Harman Kardon Bluetooth Wireless Over-Ear Headphones

Reviews for Harman Kardon Bluetooth Wireless Over-Ear Headphones

Customer Reviews and Ratings

3.5 out of 5 stars

Based on 55 reviews

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  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Beautiful looking and sounding

    • Written by from Brooklyn

    finally, a set of BT over the ear headphones that look good. saw these on gizmodo and bought them on release day.

    build and quality: very durable. metal headband, very strong. also comes with 2 bands for sizing. they feel a little heavy, but the weight adds feel to the good build quality.

    sound: this review is only on bluetooth mode, as i doubt i will use wired connection. they are on PAR with my Shure srh-440's, and better than B&W P3's and Beats by Dre. Sound at loudest volume is clear and concise, and highly satisfied as a harman kardon product. these also get loud, even while using bluetooth mode... the only bluetooth headphones that get louder than these are creative wp-350's. for the price, i would take these over the P3's any day as they are cheaper....

    Look: as you could see from the pictures, very beautiful look... clean and simple. i just don't like the large harman kardon on the side, but small issue. may be overly large for some, but the cups are very flat and don't stick out at all (even the headband if fitted properly). There is a blinking blue light, but it faces down so not annoying.

    Use: volume buttons on the side, and multi use button between them. This button pressed once plays/pauses music, pressed twice does next track, pressed 3 times back one track. This was tested on a android phone, moto bionic.

    Conclusion: Worth the $250 tag, from all aspects of look feel sound quality. A steal at that price in my opinion.

    188 of 206 people found this useful

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  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Great range and sound

    • Written by

    I'm used to the range I get with my bluetooth headset and the range I get with these suckers is amazing! I can go all the way to the other end of my house and they work perfectly. The sound is the bomb, bass is SO good. I'm really impressed

    116 of 133 people found this useful

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  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Excellent value!

    • Written by from Flushing

    These HK BT headphones are an excellent value. I have the Klipsch Image One wired headphones for their audio quality, and have used the Beats Wireless headphones, and the audio, clarity and performance of these HK's is better than those in all ways. They are really comfortable, have solid construction, with steel headband and leather over-ear cups, and the music reproduction is REALLY GREAT. Some may find not like the mic, as it sounds electronic when on calls, but honestly that is to be expected from bluetooth, so no surprise there. They are a little heavy, but that is because of the materials used, again, doesn't bother me, but some may not like that.

    I recommend these over the Beats, and over the Klipsch, so go buy a pair, they are great for $250 and they give you a lot of freedom and performance for what you pay!

    102 of 121 people found this useful

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  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Another great product from Harman Kardon

    • Written by from Houston

    Absolutely love these headphones! Super comfy and light. Definitely an upgrade over my last headset…

    46 of 48 people found this useful

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  • 2.0 out of 5 stars

    Underwhelming ...

    • Written by from Pewaukee

    Had high expectations for HK product but disappointed with sound quality. Everything else is fine ... just not the sound quality I expected. For $250 and an HK product ... I expected to be blown away by the sound. Was very underwhelming, average sound quality.

    To be honest, I had a $50 pair of in ear Polk Audio headphones that had a better sound. For the money there are other options.

    43 of 53 people found this useful

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  • 3.0 out of 5 stars

    Nice but ...

    • Written by from East Aurora

    Nice sound quality, but one major issue...
    I am getting a great deal of amplified feedback from the metal framework on the headband and ear cup surrounds.
    Anything that comes into contact with any metal frame or components, and there is a lot of metal, creates a racket.
    Even walking triggers the feedback as the frame components twist.
    This is a major problem for an otherwise lovely set of BT headphones.
    I must say I am amazed this made it to market.

    37 of 41 people found this useful

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  • 2.0 out of 5 stars

    Not that good as you would expect

    • Written by from Riverside

    I was considering 3 options: those headphones, Beats Wireless and Parrot Zik.
    My gf is using Beats and I really like them, I was wondering if there is anything better on the market. I've read the reviews etc...I didn't go with Ziks as there are too many issues (weight, flaky pause "button") so I had to try those. I had high expectation. I've also read about the issues with them in other reviews.
    One of the thing was that people were complaining that they have to switch the headband right away because the regular one is too small. At least they had an option. My biggest issue, and reason for returning them after 5 minutes is:
    the "small" headband is too big for me! I know it's "adjustable" blah blah blah, but unfortunately I'm having one issue that nobody mentioned. ANY quicker move forwards or backwards and they slide out of my head. Not fall off completely but slight. This is so annoying and unacceptable that I have to return them.
    Other than that other problems:
    - sound quality is mediocre, not even that good as on the Beats and not even close Bose QC 3..not to mention higher end headphones.
    - bass is pretty weak, clarity is not that good.
    If you can live with all that (and you don't have the issue with them falling off) here are the pros:
    - pretty well built (although the buttons feel cheap and plasticky)
    - weight is perfect.
    - connectivity is smooth

    45 of 58 people found this useful

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  • 3.0 out of 5 stars

    Metal bail is a drag

    • Written by from Mundelein

    I bought these because of HK's legendary quality, and in the stereo BT mode the tonal range is excellent. Yet, I returned this set to my apple store after a week.

    In many ways they are a phenomenal set. And, if you wear a collarless shirt, you likely won't experience my first concern: the stamped brushed-metal frame that supports the over-the-ear cups is quite large and therefore hangs well below the ear. It brushes on my collar as I turned my head and creates buzz that resonates surprisingly loudly. It isn't quite as bad as a fingernail/chalkboard effect but is annoying nonetheless.

    Concern 2: If you plan only only quiet, around-home use, ignore this concern: Over the ear doesn't necessarily block sound. In a quiet room, there's exceptional depth. But, I had hoped to use them in my commute and, when on the train, I still heard every conversation clearly. No attenuation of surrounding sound - good if you are home and need to hear the baby, not optimal if you want to tune out some of the noise around you.

    Concern 3: If you don't plan on using these at a headset, skip this concern. But, using the mic in BT requires switching to mono BT. The tonal range vanishes, and mono BT introduces pops and fades. I'm not sure that's HK's fault, but the quality when using this headset on a phone call is surprisingly bad. And, to the person you called, you'll sound hollow and distant.

    I rated at three stars because they really are well constructed and have great tonal range. I believe that they may be ideal for many folks, and really, most folks today do not wear starched collars. But I felt this review might help others who want to shut out extraneous sound or use the mic in headset mode know that this set doesn't do that particularly well. If none of my unique constraints apply, I suspect you'll be quite pleased with the quality and sound.

    34 of 37 people found this useful

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  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Made me do a 180

    • Written by from Somerville

    For the last two weeks I've been extolling the virtues of the Parrot Zik. Prior to buying those cans I'd been using the Senn MM550s for a year or so. While the Senns sounded great, their volume always left me wanting and their NC was relatively poor. But the Zik appeared to address all those issues. The bass was strong (and relatively tight) and the noise canceling was spectacular. But the battery life was relatively weak. And the pause on remove was starting to get flaky and annoying. I discovered the beats wireless on Amazon and tried them out, but while the bass was tight, I didn't like the build and there was not noise canceling.

    Then I saw these on Engadget's Distro and decided to give them a try. At this point I was going to return the Beats but was not even considering returning the Ziks.

    Well, both the Ziks and the Beats are gone.

    These are super clear, super tight (bass) and super light (at least compared to the ziks). The sound is fabulously transparent--even when compared to wired cans. Yes, they won't match my wireless Senns (Rs220) or Denons, but those are in a different price bracket and are for home systems. Moreover, the battery life is awesome--haven't had it die yet, and although the music controls on the headsets are pretty poor --located on the back end of the left ear cup, and hard to figure out by feel--they're more consistent than the touch control on the Ziks (and the hit or miss pause and remove pressure sensor).

    In short these headphones have had me do something I wasn't considering--return the Ziks-- and have got me talking these up just as I had been the Zik days earlier. Add in that these are $150 less than the Ziks (not significant consideration for me, but might be for others) and I doubt I'll really miss the noise cancellation. When I need that on a plane i'll just use my Shure Se535s. No batteries, no fuss.

    35 of 41 people found this useful

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  • 4.0 out of 5 stars

    Great Sound

    • Written by from Lake in the Hills

    I picked these up because I wanted a high end over ear headphone. I've had them for about a month now and am really pleased with them. The have a great sound that is crisp and clear and has a really nice tight bass response. While they may not sound quite as good as the Bowers and Wilkins P5's there close enough. I have found them to be fairly comfortable, but there are times where there is some discomfort with long listening sessions, but really those have been negligible.

    28 of 30 people found this useful

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  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    These headphones outperform the rest...

    • Written by

    Just bought a pair of these as well as the noise isolating ear buds. Both products work and function exceptionally well. The bluetooth headset is light, fits my ears well and allows me to work without cords everywhere. Highly recommended.

    30 of 34 people found this useful

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  • 1.0 out of 5 stars

    Bluetooth dropouts and poor performance

    • Written by from Mississauga

    I bought a pair of these headphones to use primarily with my iPad. While the sound was pretty good for bluetooth, the bluetooth connection itself seemed to frequently drop out and 'lag' behind. I thought I had maybe received a defective pair so I exchanged them but the same problem persisted with the new pair. To ensure it wasn't a problem with the bluetooth on my iPad, I paired with other devices (laptops and phone) and experienced the same problems. If wireless is the feature you're looking for, avoid these. The bluetooth performs too poorly.

    34 of 43 people found this useful

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  • 1.0 out of 5 stars

    Bluetooth Implementation is a Disaster

    • Written by from Marietta

    I've gone through two pairs (so far) of these headphones. The sound is fine, but the bluetooth pairing is a disaster. I get one or two uses (with my MacBook Air) and then it never successfully connects. (I can see in the System Preferences that it temporarily connects but then it immediately disconnects.) Not much fun to have to delete and re-pair the headphones every other time that I want to use them.

    48 of 72 people found this useful

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  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Great headphones

    • Written by

    I have been a long time Beats fan, but after branching away from listening mostly to rap, I thought I needed a pair of headphones with more "range". I got these thinking I would still resort to my Beats every once and awhile, but now I am a full convert.. from heavy Lil Wayne Bass lines to some more subtle Neil Young vocals, these things kill it. Beyond the sound, the BT is really what makes these a great value.

    24 of 26 people found this useful

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  • 1.0 out of 5 stars

    Must have gotten a buggy one

    • Written by from Bronx

    My headset cuts out or stops transmitting all together. Gonna take it back tomorrow and see if I can get another one from a different store.

    25 of 30 people found this useful

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  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    AMAZING Product!

    • Written by from Clovis

    I've been doing research on different headphones for the past week, and I finally settled on these bad boys. I picked them up from the Apple store earlier today, and I have to say, WOW! The reviews on these babies were spot on. Excellent sound, great response, amazing highs and the deepest lows I have ever heard from any set of headphones. The black and silver finish are perfect matches for the MacBook Pro. I connected them to my MBP in seconds and was listening to Tool with a clarity I have only heard through my stereo in no time! The only downside is the strength of the bluetooth connection. It works perfect if your within a few feet of your MBP, but it breaks up pretty bad after that. I haven't tested the strength on any other device. I'm a musician on the go and have been looking for a set of bluetooth headphones that can give me the sound quality I need while writing on the run. I really think these are going to do the trick. If you're looking for a set of quality wireless headphones on a budget, look no further. I'm very satisfied.

    21 of 22 people found this useful

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  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Harmon Kardon BT Over-Ear Headphones

    • Written by from Markham

    Absolutely love them!
    I have previously owned solo HD Beats by Dre. and Monster Inspirations and am glad that i no longer use those.
    It really helps that they are bluetooth, you don't have to worry about the wire tangling. Not only that, Harman Kardon is definitely a force to be reckoned with when it comes to audio quality. I absolutely require clean, uninterrupted sound with good bass, mids, and treble and these headphones give me all the aural pleasure i desire and more.

    I strongly recommend this product to audiophiles and people who want classy, stylish and modern headphone units and do not want to compromise on sound quality!

    20 of 21 people found this useful

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  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    AWESOME set of headphones!

    • Written by from Elk Grove

    I was really considering btw this set of headphones and the Bowers & Wilkens P5s. Aesthetically, they BOTH look amazing but what made me go w/ Harman Kardon was:

    1) The BT capability is AWESOME- I don't have to deal w/ ANY cords and the sound quality is amazing. Despite the fact that BT technology does somewhat diminish the sound quality, you wouldn't even notice it. The lows are strong, but not overpowering, crisp and clear and the mids & highs are bright and distinquishable. You wouldn't even notice you were using a Bluetooth headset.

    The built-in mic is even clear when on the phone.

    2) The battery is at a long-lasting 12 hours and even if it runs out, you can use a cord to continue using it. I just got back from a vacation to Hawaii & the Philippines- which totals up to a 15 hour flight and my headset never ran out of power. Plus when my wife & I wanted to watch a movie together on my iPad, I used my cord on my HK headset so I could use a splitter so we both watch along w/ her headset.- And all that time while watching the movie, I never lost power on my HKs!

    3) Its SO comfortable- the padding is so soft, going around the ears that I could wear this set for hours.

    4) The Bluetooth range is large- I'm able to go several rooms away in my house w/ no signal loss.

    Downsides:
    1) It can get uncomfortable in hot weather, especially humid weather.

    2) The controls are somewhat hard to reach, but honestly once you get familiar w/ them, it wouldn't be a problem.

    3) When you are forced to use the cord when the power runs out, you cannot use the controls on the headset- rather the controls on your device.

    Overall- What I was looking for was a headset w/ GREAT sound and possibly BT tech w/ no need for a cord. I was basically BLOWN away by how well the audio was w/ the BT technology and NO CORDS! This satisfied everything, plus the price wasn't terrible at $250. I'm definitely satisfied w/ my purchase!

    21 of 23 people found this useful

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  • 4.0 out of 5 stars

    Good but not Great

    • Written by from Chapel HIll

    I really like these headphones. I travel a lot and they are great for travel. They look and feel better than the Beats Wireless. They look more Professional. The sound Quality is very good, the only draw back is I wish they got a little bit louder. Besides that if you looking for a great bluetooth pair of headphones i think these are the best on the market and i've tried them all

    20 of 22 people found this useful

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  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Amazing headphones

    • Written by from San francisco

    I have been looking for a good set of headphones with a mic for at home. Hands down one of the best purchases I have ever made. Haven't found a flaw. Comfortable, good sound, great construction, and I can make calls with them. I Have been recommending them to everyone.

    16 of 16 people found this useful

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