Gallery: Inside Bang & Olufsen, Birthplace of the World's Prettiest Gadgets

  • Image may contain Electronics Computer and Hardware
    Alastair Philip Wiper
    01

    Bang-Olufsen-APW-1108

    *The Art of Impossible: The Bang & Olufsen Story* is a new book by photographer Alastair Philip Wiper that documents in fantastic detail what's happening behind the scenes at the Danish company. Here, the guts of a BeoPlay A9 music system are laid bare.
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    Alastair Philip Wiper
    02

    Bang-Olufsen-APW-267

    On a chalkboard at the Struer, Denmark facilities, a map of the user interface for the system setup of the BeoVision Avant.
  • This specially designed rack is used to hold aluminum parts while they anodize. Seen here are parts of the BeoLab 6000...
    Alastair Philip Wiper
    03

    Bang-Olufsen-APW-30

    This specially designed rack is used to hold aluminum parts while they anodize. Seen here are parts of the BeoLab 6000 speaker.
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    Alastair Philip Wiper
    04

    Bang-Olufsen-APW-630

    When polio swept through Denmark in 1952, Bang & Olufsen responded to the needs of patients—as explained by a doctor doing research on treatments—by creating a respirator.
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    Alastair Philip Wiper
    05

    Bang-Olufsen-APW-721

    Wiper names 11 designs that shaped the company. The Beogram 4000 is one. Designed by Jacob Jensen in 1972, the automatic gramophone had two arms that worked together to make the record pickup happen at the same angle to the groove, as the cutter would have had during recording. It's high-fidelity sound reproduction, made to be "vibration- and dance-proof."
  • Image may contain Human Person Restaurant Furniture Chair Coffee Cup Cup Cafe and Cafeteria
    Alastair Philip Wiper
    06

    Bang-Olufsen-APW-1143

    Torsten Valeur, a designer at Bang & Olufsen since 1995, in his studio surrounded by all manner of prototypes.
  • Image may contain Electronics Hardware Computer Mouse and Wristwatch
    Alastair Philip Wiper
    07

    Bang-Olufsen-APW-929

    The guts of a BeoLab 4 PC loudspeaker.
  • A crude model of a FM radio designed in 1995 that never went into production.
    Alastair Philip Wiper
    08

    Bang-Olufsen-APW-942

    A crude model of a FM radio designed in 1995, that never went into production.
  • Image may contain Electronics and Remote Control
    Alastair Philip Wiper
    09

    Bang-Olufsen-APW-1006

    Bang & Olufsen first started making remote controls in 1956. This BeoRemote One, from 2014, is much sleeker than some of the early ones.
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    Alastair Philip Wiper
    10

    Bang-Olufsen-APW-1044

    Designers at Bang & Olufsen make a lot of prototypes. There are geometric wooden, cardboard, foam, cloth, and even Lego models of in-progress products. This Lego mock-up is to test wheel movement for the BeoSound 5.
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    Alastair Philip Wiper
    11

    Bang-Olufsen-APW-2090

    One of the designs that shaped Bang & Olufsen, according to Wiper, is the BeoLab 18, an update on the company's first wireless speaker. These are the machines used to create the precisely thin lamellas, or the wooden front used on the tall freestanding speaker.
  • Image may contain Human Person Screen Display Electronics Monitor Brendan Kennelly and Radio
    Alastair Philip Wiper
    12

    Bang-Olufsen-APW-2128

    Jan Thøgersen, surrounded by his private collection of Bang & Olufsen products—the largest private one in existence.
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    Alastair Philip Wiper
    13

    Bang-Olufsen-APW-2272

    The BeoCom 6000 cordless telephone, designed in 1998. It used an intuitive navigation wheel, like the early iPod.
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    Alastair Philip Wiper
    14

    Bang-Olufsen-APW-2277

    Acoustic prototypes of the BeoCom 6000 phone.
  • Image may contain Human Person Building and Factory
    Alastair Philip Wiper
    15

    Bang-Olufsen-APW-1413

    Bang & Olufsen does manufacturing in its Czech factory. Here, assembly of a BeoLab 5 speaker system.
  • Image may contain Text and Calendar
    Alastair Philip Wiper
    16

    Bang-Olufsen-APW-2906-Edit

    The sliders and numerical graphics on a Beomaster 1200, one of star designer Jacob Jensen's 1968 designs.
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