Bang & Olufsen’s 100th Anniversary Collection Is So Scandi Chic

In a world where tech gadgets vie for attention with flashing LEDs and brute-force specs, one brand quietly reminds us that beauty, heritage and sound can still go hand in hand.

Enter Bang & Olufsen, the Danish audio icon founded in 1925, which is turning the grand old age of 100. To mark the occasion, it is unveiling the Centennial Collection: a special edition trio that reimagines three of its best-loved pieces – the Beoplay H100 headphones, the Beosound A5 portable speaker and the Beosound A9 5th Gen – with design cues drawn from a century of craft and innovation.

Part speaker, part objet d’art. The Beosound A5 blends raffia texture, leather trim, and Wi-Fi connectivity for a very 2025 kind of luxury.

“Since our founding in 1925, timeless design has been at the heart of everything we craft. The Centennial Collection honours our past, celebrates our present, and looks to the future. It is a tribute to the icons that have shaped Bang & Olufsen and to the enduring values that define our legacy,” says Kristian Teär, CEO of Bang & Olufsen.

The words are both proud and purposeful – and they set the tone for what this collection is really about: more than gadgets, these are artifacts. Objects that can sit in your living room and still be relevant in your headphones-on-commute life.

Texture you can hear – the raffia weave and brushed metal tell a story 100 years in the making.

What makes this collection so compelling is the interplay of aesthetics and tech. On one level, there’s the nostalgic pull: checkered grill patterns that hark back to the radios of the mid-20th century; a palette of Century Red, Chestnut Brown and Century Blue that whispers “1970s living room” but with a 2025 update. Then there’s the craft: brushed aluminium surfaces refined in the 1980s, leather accents, precision-turned dials. Each piece bears the anniversary logo “B&O Est. 1925” and pays tribute to founders Peter Bang and Svend Olufsen’s guiding maxim: “A never‐failing will to create only the best.”

If your tech radar usually stops at “how many cores?” or “what’s the refresh rate?”, you’ll still stay interested here – because the engineering isn’t buried behind gimmickry. Take the Beoplay H100 in Century Brown: immersive sound, titanium drivers, advanced noise-cancellation and Dolby Atmos support. Luxe credentials? Check. Tech reliability? Double-check. Add leather headbands in Century Red, ear cushions in Chestnut Brown, pops of Century Blue and a matching leather pouch – and you’ve got a headphone that is as much style statement as it is listening device.

When your playlist deserves the same design attention as your living room. Meet the Beoplay H100 – a masterclass in modern minimalism.

Meanwhile, the Beosound A5 Century Weave brings portability with serious aesthetics. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, wireless charging, a long-life battery – all the hallmarks of today’s on-the-move listener. The speaker’s surface is wrapped in a paper raffia weave in Beige and Chestnut Brown, reinterpreting the chequered speaker grills of B&O’s earliest radios. A brushed aluminium frame, red leather strap, and a playful Century Blue cable complete the look. It’s tech that carries design history-not just specs.

Scandi serenity meets sonic precision — the Beoplay H100 proves that even your downtime deserves good design.

And then there’s the Beosound A9 Century Blue: a sculptural tower of sound, seven finely tuned drivers and minimalist form that hits bold. Wrapped in Kvadrat’s Centennial Cadence fabric with blue and brown checkered weave, finished in natural aluminium with heritage-inspired brushed treatment, and detailed with anniversary engravings. The tech might be cutting-edge, but the look could easily grace a mid-century modern home. It fizzes with cultural reference and audio ambition in equal measure.

For those who care about what happens under the hood, B&O hasn’t compromised just because the style is elevated. These aren’t throw-away design pieces-they are engineered to perform. The collection is available in selected B&O stores and online from 22 October, and while the RRP numbers (£1,500 for the H100, £1,250 for the A5, £3,800 for the A9) aren’t exactly “budget friendly”, they reflect luxury audio at the intersection of craft, heritage and high-tech listening.

Proof that great sound can also double as interior design. The Beosound A9 brings sculptural energy to Scandi living rooms everywhere.

What makes this especially relevant to The Modems audience is the cultural moment it taps into. The rise of “Scandi chic”, the hunger for authentic design narratives, and the shift in tech from “faster” to “better”. Our readers want gear that looks good on their shelves AND works hard in their routines – be that working from a café in Madrid, listening during a commute, or simply filling a space with sound while hosting friends. The Centennial Collection does both.

And let’s talk sustainability: Not in grandstanding green-wash form, but through longevity. Using premium materials, heritage design and repairable, lasting engineering means fewer disposable gadgets. For someone who consciously builds their ecosystem (you) this matters. Design that doesn’t date, engineering that delivers – that’s a combo worth your attention.

The view from behind is just as refined — aluminium curves, soft light, and the quiet confidence of century-old craftsmanship.

In short, the Centennial Collection from Bang & Olufsen isn’t just celebrating 100 years. It’s pointing us to what luxury tech can be in 2025: rooted in story, rich in craft, tuned for performance. Whether you’re already steeped in the high-fidelity world or simply looking for a smart, design-led tech upgrade, this drop hits a sweet spot. Form, function and legacy all in one place.

And yes – it’s going to photograph beautifully on your feed. Consider this your invitation: treat yourself, upgrade your space, listen with intent. Design-driven tech never sounded better.