Bang & Olufsen Beosound Moment: a High-Design Home Music Interface

Most of us engage our music at home from a phone or a tablet. iPhones and Bluetooth speakers are the home stereo pairing of the day, and that works just fine for casual listening. But what of those who prefer high-end, audiophile-class playback? They might be using something like this in the near future. The Bang & Olufsen Beosound Moment is a next-gen music controller that plays cloud-based music on B&O speakers. It’s elegant, it’s simple, it’s aspirational– a common trio for Bang & Olufsen gear.

The Bang & Olufsen Beosound Moment is a two-piece unit that includes a brushed steel stand and a compact, tablet-sized controller. The control section, which resembles a steel-and-oak iPod, can be used remotely. This controller sports a large touchscreen display, a circular control wheel and an additional power/volume wheel on the rear. The display allows the user to interact with cloud-based music or radio in an unique way. The color wheel shown above has three concentric rings in a ROYGBIV circle. Each color represents a different mood (red for driving, aggressive songs, blue for moody, chill songs), and each circle represents a familiarity level. The inner circle plays familiar, often-played music, while the outer circle plays more esoteric tracks.

Of course, users of the Beosound Moment aren’t tied to the color wheel. Simple song selection and playlist management can also be done on the touchscreen. In that sense, it provides the kind of access and control a listener would desire. What sets the Beosound Moment apart, however, is the ability to learn and understand its user’s preferences (time of day, number of plays, mood, etc) and to play songs that suit the user at the moment. You pick a mood, Moment does the rest.

The Bang & Olufsen Beosound Moment is likely to arrive this year with a hefty price tag. Bang & Olufsen gear is built for contemporary design-minded music lovers, and it’s priced accordingly. The design-minded will really love one stand-out feature of the Moment– a wood touch panel on the rear that controls volume. It is the first of its kind, according to B&O. [via theverge]

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