“M5” means howling German sleeper sedan to anyone with even a rudimentary knowledge of fast cars. Underneath the BMW’s elegant, stately appearance is an engine derived from a race car, and the contrasting combination leads to people describing it as “the gentleman’s beast”. At the recent International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, B&O announced its latest Beoplay wireless speaker under the same name, and its real power is also hidden from plain sight.

There is no button on the surface of the 19cm high by 16cm diameter cylinder. The cover for the Beoplay M5 is produced by Danish textile manufacturer Kvadrat and is made from woven wool, designed to enhance acoustics and compliment the cool aluminium top for utmost simplicity. The True360 sound offers dispersion of well-balanced and equally high-quality sound all around the room by utilising three evenly distributed tweeters, a front facing mid-range driver and a powerful woofer. The pearl-blasted aluminium disc with touch controls is easy to use; turning the disc in each direction adjusts volume levels, while tapping on the disc starts or stops the music. The Beoplay M5 is available in two colours: grey and black.