When was the last time you really listened to music? No office chatter, no train announcements – just you, at home, with an infinite universe of auditory creativity awaiting your exploration. Can’t remember? Over the next 18 pages, you’ll find the remedy. Happy listening!
HARMAN KARDON AURA STUDIO 4
£299 / go.stuff.tv/Studio4
Twenty-three years ago, Harman Kardon and Apple introduced the iSub — an icon that blended form and function so well we could happily call it a technological sculpture. The Aura range has always respectfully paid homage to the iSub, and this latest iteration carries the torch forward with pride.
Lyrical waxing aside, this is, at its core, a simple Bluetooth speaker. There’s no Wi-Fi streaming, no built-in smart assistant, or even an aux-in. Instead, the Studio 4 presents itself on two key merits: its incomparable design, and sound quality. We’ll start off with the former, because it’s clearly the main draw.
Featuring fabric, aluminium and plastic, the Studio 4 is a beautifully well-made device of reassuring heft. The plastic dome, coupled with the inner 3D pattern, almost resembles a futuristic upturned acorn. This is a good thing. It stands out from the crowd, and once the LEDs start flashing from its core in time to the music, the effect is mesmerising. It won’t light up the room like a disco ball, but for background ambience it’s a very pleasant feature to have.
There are five preset colour combinations – and you can turn them off completely, which is something we’d probably do during the day to save our already distracted minds from another slice of tech stimulation. Controls are simple enough, with a range of touch-sensitive buttons equally spaced out along the front edge.
Now then. The sound. You might expect more style than substance, given its flashy nature and the fact that it’s stuck on Bluetooth 4.2. You’ll forget all that, however, when you finally open up Spotify and fire off some tunes.
Considering the Studio 4’s compact dimensions, you’d be forgiven for hunting around the room for a hidden sub, such is its low-end prowess. Granted, the lack of an app with EQ controls might put off pure audiophiles who demand a more neutral sound, but for most people’s needs the balance of this speaker will keep the party going well into the early hours. And that’s all without mentioning the vast, room-filling, multi-directional clarity, which really defies its small footprint.
In short, the Aura Studio 4 is a fun, energetic listen that will make your body move whether you want it to or not. And if that’s not a win, then we don’t know what is.
Key specs
● 100W ● 6x 1.6in drivers, 1x 5.2in sub ● Bluetooth 4.2
● 284x232x232mm, 3.6kg
STUFF SAYS Not the most accurate or feature-packed speak
