Wire(less) for sound

Round or square? Curved or linear? Sometimes the choice is obvious, as in wheels and bricks, manhole covers and dice.

Sometimes it’s less clear cut. I prefer the look of a round smartwatch, but you can fit more information onto a square screen, an important consideration in a small, wrist-mounted device.

When aesthetics and functionality collide, your choice often boils down to how many compromises in performance you’re prepared to accept to own an object that delights the senses.

I’m happy to say that the two wireless speakers I’m reviewing offer no such dilemma. They’re proudly round, a perfect marriage of form and function. You could say they’re well rounded – in every sense of the term.

Samsung R1

This is the larger and plainer looking of the two. The smaller sibling of the eye-catchingly egg-shaped A7, Samsung’s gone for a different look with the R1.

Think of a 23cm high cooling tower wrapped in black cloth and you’ll have a pretty good idea of the size and shape.

It’s attractive if you’re of a minimalist bent, and the build quality is great. It has a reassuring heft and the fabric cover gives it a premium feel.

The R1 is the entry-level device in Samsung’s multi-room Audio 360 range that includes the R3 and R5 in addition to the aforementioned R7. As the name suggests, they’ve been designed to deliver sound uniformly in all directions.

They achieve this using Samsung’s patented Ring Radiator technology, with a driver directing sound upward towards two “acoustic lensesâ€ù which distribute the sound omnidirectionally.

That’s the theory, anyway. I was keen to see whether it actually worked. But first I had to set up the speaker. Unlike more basic devices, it’s not just connecting your smartphone via an auxiliary cable and pressing play.

Designed to work as a stand-alone speaker, or as part of a multi-room mesh, the R1 can be linked to your home wi-fi network and to Samsung Smart TVs. Having just the single speaker to review and, alas, only an old-fashioned “dumb” TV, I went for the quicker Bluetooth connection option.

Before I could do this, I had to plug it into a power socket (it has no built-in battery) and download the Samsung multi-room app onto my phone. Thereafter, it was mere seconds before I’d fired up a streaming music app and was enjoying sounds of gratifying volume and richness.

The R1 is one of the best table-top speakers I’ve encountered, perfect for chilling after work and even an impromptu post-braai house party.

And, yes, the claims of 360º did stand up. I put the R1 in the middle of my lounge and listened from every direction to be sure.

Prices for the Audio 360 range start at R3 500 for the R1 I tested and climb to R7 500 for the R7.

BeoPlay A1

I had high expectations for the BeoPlay A1. Earlier this year, I reviewed its thoroughbred stablemate, the A2, another portable speaker from Bang & Olufsen, the Danish company renowned for its high-end audio products.

I’d been impressed by the A2’s mix of retro good looks, solid build quality and stellar sound reproduction. Would the A1 live up to the B&O pedigree, or would it turn out to be the nag of the stable?

I needn’t have worried. If anything, I enjoyed my time with the A1 even more.

While the A2 took its design cues from old-school portable transistor radios, the A1 resembles a hockey puck, albeit a slightly bigger one crafted of aluminium and polymer.

It feels surprisingly solid in the hand for its size and you get the immediate sense that you’re holding a premium piece of kit. The polymer base has a warm, almost organic, feel which perfectly compliments the cool metal speaker grille.

Weighing in at just 600g, the A1 is the ideal shape, size and weight to chuck into a bag for a day at the beach or a weekend away. I did both on a family trip to Cape Vidal, and the A1 proved to the perfect audio companion.

Connecting via BlueTooth was simplicity itself, with the baby BeoPlay happily pairing with an Ipad, an iPhone and two different Android smartphones over the course of the weekend, pumping out a variety of music genres.

It handled them all with surprising aplomb for a speaker of its size, with an astonishing degree of bass and virtually no distortion even at high volumes.

The A1 comes with a leather strap, giving it a rather amusing soap-on-a-rope vibe, but don’t be tempted to hang it over a tap in the shower. B&O say it’s water and dust-resistant, but definitely not waterproof.

With a price tag of R5 000, it’s no stocking filler, but if you’re looking for a classy, portable speaker that punches well above its weight, the BeoPlay A1 is a great choice.

Follow Alan Cooper on Twitter @alanqcooper.