Braun announces a long-awaited comeback to an esteemed category: audio. After nearly one hundred years of inspirational design across a range of sectors, Braun Audio returns with a reinvention of the timeless LE speakers from 1959.
A perfect reintroduction to the heritage of Braun Audio, the LE Range focuses on the purity of design, purity of performance, and above all else, the purity of sound.
The reinvention of the LE speakers, originally designed by Dieter Rams in 1959, exemplifies his ethos: “good design is honest”. The new range of cutting-edge Hi-Fi models encapsulate the enduring, essentialist design values of their origins and built to stand the test of time.
The LE Range combines Braun’s audio heritage and craftsmanship with state-of-the-art technology and connectivity. The speakers are bold without being intrusive and embody the perfect balance of powerful performance and minimalist form, elegantly showcasing the attention and care for which German design is known.
Prof. Oliver Grabes, Head of Braun Design, says “This year we excitingly mark the return of Braun Audio with the reinvention of one of the brand’s most iconic ranges – the LE. At Braun, the hallmarks of heritage, design and innovation have always been at the company’s core. The reintroduction of Braun Audio now means the brand reawakens its relationship with the audio world and the importance that sound, and particularly music, has in our lives.”
There is one small catch: they aren’t really Braun speakers, they are Pure Audio ones. The company bought the right to use the Braun Audio brand name from Procter & Gamble. That said, Pure has an excellent reputation, so I’d expect the re-imagined LE speaker range to be good.
The £1099/$1199 LE01, £749/$799 LE02 and £349/$379 LE03. They go on sale, in black or white, from October.
Technical highlights include the use of bespoke DSP (digital signal processing), Balanced Mode Radiators (BMRs) and custom designed, low-profile aluminium woofers combined with customised passive bass radiators.
All three speakers can be used as part of a multi-room set-up, or can be paired for stereo playback when used in portrait orientation. If used in landscape mode, the Braun LE01 and LE02 work as integrated stereo speakers.
Each speaker has built-in Class-D amplification, switching power supplies and placement EQ settings that can be adjusted using the Braun Audio iOS or Android app. Google Assistant voice control is also built in, but this can be switched off using the dedicated privacy button.
Multiple streaming services are supported by Chromecast and Apple Airplay 2, wi-fi and Bluetooth v4.2 is standard across the range, and all three models can handle 96kHz/24-bit HD audio streaming. If you want a physical connection for another device, there’s a 3.5mm aux input. There’s also an ethernet port for hard wiring the speakers to your home network.
