Bang & Olufsen Beolit 12 Pro Reviews

Yes, it’s expensive. But not that much more so than other top-end AirPlay speakers and you do get that re-chargeable battery, beautiful aesthetics and the kind of audio fidelity that only a top-end hi-fi company can deliver.

We’d like to see AirPlay battery life longer than four hours, but overall, the Beolit 12 is very good: AirPlay functionality is great, and portability is impressive. The real doubt concerns the price tag. If you just need a good portable system, there are plenty of quality transportable alternatives around at a third of the price, offering good sound quality – albeit without AirPlay. Still, if you’ve got the money, this is the first system we’ve seen that offers this combination of quality sound, portability and AirPlay support.

I'd like to see AirPlay battery life longer than four hours, and I've made clear my beefs with the ports and compartment in the back, but those grievances are minor. Overall, the Beolit 12 is very good: Its AirPlay functionality is great, and its portability is impressive. The real question for many readers will likely be: Is the Beolit 12 worth $800? If you don't need portability, Klipsch's G-17 Air AirPlay Speakers () offers tremendously impressive sound quality with similar ease of AirPlay use for a comparatively paltry $550. Alternatively, if you just need a good portable system for listening to your music out and about, there are a number of quality transportable speaker systems in the $200-to-$300 range that offer good sound quality, albeit without AirPlay. For me, the Beolit 12's price is tough to justify, but if you've got the money, this is the first system we've seen that offers this combination of quality sound, portability, and AirPlay support.