use, the Beosound Explore has great build quality and is both waterproof and dust resistant. Its battery also lasts long since it offers up to nine hours of playtime. Its Bluetooth capabilities are not that far off from what some of the best Bluetooth speakers have to offer since it can be paired with up to two devices at once, and it has a Bluetooth range of up to 334.6 ft. The speaker will take only 3.9 hours to charge, and its charging port is connected via a USB-C port. For a speaker that doesn’t need to be connected to a port to charge, have a look at our Alpine Solar Bluetooth Rock speaker review. Weighing only 1.3 pounds, the speaker is also very portable, but if you’d also like to consider other portable options, check out our Bose SoundLink Flex review.

What Is Not on the Box

What the brand doesn’t always tell you…

our Verdict

Product testers lauded the Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore for its sturdy build quality and impressive portability. Specialists from Expert Reviews liked that the speaker was small enough to hold with one hand and was dust-tight and waterproof. During their tests, its battery lasted 27 hours after playing audio at moderate volumes, while testers from Tech Radar also liked that they could adjust its EQ settings through its app. Other experts were also impressed with its soundstage performance, and found it alright for watching movies and playing music. They also lauded its multi-device Bluetooth connectivity and were pleased with its long 334.6 ft range.

However, testers weren’t entirely satisfied with its bass levels. If this is a deal breaker, you might like our Bose Portable Smart speaker review and our Bang & Olufsen Beolit 20 review since they both have a good bass response. The Beosound Explore also doesn’t support WiFi connectivity, or voice assistants like the Bose 300 does (which we’ve covered in our Bose Home Speaker 300 review).

True Score

Reasons to Buy

Great build quality and durability
Long-lasting battery
Compact and lightweight
Long Bluetooth range
Multi-device Bluetooth connectivity

Reasons to Avoid

Mediocre bass response
No support for WiFi or voice assistants
No speakerphone functionality

Specifications

	Battery Life	27 hrs
	Built In Microphone	Yes
	Charge Time	2 hrs
	Size	8.1 cm (d) x 12.4 cm (h)
	Smart App	Yes
	Speaker Pairing	Yes
	Water Resistant	Yes
	Wattage	2 × 30W
	Wireless Range	n/a

All Specs

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Product Comparison

	Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore Review	Bang Olufsen Beosound A1 Gen 2 Review	Bose Soundlink Revolve+ II Review	Sonos Roam Review
True Score	76	88	80	84
Ranking	# 32 / 81	# 2 / 81	# 19 / 81	# 10 / 81
Market Context	The Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore is a top-tier wireless Bluetooth speaker that was first announced mid-2021. Similar to the top speakers designed for outdoor… The Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore is a top-tier wireless Bluetooth speaker that was first announced mid-2021. Similar to the top speakers designed for outdoor use, the Beosound Explore has great build quality and is both waterproof and dust resistant. Its battery also lasts long since it offers up to nine hours of playtime. Its Bluetooth capabilities are not that far off from what some of the best Bluetooth speakers have to offer since it can be paired with up to two devices at once, and it has a Bluetooth range of up to 334.6 ft. The speaker will take only 3.9 hours to charge, and its charging port is connected via a USB-C port. For a speaker that doesn’t need to be connected to a port to charge, have a look at our Alpine Solar Bluetooth Rock speaker review. Weighing only 1.3 pounds, the speaker is also very portable, but if you’d also like to consider other portable options, check out our Bose SoundLink Flex review.	The difference in size is not the only thing that sets the Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore apart from the Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1… The difference in size is not the only thing that sets the Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore apart from the Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 Gen 2. Upon further inspection, keen buyers might notice that the Beosound Explore has a stereo output while the Beosound A1 does not. The former also has a longer 9-hour battery life than the latter’s 4.6 hours. Take a look at our Bang & Olufsen A1 Gen 2 review for more highlights on what else it can do.	The Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore has an equalizer while the Bose SoundLink Revolve+ II does not, but the Beosound Explore is capable of a… The Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore has an equalizer while the Bose SoundLink Revolve+ II does not, but the Beosound Explore is capable of a stereo output while the Revolve+ II is not.	The Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore has a longer 9-hour battery life compared to the Sonos Roam, whose battery only lasts up to 5.1 hours…. The Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore has a longer 9-hour battery life compared to the Sonos Roam, whose battery only lasts up to 5.1 hours. Still, the Sonos Roam supports WiFi connectivity and voice assistant functionality, while the Beosound Explore does not.
Battery Life	27 hrs	18 hrs	17 hrs	10 hrs
Built In Microphone	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Charge Time	2 hrs	2 hrs	4 hrs	2 hrs
Size	8.1 cm (d) x 12.4 cm (h)	13.3 cm (w) x 4.5 cm (h) x 13.3 cm (d) (Weight: 558 g)	7.25" (h) x 4.13" (w) x 4.13" (d)	6.61" (h) x 2.32" (w) x 2.44" (d)
Smart App	Yes	Yes	Bose Connect	Amazon Alexa app, Google Assistant, Hue, Nest
Speaker Pairing	Yes	n/a	Yes	Yes
Dig Deeper		Read review →: Bang Olufsen Beosound A1 Gen 2 Review	Read review →: Bose Soundlink Revolve+ II Review	Read review →: Sonos Roam Review

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$199.00
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Score Card

Expert Score

*.75

We place a 75% weighted value on Expert Test Scores

Customer Score

*.25

We place a 25% weighted value on Customer Scores

True Score

Any product with a True Score above 70 is a Mixed Reviews

Expert Score Breakdown

Publications with higher Trust Scores are given more weight

A
Trust Score
69
“No bottom line found for this product” read more
By:
Andy White
D
Trust Score
80
The Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore looks great, is rugged and waterproof but doesn’t deliver… read more
By:
Mike Lowe
D
Trust Score
NR
B&O Beosound Explore Looking for a portable Bluetooth speaker that can withstand the a bit… read more
By:
Unknown
F
Trust Score
80
The Beosound Explore is a stylish and durable speaker for accompanying you wherever you go,… read more
By:
Matthew Bolton
F
Trust Score
NR
Bang & Olufsen Explore is a cool-looking, compact, great-sounding portable speaker—and is dazzling in the… read more
By:
Unknown
F
Trust Score
80
The Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore is part of the Wireless & Bluetooth Speakers test… read more
By:
Nick Rego