Customer Reviews and Ratings

3.5 out of 5 stars

Based on 33 reviews

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Excellent device!

    • Written by from Brasilia

    I recently bought the Beolit ​​12 and I can say that for sure you will fall in love for it.
    It is an excellent device, with excellent sound quality. Even at high levels the sound remains crystal clear and undistorted.

  • 2.0 out of 5 stars

    Great sound but airplay?

    • Written by from Utrecht

    0 of 1 people found this useful

    The sound is really good for such a small device. But the interface and airplay? What did they think at B&O. Also the support of B&O is poor. First email the responded with the standard stuff you find on the site the next follow-up email they don't respond???? So don't buy this product if you want a trouble free airplay solution.

    Also you can't set a password on the device which is ridiculous insecure. On a network with more people it open to everyone to use the speaker!!!???.

  • 4.0 out of 5 stars

    Impressive box but...

    • Written by from Toronto

    5 of 6 people found this useful

    I picked up a Beolit 12 at the Apple store but may return it yet -- I’ve not decided. Let's not kid around, it's an impressive sounding little box for its weight and portability. It really sings with jazz and vocal, although that's no surprise for B&O. I played a few "lossless" encoded files via Airplay and I was pleased with the sound.

    Now let's talk abuot the flaws:
    1. This little machine was a pain to set up. I'm pretty tech savvy but this just seemed counter-intuitive to configure. B&O needs to fix this next time because for many people I'd imagine this trouble would result in the Beolit going back in the box and back to the store for a return.

    2. Mild "hiss" that doesn't go away. I'm in a small apartment and when this device is on it has a soft "hiss" that doesn't stop. If it is playing music quietly it remains noticeable. I'm going to try to contact B&O to find out if this is normal behaviour. If yes it's going back.

    3. Slow start-up time. Every time you turn this machine on it takes forever to connect to the network.

    4. No bluetooth or other solution for taking this box to the park, or elsewhere without wifi. I hear people say you can set up a personal hotspot with an iPhone but given how challenging the configuration software is I'm not sure most people would attempt this. I've yet to try.

    I still give it 4 stars because of:
    -size
    -sound
    -airport is stable once configured
    -ability to pull the AC cord on the fly (like with a laptop) and go without interrupting playback.
    -beautiful design

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Simply stunning sound

    • Written by from San Francisco

    1 of 2 people found this useful

    Better sound than a Zeppelin Air, to say nothing of competing docks; unlike the pleasant-sounding but ultimately flawed Bose Soundlink devices, you won't find dropouts in any part of the audio spectrum.

    If you know your music well (from hearing it on truly high quality sources), you'll find nothing missing; if you don't, you will discover entirely new aspects of your favorites that you never knew existed.

    Setup was a breeze, with the Beolit acting as an access point for easy configuration, then solidly joining our existing network for airplay usage. It's limited to 2.4 GHz (instead of offering 5GHz wireless N as an option), so microwaves and some wireless phones can cause dropouts, but we've had very good reliability of playback.

    What's perhaps most astounding (given the sound) is the unit's size and portability. There is simply nothing else like it.

  • 2.0 out of 5 stars

    SO frustrating.....:(

    • Written by from london

    5 of 7 people found this useful

    I just cannot get this speaker to work on iphone 4S or iPad. The device appeared on the Beolit app for a few weeks but Airplay was rubbish, kept dropping. Made for a stressful listening experience. But now the B&O Beolit setup app does not even recognise the speaker. I have tried everything. I just want to throw it in the bin now. It was a very expensive gift and I cannot recommend the Beolit 12 despite its looks, unless you are happy to always plug it in, rather than have it work wirelessly.

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Beolite 12: insane!!

    • Written by from Cape Town

    3 of 5 people found this useful

    I still can't believe the sound coming out this tiny (heavy) box!
    If you can afford it buy it

    Good:
    I have used the Beolite for a party on the beach (placed in the rocks: you have to place it chest-hight and against something for the best sound), next to the pool, in a rental where the radio was missing and I watched movies in a hotel where it made for a cinema like experience. Oh, and I flipped over a glass of wine while I used it as a tray and it made me wonder is it watertight? Cause it still works like new. Battery life is insane, clocked it close to 9 hours. Last: incredible sound even with very low volume

    Bad:
    3.5mm jack is to short and vulnerable;
    so I've used the apple connector but it heavily decreases battery life;
    heavy almost 3kg (but it reminds me of the quality :-)
    bass biased;
    rubber supports to reduce vibration and increase stability wear off quickly;
    wifi set-up too much hassle so I hardly use it;
    airport security mistakes it for a bomb

  • 4.0 out of 5 stars

    Great sound, Bad AirPlay

    • Written by from Kraainem

    5 of 5 people found this useful

    If you want great sound: Buy It! -And connect via wire!
    If you want portability: Buy something else! AirPlay hardly work at all!

  • 4.0 out of 5 stars

    Not perfect, but excusable

    • Written by from Portland

    11 of 14 people found this useful

    Like everyone else, I find the wi-fi reception poor and the sound incredible. Easier to setup w/ upgrade and IOS app, once you have it set for a network.

    Bass is set for off the floor location (bookcase, table top, etc.). If you put it on the floor or in a corner, you very likely will hear too much bass. And upper end clarity is best if you face it toward you and have it at head (and ear) level. With that placement, the sound is awesome.

    For all those whining about the price, I can only suggest you go find something as good for less - it simply does not exist - I guess B&O must know that and, just like the rest of their incredible products, have priced it accordingly.

    Was this useful? Not perfect, but excusable

    Flag as inappropriate

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Awesome

    • Written by from Knoxville

    12 of 15 people found this useful

    Not the easiest setup, but awesome sound and that's what is important. 100 watts cranking on a very portable unit. Pricey, terrible setup, but I'd do it again.

  • 4.0 out of 5 stars

    Amazing sound, glitchy setup

    • Written by from New Providence

    19 of 20 people found this useful

    I see a lot of reviews complaining about the setup so I'll address that first. All airplay devices use the same hardware/software provided by Apple. So yes, it's annoying to setup it up and sometimes it cuts-off but you'll get the exact problems with every airplay device our there. Just check the reviews for them and you'll see.

    Two things that fixed the problem for me: (1) Install the hardware patch using the app or ask your B&O store to do it for you before you take it home. (2) the sound cut-offs that do happen are not the wireless connection, but your iTunes. I had the exact same problem with the AppleTV and solved both by turning off power savings and some heavy background tasks like backups and antivirus scheduled scans. Everytime the sound went bad (not often) I could see something heavy running on my PC that caused it.

    Once the setup is done, the sound (does anything else really matters?), mobility and design are definetely worth the money. The battery is excelent. I lost power during Sandy and I used it for over 8hrs (cable connection) and at the end my ipod was still fully charged.

    Was this useful? Amazing sound, glitchy setup

    Flag as inappropriate

  • 2.0 out of 5 stars

    Useless wifi!

    • Written by from New York

    75 of 93 people found this useful

    Yeap! $800 for wireless capabilities that do not work. The Airplay connection problem is so annoying that now I only use it if hardwired, which by the way it defeats its purpose of portability (and my apartment is not that big!). DO NOT BUY IT.

  • 2.0 out of 5 stars

    Great Product

    • Written by from Lima

    59 of 97 people found this useful

    I loved it

  • 2.0 out of 5 stars

    Great sound, ugly design

    • Written by from CAMBRIDGE

    74 of 95 people found this useful

    You're going to be amazed by the sound, but this is true of all B&O products I've used so it's a gratuitous statement. However, I can't get over how ugly this thing is. This looks like a cross between a child's lunchbox and a toaster oven. What happened B&O, did you fire all of your previous designers or did you just cut their salaries in half?

  • 4.0 out of 5 stars

    Don't Buy it...

    • Written by from Nova Lima

    20 of 53 people found this useful

    only if you have something very urgent to do with your money... It is a wonderful piece of electronics... Air Play is a little tricky to setup (use the iOS app) but just WORKS...

    Nothing will sound like this box in your house!!! You can pay half of its value to get a tenth of the sound volume, density, emotion... so... bad business!!!

    The best thing is how much space a small box save without any kind of hearing pleasure quality...

  • 4.0 out of 5 stars

    Beolit 12

    • Written by from London

    26 of 27 people found this useful

    Sound is superb. Fills large rooms and has good detail for highs and mids; bass is strong, maybe a little imprecise. Portability is excellent. Design was the only one nice enough to please my wife. The wifi / Airplay is useless. Range is poor, suffers from drop-outs every few seconds. 3 or 4 stars because of that. For the price, Airplay should work and it does not.

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Good sound. Good function.

    • Written by from MOUNT PLEASANT

    24 of 27 people found this useful

    I've owned these for 3 months. The sound is good for small speakers and I would agree with other reviewers that it improves with volume. I use these for outdoor locations(porch, dock, yard), some fairly distant from router and have had no airplay connectivity issues. All of family, armed with iPhone, pad, or airplay remote for iTunes remote, vie for DJ responsibilities. Fun. And eclectic mix of tunes on the porch

    Was this useful? Good sound. Good function.

    Flag as inappropriate

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    So far - the best compact speakers I ever had

    • Written by from Los Angeles

    22 of 25 people found this useful

    Decided to write this small note to express gratitude for this product. Have been owning it for several months now and couldn't be any happier. I'm a music pro and have sets of professional monitors and some consumer ones too in my studio, but for home living room I wanted to have something small, stylish, less cables as possible, a single unit, versatile (no apple dock connector) - the Beolit feels like custom made for me. Price is scary, but it deserves every penny. The only thing I would wish to have is a protective case to carry the beast around while traveling. Thank you for the joy.

    Was this useful? So far - the best compact speakers I ever had

    Flag as inappropriate

  • 2.0 out of 5 stars

    Sound great and battery is great but Airplay, Wifi and interface is terribl

    • Written by from London

    22 of 25 people found this useful

    This is a great sounding speaker and the built in rechargeable battery is great for making it portable round the house or to the park.

    But the Airplay / Wifi setup is dreadful. I've only ever got it to work once and I'm a nerd. I've wasted hours with the app, with Wifi and with wired connections and it's just very unresponsive and glitchy.

    It's also a failure of usability to design something where you push a button and need to monitor what colour the button changes to - you can't obviously as your finger is obscuring the button. The buttons are touch sensitive and have no movement, so you have no feedback to know how hard to push. You end up trying to push whilst keeping half of your finger to the side so you can see if it changes colour. Overall it's a dreadful interface.

    I've had mine for 6 months and do use it via a cable, but when I get time I'm taking it back to the B&O store and am going to ask them to demonstrate the wifi setup, because it's either very glitchy or not as described in the manual.

    Was this useful? Sound great and battery is great but Airplay, Wifi and interface is terribl

    Flag as inappropriate

  • 2.0 out of 5 stars

    Good Sound, Very Poor AirPlay Performance

    • Written by from Milford

    26 of 28 people found this useful

    I've had this unit for about 4 months and I've held off commenting on it hoping an upgrade would come along that solved the continual dropouts when using AirPlay. It seems to take an inordinate amount of time to recognize the wifi connection and then it's forever dropping the sound source, I've had this problem with both the iphone and iPad. Thinking that maybe the router was too far away from the B&O I even went out and purchased an Airport Express to extend the network's reach, the express is literally less than 10 feet away from the Beolit when we are on the deck and the same darn nonsense happens. This is not what I expected from an $800.00 product!

    Was this useful? Good Sound, Very Poor AirPlay Performance

    Flag as inappropriate

  • 3.0 out of 5 stars

    SOUNDS GREAT, LOOKS GREAT, BUT DROPS CONNECTION

    • Written by from Curitiba

    21 of 23 people found this useful

    As another reviewer, I have connection problems too.
    I have another Airplay gadgets, and was looking for something to put in my garden, to integrate the sound outdoors when I have a party.
    So, I got this B&O to do the job.
    But other gadgets keep connected, steady, and the B&O always drops out.
    Can't find a reason.
    Even when in the same room as the wifi router.
    Sounds fantastic, looks fantastic, but doesn't deliver a steady Airplay connection.
    At least until now.
    Maybe in a future firmware update

    Was this useful? SOUNDS GREAT, LOOKS GREAT, BUT DROPS CONNECTION

    Flag as inappropriate