harman/kardon Onyx Studio 6 Portable Bluetooth Speaker - Blue

Product Information

Onyx Studio 7 has a handle that encircles the speaker, giving it a futuristic appearance (it looks like a planet with a ring around it). With its signature round silhouette, premium fabric cover, and aluminum handle for easy portability, the Harman Kardon Onyx Studio 6’s combines style and convenience in a sophisticated and refined Bluetooth speaker. It features an IPX7 waterproof design to use at any place within the home without worrying. Offering up to 8 hours of playtime on a single charge and wireless dual sound can wirelessly connect two Harman Kardon Onyx Studio 6 speakers to elevate the music listening experience. With its iconic yet subtle design, the Harman Kardon Onyx Studio 6 is the ideal complement of any interior. Sound quality, clarity, and bass are great, and those are ultimately the most important aspects of a speaker. Harman Kardon Onyx is the latest Bluetooth audio speaker from the Onyx Studio series. At first sight, it appears just like its predecessor – the same height, the same appearance, and the same style. Even the driver arrangement is exact, as well as its control mechanism. All these aspects look quite similar to their predecessor. Below these controls, there’s a tiny status LED that shines through the grille, and an array of powerful drivers, including a single 4.7-inch woofer and a single 1-inch tweeter that combine for 50 watts and a frequency range of 50Hz to 20kHz. The speaker is compatible with Bluetooth 4.2, and supports the SBC codec only. Two Onyx Studio 6 speakers can be wirelessly connected to form a stereo pair

Suppose you want to connect a device that doesn’t have a Bluetooth option, for instance, an mp3 player. For Such devices, an Auxiliary port has been introduced in the device. All you need is an aux cable of size 3.5 mm that will connect to the speaker as well as the source device, and then you’re good to go. We all are very well aware of the quality one can expect when the product is designed and manufactured by Harman. Harman tops the list when it comes to delivering the best audio devices. The build of this product is made to withstand heavy use and survive few accidental drops. And the waterproof feature that acts as a cherry on the cake. The speaker also comes with a passive bass radiator. All these speakers and woofers are placed in the front panel of the speaker. An IPX7 rating means the speaker can technically be submerged up to a meter in water, though Bluetooth signal doesn't do well underwater. The point is, it should be fine poolside or in the rain. Just make sure the cover for the connections port is closed.

Reviews and Q&A

Neither speaker has an equalizer, and neither is compatible with aptX. As mentioned above, firmware updates utilize the USB port on the device.

In other words, Onyx Studio 6 isn’t the most waterproof portable speaker on the market — but it is much better than the Onyx Studio 7. Onyx Studio 6 has an IPX7 rating. This means it is submergible and should be waterproof enough for any recreational use. The vocal quality of this speaker is clear and accurate. The highs are very consistent though they’re slightly elevated that rarely makes any difference in your music experience—the treble is on-point, nor too fatiguing, neither too bright. Another thing to keep in mind is the volume. There will be a slight difference in volume when the device works on battery. It would give a much better volume when plugged in. Battery Performance

Both devices can pair with another Onyx Studio for wireless sound. But there really aren’t many other features to speak of. These speakers function smoothly and without any interference. But you shouldn’t expect any bells and whistles. Many people will expect these devices to have a power bank, since it does have a USB-C port. Interestingly enough, this port only serves as a connection for firmware updates, rather than charging other devices. One thing that you cannot expect from this device is stereo separation. Though it can use two devices at once, it would play in the mono mode. The reason behind this is their driver arrangements. The speaker has a fairly simple 5-button control scheme. The buttons have a nice tactile feeling to them and are perfectly responsive. Onyx Studio 6 actually has slightly stronger bass, but this isn’t necessarily a good thing. Some users feel the bass is too “boomy.” But again, this difference is only perceptible if you are testing both speakers alongside one another.

Harman Kardon has added an LED indicator that’s situated below the power to make it more user-friendly. The purpose of it is to indicate Battery and Bluetooth Status. It will blink red if the battery is low. There are no significant cons about this product when it comes to performance and sound quality. The Bluetooth feature is super flexible, easy to use and operate. You would rarely find any difficulties in terms of its Bluetooth range. That makes it more reliable and user-friendly.The Onyx Studio 7 is compatible with Bluetooth 4.2, which is a bit out of date, and unfortunately only supports the SBC Bluetooth codec—it won’t play AAC or AptX codecs. There's also no companion app with EQ, so you can't adjust the sound signature. The speaker can wirelessly connect with another Onyx Studio 7 to form a pair, at least. Remember, the Bluetooth feature will always be on top priority for this product. That means both the auxiliary port and Bluetooth won’t work simultaneously. For an aux to work, you would have to switch off the Bluetooth option and disconnect the device connected through that feature. The new version received a massive overhaul in terms of design. Whether this is a positive thing depends on personal preference. Both versions have Bluetooth 4.2. Considering the Spring 2021 release date, this feels dated for the Onyx Studio 7. However, both devices have reliable bluetooth connection, so we won’t fault Harman Kardon for the dated bluetooth version.

This speaker doesn’t have a built-in mic . If you like the handsfree feature, Onyx Studio 6 is not the best choice. Also, the speaker doesn’t come with an app that would allow you to play with the EQ settings and other advanced settings. Performance and Sound Quality Onyx Studio 6 has a 3,250 mAh battery that is rated for 8 hours at 50% volume. This battery life doesn’t hold up to competitors like JBL Charge 5 (12+ hours on a 7,500 mAh battery), Soundcore Motion+(12 hours on a 6,700 mAh battery), or even the smaller and more portable JBL Flip 5 & 6 (12 hours on a 4,800 mAh battery).Unfortunately, the newer device (Onyx Studio 7) took a big hit in terms of durability. It has no IP waterproof rating. Most of the portable speakers we review have an IPX7 (waterproof) rating at minimum. Many newer speakers add the dust-proof rating, as well.