The premium speaker brand Harman Kardon, famous for providing sound to the most luxurious cars on the market such as BMW, Land Rober, and Mercedes, has dared with smart speakers. And he has made it big. By partnering with Google, you have created a very complete and elegant range of smart speakers: Harman Kardon Citation.
The collection consists of four desktop devices of different sizes and powers, bar sound, a subwoofer, a tower of sound and surrounds speakers ( surround ).
All with features streaming Chromecast built integration with Google Assistant and voice control. And compatible with Spotify, Deezer, Google Play and YouTube Music.
This new generation of smart speakers demonstrates that the brand is aware of the functionalities demanded in this type of product. We no longer just want to play music with a speaker but we are looking for new ways to interact with the sound devices. “With this range, we seek to combine our unprecedented audio legacy with a premium design with intelligent functions,” says Olivier Baharian, Marketing Director in Southern Europe.
But if there is something that we liked about them is its design thought to detail. With a Nordic and minimalist aesthetic, its new speakers combine marbled premium wool of the Kvadrat brand that repels dirt with aluminum details and the result is a timeless design that is super elegant but discreet at the same time. And it is that they integrate easily into home decoration. That is just one of its great strengths, its design makes it visually pleasing and balanced.
At the moment they are available in black and gray, although from the brand they have told us that they will soon be available in pink and millennial blue.
We have tried the most affordable, the Citation One desktop speaker and we have been delighted. Its operation as a smart speaker is good (allows you to create reminders, task lists, alarms, …) but it’s sound quality is amazing. (After 65 years as a leader, there was no doubt that the firm would not disappoint in this).
It has a power of 40W and mono playback, works by wifi or Bluetooth and has touch control. To activate Google Assistant you must press the middle button at the top for more than two seconds. That same button also serves to pause and play music or alarms. Then on the sides, it has buttons to increase and decrease the volume, mute and activate the microphone and to pair the Bluetooth.
Instead of using Bluetooth, I installed it over Wifi. Remember that to use Google Assistant you must first have the Google Home app (which is available for both Android and iOS). When you have it you can configure the device and start using it by saying “Ok, Google”.
To my, I like to use it to review the latest news of the day, as well as to listen to my playlists from Spotify favorites. It is very comfortable to play music and increase/decrease the volume when you are doing other things.
You can also use it to turn on the lights and make life easier at home if you have connected household items. And every time you talk to Google, small lights will come on to tell you.
Its size is 14 x 18.8 x 14 cm and is ideal for rooms of 20 square meters. Personally, I like to be pampered with the environment, I am not a fan of the black box (television) in the middle of the room and I am not a fan of the speakers or technological devices that capture all the attention of a room. It also seems to me that the one that is covered in wool almost completely gives it a more luxurious appearance.
More technical data :
- 20mm tweeter for treble.
- 89 mm woofer for medium and bass.
- It has no battery, you must always have it plugged in to make it work.
