Harman Kardon and Bose are two of the top companies currently manufacturing wireless audio devices. Both companies were able to establish great reputations for their performances in the audio market throughout the years.
Harman Kardon and Bose offer different wireless audio devices like earphones, headphones, portable speakers, home speakers, and many more. Choosing which of the two companies is the better is really a difficult task as both are excellent brands, that is why we will make a side-by-side comparison to help you decide which brand is better.
Sound Quality
Harman Kardon
Harman Kardon is one of the best companies in terms of sound quality, and their products are proof of that.
Harman Kardon’s product line of portable wireless speakers is one of the best in the business. They are designed to produce an excellent sound quality. The bass is strong and powerful, and its treble extends reasonably well.
Their portable wireless speakers’ upper register is clear and articulate but not wholly bright or airy. The speakers’ lower midrange is warm, and its upper midrange aids in vocal clarity, resulting in a mellow and clear sound from male and female voices.
Its flagship portable wireless speaker, Onyx Studio 7, produces a clear sound for human voices and brings an immersive sound field. Their portable wireless speakers are suitable for many genres of songs.
Harmon Kardon’s true wireless earphones have top-notch sound quality. It can deliver a lively and rich bass that you can also fine-tune using its companion app.
When it comes to the sound quality of their true wireless earphones, their mids and highs are crisp and clear. Their lows are also incredible, but if you want more, you can activate its Bass profile in the equalizer found in the app.
The Harman Kardon FLY TWS is an excellent example of Harman Kardon’s true wireless earphone’s impeccable sound quality. It is able to produce powerful, rich bass depth matched with bright highs, and even in a flat EQ setting, it still sounds so good. Its got a well-balanced sound that will give you satisfaction.
Last but not least, Harman Kardon’s home speaker products have one of the best sound qualities in the market for its category. Equipped with its own Automatic Multibeam Calibration room correction feature, their home speakers have a great stereo frequency response.
The Harman Kardon Enchant 1300’s flagship home speaker has a great stereo soundstage performance. It also has an outstanding stereo dynamic performance, to which it can get loud without a lot of compression at the maximum volume, making it very suitable for parties and large rooms.
Overall, Harman Kardon’s products are manufactured with sound quality in mind. They have one of the best sounding products for their prices in the market, and purchasing any of them would be a really great choice.
Bose
Bose audio products are known for their top-notch level sound quality. Bose’s reputation has always been on the notion that all their products produce great sound, such as the Bose 901.
Bose portable Bluetooth speakers are an example of why Bose has always been of the greats in the audio business. Out of the box, their portable Bluetooth speakers can produce a slightly boomy sound profile, and their mid-range has a clear and present sound for vocals and lead instruments.
The Bose S1 Pro System Speaker, one of the company’s portable speakers, has a fantastic dynamics performance, as it can get loud easily, making it suitable to be used at parties or in large rooms. There is also minimal compression and distortion when it is played at maximum volume.
Their portable speakers also come with a companion app to let you add more bass and treble when you feel that it is still lacking.
For true wireless earphones, Bose has one of the best product lines available in the market. They have a neutral sound profile with a touch of extra thump and rumble. They also have a fantastic frequency response.
For their true wireless earphones’ frequency accuracy, their bass is superb, their mids are fantastic, and their treble is really impressive.
The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds are one of the best examples of Bose’s outstanding audio quality, especially for its true wireless earphone products. They produce a well-balanced, exciting, and entertaining sound, and they also have an impressive noise-canceling feature.
Bose home speakers are a great option when you are looking for an audiophile-certified speakers system that you put in your home.
Under its product line, the Bose Smart Soundbar is a premium speaker system with excellent sound quality. The Bose Smart Soundbar 900 has a neutral, balanced sound profile suitable for listening to many different types of audio content.
Like the Bose Smart Soundbar 900, other home speakers from Bose have great stereo dynamics, which means that they can easily get loud and be used at parties or large rooms.
Overall, Bose products produce a very well-balanced sound. They have a reputation for being great audio products, and they really live up to their hype. You will never regret choosing Bose products for their sound quality.
Build Quality
Harman Kardon
Throughout its history, Harman Kardon has consistently produced solid products. Their build quality always has been one of their strong points.
Harman Kardon’s smart speakers are a testament to the company’s excellent build quality traits. These speakers are durable and sturdy, and their bases do not demand much space. They also have a beautiful design that can match any high-end smart speakers.
The Harman Kardon Citation 100, one of Harman Kardon’s smart speakers, is able to combine innovation in home audio entertainment with a sophisticated and beautiful design. It is clothed with a premium blended wool fabric, made by Kvadrat, and is dirt repellent and flame retardant.
Although the Harman Kardon smart speakers are not that really portable because of their sizes, they deserve their own spot in your room and should stay there for the rest of their useful life.
Harman Kardon’s wireless headphones have superb build quality. They give you a premium and comfortable feel. They also come with a durable hard case for protecting the wireless headphone when it is not used.
A great example of Harman Kardon’s wireless headphone’s excellent build quality is the Harman Kardon Fly ANC. There is no creaking sound when you try to flex the headband, and it has a sturdy feel on it. It is clothed with a leatherette which gives you comfort every time you wear it.
Their wireless headphones are also designed with advanced noise-cancelling technology, which means you that are able to hear more of what you want and less of what you do not.
All in all, Harmon Kardon has an established reputation for its outstanding build quality, and its products are a testament to that. You can trust that these products will last for a very long time.
Bose
Bose products are well built, and the materials and components used for making them are high-quality. They are designed to work for a long time.
Bose Smart speakers are a testament to the company’s impressive reputation regarding build quality. The materials used in making them are of great quality, durable, and really strong.
Like the Bose Smart Speaker 500, the company uses an aluminum body with a grille to help protect the drivers and a plastic top with tactile buttons. It also comes with a color LED screen. Overall, smart speakers made by Bose are solid and durable
All Bose wireless headphones are durable. They are built to live their full years. With the appropriate maintenance, these headphones can last a lifetime.
The Boss Noise Cancelling Headphone 700 has one of the best build qualities in the market for wireless headphones. It feels premium and comfortable, and the materials in creating it are high-quality. Its headband is made of stainless steel, and the plastic used for its ear cups feels solid. Overall, Boss wireless earphones are one of the best in terms of build quality.
Bose products can be expected to last for a long time as they are designed to withstand beatings. Bose’s build quality will never fail you, as they have proved all over the years.
Connectivity
Harman Kardon
Harman Kardon’s products are equipped with a wide variety of connectivity to allow users to enjoy their purpose to their potential.
Their portable wireless speakers like the Harman Kardon Neo allow users to connect their compatible device of choice to stream their favorite tunes in rich, premium sound with its Bluetooth connectivity. It also allows you to take a call with the push of a button using its echo-cancelling, crystal clear built-in speakerphone.
Their wireless earphones allow users to connect with them due to their stable Bluetooth connectivity. You can answer a call hands-free, and it works with your device’s native Voice Assistant to help you whenever and whatever you need.
Their smart speakers from the Citation series can support Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. With the free Google Home application for iOS and Android, you can easily set up and manage any of the Citation speakers. You can also wirelessly stream your music from your smartphone or tablet to the smart speaker.
Overall, they have great connectivity options for their wireless products, which is the standard nowadays. Their Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connections are pretty stable and can reach a distance, which is a significant factor to consider when buying any wireless audio products.
Bose
Bose products have a lot to offer when it comes to connectivity.
A great example of their portable Bluetooth speakers is the Bose SoundLink Micro Bluetooth speaker. Even with its very small size, you can use it as a speakerphone when you take calls as your phone is connected to the speaker via Bluetooth.
Just like other portable Bluetooth speakers, the Bose SoundLink Micro Bluetooth is compatible with Bose Connect App, where you can personalize your setting. It also allows you to pair multiple speakers, unlock product features, keep your software up to date, and more.
Their wireless earphones can connect with the Bose Music App, where they can personalize settings and unlock new features as they are released. Its Bluetooth connectivity allows you to move as long as you are within 30 meters of the device.
Their smart speakers offer tons of connectivity that can match any flagship smart speakers available in the market. They are equipped with voice control, where you can play, pause or shuffle to your favorite song using the tip of your tongue. They are also compatible with Chromecast built-in and Apple AirPlay 2 and have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity.
The connectivity options available in all Bose’s products are one of the best in the market and can compete with any other brand. Their Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections are also very stable and can be trusted that it will not fail you for a very long time.
Battery
Harman Kardon
Harman Kardon is a company known for its products’ long battery lives and fast charging features.
Their wireless headphones have an average battery life of 20 hours, and just 15 minutes of charging is needed for 2.5 hours of playtime. Their portable wireless speakers like Harman Kardon Esquire Mini 2 have an average playtime of 10 hours, which is pretty impressive for its very small size.
For any of Harman Kardon’s products, their battery lives and charging time are impressive, especially with the smaller items like their wireless earphones. Harman Kardon’s products have lived up to their expectations when it comes to battery life.
Bose
Bose products have a great performance when it comes to battery life.
Most of their wireless headphones have an average battery life of 20 hours. Their battery charging time has an average of 2.5 hours to have a full battery. For a quick 15-minute charge, it can play for an average of 3.5 hours.
Their portable wireless speakers like the SoundLink Flex Bluetooth speaker have an average of 12 hours of playback time and a charging time of 4 hours to have a full battery.
Bose products usually have a longer battery life than other brands as they are designed to have a larger battery capacity. All in all, they have better battery life performances than other brands that are available in the market.
Price
Harman Kardon
All of Harman Kardon’s products have fantastic sound quality, impressive build quality and wide connectivity options. They also have excellent battery life and charge faster than other brands. Harman Kardon’s products have an excellent value for their respective asking prices.
Bose
Bose products produce excellent sound quality, and they are also durable. Their connectivity options are one of the best available in the audio market, and their battery performance is also great.
Yes, Bose products are expensive, but they’re worth the money.
Pros and Cons
Harman Kardon
Pros:
- Well-balanced sound
- Impressive build quality
- Fast charging
- Longer battery life than other brands
- Aesthetically pleasing
- Reasonable pricing
Cons:
- No adjustable EQ for home speakers
- Some products have limited connectivity options compared to other brands
- Not all products are water-resistant
- Limited Bluetooth codec support
Bose
Pros:
- Great build quality
- Very comfortable to wear for their earphones and headphones
- Excellent noise isolation performance
- Amazing soundstage performance
- Built-in voice assistant
- Easy EQ adjustments
Cons:
- Does not get easily loud
- Some compression at max volume
- No room connection feature for many of its home speaker products
- Expensive
Which Is Better?
Both companies offer great wireless audio devices. Harman Kardon clearly is the winner when it comes to auto room correction features, but when it comes to connectivity options, Bose is the winner because it has more options than Harmon Kardon’s products.
In totality, I have to choose Harman Kardon, as they have the better audio performance, and their products can easily get loud with only minimal compression and distortion.
