OB-4 / Teenage Engineering
The OB-4, which Teenage Engineering calls a 'magic radio', is a slab-shaped Bluetooth speaker that behaves less like a speaker than an instrument. Available in a range of colours, four drivers and two 38W class-D amplifiers throw a wider stereo field than the size suggests, with a bass reflex duct for low end. The defining feature is hidden: the OB-4 continuously records whatever it plays onto a rolling two-hour loop, so you can rewind the radio, catch something you missed, or loop a passage with the motion-sensing knob. Inputs run from FM and Bluetooth to a 3.5mm line-in and an experimental disk mode. An adjustable handle houses an extra antenna and doubles as a stand, and the battery lasts for days of normal listening. It suits a listener who wants a physical, playful object rather than a smart speaker.
Design intent
- +The rolling two-hour record loop is the central idea, turning a passive speaker into something you can rewind and replay, with a motion-sensing knob to scrub the recording by hand.
- +Physical controls, an FM tuner and a handle-mounted antenna deliberately keep the OB-4 a self-contained object, with no voice assistant or app dependency to operate it.
Trade-offs
- -There is no line-out, so the loops and remixes you create on the device cannot be recorded off it or fed into another system.
- -The playful interface and unusual feature set place it above conventional Bluetooth speakers on price, where spec-led buyers can find louder or more accurate sound for less.
The OB-4, which Teenage Engineering calls a 'magic radio', is a slab-shaped Bluetooth speaker that behaves less like a speaker than an instrument. Available in a range of colours, four drivers and two 38W class-D amplifiers throw a wider stereo field than the size suggests, with a bass reflex duct for low end. The defining feature is hidden: the OB-4 continuously records whatever it plays onto a rolling two-hour loop, so you can rewind the radio, catch something you missed, or loop a passage with the motion-sensing knob. Inputs run from FM and Bluetooth to a 3.5mm line-in and an experimental disk mode. An adjustable handle houses an extra antenna and doubles as a stand, and the battery lasts for days of normal listening. It suits a listener who wants a physical, playful object rather than a smart speaker.
Design intent
- +The rolling two-hour record loop is the central idea, turning a passive speaker into something you can rewind and replay, with a motion-sensing knob to scrub the recording by hand.
- +Physical controls, an FM tuner and a handle-mounted antenna deliberately keep the OB-4 a self-contained object, with no voice assistant or app dependency to operate it.
Trade-offs
- -There is no line-out, so the loops and remixes you create on the device cannot be recorded off it or fed into another system.
- -The playful interface and unusual feature set place it above conventional Bluetooth speakers on price, where spec-led buyers can find louder or more accurate sound for less.
Source
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