I've tried just about everything out there — Bose SoundLink, Sony SRS-X2, a couple of off-brand Bluetooth speakers, and now this one. This one blows them all out of the water, and it's well-worth the money. Something to know about Bluetooth speakers: If you're a true audiophile and you like listening to music with complicated instrument tracks, Bluetooth technology is probably not for you. Even if you rip, or copy, your music to your phone or tablet at CD quality (AIFF or Apple Lossless), Bluetooth compresses your music so that it can travel wirelessly and seamlessly from one Bluetooth device to another. Bluetooth has evolved over the years, and the latest Bluetooth technology (Bluetooth 3.0 and higher) take into account that people want to listen to stereo music through portable Bluetooth speakers. It's good, but it's still not great. But for most people, it's good enough. Audio quality was a big issue for me. The Sony and off-brand speakers weren't very well-built, and it seemed like all were trying to overcompensate for bass at the cost of nice mids and highs ("trebel"). The Bose, on the other hand, compensated for everything, making everything sound worse and artificial in the process — a big letdown because Bose headphones are great. Where Bose engineers to make everything sound crisp, Harman Kardon engineers to make everything sound realistic. It shows in this little speaker Harman Kardon developed jointly with HTC. The One was designed to pair easily with the HTC One (Harman developed a version of the Android phone), but it works with any Bluetooth device. I use it mostly with my iPhone. Compatibility works well. Pairing is relatively simple. Wireless distance is unmatched. Battery life is OK — it's 5 hours, which is good, but not great. It charges via micro USB though, so if you're looking to use this at an all-day outdoor event like the beach or a BBQ, you might want to take an external battery pack along. But most people will only care about the sound. To that, I say, if you want your music to sound lifelike, a good mixture of lows, highs and everything in-between, this is the speaker for you. I'm so glad Harman Kardon is now selling their excess stock through Best Buy and online, and at $99, it's a steal (don't literally steal it, though, however tempted you might be). Aside from the battery, the only thing I'd change about this speaker is the volume settings. Even though it has volume buttons, it uses the volume settings of the device. At its lowest level, the speaker is VERY LOUD. Which, on the one hand, is great — means the device's battery won't drain as fast. On the other hand, if you're looking to use it in a quiet study, you won't be able to adjust the volume to a whisper. That having been said, if you've looked all over for a great sounding speaker, you've found it here in the Harman Kardon One. Buy it. Buy it now. Do it. Click the "buy button." Did you buy it yet? No? You should. Go for it.

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