Harman Kardon Aura Studio

Alien from another planet

If the Enterprise ship had a normal kitchen instead of replicators, then Spock would cook buckwheat in a slow cooker similar to Aura Studio.

And don't let this comparison scare you — Aura Studio 2 knows how to attract attention. In the centre of the column is something like an aircraft turbine, which rests against the base of the column. The turbine is encircled by a ring that lights up depending on the volume level. And luminous touch buttons and a protective dome made of thick transparent plastic that covers the column add colour. Harman Kardon calls it animated backlighting.

surround sound

However, outrageousness is not the main feature of the Aura Studio 2. Thanks to the built-in subwoofer and a set of six mid/high speakers, the Aura produces surround sound, and the music seems to spread over the space like jam on a piece of toast. If you ask someone you know to close their eyes and guess the location of the speaker by the sound, then with a high degree of probability they will make a mistake both the first and the second time.

In most cases, a power reserve of 60 W is enough to play the new album of your favorite musician loudly, listen to a fresh podcast or connect a speaker to TV to watch a new blockbuster. If you need more volume, then you can combine several Aura Studios into one stereo system via Bluetooth. Perhaps the only drawback of this model is that at maximum volume the plastic case begins to rattle slightly.

In terms of features, Aura Studio 2 has a fairly standard set, with nothing superfluous. Firstly, it is the ability to transmit sound via Bluetooth with support for the AptX codec. Secondly, it is a 3.5 output for connecting a sound source directly. Also on the back of the speaker you can find a USB output, which the manufacturer suggests using to update the firmware.