Branding, for those who believe association through consumerism denotes taste, can be a powerful motivating factor when it comes to buying things we don’t really need. Like perfume.
Danish high-end consumer electronics company Bang & Olufsen has produced some stunning classic hifi over their 98-year history. Among my first hifi buys, before I was old enough to drive, was a used B&O Radial Tracking BeoGram ‘table (I think it was the 1100 which was quietly stunning and it served me well for years).
Ferrari Red has become synonymous with the Italian auto maker, especially when paired with their Prancing Horse, so B&O has integrated both in four new products—the Beosound Explore Waterproof outdoor speaker (pictured up top), Beosound 2 home speaker (above), Beosound EX Wireless Earbuds, and Beosound H95 over-ear headphones.
Of course the Ferrari Editions come with premium prices over the standard B&O models as follows:
Beosound Explore Ferrari Edition Waterproof outdoor speaker: $249
Beoplay EX Ferrari Edition Next-gen wireless earbuds: $499
Beoplay H95 Ferrari Edition Ultimate over-ear headphones: $1299
Beosound 2 Ferrari Edition Powerful home speaker: $5499/ea.
I have to admit, the Ferrari-badged Explore would look the part on the patio next to an infinity pool overlooking Lake Maggiore. As it stands, our mostly wooded NJ backyard (eventually) overlooks a cemetery and it turns out our most oft seen neighbors—deer, wild turkey, and bear—are rather gauche.
Company Website: Bang & Olufsen
