Compact, wireless, and portable speakers are the name of the game for many music listeners these days. For home listening, those big speaker boxes are out for many and small and thin are in. For outside the house or travel, a good-sounding portable Bluetooth speaker is a must.
What all of the above in mind, let’s check out two offerings from Harman International’s Harman Kardon and JBL brands.
Harman Kardon Radiance 2400
The HK Radiance 2400 is a home wireless speaker system that takes up very little space due to its thin-profile speakers.
The Radiance 2400 package includes two very thin floor standing speakers which house 24 vertically mounted 1.25-inch drivers. Thin vertically mounted speaker arrays typically have difficulty providing enough coverage in a room.
To provide better sound spread, Harman Kardon has implemented JBL Constant Beamwidth Technology. In addition, the base that anchors each speaker assembly contains Harman’s Digital Loop Amplifier Technology (DLA) that further supports powerful clean sound.
To provide quality low-frequency sound, the Radiance 2400 includes a 10-inch wireless subwoofer powered by a 200-watt amplifier.
To top everything off, a separate Hub is included that provides connectivity for a TV and other external devices. The Hub also includes Wi-Fi connectivity, Chromecast, and AirPlay 2 for streaming from compatible devices, such as smartphones. A Bluetooth remote control is provided for system control.
The Radiance 2400 can also be used with other compatible Harman Kardon wireless speakers for multi-room audio applications.
The Radiance 2400 is expected to be available in October 2021 for a suggested price of $5,000.
NOTE: The Harman Kardon Radiance 2400 was first previewed at CES 2021 where it won a CES Innovation Award.
JBL Flip 6
You can’t take the Radiance 2400 with you when outside the house or traveling, but all is not lost as Harman’s highly reputable speaker brand, JBL, has announced its newest portable Bluetooth speaker, the Flip 6.
With its compact tubular design, the Flip 6 can be stored easily in a backpack or travel bag.
The Flip 6 is durable and waterproof (up to immersion into 3 feet of water for 30 minutes), and its seal keeps dust out.
The Flip 6 is compatible with Bluetooth 5.1 for improved streaming sound quality, includes Party Boost which allows wireless connection to other compatible JBL wireless speakers (including the Radiance 2400 system discussed above).
Inside the Flip 6 is a compact woofer supported by two passive radiators and a separate tweeter for clear highs.
For worry-free enjoyment, the Flip 6 also has 12 hours of battery life.
The Flip 6 is expected to be available in November 2021 at a suggested price of $179.00.
