Putting a price on high-tech sound
What price sound?
How about $600?
Bang & Olufsen, a high-end electronics designer and manufacturer, on Thursday will launch its first MP3 player that boasts high-quality sound for one of the highest prices in the market.
"This is for the connoisseur who really values sound quality over content capacity," said Zean Nielsen, Bang & Olufsen America vice president of sales and marketing.
The MP3 player and ear piece will be sold at its North American headquarters in Arlington Heights and Abt Electronics in Glenview. It also will be available when B&O re-opens its store in about two weeks at State and Ohio streets in downtown Chicago. It's previous store at Oak and Rush streets was torn down as part of a block-long demolition for a new development.
Founded in 1925 in Struer, Denmark, B&O (www.bang-olufsen.com) has about 2,400 employees, including 40 in Arlington Heights. The company started by selling televisions, sound systems, cordless phones and other products.
In April, B&O debuted a high-end TV that was so sensor-rich, it could adjust its own screen brightness automatically depending on the light level in the room. The BeoVision7 listed for $13,250.
Last November, the company also started selling its first mobile phone called Serene for $1,275.
Moving into Apple territory, B&O has partnered with Samsung to produce a high-end MP3 player that has CD-quality sound. The BeoSound 6 has up to 40 hours of playback -- about double the market standard for battery life. It can store up to 1,000 songs and can be used with any PC or Mac-based operating systems.
It is also surrounded by a stainless steel frame and features a black soft-touch lacquered surface and a black scratch-resistant glass display. It's packaged with a slim leather case.
In addition, customers can buy the EarSet 2, a wireless headset with an ergonomic design that sells for $350. It can be used with Serene or any other mobile phone with Bluetooth wireless connectivity. The ear bud also can block out wind noise and compensate, filter and suppress any exterior sounds.
B&O faces stiff competition from mass-market manufacturers worldwide, especially Apple, which still produces the iPod Classic that can store up to 40,000 songs and cost about $349.
Nielsen said he has no doubt the B&O MP3 player will sell just as well as their other high-end products.
"I would be surprised if this would be the only one in the line of MP3 players," he said.
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