Bang & Olufsen Launch $600 MP3 Player

For folks who demand the high style and high quality, the Bang & Olufsen Beosound 6 offers 4 GB of storage, a 1.8-inch LCD screen, and a $600 price tag.

Let’s be clear: Bang & Olufsen is not known for offering discount consumer electronics. So it comes as no surprise that the company’s new Beosound 6 portable music player comes with a $600 price tag: the question is, what does $600 buy you?

In this case, it’s a slim portable media player based on “a robust Samsung platform” with a stainless steel case and sound quality the company claims beats the pants off portable music players and rivals home audio systems. The player itself offers a 4 GB capacity, a 1.8-inch 128 by 160-pixel LCD display, up to 40 hours of battery life, and supports MP3, WMA, and OGG format audio: no AAC, and no compatibility with songs purchased from the iTunes music store. Of course, B&O would like potential customers to know a variety of add-ons and accessories are available—including Bluetooth headsets and computer speakers—and the Beosound 6 comes with a slim leather case and travel charger. B&O hasn’t revealed a price availability date, save to say the players will be available for gift-givers and gift-receivers this holiday season.