I got one of these about 3 days ago and it is a worthwhile consideration!
Quick comments:
1) The Onyx Studio 6 is out so these are being discounted!
2) Honestly fills a room with good sound using battery power - I have not yet heard a portable BT speaker this strong!
3) Good overall sound!
4) No waterproofing.
5) Not shockproof
6) Only plays in Mono (you cannot add another speaker to it the way some other HK products allow)!
7) More powerful when plugged in - output is deliberately reduced to prevent battery from running down too quickly!
8) Amazing Bass! It is rated at 50Hz -6dB. For a portable not fudging the numbers, that is impressive!
9) Straightforward BT connection without any glitches!
10) Auto shut-off when using batteries (I did not test when plugged into the wall).
Pro Tip - (I don't know why HK does not reveal this in their manual. I discovered it via a YouTube video on the JBL Xtreme and tried it on the Onyx 5 and it works!) The bass is heavy indoors, but good for outside without any boundary reinforcement. Press both, the BT button and the "-" (vol down) button for 10 seconds to reduce the bass level to a level (which I find quite nice if you position the speaker close to wall/corner) you will hear a "glitch" in the sound when it changes the setting. Do the same except with the "+" button to increase bass I think this actually turns the unit off, but when you turn it back on, it is obviously heavier bass (I did not turn it back up as I was using it inside, but that is how the Xtreme works when you turn it up and I assume they used the same control logic)!
Link to buy (for $110 at time posted):
www.harmankardon.com
I would never spend $480 for this! But for $110, this is one hell of a portable speaker. It is probably bigger (~11.25" diameter) and heavier (~6.6 Lb.) than you expect (it was for me). If you take good care of your stuff and don't need a "knock around water-proof speaker", this gets you a convenient BT speaker that will blast in your room on AC and even on battery has all the output I would ever need in-doors (although if some streaming source materials are recorded especially low, maxing them out is not so loud - they are capable, but the gain doesn't fully satisfy). Changing the volume at the speaker causes the volume level on my phone to change accordingly.
