B&Os 4GB BeoSound 6 DAP -- just $600

Over the years, B&O's legendary designs have had us feeling everything from ewww to ahhh. The BeoSound 6 -- designed by Steffen Schmelling -- is a definite meh. Oh it looks alright, it's just nothing we haven't seen so many times before (uh, hmm) -- unusual for these mavericks of Danish style. Nevertheless, if you've just gotta smother yourself in a little B and O then we've got good news: the 4GB Beosound 6 DAP with 40-hour battery will be shipping "this holiday season" for $600.

[rupert @ Oct 26th 2007 3:43AM]

Except apple's offerings are much higher tech, from the shuffle to the nano to the touch, and they cost, ironically, a fraction of the price. I'd rather have 6 Zunes in brown than one $600 bauble that has nothing unique about it...

[James Ollier @ Oct 26th 2007 3:42AM]

What a rip off! You cand gt a 16Gb iTouch and an 8Gb Nano for that price!

[James @ Oct 26th 2007 8:06AM]

I cant wait until they make a Louis Vuitton case for this like the one for the iPhone.

http://www.sybarites.org/2007/07/16/louis-vuitton-iphone-cases/

[ryantrevisol @ Oct 26th 2007 10:21AM]

B&O is the vertu of consumer electronics.

I tried on their headphones when I got my iPod. They were friggin sharp and the metal casings hurt my ears. The salesman said "Oh, you get used to it." I couldn't stop wincing long enough to appreciate the sound quality.

If that (along with the more recent review of the Earset2 by my mom's boss: "The most uncomfortable friggin thing I've ever put on my ear!") is any indication, this thing will probably cut your fingers when you change tracks.

[ZapBrannigan @ Oct 26th 2007 3:49AM]

Those are some nasty fingernails

[tiuk @ Oct 26th 2007 5:26AM]

Yeah, that's the only reason I decided to comment on this article.

Hire a freaking hand model, B&O.

[Don @ Oct 26th 2007 12:15PM]

Me three. I think that they used a zombiehand simply to distract you from looking at the player itself.

[Alex @ Oct 26th 2007 3:53AM]

If this had come from China instead from BO, the title of this post would have read "Keeping it Real Fake: Samsung YP-Z5F" Just goes to show some of the anti sentiment toward Chinese dmade products.

[Jotenks @ Oct 26th 2007 4:11AM]

Get off your high horse and quit trying to be politically correct. The difference here is that if the Beosound 6 looks like a samsung player, it's because B&O paid samsung to produce a variation of it. With B&O's elitist position and obsession with unique styling, it's not like they would knock off the YP-Z5F unless samsung was the manufacturer.

Damnit, I hate how "PC" and socially enlightened everyone pretends to be. I say screw sensitivity and grow a thicker skin!

[Sirocco @ Oct 26th 2007 4:02AM]

This must be the rumoured taser disguised as an upscale DAP.

[reticulate @ Oct 26th 2007 4:23AM]

Don't tase me, B&O?

[Jakob @ Oct 26th 2007 5:02AM]

Don't you get it? If B&O is for everyone, it's not nice to have one.
But agree that it is much smarter "just" to stick with iPod touch, and I did that :)

[Reader @ Oct 26th 2007 4:13AM]

Oh come on it looks way better then the YO-Z5F (although I love their new touch DAP), I actually like the look of this a lot...albeit not enough to invest 600 hard earned dollars in it.

[Dimitri T @ Oct 26th 2007 4:21AM]

I can´t decide what´s more amusing - trolls or computer geeks with oily skin and ugly shoes commenting on stuff they know nothing about. "What a rip-off", "I can get more GB for my money" etc...

This product is not about the high tech, don´t you get it? How do you explain for the masses about something that´s not for the masses? These days when every manufacturer spots out a plastic piece of shit every other week, it´s worth paying a premium for a product like this. Do any of you geeks know anything about quality, design, material choice etc? Did any of you notice that 10 years ago a product in stainless steel was nothing special, today it´s marketed like it was made of gold... Besides there are quite a few players on the market today that sound as good as Beosound 6 and Beosound 2... NONE that both sound and look as good as those do!

How the hell can you compare an iPod or a Zune to a Beosound...? It´s totally different products with totallt different target groups. It´s not GB you are paying for here.

Lamboghini is probably as good as Skoda in terms of taking you from A to B... I could get 10 Skodas for a price of 1 Lamborghini - what a rip-off!!! Scandalous!

You say "600USD - what a rip-off". I say "Get yourself a better job and stop whining - it´s nothing"

[Reader @ Oct 26th 2007 4:40AM]

Some of us aren't self conscious to the point that we need to show off our money with money sinks. It's one thing to buy 10 million dollar house (you get your money back on that), it's another thing to throw down 600 bucks on something that's going to be completely obsolete in a year.

I would have actually agreed with you if you're whole post wasn't putting everyone down for being smart with their money.

[Reader @ Oct 26th 2007 4:42AM]

First one that points out my spelling/grammatical errors gets a cookie (it's 2 am here, cut me some slack :D).

[Dimitri T @ Oct 26th 2007 4:54AM]

There´s nothing wrong with being smart with your money but please... any gadget you buy today is worth nothing in a year... You got to have fun too... I had no intentions of putting anyone down. I just don´t understand how stupid some people are making comments like "it doesn´t even have a radio for that price" etc... I mean an ape understands that this product is not about high tech... Do those same people go to Patek Philippe AD and ask the sales person why PP costs more than Swatch...? Yes, both show time, don´t they?

[Tony @ Oct 26th 2007 6:04AM]

I love Engadget, I love gadgets and I have got plenty of money to burn, but mentioning Lamborghini, come on. Anyone that has actually owned a Lamborghini can tell you they rarely get you from A to B without something going wrong. Yes you do feel like a million dollars, until the locking coil jams both doors at a local gas station, I still have nightmares about that pack of jeering kids. All that looks good and has a badge is no necessarily worth anybody’s money. If it’s a money/posing thing just pop over to Harrods (open a personal account) ask to speak to Jacky in the custom-build department and he (yes, Jacky is a he) will modify any gadget you want. There you have it, you can turn your $600 B&O into a $40,000 platinum B&O and you will get an official B&O seal of approval with 12 months warranty.

[Twitchy @ Oct 26th 2007 7:04AM]

@ Reader, I don't mind yor spehllink or garammmr mistakes, but taht could be becoaz I'm durnk.

[Twitchy @ Oct 26th 2007 7:07AM]

And befoor yu aks , its' midnite heer.

[Chris @ Oct 26th 2007 8:25AM]

My Gallardo has been problem free (6 speed), but to your point, less reliable then a GT3. As for the Beo, it is definitly more about a balance of sound and design, then it is about rack bottom prices and terrible customer service.

As for bashing B&O, they are the creators of the ICE digital amp, likely one of the more important additions to the amp technology in recent years.

http://www.icepower.bang-olufsen.com/

[mwells @ Oct 26th 2007 12:14PM]

Except for the fact that a Lamborghini actually has features and amenities to distinguish itself from a Skoda. Whereas this piece of crap just has a "pretty" outer case. And quite frankly I think that's up for debate since I personally think the Samsung version of this player, aka the one that's not overpriced, is far more attractive.

Rich people do some silly things to justify their money, and I think the fact that B&O is in the business of making products like this just proves that.

[ugg.tryptophan @ Oct 26th 2007 4:32PM]

i could see it being worth 600$ if had a nice design, but its a silver rectangle, its like buying a corolla for 100k because it looked shiny

[Russell @ Oct 26th 2007 4:53AM]

B&O is for the rich douches who think Bose is great but want something they can show off.

It's not actually any good, especially for the money. And that goes for everything they make.

[Tafkas @ Oct 26th 2007 6:00AM]

My parents have been using B&O stuff since before I was born, and everything still works, and can still be serviced, even the 30 year old stuf. You allso pay for that kind of service, but some people want that, and dont mind the price premium. And unlike bose, they have a proper R&D department, which turns out some pretty good things, like digital amplifiers, acoustic lens speakers etc.

[Dimitri T @ Oct 26th 2007 4:58AM]

I wasn´t aware that Bose were producing top-notch award-winning design-gadgets...

[Joe @ Oct 26th 2007 5:03AM]

Leave it to a company that shares the same initials as "Body Odor" to continue to churn out ridiculously over priced pieces of garbage for the "pretentious douchebag" sector of the market.

Exotic cars, I understand, but this, no.

[Tafkas @ Oct 26th 2007 5:53AM]

Allthough with B&O you do pay a design premium, a lot of money goes to the build quality and service. For example, my father wanted to replace the needle on a 30 year old B&O pickup, and was told they had it on stock at the country headquarters (the Netherlands) and he could pick it up in 3 days at our local dealer. Try that with a remote for a 5 year old MP3 player! The same goes for their manuals, they hire proper editors and translators, so they are actually usefull.

[Nubaeus @ Oct 26th 2007 8:16AM]

B&O for $600?

More like B&S

[Ty @ Oct 26th 2007 9:00AM]

B&O are the monster cable of consumer electronics. Just overly expensive for no particular reason.

[MrFuNKy76 @ Oct 26th 2007 9:10AM]

hey B&O, the 80's called, it wants it's style back.

[dj-kenpo @ Oct 26th 2007 12:48PM]

the 80's had style?

oh ha ha. he is make the funnyz. ohhhhhhh you see? the 80's? ahhh...

I watch too much family guy.

[abiade @ Oct 26th 2007 9:42AM]

Take it easy guys...its only a DAP. Until something beats ipod touch in looks and functionality...I would say "whatever" to all the competiton.

Credit: B&O historically, had designed\invented "think out of the box" gadgets in terms of looks and technology but this misses the point.

I am not even debating the cost: from the looks alone, its thick and the controls look like one of those out there. B&O should go back, see what the competition is offering, and I mean Apple+ipod touch, and try and beat that.

To B&O and those trying to catch up: "whatever"

[JBoll @ Oct 26th 2007 11:56AM]

Wow less features and more money for a crappy design...no thanks.

[Ronald McD @ Oct 26th 2007 1:57PM]

I must admit that based on the pictures, this does look pretty generic. Normally, I am very fond of B&Os designs.

Regardless, the hate for B&O on here really bothers me. Dimitri T has it spot on. B&O products aren't meant for tech geeks looking for the latest features. These things are works of art. And like other high-end luxury items, the price of admission is what helps keep its exclusivity.

I really have to keep reminding myself that a tech geek's idea of good art/design is a gaudy computer case mod...

[patrick @ Oct 26th 2007 6:45PM]

Having worked within the hallowed halls of LVMH I can confirm that those with the means to purchase trinkets like the B&O Beosound 6 don't have a clue as to what is truly state of art.

The masses think that if a product comes from a luxury house it will have all the bells and whistles. They also think it will last longer or be better than anything that's comparable i.e. zune or ipod or whatever.

B&O doesn't have to have the latest and greatest dap. They just need something to fill the category. Where they excel is in their higher end categories like their ICE amp.

The masses, and I'm one of em, are interested in value for the dollar. This is not to say the uber-wealthy aren't it's just $600 for a little music player is pocket change.

[Sirocco @ Oct 26th 2007 6:26PM]

Dimitri and Ronald McD, is it expensive because it's good, or good because it's expensive? DAP's are a commodity. As such, there's an obvious limit to how far you can take the exclusivity gimmick. Critics of the price are simply calling their (B&O) bluff, and it seems to be a good call.

[Ronald McD @ Oct 26th 2007 7:51PM]

Sirocco, "good" is subjective. If you are looking for all the latest features and you think a DAP is a DAP, then skip B&O. B&O is for the crowd that is willing to spend money on art and design... because really, that's what B&O is about: design above everything. This value is very clear if you learn about their R&D process. With that said, this particular device is really underwhelming by B&O standards.

[Jason @ Oct 26th 2007 11:10PM]

Somebody would pay $600 for THAT?!

[Dimitri T @ Oct 27th 2007 12:09AM]

I thank all the computer geeks for not buying this DAP. It would make me look stupid having one in my pocket. It´s good because it´s expensive and I wish the price tag was more like 2000 than 600$.

[Dimitri T @ Oct 27th 2007 12:19AM]

Sorry forgot to mention that bsides being good because it´s expensive it also has the best sound quality out there which is nice

[Nate @ Oct 27th 2007 8:21PM]

Does anybody here have any idea of what they're talking about? You'de think a 4th gen iPod doesn't have all the cool factors, but guess what, it has AWESOME SQ when iModded. Actually the BAR NONE the BEST SQ of ANY DAP on the market.

Wow, so it looks teh ghey, and looks dated, who the hell cares? You're paying for supposedly the SQ and better INTERNAL AUDIO COMPONENTS. Who woulda thought, when buying a DAP, you're paying for SQ over looks....no way!!!!!

That said...I have no idea how this sounds...but as should ALWAYS BE THE CASE, don't knock it till you try it.

[Andrew Neesley @ Oct 28th 2007 2:46AM]

Smoother yourself huh?

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/smoother

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/smother