Harman Kardon Onyx Studio Wireless Bluetooth Speaker with rechargeable battery

I purchased this at Amazon about three months ago. I was looking for a portable bluetooth speaker and my head was spinning after reading all the reviews on the various speakers. Finally, I made a list of the speakers I was interested in and went to demo them at Best Buy. All the speakers I had on my list were highly rated, but sounded weak with no bass to me. This speaker was not even on my list, but I listened to it anyway. I'm glad I did because the sound blew all the others away. It sounds really close to a wired speaker all across the spectrum and punches out good bass (frequency response down to 70 hz). So I bought it and, after 3 months, I still think it is great. This speaker is bigger than your typical bluetooth wireless speaker, which is probably one reason it sounds better. So even though it is big, it is very stylish. It does have a few shortcomings, but I think that they are minor: 1-No carrying case is available. 2-There is no power meter. The battery seems to last about 4 hours, but there is no way to know how much gas is in the tank. When the battery is done, the speaker just stops. You can always plug it in to a wall outlet, however. So it needs a bigger battery and a power meter to make it perfect. I take this speaker with me all over the place, and even though it has a built-in carrying handle, I was afraid of damaging it during transport. It looks nice and I want to keep it that way, so I began looking for an appropriate carrying case. Harman Kardon does not carry one. I looked all over and could not find anything. Then one day I set the speaker on a shelf right next to my brew-pub double growler cooler. (For those of you that don't know, a growler cooler is an insulated bag that you carry home 64oz glass jugs of fresh craft beer from the brew-pub.) I noticed that the bag and the speaker were about the same size, so I took the growlers out and put the speaker in. Wow, it fit perfectly. Not only that, but the insulation in the bag acted as padding for the speaker. Even better, Amazon sells the growler cooler. How about that? So if you are looking for a bag to carry your Onyx speaker in, try this one out: http://www.amazon.com/Black-Double-Growler-Cooler/dp/B008RL4M80/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1421616860&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=growler+Cooler If the above link does not work, search Amazon for: "double growler cooler". Click on the double growler cooler from The Growler Cooler Co. I will try to post a few pictures so that you can see it for yourselves. Hey, Harman Kardon, are you listening? Contact the Growler Cooler company for the product, slap your logo on it and make it available to your customers. We need it. Read more

I am researcher. Sometimes, it pains me to make a decision. I needed a new wireless bluetooth speaker after my old supertooth disco finally kicked the can. I like to listen to music pretty loud sometimes and I like the portability that a wireless speaker provides. I use it mainly around the house, outside and occasionally travel with it. I like to bring the party. The downside of portability is the lack of power. Can you get the best of both worlds? Yes, if you are willing to make a few sacrifices. Let me also state that I didn't want to spend much more than $100. That's a TALL order for a quality speaker in the category. After listening to many speakers at best buy and watching/reading countless reviews online, I gave the Oontz XL a try. I was making a compromise on power for portability and battery capacity. I was soooo disappointed that I paid the shipping to return it...ugh. I finally ended up with this and I'm so glad I did... Everything is relative when it comes to reviews. I tend to rate according to my expectations for the money paid / price point. PROS: -Bluetooth connection is far better than anticipated. I can go anywhere in my two story home including my basement and upstairs without the connection going out! Wow... -Volume is incredible for a portable speaker. Wow, this thing is quite the upgrade for me and it's current price point as of September 2015, you CANNOT beat this for the money. Easy to have an instant dance party. It does NOT distort at max volume. You don't feel like the speaker is going to blow out but it is very loud. I like that and it speaks to the quality and 60 watts of power. I think it is a little more powerful when it plugged in, but the battery mode hasn't been disappointing. -Sound Quality - this is very clear with minimal background/static which you tend to get with bluetooth. I've heard this speaker described as a flat sound. I'd say that is an accurate description as if the EQ was set evenly. That's not a bad thing. There is a great clarity to the sound of this speaker. and it plays all genres well. -Bass - The bass is not overpowering, but it is very good. It's really the perfect amount of bass. SACRIFICES (these are personal sacrifices I made to get the sound quality I wanted at the price point I wanted. They are not necessarily cons to everyone). Portability - this thing is on the large size. You aren't going to put it on your window sill or throw it in your backpack. No AUX in input - The only time I would actually use this feature is if I hooked it up to my workout TV (which is really small and weak). It is nice so you don't get the bluetooth lag. I can live without that feature for this price point. Battery Life - Ok, it would be nice to have longer battery life. However, if a bluetooth speaker lasts for 12 hours, there is NO WAY it has power that this thing does. The battery life is sufficient for me. Hopefully it stays that, but I will update the review if it becomes a problem. So far, so good. I hope this is helpful to someone like me who reads countless reviews on amazon, cnet, youtube and any other place you can find them. If your wants are similar to mine, just go ahead and buy this item and you won't be disappointed. I've spend countless hours of my life researching which I'll never get back. I hope I can save you a few so you can make them productive instead! Read more

I originally purchased the JBL Charge 2 and immediately returned the thing after discovering a rather unimpressive sound with its own not-so-unique distortion. To replace it, I eventually narrowed my choices down to either the Bose Soundlink and this Harmon Kardon Onyx. Personally, the Bose was very good, though slightly muddy with some music. I opted for the ONYX and the first time I played a few tunes with it, I was shocked...no, call it "giddy" at the reality of getting so much robust sound through what is essentially a value priced, portable device. From lows to extreme highs, this unit delivers clear, distortion-free sound and does it with serious punch. This Harmon Kardon is not only clean and clear, it is LOUD. I originally bought this unit for my office, but despite having a vastly more expensive home audio system running through a powerful Onkyo surround amp with large tower front speakers and a Polk 12" subwoofer, etc., I find myself using the ONYX since it can easily be moved from room to room. I may have to buy another for the office but my only concern is whether the ONYX has too much "carry" for my co-workers. Did I mention this unit is LOUD? For the price and performance, this is one of the best electronics buys I have ever made. Believe me, this old rocker has dropped a literal fortune in pursuit of quality sound. Not only worth the price, it's a steal! Highly Recommend. Read more