harman/kardon Onyx Studio 4 – Portable Speaker, Wireless, Bluetooth 100 Black

Product Information

Step 3 – Press the Connect+ button on the first speaker and then press the same button on the other speaker.

Unfortunately, it’s not all that great. Most of our complaints are related to battery durability (this beautiful speaker needs some stronger battery) and build quality. This speaker is made of premium materials and looks/feels expensive but it’s not rugged enough and it’s not the best choice if you need an outdoor Bluetooth speaker. You can use it outdoors since it’s portable/battery-operated but it’s not rugged enough. If you need something rugged and waterproof , you should look elsewhere. Harman Kardon Onyx Studio 4 comes in a premium-looking box along with a charging adapter (2 wall adapters for EU and US market), user manual, and 1-year warranty. Hard carrying case is not included and you have to buy it separately. The speaker has one 3.5mm input but the audio cable is also not included. Specs Harman Kardon Onyx Studio 4 SpecificationsStudio 4 is very much portable since it has a built-in battery and it’s not too heavy to carry around. So, if you want to use it outdoors, you can. But, be warned that it’s not very rugged and that the battery inside the speaker has the capacity of 3,000mAh. The capacity is not bad but it’s not great either, especially when there are 2 woofers and 2 tweeters inside the speaker that need to be driven. The bass response is impressive for the speaker of this size. The low frequencies are present and punchy even at low volumes (maybe even slightly boosted). The Harman Kardon Onyx Studio 4 just barely fits into the portable Bluetooth speaker category. Compared to other Bluetooth speakers it is so large that it is more suited to moving around the house rather than taking with you wherever you go. Performance Comparison Stereo separation practically doesn’t exist since all the drivers are close to each other but you can get much better separation if you pair two speakers and play the music in stereo mode. Owlee Aviary is similar to Onyx Studio 4 but there are some important differences. Aviary is cheaper and it delivers less impressive and quieter sound. If the sound quality is your priority, Studio 4 is a clear winner. They both have speakerphone feature and deliver similar playtime. Aviary features NFC while Studio 4 doesn’t. Owlee Aviary doesn’t support daisy chaining (can’t be paired with another Aviary speaker) while you can pair up to 100 Onyx Studio 4 speakers together. There’s no app for Owlee Aviary while there’s the HK Connect app for Onyx Studio 4.

Studio 4 features 3 input ports – micro USB port (for service purposes and firmware upgrade), AUX (3.5mm) input, and DC input. Onyx Studio 4 can be loud but it’s not louder than some competitors within the same price range (like UE MEGABOOM or Marshal Kilburn).Omni 10 is another example of Harman Kardon’s recognizable design. Omni 10 is as stylish as Onyx Studio 4 but it’s inferior in all the other aspects. The sound is rich and balanced, the bass is maybe even punchier than on Studio 4 but the overall sound quality of Onyx Studio 4 is better. Studio 4 features more powerful battery (longer playtime), it comes with the app, it has a greater Bluetooth range and more stable connection, and it can be paired with up to 100 other Studio 4 speakers. Omni 10 is significantly cheaper. The grille is removable (but it doesn’t come off easily). You can use the speaker with or without the grille, depending on your taste. The grille has a protective purpose so you might want to leave it on, especially if you are going to use the speaker outdoors. If you need something really cheap that looks similar to Onyx Studio 4, iClever BoostSound might be the best thing for you. You should be aware that iClever BoostSound could never deliver the same sound quality but it’s actually not that bad. iClever looks and feels cheaper (which is not a surprise). The bass is more boosted than on Onyx Studio 4 and. iClever’s playtime is slightly longer (12 hours compared to 7 hours). iClever features micro SD card slot while Studio 4 doesn’t. On the other hand, Studio 4 comes with the app and can be paired with up to 100 Onyx Studio 4 speakers. They both have built-in mics.

In the following sections we describe how the Onyx Studio 4 performed in all of our individual testing metrics. Sound QualityStep 1 – Turn on the first speaker, initiate pairing (press the Bluetooth button) and pair it with your phone. You can stream your music to the first speaker now.