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Harman Kardon's SB 16 soundbar ships with a subwoofer, $600 price tag
Regardless of whether you're stuck in an abode with no room, or you're simply too lazy preoccupied to run eight miles of cabling to six separates in your home cinema room, soundbars are definitely a preferred alternative to in-home surround home here at Engadget HQ. Harman Kardon's got a new option in the mix, with the classy SB 16 offering two-way, dual-driver, left and right soundbar speaker channels, each with two 3-inch midrange drivers and a 3/4-inch dome tweeter. $599.99 also gets you a wireless 100-watt ported subwoofer, while the soundbar itself gets pushed by a 25-watt x 2 amp. Head on past the break for the full release, and feel free to grab one prior to hosting your Super Bowl party. You are hosting one, right?
Toshiba NB550D with AMD Ontario denied entry to the US
So, this sort of sucks. Remember the AMD Fusion Toshiba NB550D with its Harman Kardon speakers? Well, according to Toshiba it won't be landing in the US anytime soon. According to Liliputing, Tosh has no plans to release the Ontario-powered 10-inch laptop on this side of the pond. Yep, it seems that Toshiba US would prefer to keep Intel's Atom powering its 10-inch NB520 and NB505 netbooks and save AMD's higher end Zacate E-Series for larger systems like its 15.6-inch Satellite C655D. Of course, there's always the Acer Aspire One 522 for those seeking AMD's Bobcat core and ATI Radeon 6250 graphics in a 10-inch chassis, but there's just something about those HK speaker grills that have us wishin' Toshiba would change its mind about this one.
Toshiba NB550D netbook spills specs, including 1GHz AMD Ontario APU and Harman Kardon sound
Looks like the AMD Fusion netbook strategy may be to supplant Intel's Atom wholesale in the leadup to CES, as Toshiba has just become the second manufacturer to swap out an Atom chip for a 1GHz AMD C-50 Ontario APU while leaving the rest of the design practically untouched. Notebook Italia just spotted this 10-inch Toshiba NB550D having a grand old time on the company's German website, leisurely flexing its Harman Kardon speakers and newfound HDMI port, all the while dreaming about ways to upgrade its scant 1GB of DDR3 memory and 250GB of magnetic storage. Interestingly, Toshiba's actually forecasting only 9.5 hours of battery life for the AMD version (compared to 10 hours with Intel's 1.5GHz Atom N550 CPU), but we suppose that's the price you pay to have Radeon HD 6250M graphics on board. We'll try to get pricing and availability when we inevitably spot it at CES next week.
Toshiba launches NB520 and NB500 netbooks, one with Harman Kardon sound, one without
When's the last time you said "Crank up the netbook, I love this song!" Yeah, probably never, but if you had a Toshiba mini NB520 you might -- or at least that's what Toshiba would like to envision you would do. It packs stereo Harman Kardon speakers that can crack the foundation and wake the dead with an amazing two watts each, apparently the smallest tweeters H/K has ever put on a laptop. That's paired with an Atom N550 processor, 2GB of DDR3 memory, a 250GB HDD, 10 hours of battery life, and a 10.1-inch 1024 x 600 LED-backlit display. If that's too loud or you're too old, there's also the "no frills" NB500, offering the same specs but minus the petite sound system and stepping down to an Atom N455, though doing so at a lower price. What price? That we don't know, but we'll find out when both ship in the first quarter of 2011, which starts in a month. Yikes. %Gallery-108653%
Toshiba Qosmio X500 landing September 26 with GTX 460M graphics and a $1,300 price tag
The best things in life, it turns out, aren't actually free. Toshiba's decided to freshen up its X500 gaming station with NVIDIA's new high-end GTX 460M discrete graphics and slapped a handsome $1,300 MSRP on the resulting beast. And a beast it shall be, with an 18.4-inch screen, Core i5 or i7 CPU choices, SSD storage options, up to 8GB of RAM, a backlit keyboard, and simulated 5.1 audio pumping out of Harman Kardon speakers. We had a chance to check out its X505 brother recently and came away impressed by the deep blacks the screen was able to produce. For a bit more visual detail, visit the gallery of product shots below. [Thanks, Ralph]%Gallery-103012%
Harman Kardon, JBL spring forward with refreshed audio lineups for 2010
Say hello to Harman International's home, media and mobile updates for the spring, bringing its audio expertise to those who aren't quite ready to step up to its higher end line of standalone receivers and the like. Promising to perfect the audio performance of any car audio setup in just 10 minutes, the $799 JBL MS-8 is as interesting as it is specialized. The HKTS 20 and HKTS 30 ($799 / $999, March) are standard 200w 5.1 surround sound setups, and while they promise improvements over their predecessors the Go + Play Micro boombox ($399, March), On Time Micro & 200P clock devices (both $249, April) and On Stage Micro II ($129, April) probably aren't hiding anything too surprising underneath those iPod docks, but we'd suggest perusing the gallery just to be sure. %Gallery-88520%
Harman Kardon's transparent GLA-55 2.0 speaker set gets glaring $1,000 price tag
Look, we've no qualms with Harman Kardon -- in fact, we've been continually impressed with its wares over the years -- but we're about 99 percent sure we'd never pay a cool grand for a 2.0 speaker set. Yeah, as in a pair of speakers and no subwoofer. Clearly designed for "high-end consumers," the GLA-55 is a two piece setup meant for fashion-forward desks and bedroom nightstands. The set relies on Atlas AL and CMMD transducers, with the former capable of nearly 1-inch peak-to-peak travel for what we're told is exceptional bass response. That said, we find it tough to fathom that a pair of speakers such as this could really be worth the $999.99 MSRP, but we'll be sure to withhold final judgment until Jim Goodnight (or similar) brings over his dog's set for us to try out. %Gallery-79764%
Harman Kardon resets its AV receiver line with AVR 1600, 2600 and 3600 models
The namesake brand at Harman International has introduced its new 2009 AVR lineup, making 3 out of the 4 AVRs on the company website shiny and new -- the AVR 1600, AVR 2600 and AVR 3600 (pictured, but trust us, they look almost identical). All three models are armed with lossless Blu-ray audio codec support which are now -- thankfully -- de rigeur, but the real emphasis is on connectivity and features. The living room is the new battleground, and even receivers have to fight for a place amongst the videogame consoles and set-top boxes. Taking top billing, the AVR 3600 includes second zone support and a pcked-in The Bridge III iPod/iPhone dock -- with a capital "T" and Roman numerals -- that can pull HD video right off the ubiquitous devices and put them up on the big screen. H/K put out the first receiver with Dolby Volume, and the company is standing by the feature by putting it into the 2600 and 3600 models, which also get a graphical UI in keeping with the convenience theme. Sorry, 1600 owners will have to make like everything's a foreign film and read the text. Full details and pricing after the break.
Audioholics overviews entry level receiver choices
Take one sagging economy, add in advancing technology, bake them with some economies of scale and serve up to consumers hungry for this newfangled digital, HD AV craze -- it's a winning formula. When it comes to AV receivers, however, the pool is so crowded that picking a winner in the entry level category (remember that sagging economy) is daunting enough to push people to HTIB simplicity. The truth is that there's no single "best" entry-level receiver, but Audioholics has gone through the trouble of putting appropriate models from Denon, Yamaha, Harman Kardon, Onkyo and Pioneer into a feature comparison grid. The answer that emerges on which receiver is the "best" is a definite "it depends" -- you basically get to pick two out of three: audio features, video features and price. So the bad news is, you've got some choices to make; the good news is, you've got some choices to make.
Harman Kardon delivers its DMC 1000 media centre to UK
For all the Brits out there who had their hearts set on the Harman Kardon DMC 1000 media center when we first shot pics of way back at CEDIA 2007 but who had forgotten (understandably) about the unit, consider yourself rewarded -- it's now available in the UK for £1800 ($2980). Pick one up and start feeding it your CDs for ripping to its internal 250GB hard drive and your DVDs for glorious 720p upconversion; once you're done, you can use that four-stream support to cast your media hither and yon. While you're picking this gear up, don't forget to throw in a Bridge II dock to round out your on-the-go lifestyle. Seriously, this seems like a nice piece of kit, but pricey for its functionality -- let us know if if feels cheaper in Pounds.
Harman Kardon intros AVR 354, AVR 254 and AVR 154 receivers
If you were wondering yesterday how a peripheral could be bundled in with an unreleased item, we've got your answer today. The Bridge II, which was unveiled less than a day ago, will indeed be packaged with the AVR 354 receiver, which was introduced more recently alongside the AVR 254 and AVR 154. The 354 / 254 are both 7.1-channel units, with the former packing 75-watts per channel and the latter 50-watts per channel; the 154 is a 5.1 device with 30-watts per channel. You'll also find HDMI 1.3a capability, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio decoding (top two only) and a new graphical on-screen menu. Price wise, the AVRs will set you back $899, $649 and $399, respectively, and while the first two are available now, the 154 won't arrive until July. Oh, and for you stereo lovers out there, the HK 3490 (2 x 120W) and HK 3390 (2 x 80W) are all new as well.[Via Digital Trends] %Gallery-24032%
Harman Kardon intros The Bridge II iPod / iPhone docking station
Almost three years after The Bridge was unveiled, the unit's successor has finally emerged. Harman Kardon chose today to announce the simplistically named The Bridge II, which effectively connects compatible iPods and the iPhone to any H/K The Bridge-ready component. Once connected, you'll find obligatory audio / video playback through your home entertainment system as well as on-screen iPod menus, remote control operation and charging. Folks looking for the standalone unit can acquire one this summer for $129, though it will be bundled right in with the AVR 354 receiver.
Harman scores hat trick at Cannes
We know the Cannes Film Festival is all about the celebs, but we're pretty big fans of the gear, too. And in that department, it looks like Harman International has scored again this year. Four screening rooms in the Hotel Gray d'Albion will be graced by JBL Synthesis SK2-1000 speakers and S1S-EX subs; a fifth screening room will be treated with JBL Project Array 1000 speakers and a 1500 Array sub. Rounding out the hat trick, Harman Kardon electronics and AKG headphones will be used in screening rooms and VOD booths at the festival. If you're going to Cannes (lucky dog), check out the Synthesis systems; if you're suitably impressed that you want to get a setup of your own (now we're drooling), you'll have to contact your regional Synthesis rep. Be prepared to give them the approximate volume of your listening room -- it'll help them point you towards a system.
Harman Kardon hops on the Blu-ray bandwagon
Harman Kardon, perhaps emboldened by the recent changes in the format war climate, has announced support for Blu-ray. Talk is cheap, though, so the company will release a Blu-ray player in the £450 - £500 range (approximately $880 - $980) at IFA 2008 in September as proof of its commitment. We like Harman Kardon gear, but that's a bit rich for our blood. Luckily, the company is also going to be sprinkling Blu-ray across its lineup, right down to its HTIB systems. It's safe to assume that HK will maintain its high-end luster (with prices to match), so don't expect bargain sort of prices from the brand; but still, it's always better to have more competition in the game. And speaking of high end, HK showered some more love on Blu-ray by showing (and thus maintaining the promise of) the DVC 600 Blu-ray / HDD recorder first seen at IFA 2007. Supposedly, this beast will enable owners to capture "up to eight channels of TV," and it'll also boast a 1TB hard drive and an optional BD writer. Beyond that, specifics are a tad fuzzy, but we are hearing that it will include DVI, USB, a plethora of EPG modes and "the ability to remove advertisements from recorded programs." Per usual, mum's the word on price and availability, but this is one Blu-ray recorder that we hope makes it stateside.[Via Electronista]
Harman Kardon intros CP 65, CP 60 and CP 55 HTIB systems
Got a hankering for a new home theater system? Too pressed to go out and piece together one yourself? Harman Kardon feels your pain, and it's offering up a trio of new HTIB systems to make things easier for you. Up first in the new CP series is the CP 55, which includes an AVR 146 receiver and the DVD 38 DVD-Audio / Video player, which includes 1080i upscaling. Moving on, we see the CP 60, which bundles the AVR 247 with the 1080p upconverting DVD 48 universal DVD player. Lastly, the CP 65 utilizes the same DCDi-enhanced player as the CP 60 but throws in the AVR 347 receiver. Catch the trifecta right now for $1,199, $1,399 and $1,899, respectively.
Harman Kardon GPS-300 navigation system loves your media
Currently, not too much is known about Harman Kardon's forthcoming Guide + Play unit, and if not for a brief pre-order page listed at Amazon, we may all still be in the dark. Keeping with H/K's mantra, this GPS navigation holds routing closest to its heart, but it's certainly not ashamed of its media-centric side.The device features a four-inch WQVGA touchscreen, turn-by-turn directions, English / Spanish / French language support, maps of the US and Canada, and a color-coded menu scheme. Additionally, you'll find a "compact flash card slot" to load up your tunes, as the MP3 / WMA audio player sports its own dedicated screen to showcase album art and other details about the current song. Notably, there's even a separate screen to manually adjust the ratio of music volume to navigator volume in case you're just not kosher with that robotic guide breaking up the flow in a overly loud way. Although we've seen nothing official, it looks like the GPS-300 will be available to ship in around "four to six weeks," and the $299.95 pricetag isn't too shabby, either.[Via GPSReview]
Harman Kardon's Go and Play iPod boombox
Hurrah. Another iPod boombox hits the market. Ok, we shouldn't be so cynical, Harman Kardon's Go and Play, unlike the rest, docks your iPod near-horizontally, reducing the chances that it'll jump out and take off, as it so often does. Besides the stainless steel handle, RF remote, d-cell or AC power playback, and S-Video out, you can also expect the Go and Play to feature a €349 (about $450) deduction in the bank accounts of its takers.
