Digging out this old thread - I indeed bought the Bang & Olufsen Beolit 12 in late summer.
As 499 Euros was a hefty price tag and I also got a low-priced Bose Soundlink Air (soundwise identical to Sounddock portable) on Ebay, I have been trying to sell the Beolit again, as the maximum output of the Bose Soundlink Air was as impressive as that of the Beolit, maximum sound pressure is astounding in both cases (they weigh just about 6 pounds each!).
There's an additional problem: the Beolit switches itself off after a few minutes when there is no signal. It turns on again if the signal returns, but only with default medium volume setting. So playing in a church with breaks in between is problematic (and there is no remote unless you buy it extra). But I read that a firmware update prevents it from turning itself off if connected to mains.
Today, I finally decided to keep it after comparing it again with the Bose, playing pipe organ samples. The Beolit has got deeper bass (and a seperate built-in woofer, while the Soundlink only has the 2 broadband speakers and the air duct for bass), and it is clear of distortion, while with full, high-volume pipe organ sounds the Bose starts to slightly distort.
Picture of the Beolit is attached. Picture of the Bose Soundlink Air see link. I recommend either one!
http://www.rockshop.de/de-de/products/31...-WucaAjzC8P8HAQ

...just to repeat the wattage again: it is 120 W RMS - and it really sounds like that.