Michal Ždanský There are plenty of Bluetooth headphones with poor design, sound, and connectivity, and often the search for good-looking headphones with great sound becomes a long haul. Harman/Kardon does not offer a large number of Bluetooth headphones. In fact, in his portfolio you will find the only one with a distinctive name BT. H/K could be compared to Apple in this respect, as it offers high premium quality instead of quantity. For many, Harman/Kardon can be the goal in the search for ideal headphones.
The first thing that catches your eye about the headphones is their elegant design, remotely reminiscent of the MacBook Pro and at the same time awarded first place in the Red Dot Design Award 2013. This is due to the precisely designed steel headband that goes into the earcup frame and the combination of black and metallic silver colors. The construction of the headphones is quite unusual. It is adapted so that the headband can be replaced, as a wider version is included in the package. The earcups are therefore removable, as well as the leather part under the arch, which is connected to the earcups by a protruding cable. Although the protruding cables are not exactly pleasing to the eye, due to the solution of changing the arch, there was not much other way to connect the two earbuds.
Changing the arch requires a bit of dexterity, the leather part needs to be placed at the right angle so that it can be removed from the mount on both sides, the earcups can then be released by turning them around 180 degrees. Finally, with the second arch, you repeat this process in reverse, and the entire exchange takes less than a minute.
The earcups have a rectangular shape and more or less cover the entire ear. The padding is very pleasant and adheres to the shape of the ear, thanks to which the headphones also provide excellent insulation. There are three buttons on the left earcup to control playback and volume, double or triple press the middle button to skip songs. On the bottom, there is a fourth button for switching off and pairing. Due to the excellent construction of the headphones, the plastic buttons feel a little cheap and slightly spoil the overall otherwise great impression, but this is more of a small thing. Finally, on the front of the earcup is the microphone for calls.
In addition to the wireless connection, BT also offers a 2,5 mm jack output, and a cable with a 3,5 mm jack on the other end is included in the package for connection to the device. The input also serves as a charging port, similar to the iPod shuffle, and a special cable with a USB end can then be connected, for example, to a computer or an iPhone charger. You just have to be careful about the possible loss of the cable, because it is hard to find in a regular electric store. Finally, you get a nice leather case for carrying the headphones.
Sound and experience
With Bluetooth headphones, the rule of thumb is that wired listening is generally better than wireless, and the same is true for BT, although the difference is not as significant. When connected via Bluetooth, the sound is clear and surprisingly authentic without any embellishment that many similar headphones suffer from. However, while I can praise the excellent bass, there is a noticeable lack of treble. In addition, the volume does not have enough reserve and it often happened to me that even at the highest level it was insufficient.
On the contrary, with a wired connection, the sound was practically perfect, balanced, with enough bass and treble, which was practically nothing to complain about. To my great surprise, the volume was also higher, which is not at all usual for passive mode headphones. The mentioned difference between wired and wireless production may be reason enough for an audiophile to use headphones exclusively with a cable, but for the average listener the difference may be almost imperceptible. Despite the difference in reproduction, it can be done without a problem Harman/Kardon BT rank among the best Bluetooth headphones in terms of sound.
Due to the chosen design, the adjustment of the headphones is very limited and practically means that your head has to fall into the two size categories that the two interchangeable arches offer. Of course, the earcups can be rotated and partially tilted on their axis, but the size of the arch is what matters here. The leather part under the arch partially slides out and thus partially adapts to the shape of the head, however, the usual padding is missing. After some time, the arch can start to press uncomfortably on the top of the head, if you are exactly between the two size categories.
This was exactly the case for me, and while the other two people I had the headphones try out found the BTs extremely comfortable, for me they became uncomfortable after an hour of wear, both on the top of my head and on my ears due to the tighter fit of the headphones. So it can be said that the headphones are very comfortable, but only for a certain part of people with a suitable head size.
However, the tighter grip does a good job of dampening ambient sound while isolating the reproduced music. Even at lower volumes, I had no problem listening to the songs being played, while the noise from the bus or subway was not too noticeable. The isolation of the headphones is at a very good level. The same applies to Bluetooth connectivity. The headphones have a range of over 15 meters without any problems. I didn't even notice a problem with the signal passing through the wall. Up to four walls at a distance of ten meters broke the connection, while three walls did not affect the connection.
As for durability, the headphones last around 12 hours without any problems. It's a shame that it's not possible to monitor the battery charge level in the status bar on iOS like with other headphones. BT apparently does not pass this information on to the iPhone or iPad. However, if the headphones run out of power, just connect the AUX cable and you can continue to listen "wired". Finally, I would also like to mention the microphone, which is also of very high quality, and the other party could hear me very clearly and clearly during calls, which is far from standard for Bluetooth headphones.
záver
Harman/Kardon BT they are very well-made designer headphones, which may not suit everyone with their rectangular shape of the earcups, personally I prefer the round shape, but many people will probably love their appearance, mainly due to the similarity with the Apple design. They have an excellent sound, one of the best among Bluetooth headphones in general, it's just a shame that it is not the same for wireless and wired connection, otherwise it would be completely flawless.
[button color=”red” link=”http://www.vzdy.cz/harman-kardon-bt?utm_source=jablickar&utm_medium=recenze&utm_campaign=recenze” target=”_blank”]Harman/Kardon BT – 6 CZK[/ buttons]
When buying, keep in mind that due to the limited fit, they may not be comfortable for everyone, so it is necessary to try the headphones well. However, if one of the two arch sizes fits you, these will probably be some of the most comfortable headphones you've ever used. Harman/Kardon has really taken care with its only wireless headphones. At the same time, however, it also – similarly to Apple – charges a premium price for them 6 crowns.
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advantages:
[Checklist]
- Interesting design
- Great sound
- Bluetooth range
- Carrying case
[/checklist][/one_half]
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Disadvantages:
[bad list]
- Different sound wired/wireless
- They don't fit everyone
- Processing buttons
[/badlist][/one_half]
We thank the store for lending the product Always.cz.
