The product has two color options, including gray white and black, with a listed price of 5,990,000 VND. In particular, customers who purchase before January 15, 2025 will enjoy an additional three months of warranty (a total of 15 months). Speakers are currently officially distributed in Vietnam by Phuc Giang Company Limited (PGI Co., Ltd).
Minimalist, elegant design
The Onyx Studio line has long been a symbol of Harman Kardon’s speaker design. If you’ve ever come across a round speaker with a handbag-like handle, a picture frame-like stand, or more uniquely, an arc-shaped frame like the outer rim of Saturn, it’s likely one of the eight previous generations of Onyx Studio.
Harman Kardon Onyx Studio generations from generations 1 to 7, the 8th generation version has the same design as the 7th generation
However, in the 9th version, Harman Kardon decided to completely change. The unique arc design on Onyx Studio 7 and 8 has been eliminated, replaced by a purely circular design. Details such as handles or stands are also omitted, replaced by a delicate design hidden behind, bringing a modern, elegant feeling.
Onyx Studio 9 has a bold minimalist design, the handle and base are all hidden on the back loudspeaker
With a new design style, Onyx Studio 9 becomes harmonious when the body and metal frame are seamlessly combined. The speaker weight reaches 3.36 kg, lighter than its predecessor but still retains its luxurious and modern features.
The speaker’s frame is finished in silver metal, creating an impressive highlight. The speaker surface is covered with a layer of high-quality fabric, which both increases aesthetics and helps reduce unwanted noise and sound resonance. The circular design helps the speaker easily blend in with many different interior styles.
Above the speaker is a system of physical buttons covered with soft rubber, including Power On/Off buttons, Bluetooth Connection, Volume Down, Volume Up, Play/Pause music and activate the Auracast feature. Users can also adjust treble and bass by combining buttons.
However, this operation is not really convenient because you need to press two buttons at the same time, and the physical buttons are designed to be hidden, making it a bit difficult to use in low light conditions. If there is more backlight or switch to touch mode, the experience will be significantly improved.
The bottom of the speaker is equipped with a rubber cushion that helps the speaker stick firmly to the surface and reduce friction. Behind the speaker is a small groove to support grip, convenient when moving indoors or out to the yard or balcony.
The connection ports are arranged on the back, including DC power port, 3.5mm Aux-in port and USB-C port, both for updating firmware and charging mobile devices.
Full of modern features
Connecting Onyx Studio 9 is very simple. Users just need to press the Bluetooth button on the speaker and search for the device on the phone. Next time, the speaker will automatically connect when turned on. The product supports Bluetooth 5.3, allowing simultaneous connection of two devices such as a phone and laptop in parallel or 2 phones at the same time. When playing music on one device, it will automatically switch to that device.
Harman Kardon Onyx Studio 9 comes with the Harman Kardon One app, where users can monitor battery capacity, control music and customize EQ. This application provides available EQ modes such as Harman Kardon’s signature Signature Sound with uniform, balanced sound in all 3 bands, or Vocal to focus more on the singer’s voice, powerful Energetic for dance music, Chill will be soft and suitable for listening to light music and you can also customize it to your liking. However, sometimes I find the speaker connecting to the app a bit slow.
The speaker supports pairing multiple devices at the same time through Auracast technology, creating a more vivid music space. In addition, the Stereo Mode feature allows connecting two Onyx Studio 9 speakers to create realistic stereo sound effects.
Impressive sound quality, harmonious in all three bands
The bass range is the biggest highlight of Onyx Studio 9. The large 120mm diameter woofer combined with a passive radiator creates deep, powerful bass that spreads evenly throughout the space. EDM, Hip-hop or other songs that require strong bass are reproduced vividly and powerfully without encroaching on other bands. When playing songs like “APT” by Rose and Bruno Mars, “Levitating” by Dua Lipa, or “Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd or “Bad Guy” by Billie Eilish, you will feel the powerful “bang” but Still sophisticated.
The speaker’s mid range brings a natural, smooth feeling, especially when reproducing vocals with a 3-way sound system, with the middle channel focusing on vocals, combined with two tweeters to help expand the space. sound space. Details such as the singer’s breathing and the sound of musical instruments such as guitar or piano are all shown clearly and sharply. This makes Onyx Studio 9 very suitable for acoustic, pop, and vocal-centric music. Try listening to Adele’s “Someone Like You” or Lionel Richie’s “Hello”, you will feel the voice echoing right in front of you. Christmas songs by Mathew Ifiled or Michael Buble also promote the strengths of speakers from Harman Kardon.
Treble is bright and clear but not harsh, even at high volume. Musical instruments such as violin, cymbal, or flute are reproduced in sharp detail. This treble range makes Onyx Studio 9 the perfect choice for enjoying genres such as classical, jazz or film music.
Constant Sound Field technology is really a big plus, expanding the sound space farther and wider than the physical size of the speaker. This gives the feeling like you are listening to music in a real concert. Small details such as the sound of pressing piano keys, plucking guitar strings or the singer’s light breathing are all accurately reproduced, demonstrating excellent sound resolution.
The special thing about Onyx Studio 9 is that even when turning the volume to near the maximum level, the speaker still does not experience sound distortion. The sound maintains balance between bands, without overlapping or cracking, ensuring a complete music listening experience even in large spaces.
Self-Tuning technology gives the speaker the ability to automatically adjust, helping to optimize sound performance with each emotional note so listeners always have the best sound experience, no matter where the speaker is placed. where. The three-channel system helps listeners feel like they’re in the middle of a live performance.
Battery life is enough for a whole day
With up to 8 hours of music playback time after each full charge, Onyx Studio 9 meets users’ mobile usage needs. In fact, when listening at about 30-40% volume, I can even listen to music continuously for up to 9-10 hours. The time to fully charge the speaker is a bit long, from 0% empty it takes about 4 hours. Personally, I think this is a speaker more suitable for staying at home and plugging in than taking it outdoors because the speaker is not waterproof, dustproof or shockproof.
Of course, with a battery life of 8 hours, you can take the speaker to the balcony or garden and it’s still ok, just don’t take it to climb passes and wade streams. A good point is that the USB-C port on the speaker also allows it to be used to charge mobile devices such as phones and headphones when needed. However, you should not abuse this feature because of the fact that the battery built into the speaker only has a capacity of about 4722 mAh, which is not too large.
Summary
In the 9th generation of the Onyx Studio speaker line, Harman Kardon continues to demonstrate its creativity in designing speakers that are not only luxurious and high-end but also retain elegance and minimalism. Besides, the sound quality has also been improved, meeting a variety of music genres, and performing best in deep lyrical music. If you are looking for a luxurious, eye-catching speaker model with good sound quality to enjoy music during Tet and Spring, Harman Kardon Onyx Studio 9 is definitely one of the options you should put in your shopping cart.
Advantage
- Unique circular design, suitable for many interior spaces
- Impressive sound quality, harmonious in all 3 lengths
- Modern technology with Constant Sound Field, Self-Tuning, supporting both Auracast and Stereo Mode.
- Conveniently connect to 2 devices at the same time
- Good battery life with 8 hours of music playback, suitable for all-day use
Limit
- No water resistance or dust resistance
- Control buttons are difficult to press
- Harman Kardon One app connects slowly