One of the big trends of late is the switch over to digital. Whether you are watching a movie, TV show or listening to an album, chances are, they are in a digital form. Whether this is through one of the various streaming services that are available or through digital copies of owned albums and movies. With that in mind, Harman Kardon is no different and while the company looks to offer higher-end products, those products are also seeing their capabilities switch over to be more connected-friendly.
At CES this week, Harman Kardon have announced their latest home audio speaker system in the form of the Omni+ line of speakers. In total, the new Omni+ line consists of five new options – the Omni 10+, Omni 20+, Omni Bar+, Adapt+ and the Omni 50+. The latter of which, is one that is designed to be more outdoors usable thanks to its IPX5 rating and splash-proof nature. The Omni+ range of speakers are available to purchase individually, but also will work when connected together and as such, can be added one at a time to build up a fuller 2.1 or 5.1 surround system.
In terms of sources, these are speakers which are designed to work with the latest devices and once again, wirelessly. As such and making use of a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connection, the Omni+ range is able to work with a host of streaming services, Bluetooth-enabled smartphones and devices and can also play content which is stored locally on devices, when used with the Harman Kardon Controller app. Not to mention, these are Google Cast enabled speakers which adds to their ability to receive content from various streaming services remotely and without the need for additional connections. You can simply cast your music over to the speakers using your Wi-Fi signal. Speaking of which, the Omni+ range is compatible with both 2.4 and 5 GHz Wi-Fi networks. Of course, although these are wireless-oriented speakers, each speaker does come with auxiliary inputs for those who would prefer to connect sources directly. If you have more than one speaker and make use of the wired connections, the Harman Kardon Link feature will also still allow the wired-connected content to be streamed to the additional non-connected speakers.
In terms of availability, Harman Kardon has not provided firm details on when the Omni+ range will be available to buy, although, they do list they will be available during the summer. The Adapt+ is the least expensive of the new arrivals and will be priced at $199, the Omni 10+ will be available for $249, the Omni 20+ will cost $349, the Omni 50+ will set you back $499, while the Omni Bar+ is the most expensive, coming in at $999.