Harman Kardon Luna: Review

The tech world is awash with Bluetooth speakers.

Even more so, the portability of speakers has become less of a selling point than it once was - after all, this is still the generation that had boomboxes on shoulders at events.

So, it's with a wary mindset that one would approach the Harmon Kardon Luna, a portable Bluetooth speaker that really doesn't have much else to offer in terms of difference - on the surface at least.

But at a slight 1.13kg and a very sleek and sophisticated look, the Harman Kardon Luna fits in perfectly to the luxe effect that you may be wanting to achieve in a home. Its compact nature and its polished look mean it can fit anywhere you'd want - either on a shelf, or a side unit - or outside at an event at home with friends around.

With a USB-C charger subtly in place on the back of the speaker, and just a handful of buttons on the top, clearly some thought has gone into the design and minimising the bumps that may protrude on such a small device. 

At the end of the day though, all of that is largely irrelevant. Harman Kardon has previously marked out its place in the market with devices that look polished and high end - even if they (like this one does) come without a companion app for sound purists to tweak. That seems like a major oversight for the company in many ways - with so many other speakers offering the option to allow the customisation of sound, it's hard to justify recommending this as an experience for music-lovers.

Thankfully, the sound of the Harman Kardon Luna is more than strong enough to serve as a recommendation.

Beefy without distorting (even if the battery drains quicker the louder it is), and with enough bass booming through, the likes of Pulp's greatest hits, Darude's Sandstorm and Queen's Another One Bites the Dust, delivered the kind of sound needed to not be lost in the mix.

Clear, and powerful enough to travel across a distance during a party, the sound quality is balanced and vibrant for whatever genre you're pushing through. With a battery life that's around 12 hours and a couple of hours for a full charge, the basics are in place. Connectivity is perhaps one of the bonuses of this device given it allows for dual connection with two sources able to connect at any one point, meaning that more than one person can use it at any time without having to disconnect and reconnect.

With IP67 dust and water resistance, the speaker is durable enough to handle most things - but ironically, this is perhaps the one portable speaker that doesn't rely on its portability. With its classy design, sleek and compact execution, it's a speaker that makes more of a case for being a static device sitting majestically on a shelf and being used around the house, rather than being dragged from pillar to post whenever.