Harman Kardon Go Play Portable Speakers System with Dock for iPod Black Silver
Understated, sublimely functional industrial design with unsurpassed performance and ease of use. From its flat, protective iPod cradle to its smart RF remote to its arching stainless-steel handle, this portable loudspeaker iPod dock is one that only Harman Kardon could build. Harman Kardon Go + Play delivers tight, thunderous bass from high-excursion low-frequency drivers. Just as important, the highs are distinct and crystal clear. Go + Play is AC- or battery-operated, so it will go anywhere your iPod or other music player goes–and make your favorite music sound better when it arrives. No matter how or where you use it, it’s the sound that sets Go + Play apart.
The Harman Kardon Go + Play multimedia loudspeaker system is designed to entertain. Click to enlarge. |
Go + Play works equally well on the go or as a personal home entertainment system. Click to enlarge. |
The system features the extraordinary industrial design, innovative technologies, and meticulous engineering that you’d expect from Harman Kardon. Click to enlarge. |
Go + Play delivers an incredible sound experience from most dockable iPod models, MP3 players, or other audio devices, regardless of where you happen to be. Click to enlarge. |
Designed to Entertain
For more than 50 years, Harman Kardon products have delivered–through extraordinary industrial design, innovative technologies, and meticulous engineering–the ultimate listening experience. And for the past 10 years, Harman Kardon has used these techniques to develop some of the world’s best-sounding and most-striking-looking multimedia products available. Whether for your computer or your iPod, Harman Kardon multimedia products deliver rich, high-quality sound from systems that look just as good as they sound. In fact, the Harman Kardon SoundSticks system is now in the permanent collection of New York City’s Museum of Modern Art. So hook up your computer, dock your iPod, or connect nearly any other audio device, and enjoy the ultimate listening experience from the world’s ultimate multimedia products.
A World-Class Listening Experience on the Go
The Harman Kardon Go + Play features an eye-catching industrial design that delivers an incredible sound experience from most dockable iPod models, MP3 players, or other audio devices, no matter where you happen to be. Using an arching stainless-steel handle and a flat protective cradle for keeping your iPod secure, the Go + Play works equally well on the go or as a personal home entertainment system.
Using proprietary speaker design and technology, the sound quality from the Go + Play is simply stunning. And with flexible connectivity, this incredible sound can be had from nearly any audio device, not just your iPod. There’s even an S-VHS output so you can watch the videos from your video iPod while enjoying their sound in incredible detail through the Go + Play speaker system.
With an included wireless remote control, using the system is a snap. The remote gives you full control of and access to your music, however and whenever you want it. The Harman Kardon Go + Play system is the perfect combination of functional design and unparalleled sound quality.
Flexible Connectivity
Great sound shouldn’t just be limited to a stand-alone system in your home. You also should be able to have great sound from your music devices when you’re on the go. With the Go + Play, you now can enjoy great sound wherever you happen to be. Take it with you anywhere; it works with both the included AC adapter and on batteries. You can rock out for nearly 18 hours from just 8 D-cell batteries, and there’s even a handy battery-save feature that will save your battery power when the system isn’t in use.
When it comes to connecting your musical devices, it couldn’t be easier. Do you have a dockable iPod? Simply place it in the flat protective cradle, and instantly enjoy the sound of your favorite musical artist. The Go + Play uses a OnePoint iPod connector so that, by connecting a standard USB cable to the rear of the unit, you’ll have a connection that enables you to synchronize your iPod with your computer. The Go + Play will even charge most iPods when they’re docked in the cradle. Don’t have an iPod? Well, you can still connect your MP3 player, portable CD player, satellite receiver, or computer through the Go + Play system’s 3.5-mm input using a simple cable.
The system even has the ability to connect to a television or display device using an S-VHS connection. Now, watching movies, TV shows, and other video content from your video iPod is just a connection away–and you get to listen to them through the high-performance speakers built into the Go + Play.
Advanced Technology
To deliver unmatched high-performance sound, the system features a number of proprietary technologies, including dual-proprietary Ridge transducers. They’re made from aluminum, which is inherently strong yet lightweight. This design allows these drivers to reproduce sound with unparalleled accuracy and detail for their size, and means that your music will be played back with a rich midrange and crystal-clear highs, without distortion.
The included wireless RF remote control gives you the freedom to enjoy your music from across the room, in another room, or even from outside–from up to 20 feet away. Click to enlarge. |
To deliver thunderous bass, the Go + Play uses dual Atlas woofers, which maximize audible output. The Atlas woofers are a high-excursion design, which allows them to deliver the bass response of much larger woofers, and means you’ll hear tight, deep bass that will make your music sound more dynamic.
Powering the speakers are two 30-watt Harman Kardon amplifiers, which are designed to deliver high output with minimal distortion. The system even uses highly advanced digital signal processing and equalization to deliver cool, efficient power.
All of that technology comes together in the Harman Kardon Go + Play system to provide a sound experience–whether on the go or in your personal entertainment space–you need to hear to believe.
Easy to Use
No need to be a rocket scientist to use the Harman Kardon Go + Play system. Its elegant, stainless-steel touch-volume controls mean that a single touch increases or decreases the volume. And with the included wireless RF remote control, you have the freedom to enjoy your music from across the room, in another room, or even from outside–from up to 20 feet away. With full access to your iPod, you can easily change tracks, browse libraries, adjust settings, and scroll through extras. It’s the perfect way to enjoy your Harman Kardon Go + Play system, no matter where you happen to be.
What’s in the Box
Harman Kardon Go + Play speaker system, power supply, 3.5-mm auxiliary audio cable, remote, adapters for iPod
User Ratings and Reviews
4 Stars Great; But Numbers Don’t mean much.
I had this HK delivered to my office, which meant i could only check it at modest volumes; and it sounded fantabulous. It really is, and a pleasant surprise is that Amazon shipped me the new revision B product, which actually charges IPod touch 2nd Generation!, but a warning about this is that they’ve removed the back USB & Video out ports, I hear they were only useful with really old iPods got none; so no gripes there…
Why the 4 stars, if it was that awesome? this is cause my comparison is with Kickers Zkick/iKick which is rated at 40W; but this machine is rated 60 or 120W on how you interpret the ratings; either can’t be true cause at the highest volume, kicker can shake u’r house down, this baby can’t! While the midrange is perhaps louder than kicker at the highest volume low & high ends are definitely lagging behind. But at modest volumes this has better sound balance than the kickers (Mainly cause kicker needs to be at least volume 12/40 to give a great full range response).
Kicker iK500 iPod Speaker Dock (Black)
Kicker ZK500 Zune Speaker Dock (Black)
I am a dance teacher, so I was to use this baby for my living room & for bigger classes, & Keep the Kicker for bedroom & individual lessons; but now I’ve decided to reverse roles. Kicker stays in the living room, big classes, while this baby will be my individual lessons & bedtime buddy!
Pros;
Compact & more portable than Kicker’s (Handle helps)
Balanced response throughout different volumes
No distortion at highest volumes (Even BOSE suffers from this disease, btw, kicker is much louder & better at the highest volume)
Revision B works great with even touch 2nd GEN (Manual doesn’t say that; nor is there a labeled adaptor, although couple of them fit)
Can use with batteries, although I didn’t try, sounds perfect for a romantic beach outing?
Smart remote, long distance response, a nice remote compartment
Cons;
The four speaker-like grills on either side are all not speakers; it’s only the front two (Has 2 drivers each 1′ and 4′ perhaps).
One of the backs has a “pipe” acting as the subwoofer, outputting the base punch, the other’s rather aesthetic. (Yes i took it apart, & put it back successfully … Oops there goes my warranty!, I’ll upload the pics later) I would’ve rather had in center to give a more balanced response.
The handle blocks you view, also you can’t see your iPod from more than 4 feet away cause of it’s on top laying horizontal ;(
Verdict;
Awesome for your bedroom, for high quality output (See above for recommended usage). IF you want louder meaner machine with better response at higher volumes kickers your baby! The two machines are virtually the same price point, either one is great; depends on what you intend to do with it!
For HK designers; get rid of the aesthetic & excessive speaker grill, put the iPod dock there… May be get rid of the batteries and put a Kicker’s awesome cube “Woofer” there? (Now I’m just being too ambitious!)
5 Stars I’m in love…
After a ton of research on iPod speakers, I am so happy I got this one. This thing packs a HUGE punch for such a tiny box. I sold off all the pieces of my old system that was really only used for my iPod anyway and got this to simplify. So I got rid of paradigm speakers and subwoofer and I’ll be darned if this doesn’t sound ten times better! And bonus, the base on this doesn’t annoy my neighbors! AND it has an inlet so I can hook it up straight to my computer. Greys Anatomy on streaming video never sounded so good! Another GREAT thing about having this, is its very portable. I live in a three story townhome so I can take it to whatever area of the house I happen to be in. The sound is great all the time. I didn’t have to convert any of my iTunes songs like some other folks and a lot of my songs are from old CD’s. I LOVE IT!
5 Stars The rave reviews are well-deserved
There aren’t many products on Amazon.com with such a high percentage of rave reviews, but after a few days of using the harman/kardon Go+Play I can say that the enthusiasm of so many people is absolutely warranted. The sound quality isn’t just the best I’ve heard in any iPod speaker system under $500; it’s better than I would have imagined possible in a relatively inexpensive, portable, powered system. Indeed, the Go+Play comes closer in sound quality to decent standalone speakers than to other iPod docking speakers. The sound is well-balanced, detailed, clean, with plenty of bass, yet not boomy. The soundstage is of course limited, as the system is fairly compact, but it’s acceptable. Overall, this is a subtle but noticeable improvement over the Logitech Pure-Fi Elite which I’d used for almost a year before buying the Go+Play.
Build quality is very good, and the steel handle and speaker surrounds look great, though this is obviously a matter of taste. In terms of features, this system is pretty minimalist, no tone adjustment or radio tuner, though a line-in jack is included for non-iPod sources. However, the sound is so good I have no desire for bass/treble controls, and for radio you can always hook up an external tuner (HD tuners are pretty inexpensive).
The unit I received in early May 2009 is of the newer revision B, which does away with the video and USB ports (the video output was incompatible with newer iPods anyway, so no big loss) and has better compatibility (i.e. charging) with newer iPods. No dock insert was included for my iPhone 3G or iPod Nano 4G, but both worked just fine and charged in the unit. (The iPhone asked me to turn on Airplane Mode, but that’s pretty typical for accessories not specifically designed to work with the iPhone.) Since the Go+Play works with universal dock inserts, you can just buy a pack of inserts for your specific iPod model, if one isn’t included with the Go+Play.
One disadvantage others have mentioned is the design of the dock, which has the player lying flat (facing the sky) or at a slight angle, making it hard to see the screen. This was not a deal-breaker for me, though it does limit the usefulness of the remote’s ability to navigate the iPod (in addition to standard volume/track skip adjustments). It should be noted that the remote is RF rather than infrared, so you don’t have to point it straight at the Go+Play for commands to be received. There’s a storage compartment for the remote in the rear of the unit, a nice touch.
Now for a bit of a rant. The manual is almost comically brief, with more words on required regulatory notices than on how to actually operate the unit. (Was it really necessary to translate the FCC notice into every single one of the fourteen other languages? Surely the users in Sweden don’t care about Part 15 of the FCC rules?) Also, if the manual is so brief anyway, why produce a second manual for the remote (which has six buttons) rather than including the remote in the main manual? It might be common for cars to come with multiple manuals these days (one for the GPS, one on maintenance, etc.) but for an iPod speaker, really?
Two minor things: 1) It seemed at first my unit was wobbling, but I realized this was because the rear leg’s height is adjustable. The manual doesn’t mention this, of course. 2) It’s a little tricky to get the inserts to fit securely into the dock, I fumbled with it for quite a while before I finally got it. I’m still not sure what the “trick” is, because with every other iPod docking device I’ve used, the universal dock inserts just click right in. It is important to get a secure fit because otherwise your iPod may cut in and out.
5 Stars Bug-Eyed Phenom
This unit is no nonsense Harmon Kardon. They have designed it for practicality and amazing sound. It seems very well built, and the back leg even adjusts to make sure the unit sits without wobbling. The remote works very well, though it does take some getting used to. The fact that the iPod lays flat is a small inconvenience, unless you like to manually jump from song to song. The sound is almost unbelievably pristine – it will pick out any flaws in your mp3 collection (think higher bit rates). There is no internal EQ, but it does respond to the EQ set by the iPod or plugged in audio source. That said, you should only have to adjust for room placement and source material, as the default sound is very clean. I needed a replacement for my full-fledged stereo system because of space consideration in our new apartment; I found it.
5 Stars excellent sound for th $
I researched for over a month for ipod players. I settled on this one after reading reveiws and the price. Very Happy! Great rich bass and this thing is loud! I got it for $140.00 including shipping. Looks like the price went up? Still worth it. No eq controls kind of a bummer.