Bang & Olufsen Celebrates 100 Years With Beolab 90 in Aluminum Pearls and Rosewood

Marking a century with the Beolab 90, Bang & Olufsen crafts striking speaker editions clad in rosewood slats and 1,800 aluminum spheres.

When a speaker has already dazzled audiophiles with its mind-blowing tech for almost ten years, how do you honor it on a milestone as grand as 100 years? Bang & Olufsen Beolab 90 speakers faced this exact challenge with their flagship. The result? An audacious celebration of craft and innovation that’s as much a feast for the eyes as for the ears.

A Decade of Sonic Mastery Meets Design Brilliance

The Beolab 90 has long been a marvel — a 150-pound powerhouse capable of beam-forming sound to multiple spots in a room simultaneously. For B&O’s centennial, the team decided that technical wizardry deserved equally jaw-dropping aesthetics. Enter the five-edition Atelier series, with each edition showcasing a different facet of Bang & Olufsen’s craftsmanship.

The crown jewels of the series, unveiled today, are the Monarch and Zenith Editions. They push materials and techniques beyond traditional speaker design — think rosewood lamellas flowing like wood slats on Danish furniture, and nearly 1,800 hand-assembled aluminum pearls shimmering across the speaker’s curved surfaces.

The Beolab 90 Monarch and Zenith Editions merge technology with artisan craftsmanship.

Monarch Edition: A Nod to Danish Craftsmanship

The Monarch Edition is like seeing classic Danish furniture meld into a state-of-the-art speaker. Imagine those iconic slatted wood panels, now wrapping a massive aluminum body. The angled rosewood lamellas don’t just cover the speaker — they dance around it in a continuous 360-degree rhythm, adding tactile depth that fabric speaker covers can’t match.

Strategically placed wooden knots hold the lamellas together, with a clever light-through-wood stripe breaking up any monotony on the front. Topping it all is a solid rosewood ring around the speaker head, while the base carries the lamella motif to the floor, creating harmony from head to toe.

The warm rosewood contrasts beautifully with the ochre-colored aluminum crown, a deliberate design flourish that instantly grabs your attention. Semi-transparent fabric sections peek through, offering glimpses of the acoustic drivers hidden beneath the wood.

Rosewood lamellas flow elegantly around the aluminum frame of the Monarch Edition.

B&O’s previous Titan Edition stripped the housing down to raw aluminum sandblasted with crushed volcanic rock — a rugged, minimalistic vibe. Monarch takes the opposite route, inching into rich layers and textures that invite you to touch and marvel.

The speaker’s rosewood slats curve smoothly, echoing Danish furniture heritage.

Light-through-wood detailing adds unique visual flair.

Zenith Edition: A Symphony of 1,800 Aluminum Pearls

If Monarch is about warmth and tradition, the Zenith Edition is pure avant-garde. Imagine covering a luxury loudspeaker in pearls — not the creamy kind, but 1,734 anodized aluminum spheres arranged meticulously across six curved panels.

Each panel cradles 289 spheres, their colors inspired by the subtle hues of natural pearls — seven bespoke shades that shimmer under light. The aluminum facemask is pearl-blasted and anodized in dark grey to mimic an oyster shell’s sheen, complete with a mother-of-pearl circular inlay on top that mirrors the spheres’ diameter. It’s a strange, organic vibe born from cold metal.

The Zenith Edition dazzles with thousands of hand-assembled aluminum spheres.

This texture-driven play on light and shadow makes the Zenith feel alive, shifting as you move around it. It brings to mind the Mirage Edition speakers’s color-shifting anodization but takes it into a new dimension by adding physical depth.

The speaker's organic, pearl-inspired texture captures light throughout the day.

A Legacy of Acoustic Excellence

Beyond the stunning exteriors, both Monarch and Zenith retain the Beolab 90’s core acoustic wizardry. With eighteen custom drivers and beam-forming technology that can direct sound precisely where you want it, the sonic experience is nothing short of revolutionary. The digital signal processing inside is so advanced it could give top-tier studio monitors a run for their money.

Originally, a pair of Beolab 90s launched at $185,000 — and these limited-edition works of art will undoubtedly surpass that. Buyers receive a matching miniature aluminum Beolab 90 sculpture in the edition’s finish, nestled in a sleek aluminum delivery box — a thoughtful nod to the luxury status of these sound icons.

Each order comes with a miniature sculpture and premium packaging.

Detail of the finely crafted miniature replica.

Atelier Series: Craftsmanship Meets Innovation

The five-edition Atelier series charts a fascinating journey through Bang & Olufsen’s material mastery. From volcanic sandblasting (Titan) to gradient anodization (Mirage), slatted wood (Monarch), and hand-assembled metal spheres (Zenith), each speaker is a chapter in a story of technical excellence and artistic expression.

Starting at B&O’s expansive San Francisco Culture Store, the limited runs of just ten pairs per edition will travel to other locations, though most audiophiles will only dream of seeing these beauties up close. But that exclusivity feels fitting — a century of innovation deserves to culminate in creations that exist purely because they can.

The Atelier series showcases diverse materials and finishes in bold statements.

Both editions impress with their unique takes on luxury speaker design.

Close-up reveals the meticulous craftsmanship of the Monarch’s woodwork.

The textured surface of the Zenith Edition invites admiration from every angle.

“A century of operation earns you the right to build things simply because you can.”
— Bang & Olufsen design philosophy

FAQ

• What makes the Beolab 90 so special?
  It boasts advanced beam-forming technology with eighteen custom drivers, delivering sound that can target specific room areas for an immersive listening experience.
• How many editions are in the Atelier series?
  There are five limited editions: Shadow, Mirage, Titan, Monarch, and Zenith, each exploring a unique material or finishing technique.
• What materials are used in the Monarch Edition?
  It features an aluminum body wrapped in 360-degree angled rosewood lamellas with semi-transparent fabric sections.
• How many aluminum spheres cover the Zenith Edition?
  The Zenith Edition is adorned with 1,734 anodized aluminum spheres arranged across six curved panels.
• Are these speakers widely available?
  No, each edition is limited to just ten pairs, making them rare collector’s items showcased initially in B&O’s San Francisco Culture Store.

Elegant in wood, dazzling in metal—Bang & Olufsen’s Beolab 90 speakers limited editions prove that luxury audio is truly an art form. For those dreaming of making their space a sonic masterpiece, why not bring the style home? Shop your favorite album cover poster at our store for a perfect complement to your audio sanctum: Architeg Prints.