From the 1950s to the 1980s, Braun, under the guidance of German industrial design icon Dieter Rams, helmed a ton of firsts for the audio industry. They made the first all-wave receiver, first portable music player, first stackable Hi-Fi system, and the first wall mounded sound system, among many others. Fast forward to 2019 where Braun Audio has announced its return to the industry that helped put it on the map.
Taking inspiration from Rams’ previous designs, the new Braun Audio LE speakers retain the classic blocky look of past Braun speakers with a modern 21st-century technology update including—you guessed it, voice control.
Much like any smart speaker you see today, the Audio LE speakers feature a clean, minimalist design. The components are encased in an aluminum frame with rounded edges (as opposed to the original Braun speakers’ sharp edges, if you’ll recall) and have a small LED indicator on their top right corners. As you would expect, you can mount these babies on stands and place them either horizontally or vertically.
While the speakers aren’t exactly portable, they are wireless. You can connect them via the onboard WiFi and Bluetooth 4.2 with AAC, letting you connect to apps like Spotify. The WiFi connectivity even allows you to control the speakers using either the built-in software or the Google Home app. If you aren’t in the mood to press buttons, the Braun Audio LE speakers come with four beam-forming microphones with voice control, letting you shout your music requests from across the house.
The speakers also come with physical controls for those who can’t grasp their heads around modern technology or who are just feeling nostalgic. You can pause, play, skip, mute, and connect to your Bluetooth devices using the buttons on the speakers using these controls. In case you’re in the mood for some private listening, you can also connect your headphones using the 3.5mm jack found on the speakers.
Three speakers make up the Braun Audio LE system:
The LE01 is the biggest of the trio, featuring two 5.25-inch woofers with three 2.5-inch radiator drive units and two quadratic 8 x 4.5-inch bass radiators and three class-D amplifiers. This one is set to cost around $1,199.
The LE02 is the middle child with one 5.5-inch woofer, two 2.25-inch radiator drive units, two quadratic 6 x 3.5-inch bass radiators, and two class-D amplifiers costs $799.
Lastly, the LE03 has one 3.5-inch woofer, one 1.5-inch radiator drive, one Race-track 5 x 3-inch bass radiator, and one class-D amplifier. Even though this is the smallest speaker, the LE03 will still hold you back $379.
Combined, the entire sound system will cost about $2,377. All three speakers will be available in either black or white and will be released this month of October. You can find out more on each individual speaker on the Braun Audio webpage.
