For Harman Kardon’s new audio lineup, it’s all about cutting the cord. Along with the announcement of its new Omni multi-room wireless speakers today, the company has added two new wireless wonders to the list, including its sleek pocket-sized Esquire Mini speaker, and a wireless version of its slim Soho headphones.
Esquire Mini ($150)
While there are several wireless speakers on the market these days that you can easily hold in the palm of your hand — see the Soundfreaq Pocket Kick, the Boomphones Pocket Speaker (formerly Carbon Audio) , and Jawbone’s Mini Jambox — the Esquire Mini definitely brings a refined touch of style to the genre.
Supple curves align its brushed aluminum body, matched by traits you seldom see on a speaker this size, including a back panel cloaked in leather, and a clever little kickstand to angle the sound. Audio is produced by dual drivers at the front, and the speaker will stream music via Bluetooth for around 8 hours, which is about par for the course.
Related: Soundfreaq Pocket Kick video review
As expected, the speaker also doubles as a conference phone via an on board microphone, equipped with echo and noise-cancellation tech to help out at those board meetings. And damned if this speaker doesn’t look like it belongs in the classiest of locales to which you might want to add some tunes.
Soho Wireless headphones ($250)
Taking its slim and resigned on-ear headphones wireless, HK has added another enticing choice to the genre. We’re not sure where the company added the electronics on these minimalist bad boys — there’s not a whole lot of room on board. For volume and song search, touch sensitive controls have been tucked beneath the leather clad earcups, offering easy control without clouding the design with knobs and dials.
Inside the cups, the Soho Wireless boast 30mm drivers that offer a claimed 20Hz-20kHz frequency response. The headphones incorporate Bluetooth with aptX for CD quality sound as well as NFC touch pairing from compatible devices. The ‘phones also fold flat for easy portability. One detail we’re waiting on is the battery life, which has not been disclosed at this time.
Related: Jabra’s new SportPulse wireless headphones offer heart rate monitoring
Accessories for the headphones include a 3.5mm cable for plugging in, a carrying pouch, and a three-foot charging cable.
Exact release dates were not announced, but both the Esquire Mini and the Soho wireless are slated for release in late October. We’ll likely be checking out these new Bluetooth beauties for ourselves soon, so stay with us.
