Here we go again. Of the gazillion bluetooth speakers out there, what makes one stand out over another?
Maybe it's just so classy, you can't resist it...
The Harman/Kardon range of home and portable speakers oozes elegance and sophistication, perhaps none more so than the Onyx Studio 4.
The first thing you'll notice about it is its size. The Onyx Studio 4 is not a speaker you can hide away between books or bottles on a shelf - this'll need a space of its own. At 278mm across, it's about the diameter of a large dinner plate. Although this places it firmly in the upper size scale for portable devices, it's by no means clunky or ungainly. Everything is subtly curved, the few physical control buttons there are have been tucked away just over the top edge. In fact, the up and down volume buttons are so subtle, sometimes I struggled to find them at all, especially in dim lighting. Luckily the plus and minus symbols are slightly raised so you can just go by feel.
The other feature that impressed me with its subtlety was the power and bluetooth connection sounds. I have no idea why we need these stupid noises on any speaker at all, I hate them. If your speaker hasn't turned on, you'll know because it won't work. Why do I need an annoying bleeping noise to tell me? Same goes for the bluetooth connection - if my music plays out of my phone instead of the speaker, probably hasn't connected. Unfortunately, pretty much every bluetooth device I've ever used insists on beeping at me or in extreme cases, talking to me (usually in a funny accent). What's more, these silly bleeps and beeps often blast out at maximum volume. Thankfully, while the Onyx Studio 4 still has the bleeps, they're very toned down and much less irritating than most.
Everything about the Onyx Studio 4 is understated; there are no needless flashing coloured lights, although the power button does change from white to red once the speaker needs charging. Unusually, this is done via a specific AC adapter - not with a USB connection like most other similar devices. This seems a little strange as it doesn't charge particularly quickly. The good news is, you'll get the full 8 hours of playback the Harman/Kardon website promises.
Some reviewers have criticised the Onyx Studio 4 for being a portable speaker that isn't very portable, primarily because of its size. I found this claim utterly unfounded for three reasons;
1 - it isn't particularly heavy
2 - the handle cavity on the back is perfectly positioned for balance and
3 - the three points of contact created by the two angled rear feet and the rubberised base provide a very stable setup on a variety of surfaces.
Obviously this is not a speaker you're going to clamp to a bike or take to the beach. It's simply too nice for that kind of abuse.
What the Onyx Studio 4 really excels at is sound quality. It's like pouring warm chocolate into your ears. Or wrapping your brain in soft leather. The rich, powerful but smooth bass is surely the reason the speaker is as big as it is, and it's so worth it. I don't know if a speaker can make music sound luxurious, but if it can, this one definitely does. It's not just about the bass, somehow Harman/Kardon has created a music machine that produces a mix across all frequencies that is mellow without sounding muddy. I especially enjoyed listening to jazz tracks featuring double-bass or more acoustic-based artists like Jack Johnson and George Ezra.
The dome-shaped speaker seems to do a great job of filling a room with music without having to crank up the volume past a level you can comfortably talk over. What's more, there is a Party Mode button which lets you instantly connect to other HK speakers so you can stream your playlist through the whole house if you like. (As a bonus, because they're owned by the same parent company, Party Mode works between Harman/Kardon and JBL speakers too)
There's an app (isn't there always?) called HK Connect. Other than installing any firmware updates that may become available, it's not that useful unless you decide to buy two Onyx Studio 4's - then you can use the app to set them up as left and right speakers. Remember when stereo music was a thing?
While this is not the speaker to splash around with by the pool, if your focus is genuinely great sound quality the Onyx Studio 4 is a touch of elegant design that will be sweet music to your ears. Literally. Clear a space on the mantelpiece.
Click here for more information on the Harman/Kardon Onyx Studio 4 bluetooth speaker
There are a lot of earbuds and headphones that claim to be "noise cancelling."
What this actually means varies widely from a snug fit, which kind of blocks out noise I suppose, to genuine noise-cancelling technology, sampling the outside world and playing you the inverse so all you hear is what you're playing.
Over the years I've learned that second kind of tech doesn't come cheap. But when it works, it really works...
The WH-1000XM2's from Sony are top-of-the-line, over-ear headphones that cram a lot more than just noise-cancellation into a pretty tidy package.
Normally I wouldn't make too much of an issue of the cost of the device I'm reviewing - not unless I felt it was either way too expensive, or surprisingly reasonably priced. In the case of the WH-1000XM2's, I felt it was important to know you're dealing with a $600 pair of cans, straight out of the blocks.
I wear headphones for hours a day, every day, but I can assure you, nobody paid that much for my ones.
So what is it that $600 buys you? And who could possibly need these things?
In short, are they worth it?
Let's start with the main selling point; noise-cancellation. The best I've never heard. No question. Pop these puppies on, power them up and you're pretty much instantly stone deaf. With no audio playing you'll detect an extremely low-level white noise which disappears completely once you play either music or spoken audio - practically nothing from outside the headphones at all. I like to listen to podcasts while I'm doing the vacuuming, partly to take my mind off the vacuuming but mostly because I hate how noisy vacuum cleaners are. When I'm using the WH-1000XM2's, I can't hear the vacuum cleaner at all. Bliss.
Obviously this is literally music to the ears of regular air-commuters. While I haven't used these headphones in the sky, based on my vacuuming experience, I can confidently predict jet engines and crying babies will be blocked out just as effectively. In fact, by holding down the mode button on the left-hand earcup, the WH-1000XM2's run a "Personalised noise cancelling optimisation," which apparently resamples your surroundings (including cabin pressure, amazingly) to ensure the best noise-blocking experience possible.
If you've ever suffered through a noisy night on a long-haul flight, that's probably $600-worth right there.
You'll easily last that flight too, as the battery-life is off the charts. Sony claims you'll get up to 30 hours of continuous listening, even with noise-cancelling on. While that seems ridiculous, I'm not sure I've been able to disprove it. I don't know if I've gone 30 hours between charges, but I've certainly used them on my radio show (before, during and after) for over a week and they keep on keeping on. Of course, the longer you run them, the longer it takes to charge them, so it's probably worth a top-up via the microUSB port when not in use.
Bluetooth pairing is made easier than ever via NFC. Simply hold your NFC-enabled device up to the left earcup and you're good to go. I found the connection very stable and sound quality pretty much indistinguishable from a hardwire connection using the supplied cable. The cable itself is worth a mention as it's a far more versatile 1.5 metres long, instead of the more common 1.2 metres found on most other earbuds and headphones. This is a godsend for me as I spend my mornings literally plugged into a large mixing desk and I usually have to use an extension lead to give me enough room to move.
While such effective noise-cancellation means I'm able to give my host the undivided attention he deserves, I share my studio with the Executive Producer of the show and sometimes we need to communicate too. The WH-1000XM2's do such a good job of blocking her out, she has to resort to waving at me to get my attention, even though she's sitting right next to me. Luckily, there are couple more functions to help with situations like these. Firstly, you can toggle from full N/C to an Ambient setting that lets through a certain amount of higher frequency sounds like voices and P.A. announcements. The WH-1000XM2's really cool trick is activated by holding your palm over the right-hand earcup. This mutes your audio and lets in outside audio so you can at least pretend you're listening to what your colleagues are saying to you.
The WH-1000XM2's respond to other touch gestures on that right earcup too; swiping up and down for volume, forward and backwards to skip tracks and a double tap will pause or play. Some other reviewers have found these controls a bit indistinct but I had no issues operating via these gestures at all. Ironically, it was the physical buttons on the left side that confused me - the power button is right next to the mode button and I often pushed the wrong one. Why one couldn't be on the front and one on the back I have no idea.
These are not the most compact headphones for travelling, but bear in mind, they are over-ear, not on-ear so they're always going to have a larger profile. In saying that, the design is generally more subtle than some kind of flashy fashion statement and they do fold down flat into their own hard carry-case. The steel headband certainly seems durable enough, as do the hinges. In fact, the whole package is a good balance of lightweight comfort versus a sturdy feel. Everything is luxuriously padded in the right places, although the snug fit means I occasionally feel my ears getting a little hot after prolonged sessions, bordering on claustrophobic. I assume it's hard to achieve good ventilation and a tight, noise-cancelling seal at the same time.
As for sound quality, there's a reason Sony sells a lot of headphones. Certainly, the emphasis seems to be on superior bass response which is all very well, but there were times listening to certain tracks when I felt like I was missing some frequencies at the top end of the scale. I'm being super picky here, but remember, this is a fairly high-priced piece of kit. Making and taking phone calls worked seamlessly though, and everybody could hear everybody else with no issues.
While the WH-1000XM2's would be the best headphones many people have ever tried, at $600, they're not for everyone. But if you're a serious traveller, or you need serious noise-cancelling, they're an obvious investment.
Click here for more information and pricing on the Sony WH-1000XM2 headphones
Bluetooth speakers are just so the gadget of the day, aren't they?
Amazing how suddenly we've all agreed things like stereo sound and big bass don't really matter that much anymore. Apparently, what we really want is a speaker we can carry in our pocket so we can blast out tunes from our phone wherever we go.
Some situations require more of a boom...
The GTK-XB60 from Sony is not pretty and it certainly isn't small. In fact it looks more like some piece of industrial sound gear you'd find on tour with a band than your average bluetooth speaker.
For starters, it's about the size of a carry-on suitcase, although it's more of a wedge shape than a box. This means you can lie it on its side or stand it up tall - there are rubber feet on two different sides to cater for either choice.
There's also an unprecedented number of options when it comes connecting your music source to this speaker, not just bluetooth. The input panel includes RCA, USB and Mic inputs. There are also RCA outputs, or you can link to other Sony bluetooth devices with a press of the "Party Chain" button. As a result this device is almost more of a head unit for a P.A. system than a standalone speaker.
In fact, thanks to the RCA out, I was easily able to connect another non-bluetooth but powerful speaker to really annoy my neighbours, especially when I also plugged in a microphone so I could sing along.
The GTK-XB60 is nothing if not versatile.
Of course, another great feature is its portability. The built-in battery recharges whenever the unit is plugged in. I'd like to be able to give you a clear indication of how long a fully charged battery lasts, but there are so many variables; connected via cable or bluetooth, operating in ExtraBass or Stamina mode, using the light show or leaving it dark.
Let's just say, I've been running it off the battery for hours at a time, no worries. Curiously, there's no dust or water resistance listed for this speaker (perhaps a bit challenging for a device this large) but that would certainly have added some peace of mind if you're planning on taking it to the beach or the park. I found it easy to carry around by the way. At 8kgs it's lighter than it looks and the carry handle is comfortable enough.
And yes, you read right - there's a full light show included for your enjoyment, utilising a combination of coloured LEDs and white strobes. This isn't just a random display (although it can be). You can choose from a selection of preset patterns or create your own scheme.
This is where things get unnecessarily complicated.
Sony has designed an app for controlling audio devices like the GTK-XB60 called Music Center. Via the same bluetooth connection your device is already using to stream your playlists, Music Center is basically an all-encompassing remote control. Here you can select different sources, adjust the EQ, even turn the unit off completely.
The different lighting presets are listed here too, but for even more control, you can download another app, sort of an app within an app, called Fiestable.
This gives you fingertouch control over all lighting colours and sequences and also lets you unleash your inner D.J. with effects like flanger, wah and isolator. There are also drum, scratch, voice and crowd sound effects you can play from your phone screen. These are actually pretty fun, although you'll need to anticipate the slight bluetooth delay if you want to drum along in time with any song.
There are all kinds of motion controls that involve waving your phone around in different directions to set off a variety of sound and lighting effects, but that was too gimmicky even for me.
These are perhaps far too many options if you're simply using the GTK-XB60 for its primary objective; getting the party started. Bearing in mind you can just switch this thing on and away you go. In fact, even pairing the bluetooth has been simplified with built-in NFC - just holding your phone against the control panel is all you have to do. You can also pair up to three devices at once so you can take turns playing D.J.
There's only one thing that really bugged me about the GTK-XB60, but it's quite a big issue. I just wasn't that impressed with the sound quality. There is certainly plenty of bass to go around, thanks in part to Sony's ExtraBass technology, but mostly due to the full-sized 13cm twin woofers, something most bluetooth rigs simply aren't big enough to offer. My problem was at the other end of the scale, almost as though Sony has sacrificed higher frequencies to provide more power to the bottom. The result is a bit muddy, and although I was able to tweak this slighlty using the EQ settings on Music Center app, this is probably not the speaker I'd choose to provide a bit of sophisticated background jazz for my dinner party.
What the GTK-XB60 does do, is pump out dance beats bright and loud. Really loud.
So if you live in a remote location, or the neighbours were invited to your party anyway, wind up the volume and this could be just the sound and light machine to fill your dance floor.
Click here for more information and pricing on the Sony GTK-XB60 bluetooth speaker
