Harman Kardon

Harman Kardon has introduced a sleek desktop accessory, the MS 150 -- a high-performance stereo system that includes an iPhone/iPod dock, slot-loaded CD player and FM radio tuner.

Designed for flexibility, the MS 150 includes three auxiliary audio inputs to plug in a portable music player or an Android smartphone, as well as front-and-back 3.5-millimeter headphone jacks for private listening.

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Cost: $599 at Amazon (MSRP $689.95)
Where to buy: Amazon

Additionally, the MS 150 stereo is decorated in the traditional production of the Harman Kardon style. The black lacquered box is a futuristic oval-shaped and has a minimum number of buttons on it. The beveled front panel is a three-row LCD display with adjustable backlight.Read more

Harman Kardon just released a new iPhone/iPod dock, The Bridge IIIP. Developed as an accessory to the company's "bridge-ready" A/V receivers, the device plays music and video from your iPhone (or iPod), directly through Harman Kardon music systems.

The Bridge IIIP was made to work with iPhone 4, but is compatible with the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 3G, iPhone and most iPod devices. Once connected, it works seamlessly with your system remote control for navigation and for playing your favorite music and video. It features easy-to-read on-screen navigation messages on the front panel of your Bridge IIIP receiver and also doubles as a charger when your iPhone/iPod is docked.

Harman Kardon The Bridge IIIP is currently compatible with the following AVR models: AVR 1650, 2650 and 3650 and is available now for just $129.

Harman Kardon has a new, four-piece sound system - the MAS 102. Consisting of an amplifier, a CD player and loudspeakers, the system is not only nice to look at, it delivers the powerful, high-quality sound you expect with the Harman Kardon name.

The compact MAS 102 also includes an FM radio, and has a host of analog and digital inputs - 8 to be exact - to playback music from external devices including turntables and iPod/iPhones (via The Bridge III dock sold separately).

Features:

• Complete integration using the performance of separate components with the ease of use of a single integrated system
• Fully compatible with iPod/iPhone, MP3 and WMA, CD-R and CD-RW discs
• Advanced loudspeakers feature custom 5-inch (130mm) mid-bass drivers and 1-inch (25mm ) MMD dome tweeters
• Clock includes a sleep timer and dual alarms
• Includes full navigation IR remote control
• Phono input allows connection to turntables
• Elegant and pristine design and compact in size

The Harman Kardon MAS 102 audio system is available now for $999 at www.harmankardon.com/MAS102

Harman Kardon this week announced the new BDS series of all-in-one home entertainment systems, the BDS 400 and Harman Kardon BDS 800. These home theater audio systems include everything you need for great surround sound. Both models feature a receiver integrated with a Blu-ray, DVD and CD player, along with an FM tuner. Both are easy to set up and include a programmable remote control.

The BDS 400 includes a BDS 2 SO integrated receiver for 2.1 channel sound through two front speakers and a subwoofer. It has Dolby Virtual Speaker technology to simulate surround-sound through the two compact loudspeakers. It is available now for $999.

The BDS 800 is a compact 5.1 channel system that delivers true surround-sound with four voice-matched satellites, a center-channel speaker, a subwoofer and the BDS 5 SO integrated receiver. It is available now for $1499.Read more

You need big sound for the Big Game, right? There's a new soundbar home theater speaker system that's great for those who want room-filling sound but don't have the space for a standard home theater speaker system – the harman kardon SB 16.

Your typical home theater speaker system consists of five loudspeakers, a subwoofer or two, and lots and lots of speaker wire. Not the SB 16. It has a single amplified loudspeaker unit that connects directly to your HDTV, DVD player or game console, and a single wireless subwoofer that can be placed anywhere in the room.

The SB 16 soundbar features two-way, dual-driver, left and right soundbar speaker channels, each with two 3-inch (75mm) midrange drivers and a 3/4-inch (19mm) dome tweeter. The wireless subwoofer is driven by 100 watts of power and boasts a 10-inch (250mm) driver within a ported enclosure. The soundbar amplifier power boasts 25W x 2 into 8 ohms, 20Hz to 20kHz, at <0.07% THD, when both channels are driven simultaneously. You can listen in traditional stereo or harman kardon's 3-D virtual speaker surround mode which provides a complete surround-sound experience without any extra speakers or wires.Read more

We told you about Harman Kardon's new CD player and amplifier last week, but that's not all that's new! Harman Kardon also introduced the HKTS 60 speaker system, a 5.1-channel home theater in a box with everything you need to fill your room with signature Harman Kardon sound.

The HKTS 60 includes 200-watt powered 8-inch (200mm) subwoofer, four identical 2-1/2-way dual-driver satellites and a matching center speaker. The company boasts that the system features "audio technology in a sound-system package like you've never heard before." The system uses a two-way crossover network and flat-panel driver technology to deliver distortion-free sound and enhanced imaging characteristics. It features dual, flat-panel midrange drivers in both the satellite and center speakers; a phase switch that fine-tunes bass response, and a music-sense trigger "feels" an audio signal and switches the subwoofer from standby mode to "on" automatically. The subwoofer also features a bass-boost circuit with DSP…giving you heart-stopping, room-shaking bass. Would you expect anything less from Harman Kardon?Read more

Harman Kardon has some of the best sounding home entertainment systems out there…just ask any audiophile. Find out for yourself with the company's two latest additions: the new HD 990 CD player and HK 990 integrated amplifier.

Packed with high-performance technology, the new HD 990 CD player features Real-Time Linear Smoothing (RLS III), a high-resolution synchronization (HRS) link for jitter-free playback, two stereo digital-to-analog converters, and its direct digital input improves the sound quality from external devices. It also includes CD text support which recognizes both the artist and album title from CD audio tracks, and puts the information on the CD player's display. The HD 990 is compatible with most recordable and erasable disc formats, including CD-R, CD-RW, as well as MP3 with ID3-tag support.Read more

Harman Kardon today unveiled the third generation of SoundSticks speakers, SoundSticks III. Getting a major upgrade from the previous version in 2004, the latest model includes a satellite power switch and an improved audio cable with a new braided look.

A work of art in itself (after all, the first SoundStick speaker system is a permanent fixture in New York City's Museum of Modern Art), the new SoundStick III speakers have modern white lights and an elegant trim designed to match the high-gloss black trim of Apple's iMac and MacBook computers. Not limited to just an Apple product, the three-piece desktop speaker system pairs with virtually any multimedia device.

The Harman Kardon SoundSticks III speaker system is available now for $209.99. For more information, please visit www.harmankardon.com.

This week Harman Kardon announced a new firmware update for three of its receivers - the AVR 2600, AVR 3600 and AVR 7550HD - giving them HDMI v. 1.41 and 3-D capability.

The upgrade will allow compatibility with all 3-D formats from either Blu-ray players or satellite and cable set-top boxes, and all 3-D video displays. Current owners of these AVR models will be able to upgrade their existing AVRs to HDMI v. 1.4a with 3-D. The units will ship with the upgrade already loaded beginning this September.

The free firmware upgrade is available at www.harmankardon.com.Simply download the software to a USB memory stick, insert the stick drive into the front panel USB jack on the AVR unit and use the remote to navigate through on-screen instructions to install the upgrade. No software loader or direct connection between the computer and AVR is required.

Harman Kardon's Go + Play line is one of its most popular, and now they have added the new Harman Kardon Go + Play Micro to the family.

Certified to work with iPhone, the Harman Kardon Go + Play Micro is a iPhone/iPod dock and features a built-in subwoofer, four Odyssey drivers and an Atlas bass driver. New features include iPhone and iPod touch optimization and the ability to stream video from YouTube from a iPhone or iPod directly to a television with a composite video connection. Also, the Harman Kardon Go + Play Micro is one of the few iPhone docks on the market that can sync an iPod/iPhone directly to a computer through a USB connection when it's docked.

It runs for up to 18 hours on C batteries and has and an eco-friendly "sleep" feature for conserving battery life. An AC power adapter is also included.Read more