The Harman Kardon Citation 200 speaker is looking to mix it with Sonos and Bose

A bit like owning a Volvo, Jeff Stelling on a Saturday lunchtime or watching Boris Johnson have his backside handed to him at Prime Minister’s Questions, there’s something reassuringly reliable about a Harman Kardon wireless speaker, and its new Citation 200 (£280) may well have the minerals to compete with the Sonos Move and Bose Portable Smart Speaker. It’s a got carry handle (solid start), it’ll stream music in HD quality over Wi-Fi or switch to Bluetooth should you dare move further afield, there’s a 1in tweeter, a 5in midrange and two passive bass radiators for balanced sound, and fully charged it’s good for an eight-hour shift. Indoors it’s got a compact charging cradle, while outdoors there’s a USB-C port for a swift juice boost. It’s got a pleasant grey or black design wrapped in obligatory blended wool Kvadrat acoustic fabric – this time with a special coating for easy cleaning and an IPX4 splashproof rating, should afternoon tea get out of hand. Google Assistant is on board, as is Google Chromecast and Apple AirPlay. The only thing that’s unreliable? A launch date. Harman says Q4 onwards so fingers crossed we see it before Christmas, but in the meantime keep an eye on Stuff and the Harman website for updates.

James Day

About

You’ll find me covering every area of consumer electronics and technology alongside new and inventive ways to campaign for the return of the MiniDisc. A borderline audiophile, I DJ digitally to a mildly acceptable standard at weekends and tend to surround myself with smart home tech at all other times. In short, I’m hackable and likely to be wearing headphones and distracted while it’s happening.

Areas of expertise

Consumer electronics, audio kit, smart home devices and fondly remembered forms of removable media