tulsidas toenail: Harman bringing trio of JBL speakers and pair of AV receivers to CES

Saturday, January 5, 2013

Harman bringing trio of JBL speakers and pair of AV receivers to CES

Harman has joined several other companies in jumping the CES gun, announcing five new products it's bringing to the show. First up is the JBL Charge, a hardy Bluetooth speaker which promises an impressive 12 hours of tunes on a single charge. If you are willing to sacrifice some of that play time, you can siphon power from the internal battery to other kit via the speaker's USB port. Expected to start shipping in Q1 2013, you should be able to pick one up for around $149. Joining JBL's OnBeat range are the Mini and Rumble speaker docks, which are both compatible with Apple's Lightning connector. The Mini is a fairly standard dock which will play and charge for up five hours on battery power, and should be available this coming March for around $149. The Rumble, however, is a little more equipped, with both Lightning and Bluetooth streaming options, as well as a 4.5-inch, "down-firing subwoofer" for bass junkies. That extra muscle is reflected in the price, though, which is likely to be $399 when it hits stores next spring.

A couple of new Kardon-branded A/V receivers from Harman are also coming along to CES -- the AVR 2700 and 3700. Both have multi-zone functionality, are stacked with wireless features including internet radio, AirPlay and DLNA connectivity, and can be controlled using iOS and Android apps. The AVR 2700 has eight HDMI ports and 4K video scaling for when you get round to buying that UHDTV, as well as 7.1-channel audio (at 100 watts per channel). The AVR 3700 adds WiFi connectivity, and has 7.2 channels (at 125 watts per channel) for adding a second woofer to your setup. When they become available to purchase in Q1 2013, expect wallet damage to the tune of $799 for the 2700, or $999 for the 3700. You can get a closer look at all the Harman products in the press shots below (complete with unnecessary reflection), and if you're into PRs, there are a whole bunch awaiting you after the break.

Gallery: JBL speaker and Harman Kardon A/V receiver press shots