Harman Kardon has announced two soundbars in the Enchant series and one soundbar as part of the Citation series. The latter can connect wirelessly via WiSA technology. But there is no support for Dolby Atmos.
Harman Kardon Citation Bar
At IFA 2018, Harman Kardon announced the Citation series, which covers everything from small smart speakers to large floor-standing speakers. The line-up also includes a soundbar called ‘Bar’.
The company said that the soundbar has a total output of 150W via two stereo channels and one center channel (3.0). It supports HD audio (24bit / 96KHz) and comes equipped with three HDMI inputs with 4K HDR pass-through. It also features built-in WiFi, Bluetooth, Chromecast, and Google Assistant.
- “Consumers increasingly look to their home entertainment systems to do more than just play music,” said Michael Mauser, President, Lifestyle Audio at HARMAN. “While features like voice control and multi-room streaming are becoming standard, the Harman Kardon Citation Series is anything but. The pairing of our unprecedented audio legacy and premium design with smart features and ease of use gives Citation speakers the opportunity to truly transform the listening experience.”
The company added that buyers can expand the system by connecting a pair of 2x50W rear speakers and an optional subwoofer. These optional speakers connect via the WiSA audio protocol, which is also supported in Bang & Olufsen’s speakers.
Harman Kardon, who was recently acquired by Samsung, has on the other hand disregarded Airplay 2, which is Apple’s competing wireless audio protocol.
Harman Kardon’s Citation Bar will be available for pre-order in either black or grey fabric starting in October. Pricing details can be found in the table below.
Harman Kardon Citation - specifications
| Product Name | ONE | 100 | 300 | 500 | BAR |
| Configuration | Tabletop | Tabletop | Tabletop | Tabletop | Soundbar |
| Price | €199 | €299 | €399 | €649 | €899 |
| Playback | Mono | Mono | Stereo | Stereo | 3.0 |
| Touch Control | YES | YES | Color LCD | Color LCD | Color LCD |
| System Power | 40W | 50W | 100W | 200W | 150W |
| HDMI Inputs | - | - | - | - | 3x HDMI 4K |
| HD Audio Streaming | 24Bits/96Khz | 24Bits/96Khz | 24Bits/96Khz | 24Bits/96Khz | 24Bits/96Khz |
| Wi-Fi / Bluetooth | Y / Y | Y / Y | Y / Y | Y / Y | Y / Y |
| Chromecast built-in | YES | YES | YES | YES | YES |
| Google Assistant | YES | YES | YES | YES | YES |
| WiSA technology | - | - | - | - | YES |
Harman Kardon Citation optional - specifications
| Product Name | SUB | TOWER | SURROUND |
| Configuration | Subwoofer | Floorstanding | Surround |
| Price | €799 | €2499 (pair) | €449 (pair) |
| Playback | Subwoofer | 2.2 | Surround |
| Touch Control | | Color LCD | |
| System Power | 200W | 2 x 200W | 2 x 50W |
| HDMI Inputs | - | - | - |
| Wi-Fi / Bluetooth | N / N | Y / Y | N / N |
| HD Audio Streaming | - | 24Bits/96KHz | - |
| Chromecast built-in | | YES | |
| Google Assistant | | YES | |
| WiSA technology | YES | YES | YES |
Harman Kardon Enchant
The company also unveiled two new soundbars (1300 and 800) as part of the Enchant series. These are more powerful than the Citation model and the company highlighted the ability to create a virtual surround effect by utilizing side-firing units. Harman Kardon has dubbed the technology MultiBeam and explains that it includes automatic room correction and calibration
- “The Enchant series represents a breakthrough for consumers, offering sophisticated technology that delivers fantastic surround sound without the need for additional equipment or wires,” said Michael Mauser, President, Lifestyle Audio at HARMAN. “Listeners can enjoy rich sound for music, movies and gaming while enjoying spectacular Harman Kardon design.”
With 13 and 7 built-in audio channels in addition to room calibration, the scene has been set for Dolby Atmos or DTS:X but strangely neither of the two object-based audio formats are supported. Harman Kardon explains that the two soundbars use a digital algorithm to try and expand the audio stage from standard Dolby and DTS Surround formats.
The 1300 soundbar will compete in a price class where several other manufactures offer at least some type of Atmos audio. We did not get a chance to hear the new products in action at IFA 2018.
The soundbars have built-in WiFi, Bluetooth, and Chromecast. There is no support for WiSA and Google Assistant, like in the company’s Citation soundbar.
Harman Kardon Enchant 1300 and 800 will be available in Europe this spring. Pricing details can be found in the table below.
Harman Kardon Enchant - specifications
| Product | 1300 | 800 | SUBWOOFER |
| Price | €999 | €699- | €699 |
| MultiBeam | Yes | Yes | |
| WiFi/BT | Yes/Yes | Yes/Yes | |
| HDMI Inputs | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Max Power | 240W | 180W | 400W |
| Mĺl | 44” x 2.6” x 4.9” | 33.8” x 2.6” x 4.9” | 11.7” x 15.7” x 11.7” |
| Audio channels | 13 | 8 | 1 |
