Harman Kardon Citation 300 Review, A Deep Dive into Premium Wireless Audio
by Samuel Kalenga on Aug 11, 2024
A Symphony of Design: Where Elegance Meets Functionality
The Harman Kardon Citation 300 speaker is a perfect blend of form and function in a sleek package. An excellent work of design, the Citation 300 speaker has the look of a piece of furniture, reflecting both traditional and contemporary styling with rounded, minimalist edges for a refined aesthetic, overlaid on the finest materials, including premium aluminium and fabric in either black or grey.
Offering residential audio to the most discerning customers, the Citation 300 speaker can easily match the interior design and decor of any living space, adding a note of sophistication. It is enveloped in a fabric grille that hints at warmth and texture and provides needed style. The grille, of course, also allows the sound to flow through unimpeded as nature intended, and the size is compact and manageable, at around 7.5 inches in diameter across, about 8 inches in height.
It should fit on a shelf, side table or even a counter top, anywhere you want to experience the spectacular sounds from the Citation 300 nearly anywhere in your home: living room, bedroom, kitchen. But it would be a superficial conclusion to presume that the Citation 300’s design is exclusively in the surface. The same earnest attention to functionality is evident in its controls, which are embedded in the speaker’s top, allowing you to turn up and down the volume, press play and pause or skip a track.
Thanks to the fact that there are no subwoofers hiding behind the speaker, there are no chunky buttons or unsightly white flashes to distract you from the overall clean and minimalist design of the speaker. Harman Kardon has proven that it has widely taken its users’ experience into account in the making of this speaker; it has paid attention to making the experience as intuitive and as simple to use as it is beautiful.
Unveiling the Audio Prowess: A Sound Experience that Transcends Expectations
The Harman Kardon Citation 300 isn’t just about looking good; it’s designed to sound good, too. It comes equipped with a 4-inch woofer and a 1.25-inch tweeter, two powerful elements that work together to deliver rich and detailed sound. The tweeter, designed for high-frequency reproduction, provides clear and crisp highs with every little detail, enough to hear even the subtlest nuances in your music.
The woofer—a low-frequency specialist—reproduces rich, full-bodied bass with impact and warmth, providing texture and depth to your listening experience. The Citation 300 is the Great (Chameleon) Doer of Musical Genres, playing everything from classical music to jazz to rock to electronic dance music with equal mastery; playing it all back with perfect fidelity, with all the micro-details, and the minute intensity, the dynamics and delicacy, as though you are being almost swallowed up whole by the music itself. The Citation 300 is not only a high-fidelity sound machine, it’s a machine that adapts to its environment.
The technology built in the speaker’s processor intuitively evaluates the acoustics of your room before transforming your favourite music tracks into perfectly calibrated audio experiences. The Citation 300’s adaptive technology assesses the size, shape and furnishings of your space to automatically modulate your sonic landscape using artificial intelligence.
In other words, when the Citation 300 is paired with useful real-world information, it’s like having a co-pilot who understands how to deliver great sound, no matter where you play your music. When hands-off is a must, the Citation 300 – outfitted with noise-cancelling technology – will not only simulate a cocoon of sound but also automatically tailor your music to your space. That means you can expect the best form of audio immersion whether you’re listening in a great room with vaulted ceilings or a den with padded couches.
Connectivity and Setup: Seamless Integration for a Hassle-Free Experience
Setting up the Harman Kardon Citation 300 is equally easy: step by step, you’ll be guided through the complete initialisation, so you should have no trouble installing it even if you’ve never operated a hi-fi before. Besides the option to connect to your wireless network via Wi-Fi, you can also link the Citation 300 to other devices and speakers within your home audio setup via Bluetooth. You therefore have the choice to opt for a wireless audio connection via Bluetooth or WLAN based on the technology you prefer. To set it up, you just install the Harman Kardon Citation app on your smartphone or tablet: this is where you’ll control the speaker from. It walks you through setting it up with short instructions and simple screen layouts, pretty much holding your hand through the entire process until you have it on your Wi-Fi network. When you’re connected, it’s your main interface for audio input, so you can control the system through it: you can set the volume, skip tracks and resume or repeat playback. It even lets you tweak the sound settings to your liking. And through Bluetooth, it might be even easier. Turn on Bluetooth, right on your smartphone, tablet or other device, and the Citation 300 appears in the ‘available devices’ list. Just tap it and connect, and start streaming music from your phone or tablet to the speaker wirelessly. This is ideal for more casual listening, or perhaps whenever you’re out and about. The multiple ways of connecting the Citation 300 ensures the speaker can become an extension of your existing audio setup, in whatever manner you might require.
Smart Features for a Smarter Home: Embracing the Future of Audio
It’s not just a speaker: the Harman Kardon Citation 300 is also a smart home hub, and comes with Google Assistant built in. Say ‘Hey Google,’ followed by your instruction, and the speaker will respond immediately to execute your command: ‘Play some of my music,’ ‘Set an alarm,’ ‘What’s the weather going to be like today?’ ‘What time is it?’ ‘Dim the lights,’ ‘Turn on the TV,’ etc. Since it can be voice controlled without the need to physically touch it, the speaker becomes another way to interact with your smart home electronics. Yet what separate the Citation 300 from mere voice control is its erudition. Its far-field speaker’s multi-room capability gives you the freedom to create a continuous listening experience across your abode. You can link multiple Citation speakers to each other wirelessly or via Ethernet, streaming the same tunes across rooms or offer different tones for different rooms. Whether you are throwing parties and celebrations, creating a consistent soothing soundtrack to your home or chores, or simply strolling around your house grooving to music, Citation 300 guarantees the same quality of audio across rooms. Imagine playing a relaxing collection of smooth jazz tracks in the dining room, while pumping happy, cir acquisitive tunes in the living room for your party of guests. In a spookily relevant set of controls, the Citation is a multi-room audio installation dream, allowing the user to tweak incoming music for the acoustics of any room. It is this kind of feature that contributes to the versatility of the Citation 300 and its potential to transform any home entertainment system.A Deeper Look at the Features:
- High-fidelity sound: Its 1.25-inch tweeter and 4-inch woofer provides an ultra-rich, more balanced sound with crystal-clear highs, delicately textured mids, and impactful lows. Backed up by an impressive auto equalisation feature, which makes the sound performance of the speaker adapt dynamically – getting better with every room – owners can be assured that their music sounds its best no matter where they’re listening. Multi-Room Audio: Connect multiple Citation speakers over WiSA technology to create a multi-room audio system, like a multi-room music system. All speakers play the same music, or different music in different rooms.
- Smart features: The bedroom of the Citation 300 has built-in Google Assistant for hands-free voice control. Ask it to do things such as play music, set alarms, tell you the weather or control other smart home devices. Streaming Capabilities: Play music from Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, TuneIn, and more streaming services. Bluetooth connectivity is available too. 3) High-quality materials: The Citation 300 is made of mostly aluminum and fabric, which gives the feel of a high-end vehicle.
Evaluating the Value: A Premium Investment in Sound
And that’s the price of admission for a premium wireless speaker that’s beautifully sculpted and engineered, and that sounds as good as it looks. Yet even at this price, the Citation 300 is the smartest way to spend your hard-earned money: when quality design, great sound, and versatility meet, you have a speaker for life. For the discriminating audiophile, the Harman Citation 300 is a worthwhile investment. It’s time to raise the bar for speakers and sound quality with this true experience enhancer, and restore your listening time to its true value.Pros
- Exceptional sound quality with clear highs, rich mids, and impactful bass
- Stylish and minimalist design that complements any décor
- Google Assistant integration for hands-free voice control
- Multi-room audio capabilities for a seamless listening experience throughout your home
- Wide range of streaming services supported for endless entertainment options
- Easy setup and user-friendly app for effortless control
- Premium materials and construction for durability and a high-end feel
Cons
- Relatively expensive compared to other wireless speakers
- No physical buttons for volume or playback control (reliance on app or voice control)
