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Harman Kardon Citation One MKII Smart Speaker $129 + Shipping (Was $300.00) @ PC Byte

700

This appears to be a good alternative to the Google Nest Audio. Reviews point to better audio performance.

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  • Material cover looks like it would be a b!$ch to keep clean but it is fire retardant.

    Google indicates there are quite a few other sellers around the same price.

    • +7

      Just vacuum it.

    • +1

      but it is fire retardant.

      Does this mean I can listen to music while my house is burning down?!

      • +12

        If your network is firewalled.

  • +3

    These sound good, much better than Google home as you would expect. Quite a bit bigger but look pretty good IMO.

  • +5

    I have 2 of these (got for cheap through recent Telstra Rewards deal). They sound really good, would definitely recommend.

    • +1

      Can they be paired as a stereo set?

    • +3

      Yep got same deal on telstra plus. Had heaps of trouble connecting them to 5Ghz band and my smart modem 2.4Ghz is very poor range (faulty). No idea why it won’t connect on 5Ghz. Anyone else with this issue.
      The other issue I have compared with Alexa (sound a faaaaar superior by the way on the HK) is the microphone not very sensitive. I can whisper to Alexa even when music is playing and she responds. I practically have to yell over music for google assistant to respond.
      Stereo pair is cool. The bundle was a wicked deal (70k points)

      • +3

        That’s because Alexa is designed to listen, not playback

        • +1

          But it’s shits me. So much so that I’d almost say they are fine as a Bluetooth speaker, subpar as a smart speaker

        • Alexa has higher quality microphones. A 5 microphone directional array mic. Google only use 2, 3 in the new Hub. Kardon might only have 2 or even 1

  • +8

    $130delivered on Kogan and 6% off Kogan E-Gift Cards @ Suncorp Rewards.

    • And looks like 2% cash back at CR for "new" customers too.

  • -1

    Does it charge via a USB-c or some other connector?

    • +1

      It says 230V input so I'm guessing its an AC adapter rather than USB.

    • +5

      Mains power only. Not portable

  • +1

    Anyone know when was this first released?
    Looks really good price but concern that the manufacturer may not keep the firmware updated as long as Goolge will do with its speakers.

    • 18 months ago roughly

  • +5

    I bought a two-pack from Qantas a little while back.. To replace our Sonos One…

    On the plus side youtube music integration is awesome (as you would expect).

    On the downside, I do think the Sonos One is better sounding, the mid-high range in particular is a lot clearer on the S1.

    Just feels like the tweeter setup is off or something…

    So if your prioritising ease of use over sound quality, then these are great - however if your expecting sonic-amazeballs then look elsewhere :) You get what you pay for :)

    • +1

      You're now comparing something that costs $130 to something that costs $300. What's your thoughts on it at $130?

      • You beat me to this.

        $$ vs quality comparison would be appropriate in this instance.

      • +8

        It's a fair comparison. Their RRPs about the same. If you're comparing discounted price, then $130 vs $220ish. is closer.

      • +2

        Well, I've kept them, because the ease of use wins over a slight degradation in SQ…

        At RRP then no, I wouldn't… But on sale I think they are a BUY :)

  • spend you disposable income on speakers

    • +4

      was going to spend it on avos but they cancelled my order

      • Avos is no good, try Sonos.

        • Try Avon.

  • it's not just about the sound, it's also about the eco system

  • +7

    Looks like something i might buy if my income was tripled

    • +5

      so 6x your income would get you a stereo pair woo!

  • +2

    Seems to be around the $130 from a simple search. How's it a bargain?

  • wondering if seller is Harman Kardon authorized dealer? Anyone advise?
    Thanks

  • +2

    Please note you can’t do EQ on these. Whatever it sounds, that’s what you hear. No App from HK, even Google home doesn’t allow you to change Bass/Mid/Treble…Really wish they would do something about this issue. For many people, these have too much Bass.

    • Could you connect your iPhone via Bluetooth and use the EQ settings from the Apple Music app?

      • Yes you can

    • +2

      yes this is annoying especially as previously you could adjust EQ settings through google home app until they removed the functionality

  • +1

    Think money better spent getting Sonos Ones (when on sale) :D

  • +3

    Also got recently on Telstra deals

    Have connected them to Chromecast with google tv as a pair via BT, the connection with various apps is hit and miss, something to do with how those apps send surround sound.

    However when they do work bt lag is bearable, so I've been using them as a pseudo sound bar with some quirks as per above.

    Regular casting on wifi as expected with google home, setup as a pair fairly easy

    Also note these don't connect to the rest of the citation series soundbars etc, so if you were hoping to buy and add on sub or Sb, it's a no go

    Hope that helps

    • Hang on, did you say that you are using these as TV speakers? I did some (very quick) research when they came up on the Telstra Plus deal, but thought that these couldnt be used for TV sound output?

      • Using them via Bluetooth, if you have a chromecast with google tv (or any other smart mirroring that has Bluetooth) you can do it. Ymmv on apps and also the delay that is inherent with bt connections

        I've had issues where it connects to Netflix, then when going back to YouTube, it doesn't work and vice versa. But say you're watching a movie and get it on netflix, it works fine, no obvious delay.

        In my experience, hit and miss but yes its possible. Doesn't work as seamlessly as a sound bar or sonos (wifi based)

        • So yeah I've got a chromecast - are you saying that it works by watching netflix/youtube/etc via screen mirroring? You cant cast video apps and get the sound through the HK speakers?

        • Another one for you, how do you use the two speakers together? I've paired both speakers into chrome cast but it only seems to be playing through one although both look paired? Do I need to set the speakers up through google home as a pair or something first?

  • How is the mic in these for conference?

  • Does anyone have a good recommendation for a similar speaker, with wifi connectivity, but that's portable?

  • If you want to use these speakers via Bluetooth and watch videos, forget it. The lag is terrible, you will see the video go 1-2 seconds before you hear the sound. Only good if you listen only and not watch the video.

  • One thing to note with these speakers is that they are not enrolled with Harman Kardon to automatically receive firmware updates.
    The older firmware on them have issues with Apple Airplay and stop playing after 10 minutes. The updated firmware fixes this issue and you can request for the firmware update by creating a support ticket with Harman Kardon. This process will then enroll the speaker for firmware updates so any future updates will happen automatically like the way the Google Home speakers do their updates.

    https://citationsupporthelp.freshdesk.com/en/support/tickets…

    • Thanks mate for sharing.

      How long did you wait before they completed the firmware update?

      Did they send you an email to notify you?

  • +4

    Mine arrived today - at lower volumes, I wasn’t sure why I’d bought it as it wasn’t that different to the Google home (which sounds passable if you tinker with the equaliser), but the HK sounds better the louder it goes. I’ve got a Sonos One and this has to sound 80% as good for less than half the price. I just use them for voice controlled Spotify, so I wasn’t concerned about the ecosystem or multi-room audio.
    Quirks are that the HK is bigger, it’s Google only (Sonos can use Alexa, as well as the Sonos features) and it’s dependent on the Google Home app for configuration, which surprised me. I’d expected them to have their own app (every other piece of audio equipment i have seems to). So it doesn’t have anything like Sonos’ soundstage thing where it sizes the room etc. but sounds good for under $140 delivered.

  • Mine arrived today (from Mobileciti)

    Bluetooth lag is terrible when using as a speaker connected to Chromecast (Google TV)

    I have submitted a ticket requesting firmware update / fix.

    My current firmware and cast version is,

    Firmware 2578
    Cast 1.40.168834

    Fingers crossed an update fixes the problem, seems like a great product otherwise. Nice audio quality.

    • Hey mate. Did the update fix the lag issue?
      Mine after update has still got the lag when using airplay.

      • +1

        99% fixed. I have it off in a corner so it may just be the distance from the TV, only noticeable now if your really concentrating on the lip sync. Miles better than what it was.

        I am using as an external speaker connected to the newer Chromecast w/google TV. Only wanted it for watching music videos (usually just casting to the TV via YouTube) when we have friends over and having a few drinks, it's perfectly useable for that now.

        Haven't tried via airplay sorry.

        Mine is now showing the following.

        System Firmware - 2699
        Cast Firmware - 1.44.219548

  • I bought a pair from Kogan for the same price and made them stereo paired. Setting up was smooth. Sound is nice only for gym music. Otherwise it's pretty average. No EQ sucks. Another very annoying issue is the Google Assistant voice is too loud compared to the music. At volume 6, music from Spotify is very soft while the google voice booms through the walls. Tried all settings in Spotify normalize /unnormalize etc but nothing improved.

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