B&O’s small speaker is the one I use at home – but if you want something more affordable, JBL’s Flip 6 is the ideal option
Among this year’s Prime Day deals, I spotted an old friend at a great price: the Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 (2nd Gen) for £159 (was £259) at Amazon UK, which is the joint-lowest price this Bluetooth speaker has been. In the US, you can get the B&O A1 speaker for $188 (was $299) at Amazon US, which is the lowest it’s been with one exception (it fell to around $140 briefly in 2023, but who knows if that will ever be repeated).
I love this speaker: it’s the one I have at home, and use when I’m chilling outside. It’s not a new model, but from what I’ve tested so far, I don’t think anything’s really beaten it for sound balance and detail from a compact speaker, and I think the aluminum design is great.
However, it’s pretty pricey even with this discount. I think it’s worth it for music lovers, but that doesn’t help if it’s outside your budget. So let me recommend the JBL Flip 6 as my favorite alternative, especially because you can get the Flip 6 for just $79 (was $129) at Amazon US right now, which is the cheapest it’s ever been. In the UK, it’s not quite such a blockbuster, but you can get the JBL Flip 6 for £89 (was £129) at Amazon UK, which is only £5 more than the cheapest it’s ever been.
• Shop more Prime Day dealsToday’s best deals on these speakers
Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 (2nd Gen): was £259 now £159 at Amazon
This is my own choice of Bluetooth speaker from the many, many options out there. It’s a similar size to other compact speakers, but it delivers a much fuller and more finely balanced sound – the music connoisseur’s choice. This is the joint-lowest price that it’s ever been, and if you want something that very portable but won’t give up on music fundamentals to get there, I don’t think you can do much better.
