Harman Kardon launches a "breakthrough" in high-quality streaming audio at IFA 2014-- the Omni 10 and Omni 20 loudspeakers and the Adapt wireless adapter for customers wanting to upgrade their current home stereo systems.
Blackfire Research technology powers the Omni wireless system, while a Harman Kardon app and Bluetooth aptX handle streaming from mobile devices and streaming services. It handles audio streams at up to 24-bit/96kHz.
Customers can set up the Omni 10 and 20 speakers as standalone, in pairs or in fives configurations for an immersive same-room wireless experience.
Meanwhile the Adapt bridges existing hifi equipment with wireless networks. It requires no network cables, as wifi and a mobile device app take care of configuration duties.
One can set up multiple speakers or adapters, and the Adapt can either play different music in different rooms for private listening or stream the same song throughout the house in party mode.
A One Touch Follow Me mode makes the music "follow" the listener as they walk from one room to another, while Link Button speaker control provides easy room-to-room control.
Harman Kardon says its wireless audio system is also open to the new Harman Developer Community, allowing members to create new listening modes, tuning options and integration with other streaming services.
