Harman Kardon Aura Studio 3

amazon Harman Kardon Aura Studio 3 reviews

After nearly three years since version 2, Harman Kardon has officially released the Aura Studio 3, its “penetrating” speaker line ( it may be a brand’s symbol) with a major change in appearance, especially the increase of more than three times the capacity of the sub speaker.
Developed from iSub and Soundsticks models that have been produced around for more than 20 years, but until now, Aura Studio’s designs have never been outdated thanks to super-realistic, transparent and timeless design.

As you may know, iSub and Soundsticks collaborate on products from Harman Kardon and Apple. They are designed by Jony Ive – former chief designer of Apple – the man behind many “legendary” products such as the iPhone, iMac. , iPod.
With Aura Studio 3, Harman Kardon shows off the strengths inherited from previous generations and makes many major changes. At the same time, the price has increased to more than 1 million, reaching 6.9 million per unit. So how did these changes work? Let’s find out in detail the following review of BiaReview.

Eye-catching, stranger design and not like the speakers at all
Thanks to the unique transparent dome design inherited from previous generations, Aura Studio 3 has surprised many people because it looks like a lamb, a thing for decoration, or even a Blender instead of being a Bluetooth speaker.

The transparent dome is still made from mica plastic like the previous generations but has been made more sophisticatedly, looks more like glass, and darker than Aura Studio 2, creating the luxury needed in a premium product. In addition to the aesthetic purpose, this dome also has the main task of the resonating chamber for a fuller bass sound. The noted point is that this plastic layer is still vulnerable to scratches and dust, so you need to be very careful when cleaning or moving the speaker.

Another “premium point” of the iSub, Soundsticks, Aura Studio speakers. In the past, the ventilation tube for the sub-speaker extends from the top of the speaker to its body. This detail has been removed from Aura Studio 3. That can be considered a reasonable decision advocated by Harman Kardon users because the air duct has been complained about because it is easy to attach dust and insects. Even able to close the web inside and almost impossible to clean. The top of the speaker is now completely sealed, slightly concave inward with eye-catching wavy lines.

Thanks to the “penetration” cover from the top of the speaker to the body, Aura Studio 3 can precisely reveal the entire interior inside. This area is made with quite wavy details with “monumental” LED Ambient Light ready to help the Harman Kardon speaker “glow” literally, especially in the dark.
Harman Kardon also knows how to “show off”: from the moment the power is turned on; the lights will shine in combination with the compelling starting sound to urge users to the music hidden inside.

Removing the air duct has helped the light to spread more evenly, covering the entire dome and reflecting the whole lamp cluster below, creating a “more enchanted” appearance than previous versions.
In addition to decorative purposes, the LED system is also responsible for displaying the volume level whenever there is a change or notification of Bluetooth status.

Unfortunately, this part has only one single programmed mode: slowly spreading the light from the center to the surrounding, but not “dancing” to the beat of the music like other products. Furthermore, when playing music, the light is only white and turns blue when Bluetooth pairing is needed, not a flexible color-changing RGB type.

Minimalist controlling system

Following the minimalist style, the number of control buttons of Aura Studio 3 has decreased substantially. There is only volume up and down buttons on the front and power and Bluetooth buttons. The speaker also has a 3.5mm audio jack to use with separate DAC or non-Bluetooth devices like TVs and PCs.

All of these buttons are so sensitive, and the users can operate the machine with slight touches. One change in version 3 is that the calling button has been removed, which means the speaker no longer has a mic and can not be used as a speaker.
In addition, another cut is that Aura Studio 3 no longer features the Wireless Dual Sound feature. Allows users to link the two Aura together or combine with another Harman Kardon product to create a dual, multi-speaker system and multi-channels.

Please to be noted that Aura Studio 3 does not have a battery, so it will always need to be plugged in to be used. It cannot be paused or play a music order, skip back and forth, or select sources. The speaker will always prioritize Bluetooth connectivity, so when you need to listen to music using the 3.5mm port, you need to disconnect all previous Bluetooth devices.

The good point is that after 10 minutes of not playing music or performing any action, Aura Studio 3 will automatically switch to standby mode with only 30% of LED lights turned on to save power. If there are no further interactions for another 10 minutes, the speaker will go into sleep mode and turn off all the LEDs so that it consumes almost no power at all.
Just turn the music back on from any source, including both Bluetooth and a 3.5mm jack. Aura Studio 3 will immediately wake up and be ready to go, so it is easy for you to forget about the power button. There is no need to worry about your electricity bill every month anymore.

Using Bluetooth 4.2 technology, Aura Studio 3 allows users to connect with 2 Bluetooth devices simultaneously so users can both pair with their phone and laptop and easily play music from these devices. At the same time, the speakers can remember up to 20 devices that have ever been connected, so the whole family or company can share them without cumbersome switching.

On the other hand, a slightly inconvenient detail during the experiment process is that the power button and Bluetooth button are located on the back. When making orders, you will have to lean out your body to touch this button. We don’t know why Harman Kardon does not place these two buttons in more convenient locations, such as the right or left edge. Luckily, the company has made the power button concave, and the Bluetooth button protrudes for easy distinction, avoiding accidental pressing by users.

Using Aura Studio 3 is completely simple, plug it in, turn on the power, turn on Bluetooth and connect to your phone or laptop. Aura Studio 3 supports Bluetooth 4.2 with profiles A2DP 1.3, AVRCP 1.6. However, I still hope Harman Kardon provides an app for smartphones to control this speaker remotely, or at least turn the power off or refine a little Equalizer.

where can you get a Harman Kardon Aura Studio 3 online

Harman Kardon Aura Studio 3 – Elegant, BT Wireless Speaker with Premium Design and Ambient Lighting- Black: Buy it now

Impressive sound quality, especially the bass range

The major upgraded point of Aura Studio 3 is that the subwoofer specialized in the bass is increased in size to 130mm (compared to 112mm of Aura Studio 2), and the capacity of the subwoofer is enhanced to 100W, which is three times higher than Aura Studio 2 (30W). Therefore, the weight of Aura Studio 3 is now nearly 3.6 Kg, significantly heavier than the 2nd generation (2.5 Kg).

The subwoofer is still installed facing down in the form of down-firing. With this design, users should put Aura Studio on a solid surface and strong enough like a wooden table so that the speakers can produce the best sound quality. Special precautions should be taken to avoid glass tables that may cause unwanted vibrations. Nevertheless, the response range of Aura Studio 3 is also quite impressive when it comes down to 45Hz despite its relatively compact size.

With a large subunit and a 3-fold increase in capacity, Aura Studio 3 can make many people admire the first basses. Bass is extremely abundant in volume, deep, powerful, especially at high volume levels, and of course, ready to shake your tables and chairs. In addition, the electronic bass beats on the EDM versions are performed with strong, soft, taut, and very catchy.

The energy is reasonably distributed between the mid-bass and sub-bass, bringing the feeling of fullness when needing to show the kicking with the rushing speed in the high drop, making room for a vibrant rhythm background for dynamic instruments for other instruments to show off. It seems that this is the ideal bass born for lively EDM electronic music and games or action movies and is sure to please bass head devotees. It is commendable that the Bluetooth connection of Aura Studio 3 has almost no delay time, so the battle in games like PUBG or Call of Duty Mobile is completely satisfied with the customers.

The lower half of Aura Studio 3 is still a quarter for all the satellite speakers and sub speakers similar to previous generations. This area is covered with a high-quality fabric dedicated to audio equipment. This fabric is still up to 6 drivers holding the medium and high sound range. Also, 40mm diameter spread regularly across the speaker’s body to create 360-degree sound covering the surrounding space. A 2x15W amplifier circuit pulls these six drivers.

As a result, the total power of Aura Studio 3 reached 130W, more than double the previous generation (60W), bringing a much larger volume, enough to fill rooms which are 30-40 square meters.
The midrange has a significant change: instead of the middle band gently and slightly backward, it is now more elegant and airy despite being a bit thin and reducing the fullness and warmth of the singer’s voice a bit. However, this midrange retains the level of detail needed to see the highlight and catch the breath.

The treble band tends to be gentle and enough for most general listeners because they will feel the balance and see the details of the music by eliminating almost completely the phenomenon of sib and glare. But if you’re looking for a thick, bright, and energetic treble to cater for heavy rock releases, Aura Studio 3 will probably not be able to satisfy you.

With the arrangement of drivers in 360-degree speakers, Aura Studio 3 is not a set of speakers with the strength of the ability to reproduce soundstage as wide and accurately as traditional 2-channel speakers. But in return, users can stand in any position in the room and still enjoy the sound with almost unchanged quality. That is an ideal advantage with a desktop speaker, and Aura Studio 3 did very well.

Summary

Over three generations, Harman Kardon is increasingly showing the perfection of the Aura Studio speakers. In the latest version, the company has boldly removed the details of the ventilator once a brand symbol. Still, it was “detrimental to profit,” which brought many troubles during the process. As a result, this product has brought a new definition to the speaker line that has “roots” for more than 20 years of life.

The improved sound quality, especially the bass with the large volume, satisfies the bass lovers but still ensures full expression, not too overwhelming with the midrange and treble.

Harman Kardon’s point needs to continue to improve to refine the position of the buttons, especially the power key, or enable or disable remotely.
Aura Studio 3 is not aimed at the masses, but once you can afford and need a speaker with all the aesthetic, sound, and convenience features, this is a worthy choice.