Beosound Emerge makes home tech blend in
Designed by LAYER, the Beosound Emerge makes the speaker system disappear into home design
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- Sign up to our newsletter Newsletter

The Beosound Emerge is Bang & Olufsen’s second collaboration with Benjamin Hubert and his consultancy LAYER. A compact yet surprisingly strong powered speaker, Emerge is designed to dovetail with your day to day life. ‘We’ve worked on a handful of products with the company, but this is the second one to see the light of day,’ the designer says, explaining that B&O exists in a unique space in consumer electronics. ‘They’re not like Google or Samsung in their size or culture, nor are they an artisanal furniture maker. But they are somewhere in the middle. LAYER is the same – we’re more of an agency with the ability to do everything from traditional furniture through to strategic industrial design.’
Whereas LAYER’s previous B&O product, the Balance, was a free-standing sculptural object, the Emerge is designed to sit on a shelf, perhaps alongside books or other objects. ‘The Balance is more akin to a vase, whereas this is quieter,’ says Hubert. While beautiful standalone objects get the most attention, Hubert acknowledges that industrial design has a duty to blend in. ‘Context is everything. Designing in a vacuum doesn’t get you very far,’ he says, ‘You have to think what might go next to it, whether it’s books or objects or even more tech.’
The Beosound Emerge is designed to co-exist with everyday objects
The speaker’s wide sound field is paired with gesture control for volume changes and soft touch music navigation. The Emerge can also be paired with an existing B&O system to add another layer of sound, together with a built-in Google Assistant. Under the skin, there are impressive electronics. ‘We’ve become much more knowledgeable about acoustics thanks to this collaboration,’ he says, ‘I’d genuinely never seen such a small speaker product such a high level of volume and quality as this.’ The Emerge contains three drivers, carefully packaged to manage heat and sound projection. ‘It’s a very controlled piece of industrial design,’ he says, ‘I guess you could say that it’s minimalist or even an example of reductionism.’ The package is enveloped in offset layers, with the speaker grille or weave, depending on the model, appearing to emerge from between two covers. ‘It’s not a massive statement,’ Hubert says modestly, ‘of course, there are other, cheaper speakers, but Bang & Olufsen have a very impressive commitment to quality and upgradeability. They really invest in materiality.’
The Beosound Emerge is a masterpiece of clever packaging and high quality materials
The Emerge showcases this, with two different models, Black Anthractite that one combining of aluminium with pleated plastic and the other, Gold Tone, combining the metal with high quality knit Kvadrat fabric and oak. ‘It wasn’t designed to look like a book,’ Hubert admits, ‘although it was of course intended to stand on a shelf. The tapered form helps with cooling.’ Under the sleek skin is a masterfully assembled set of components. ‘Their tonmeisters are pretty amazing,’ he says, ‘what you can’t see are the beautiful heat sinks and carefully calculated air flow.’
The two different Emerge personalities also highlight an evolution in how we view technology in the home. ‘The wood is quite a courageous choice, I think,’ Hubert says, ‘it has a sense of familiarity which is becoming very popular. It’s actually a very exciting time to be a designer. There is so much desire and drive for change. Often in design you’re playing with relatively surface level elements because formats don’t need changing. But these days there are more meaningful reasons for change.’ Emerge is a subtle statement that has a strong presence in the home.
Beosound Emerge in Gold Tone, with Kvadrat fabric and oak panels
INFORMATION
Gold Tone: €749 / £669
Black Anthracite: €599 / £539
Bang & Olufsen (opens in new tab), LAYER Design (opens in new tab)
Jonathan Bell has written for Wallpaper* magazine since 1999, covering everything from architecture and transport design to books, tech and graphic design. He is now the magazine’s Transport and Technology Editor. Jonathan has written and edited 15 books, including Concept Car Design, 21st Century House, and The New Modern House. He is also the host of Wallpaper’s first podcast.
-
Max Richter: ‘Visual art culture is wide open in a way that classical music, unfortunately, sort of isn’t’
Hot on the heels of Max Richter’s new album, ‘Sleep: Tranquility Base’ and recently opened multi-arts haven in rural Oxfordshire, we speak to the acclaimed composer about creating a sonic antidote to complex times
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith • Published
-
Step inside Villa Lucca, the low-density, luxury seaview residences in Hong Kong
The Villa Lucca development offers 262 contemporary Hong Kong apartments and houses with enviable views
By Simon Mills • Published
-
Shanghai’s MMR Studio is inspired by industrial processes and materials
Chinese designer Zhang Zhongyu of MMR Studio is inspired by industrial processes to create furniture and objects
By Yoko Choy • Published
-
Sonos sets its sights on new sonic horizons with the Era 100 and Era 300 smart speakers
The new Sonos Era speakers expand the company’s family of high-end streaming devices, as well as introducing Dolby Atmos and decreasing its carbon footprint
By Jonathan Bell • Published
-
Flip phones make a comeback, from old-school revivals to sleek folding screens
As Mobile World Congress 2023 gives the tech industry its annual shake-up, we’ve rounded up the current crop of flip phones for minimally-minded users
By Jonathan Bell • Published
-
Seven new laptops offer power and portability to lust after
A clutch of cutting-edge new laptops was highlighted at CES 2023, bringing new form factors and technologies
By Jonathan Bell • Published
-
CES 2023: nine new devices to desire
Some of the best concepts and launches of CES 2023, from a folding e-scooter to customisable Playstation5 controls and a cute patrolling petbot
By Jonathan Bell • Published
-
New Kindle Scribe crowns 15 years of evolution of Amazon’s e-reader
We review the latest and most sophisticated Kindle ever made, the Amazon Kindle Scribe, and look back over the device’s 15-year evolution and how it squares up to rivals like the reMarkable 2
By Jonathan Bell • Published
-
We Are Rewind takes tape into the 21st century
We Are Rewind’s self-consciously retro Cassette Player is designed to tap into our ongoing obsession for analogue formats. Just the thing for your mixtape 2022?
By Jonathan Bell • Published
-
Ten years of Microsoft Surface: the company’s design team on what comes next
The Microsoft Surface series is a well-established line of premium mobile devices. How are its designers continuing to innovate?
By Jonathan Bell • Published
-
Wallpaper* wants… ten best-designed wireless chargers for Apple devices
Looking to get rid of wires? Our top ten elegantly designed MagSafe-compatible wireless charging stations will help you find your way through the tangle
By Jonathan Bell • Published