B&O Beosound Theatre is the most stunning soundbar I've ever seen – and the priciest

It's quite a rare and wonderful moment to witness the reveal of a home cinema product that's so exquisite that it'll leave you speechless. But that's exactly how I felt when first clapping eyes on images of the Beosound Theatre. I keep wanting to call it 'just a soundbar', but the sheer stature and TV-integrated design nature of this all-in-one align it more with being the single box home cinema audio king. 

That's one of the most striking factors about the Beosound Theatre, on show at IFA 2022. Although B&O has designed it to collaborate best with LG's OLED range – the LG C2 and LG G2 sets in particular – it can integrate with almost any TV. Or you can wall-mount it instead. The kit for either install option is included in the box, including various 'wing' sizes to adapt for differing TV scales, should you change your set of choice in the future. 

But as I've touched upon in the title of this very piece, I doubt that you'll be buying both soundbar and TV at the same time, because the Beosound Theatre is one premium bit of kit. By which I mean it's undeniably expensive. Just how much cash will you have to part with to buy one? A cool £5,590 in the UK (or €6,490 in Europe). So now you have another reason for your jaw to drop. Yup, it'll cost you more than an 83-inch LG G2 top-end OLED TV. 

But then just look at it. The gallery of images below will give you various angles on how this fabric-and-oak finished soundbar stands apart from others. It also houses enough speakers to cater for 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos object-based decoding without the need for any extras – no speakers placed elsewhere in the room, no wires trailing anywhere.

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Bang & Olufsen, as a premium audio maker, has various patent-pending technologies to promote an even more encompassing listening experience, so it claims. Its Beam Width and Beam Directivity Control features first appeared in the company's Beolab 90 speakers – designed to "make the walls disappear" – for the most open soundstage possible.

Despite being designed to be integrated within a TV setup (one port is assigned for LG OLED TV connection for integrated control via Beoremote One and Bang & Olufsen App), there's plenty of non-direct connectivity options too. Four HDMI ports, one 2.1 with eARC passthrough (4K at 120fps or 8K at 60fps) ensure compliance with current practices. 

And, being modular, I suspect B&O will permit future upgrades too (it does so with repairs). As Bang & Olufsen's Head of Product Circularity, Mads Kogsgaard Hansen, touches upon an interesting point that's increasingly become B&O's mantra: "Theatre has been modularly designed to outlast many TVs in its lifetime. We have made a solution that enables you to update your product rather than replace it, and a product that can evolve with you over time”.

You'd certainly hope it'd last for a lifetime. One, because of the outlay to own one in the first place. Two, because it's too good-looking a product to not last the test of time. If money was no object I'd be pairing one with an LG G2 OLED TV in my ultimate (and imaginary) mancave and sinking into total audio immersion with glee.