Beolab 4

The creation of the BeoLab 4 started with a formula from the engineers. It consisted of two drivers and a desired volume that would be ideal for a speaker placed on a table. Two things shaped the design. Firstly, since the speaker should be suitable for a table, it should not have a back. Secondly, for optimal visual placement it had to appear as small as possible while still be able to surprise with a full sound.

We begun with a round volume, which theoretically is the optimum shape, when it comes to volume versus size. This, however, proved too big. After several experiments, we ended up with a pyramid shape. This gave the speaker quite a small appearance, because your eyes were drawn to the top and perceived its size from this angle instead. It also provided the right listening angle to the speaker units. The problem was that the pyramid had very sharp corners that drew a lot of attention. Blowing up the shape and changing the flat surfaces to spherical sides made the corners less aggressive.

We ended up with four symmetric, fabric-covered surfaces, giving the BeoLab 4 a clean look without a dedicated back. The geometry is straight and precise made by spherical slices cut by equilateral triangle.