The story about that wonderful, silvery white metal that covers approximately 7% of the crust of the Earth and takes up the 13th spot on the periodic table.
In the details
The Aluminium Rings on BeoPlay A9
For many years the use of aluminium has characterised products from Bang & Olufsen.
This is a story about that wonderful, silvery white metal that covers approximately 7% of the crust of the Earth and takes up the 13th spot on the periodic table.
Bang & Olufsen introduced aluminium during the ‘60s at a time when it was considered revolutionary. The idea back then – as it is now – was to create products that spoke to customers even when unplugged from the mains. That desire and push for innovation resulted in the development of unusual ways to use common materials, specifically aluminium and plastic.
It all started with transistors in the ‘60s and expanded during the ‘90s with loudspeaker cabinets.
“All about Aluminium”
And there are several good reasons why loudspeakers and aluminium are ideal for each other:
- Aluminium is light, but offers an impressive stiffness despite a thickness of only a few millimetres. And if you shape it in one piece, you eliminate problems of dissonance from joints and corners, which are characteristic of wooden cabinets.
- Using curved shapes avoids internal parallel surfaces, thus eliminating trouble with standing waves inside a cabinet.
- Aluminium is a “dead” material causing no distortion of the sound.
On top of that it is beautiful to look as you’ll experience in the series of pictures above where we’re up and close with the rings of BeoPlay A9.