ETA: 2 weeks later: LOVE this unit. At my own very low volume it's impressive, but at most people's normal listening volume: OMIGOD, it's such a great unit! You would never, ever think that sound is coming out of this size unit. Really, really, really glad I picked this one.
ORIGINAL REVIEW:
I had two iPod docking portable speaker systems here at one time for comparison, both of which were putting out pretty unbelievable sound for their size. The other one had base and treble controls as well as FM radio, and the Harman/Kardon had neither. The other one had 100 ft. range between the remote and the speaker, the H/K had a fraction of that. The other one had smaller incremental adjustments to volume than the H/K does, which I value a lot.
So why did I go with the Harman/Kardon? Sound. Pure and simple, sound. I realized that when I played my two most speaker-challenging selections, one of which has a sound effect that's very low and subtle and gets dropped on most speakers, the other having high notes on a mandolin that you just accept are likely to distort. The H/K represented both with a purity and clarity that I just couldn't ignore. As for more "normal" music listening, if you are into rock or anything with percussion, this unit excels. I don't know how to explain this in audiophile speak, but you know how some songs have a bass that you feel in your stomach somehow? The H/K has that. Now you'd think that would also describe a boomy bass, and in my experience, the two have always gone together. This unit is not "boomy bass" at all, yet you can feel it in your stomach. But the high notes that just tend to muddy up on most any speaker short of ridiculously-priced, they also come through really well on this unit. Really good, pure sound at both ends.
My impression is that the cost of other similarly priced units are because they have bells and whistles. And that the cost of this unit, which has none of that, might be because every inch of its construction is devoted to sound. It plays what you feed it. It doesn't adjust what you feed it. (You can do that in your iPod "Settings" if you want). But it plays what you feed it... in really stellar quality. Where it really excels? At higher volumes (many people would call that "normal listening volume,"). I tend to use it for background music. However if I turn the volume up, it kind of blows your hair back. In a good way.
Appearance? I happen to love it. The remote fits in a built in receptacle in the back of the unit, but it also snuggles into where you mount your iPod, way more convenient. It's not unduly heavy to carry around. The designers thoughtfully put the charging electronics onto the cord which means there's some bulk on the cord, but you're not shlepping that weight around needlessly when you are on battery. It's a trade-off I like. I also like the way the iPod mounts for charging and/or playing. It's a little weird to fit it in (it gets held behind the handle, then slid down onto the mount which some might find awkward) but then the whole mounting unit tilts so the iPod lays flat. This, to me, is a great safety feature if you're moving or carrying the unit with the iPod in it.
Now I have to mention what I consider the dumbest feature I've ever seen. The remote (thankfully) does volume, on/off, pause, next, previous, fast forward/back in a really straightforward way, but it will also let you navigate all over your iPod, including I think back to your very playlist. But what the heck good does that do you if your iPod is not only across the room, but also laying flat so you can't see its screen?? I mean, if someone covered your computer screen and gave you a mouse that had a back button, would that do you any good? I guess you could memorize how many clicks back to your playlist, and then memorize where a particular song is on it. But short of that, I can't see any purpose for that whole iPod navigation setup on the remote. Fortunately the 6 buttons involved are what you use for the useful functions so nothing's wasted there, but if anyone knows something I'm missing about the navigation feature, please leave a comment because I'm lost as to what good that whole feature does you.
The remote itself: Small! Cute! Easy to carry! Easy to misplace! Just be aware of that and pick several places in the room where you're going to lay it down, hell or high water, and you'll be fine. It's about 2" x 3" so not too small, but it can get covered up by papers on your desk pretty easily. I like it though, it'll fit into your pocket nicely.
My original 4 stars* - I wish it had smaller increments on volume control. Most people wouldn't notice it but I listen at low volumes often and it's probably a picky thing that my ideal volume is between two preset settings. At normal volumes, this isn't an issue at all, so it might not even be fair to take off a star for that, but it's a personal review and I don't see why they didn't fine tune that some.
No other complaints, I really think this unit puts out outstanding sound quality. Sturdy build, too! I'd definitely call it "high performance portable."
*EDIT! I do feel a little guilt for deducting one star because of the volume since it's not an issue for most people. Yeah, that's really not fair. Five stars it is.
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This Item  Harman Kardon Go + Play High-Performance Portable Loudspeaker System with Dock for iPod |  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | — | $134.90 | $156.11 | $299.95 | $215.00 | -54% $137.60 New Price: $299.95 |
| Delivery | — | — | Get it as soon as Friday, May 17 | Get it as soon as Friday, May 17 | Get it as soon as Monday, May 20 | Get it May 15 - 20 |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| Sound quality | ||||||
| Battery life | ||||||
| Bluetooth connectivity | ||||||
| Value for money | ||||||
| Sold By | — | Mi2ne2Goods | ❤️️ Shop 1-Click (SN Recorded) | Amazon.com | Cosmo Gadgets | TheWEIKANGroup |
| power source | Battery Powered | Battery Powered | Battery Powered | Battery Powered | Battery Powered | Battery Powered |
| connectivity tech | Auxiliary | Bluetooth | Bluetooth | Bluetooth | Bluetooth | Bluetooth |
| speaker type | Computer, Satellite, Woofer | — | Tweeter | Atmospheric | Woofer | — |
| mounting type | Tabletop | Tabletop | Freestanding | Tabletop | — | Tabletop |
| weight | 12 pounds | 8.75 pounds | 2 kilograms | 6.5 pounds | 7.3 pounds | 6.5 pounds |
| model name | — | HKOS6BLUAM.5 | — | Harman Kardon Onyx Studio 6 - Black | — | Studio 6 - IPX7 |
| battery average life | — | 8 hours | 8 hours | 8 hours | — | — |
