Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsBeautiful speaker with immersive sound
Reviewed in the United States on June 22, 2020
I have always been a huge Bang and Olufsen fan and I have multiple speakers from this brand as well, so I'll just rank it from what I have (including Apple Homepod for perspective) with different aspects:
Sound field: A9 4th gen > Beosound Balance > A9 MKI > Beosound stage > HomePod > A6
Bass: Beosound stage > A9 4th gen > A9 MKI > Beosound Balance > A6 = HomePod
Mid~high range(piano, vocal, etc) A9 4th gen> Beosound Balance > A9 MKI > A6 > HomePod > Beosound stage
Inheriting Bang and Olufsen's excellent design, this speaker, by the appearance itself adds accents to your home decor. I bought the gold version and when I received it, it was slightly different from the picture, showing a really beautiful rose gold tone, similar to the color of the rose gold iPhone (weirdly when I was trying to take a picture of it, the picture shows only gold color :/). I used it mainly on Apple Airplay, and if you have an A6 you would know there's a significant delay after casting your music onto the speaker. Well not on Beosound Balance. The connection was almost instantaneous and I didn't sense any lag or delay from my experience.
Sound-wise, I can clearly see the target audience for this speaker. If you love the amazing sound field and clear mid-high range that Beoplay A9 provides but have a smaller room, this is definitely your choice. The bass has a kick to it as well, as a matter of fact when I first hear it, I was surprised that it could produce much detailed yet powerful bass. Unlike the Beosound Stage where the bass just blows you away like a tornado, this music speaker focuses more on how to deliberately show you all details from the lower range. About 60% volume is more than enough for a bedroom, and cranking up the speaker will not have any distortion effects on the sound whatsoever.
In conclusion, Beosound Balance is a great speaker, a cheaper(not really) Bang and Olufsen A9 substitute, and a beautifully designed piece of furniture.
BTW IF YOU HAVE PETS IN YOUR HOME DO NOT BUY IT BECAUSE THE FABRIC COVER CANNOT BE REPLACED!