Harman Kardon Onyx Studio 3 Review
Harman Industrial Group has a wealth of fashion consumer sub-brands. For example, Harman Kardon focuses on luxury music experience, JBL focuses on young and fashionable users, and AKG captures users from entry-level to enthusiast-level users with professional headset manufacturing quality. Moreover, according to the different needs of users, different product designs are brought to users, and Harman Kardon has more unique design products. Harman Kardon Onyx Studio 3 is one of them.
Harman Kardon has many products that are good at design. The iconic Aura Studio speakers in wireless speaker products lines, the Soho Wireless in headset product lines, and the Onyx Studio series in desktop speakers product lines.
You will find that Harman Kardon is very good at delivering beauty design to customers. For example, in the Harman Kardon Onyx Studio 3 bluetooth speaker, Harman Kardon still follows this principle design on the speaker.
Onyx Studio 3 is the third-generation product of the Harman Kardon Onyx Studio series. From the first-generation Onyx, the rounding element has always run through the entire design gene.
Onyx Studio 3 also adopts the iconic circular design principle. The overall outlook is very similar to Onyx Studio 2 in appearance. What performance upgrades will it bring as a third-generation product?
Design
The difference from Harman Kardon Onyx Studio 2 is that the color finishes have become more convergent. The LOGO returns to silver, and the support stands use the same black color as the body.
The integrated design also makes this product more integrated into the home decoration. The driver units are all concentrated in the circular cavity, and the buttons are laid out on the frame. In terms of color, there are five colors in black, white, red, blue, and gray.
The buttons and indicator lights are still arranged on the side. There are power, volume +/-, hands-free, and Bluetooth connections. Harman Kardon Onyx Studio 3 wireless speaker using Bluetooth 4.1 protocol, and there are two woofers and 2 tweeters in the circular cavity. The battery can last for up 5 hours of continuous music playing.
What can be seen on the front of the speaker is the entire spherical grille. The surface of the grille is covered with a layer of fiber woven mesh, which has an excellent dustproof effect. In the center of the cover is inlaid with a shiny silver Harman/Kardon brand nameplate. Of course, this dustproof grille is detachable for easy cleaning in the future.
The Driver
After removing the grille, let’s take a look at the internal layout. At the top is a white passive low-frequency radiator, and you can see the letters Harman/Kardon logo.
The two sides are equipped with tweeters, and the tweeter adopts a 20mm silk dome driver, which can see natural silk weaving.
There are two mid-woofer speakers below, using a 75mm rubber-edged composite basin unit. When the music is played, it will move linearly, generate airflow in the cabinet, and drive the bass radiator for long-stroke propulsion.
There is a small hole at the bottom, with a built-in microphone in the hole. Thus, hands-free calls can be made when mobile phone calls. To ensure the clarity of the call, noise reduction technology is also used.
The Rear
The coating on the Harman Kardon Onyx Studio 3 speaker’s back has a clear texture, a delicate touch, and has a specific anti-slip effect. There is a handle on the top to be easy to carry, making it easy to carry the speaker around.
The middle is an 85mm passive low-frequency radiator, the size is the same as the front radiator, the color is matte silver-white, and the Harman Kardon logo is also printed.
There are three ports at the bottom, and the SERVICE port on the left should be used for firmware upgrade operations. In the middle is the AUX audio input port, which is used to connect TVs, computers, mobile phones, players, and other equipment.
Harman Kardon Onyx Studio3 can be used as an active speaker. When charging the speaker, the power indicator will flash once every three seconds.
Onyx Studio 3 adopts the latest Bluetooth 4.1 streaming technical features. \Harman Kardon Onyx Studio 3 supports the connection of up to 3 smart devices, allowing you to stream music wirelessly. Of course, you can also choose to connect two Harman Kardon speakers on the same device to achieve a stereo dual-channel.
I tried to connect Macbook Pro, iPad, iPhone, Surface Pro, Note 3, and other devices. All of them are working well.
Sound Performance
The Harman Kardon Onyx Studio 3 bluetooth speaker is a two-channel, two-way stereo system. It has an independent tweeter. As a result, the two domes have good treble quality. Its high-frequency characteristics are mainly expressed as delicate and soft, transparent. When listening to popular music, the energy of the tweeters is enough.
If you are a high-frequency enthusiast, remove the speaker’s grille, the treble details will be richer, the penetrating power will be more substantial.
The midrange has a thickness, and the vocals are full. The midrange performance of the 3-inch unit is satisfactory, without too many adjectives to describe it.
Besides, this pair of mid-woofers looks like a paper cone speaker at first, but if you carefully observe the surface of the driver, you can find many very tiny fiber filaments, which are more delicate than the wool. So it should be a new type of composite material.
The low-frequency characteristics of this speaker are powerful, sinking, and stable. Mainly due to the two low-frequency radiators. Generally speaking, a 3-inch mid-woofer speaker cannot have such an extensive dynamic range. Only through the designer’s ingenious design and passive speakers can the bass be enhanced in a closed cabinet.
The depth of the dive creates a sense of shock; even compared to the 4-inch 5-inch woofer, it is not inferior, and the transient response speed is also timely. Listening to Onyx Studio3 has the effect of a small subwoofer.
The sound of Onyx Studio 3 is bright and not excessive, and it can grasp the performance of one degree. It allows you to savor the rhythm of jazz music by yourself and will enable people in a room to hear every electronic item. The drums are blooming in the chest.
The author has not doubted Harman Kardon’s strength in the field of consumer Bluetooth speakers, and the sound performance of Onyx Studio 3 gave me some surprises.
Conclusion
When I tested Onyx Studio 2, the surging bass and wide sound field performance in Onyx Studio 3 made me listen to it again and again. Once you feel the incredible sound experience brought by the expansive sound field, it will show up in front of your eyes as if you can see the sound.
The sound of Harman Kardon Onyx Studio 3 is bright and not excessive, and it can grasp the performance of one degree. It allows you to savor the rhythm of jazz music by yourself and will enable people in a room to hear every electronic item.
I always do not doubt the strength of Harman Kardon in the field of consumer Bluetooth speakers, and the sound performance of Onyx Studio 3 really gave me some surprises.
Harman Kardon Onyx Studio 3 Specifications
- Bluetooth® transmitter modulation: GFSK,π /4 DQPSK, 8DPSK
- Rated power: 4x15W(AC mode); 4×7.5W(Battery mode)
- Battery charge time: 5hours
- Bluetooth transmitter frequency range: 2402MHz – 2480MHz
- Signal-to-Noise Ratio: 80dB A-weighted
- Bluetooth version: 4.1
- Battery type: 3.7V/2600mAh Lithium-ion
- Power supply: 19V/2A
- Music playing time: up to 5hours (Varies by volume level and music content)
- Bluetooth transmitter power: 0 – 9dBm
- Support: A2DP 1.3 AVRCP 1.5 HFP 1.6
- Weight (g): 2071g
- Frequency Response: 50Hz-20kHz(-6dB)
- Transducers: Woofer 2 x 75mm, Tweeter 2 x 20mm
- Dimensions (H x W x D) in (mm): 278.0 x 162.8 x 258.0
