Customer Reviews

Harman Kardon Go + Play Portable Speakers System with Dock for iPod (Black/Silver)

5 star:		(117)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Pros:

Best sounding ipod dock under $500. PERIOD!!!!!

Phenomenally deep and **REFINED** bass for something the size of a toaster.

Bass is definitely NOT the only thing this does well. It's performance on the full audio spectrum (yes, that's midrange too) is also best in it's class!

It's portable!!

(*Cons listed at the end... where they belong)


First off I have to address the price issue. I, for the most part, think that the "made for Ipod" logo is license to over price. Almost no Ipod dock is truly worth it's price and I believe for what they do and what they sound like, the are **ALL** over-priced.

That being said, amongst the myriad of overpriced ipod docks, this one is THE ***MOST WORTHY*** OF IT'S PRICE TAG.

Compared to all of the other premium ipod docks this one is amazing. I can say that with confidence because I shopped around for MONTHS before I settled on this one. The only dock that sounds better in this price range is the Geneva Lab Model M which cost $499 (also worth it), which is NOT portable. (little do most consumers know, there are ipod docks that now cost up to $5,000 and more!!!)

The sound out of this thing is so very refined and robust when compared to any ipod dock you would find at the Apple store or any bigbox retailer. They only way you can find anything better is to look at items sold on-line (Geneva Lab) or at very High-End retailers. There probably is no other 'portable' dock that sounds any better. But don't let the word 'portable' fool you. It sounds the best when compared to ANY dock.

I was very surprised at how great this sounds in a noisy Apple store, but wait until you get it home!

WARNING: If you plan on using this thing in a small room with four walls it's Bass may be a bit too strong for you! DO NOT mistake this for BOOMY bass. There's just A LOT of strong deep bass, and BOY IS IT WAAAAYYYY DEEP for something that is about the size of a large toaster!!! Instead of boomy crappy bass, in a small room, this just sounds like you have a nice expensive subwoofer in a very nice home theater set turned up a bit too high. This is NOT a problem if you like a lot of bass, as it isn't for me.

What separates the Go + Play from other docks is that it's not just good at Bass (it's better than all of the others at that, by the way), but it's great at the full audio spectrum. It actually has a strong midrange presentation and really nice highs/treble as well. So many other ipod docks (as well the entire BOSE product line) impress consumers with large amounts of bass (notice I didn't say good bass) and simply decent performance on the rest of the audio spectrum. By the way, this is probably the only dock that actually gets up to 20,000 Hz (20kHz), for those of you who know what this means. Do not expect that out of the Bose, Altech Lansing or Apple docks.

I would definitely say that this is the Audiophile's Ipod Dock in this price range for sure!!!! (if an audiophile would ever, first of all use an ipod and then use an 'ipod sound dock' at all).

I must mention a con or two.

#1 - YOu will not get the same amazing sound with this is operating on it's battery power. This is VERY VERY loud when plugged in, but the volume is limited when unplugged (still no distortion, however). The bass extension and quantity is also, noticeably, cut by about 1/2. I am sure this is done in order to have it last 18 hours on the 8 D batteries as advertise (it actually does last a very long time by the way). Make no mistake though, you still get a ton of bass for something you can carry around in your hand anywhere. You're peers will still be impressed . Note that nothing else is lost. It's treble and midrange performance remains the same.

#2 Your ipod faces up when docked in this dock and you cannot see the screen from afar. This is not a problem me, but may be for others. I tend to just make large play lists and have play in "shuffle" mode anyway.

#3. The remote is fragile.

The sound of this boombox is extraordinary, given the size. You can hear each instrument distinctly. The soundfield is big and the bass is impressive.

But beware: you might find yourself wasting time for two reasons.

1.) If you're like me, you'll wind up re-ripping all of your CDs. I had imported my disks into iTunes at the standard bit rate of 128, and music sounded fine through cheap earphones and speakers. Then I heard a lossless track through Shure 500/530 earphones and through this boombox, and wow! Tracks at 128 sound just dandy, but at higher rates the difference is quite noticeable, even to casual listeners. For the first time, I can hear the difference bit rate makes, and I'm no audiophile. So look out! If you buy this excellent item, you might suddenly find yourself re-ripping CDs, then shopping amazon for a new hard drive to fit that suddenly huge iTunes library. It's a slippery slope.

2.) If you're like me, you'll also end up zoning out and just listening to your music. I bought this boombox for its portability, so that I could take it along on activities. But it BECOMES the activity. For instance, when I take it into the kitchen, I often find myself staring into space, hands in dishwater, wondering why I'd never heard a detail before....

Yep, this box is costly, and as I've suggested, it can spoil you and lead to other costs. (I'm quite dissatisfied with my cheap-o home stereo now.) But this box can also enrich your relationship with your music.

I first heard the Harman Kardon at an Apple store in Florida. I couldn't believe how much better it sounded than 4 other brands, including the Bose. This one just had such a big sound in such an elegant package. I ordered one off Amazon and it's exceeded my expectations of how good portable sound can be. I just pick it up by the solid and ergonomic handle, and take it anywhere in the house I want. People have said to me repeatedly how great it sounds. It's definitely worth the money.

I am no audiophile. But when I heard the Go+Play at a local store, I was blown away! It looked different and sounded exceptional.

So, I lusted after one...until I recently bought it.
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Background: My music has been ripped from CDs and bought online at different bit rates (128 - 320 KBPS). Predominantly, the MP3s have been ripped at 128 KBPS. I play it on the latest Nano docked to the Go+Play.
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The bad...

Most mp3s at the 128 KBPS bit rate sound unnaturally harsh on this device. It is near impossible to raise the volume level without your ears feeling the pain from the lack of quality. In contrast, the Athena iVoice (I own as well) is easier on the ear and does not boom the bass out or accentuate the treble the way the Go+Play does. Harman Kardon has not designed it to be forgiving....
Adjusting the IPOD equalizer was useful for certain songs (to correct for the treble and base) but overall did not serve the purpose as it required too much tinkering for each song and I just want to put it on the dock and forget about it...
Another issue is that the system does not charge the new IPODs.
The lousiest manual that can be found on this planet.

The good....
It is loud...it fills the room. You cannot use it at its peak volume without upsetting the neighbors (especially if they share a wall with you).
RF remote that is not direction sensitive....
Nice handle to carry it. The handle feels solid and it is easy to walk this device around.
The dock is very secure. You can rest assured that the ipod will remain safe as you carry the dock around.
The power adapter can convert 100V-240V into the required 18V and so, it can be used anywhere in the world.

The excellent....
If you rip CDs using the Apple lossless coding, ths sounds are significantly different. This boombox is designed for CD quality songs....
The distortion free response and clarity.....I can hear sounds on the Go+Play that I cannot on the Athena iVoice which is a bit more muddled.
Stereo separation...this sounds more like a stereo system than an IPOD dock!

Conducted a several-weeks-long research about iPod dockers available (Bose, Altec Lansing InMotion 7, the big Apple Stereo).

The Harman Kardon won for having the best sound by far.

First: superb sound -- richer, deeper and clearer than the Bose (by a lot)
In particular, the depth of the sound and its mid frequency clarity is far ahead of the Bose. The Bose has a tiny edge in Bass, but i could live with that.

Second: its flexible -- Unlike the Bose, this one can be used for all devices since it comes with a std. 3.5mm stereo jack.

Third: This thing came loaded with accessories (i bought it ex-singapore,s so accessory levels may differ).
Mine came with 2 different wall plug wires (singapore plug and EU plug), 8 plastic thingies to to fit the ipod to the device and 2 rubber casings for ipods of different sizes (standard, mini and nano!)

It also came with a 3.5mm wire and a USB unlike cable!

Only downside: Its a bit bigger than the Bose, but significantly smaller than the Altec Lansing In Motion 7 and the iPod Stereo.

By far the best in the current lot.

I am a middle aged adult who loves music. I recently sold off my 14 year old high end audio system in order to downsize and invest in new electronics. One of the items I was looking for was a portable stereo system to run my iPod, which houses my entire CD collection of some 11,000+ songs. The HK Go + Play is THE best boombox-sized stereo I have ever heard. I love the design; it looks like something you would find in a modern art museum - functional art. The sound that emerges from this little box is truly astonishing - rich, clear and vibrant. For those of you who say the bass is boomy - this happens when the unit is up against a wall - moved out several inches, the bass cleans up and sounds as good as the mids and highs. The volume levels and clarity of sound are very satisfying. This beautiful little bug-eyed box puts most typical home stereo set ups I have heard to shame. There are some people who complain about the laid back attitude of the iPod while housed in the unit, but the fact is, the video screen is so small you have to be up close to watch it or read it anyway. I have no issues with the ergonomics whatsoever and I have had no power off issues as a few have reported. Regarding the remote: I set up playlists on my iPod and the remote allows me to forward, skip, go back, change volume, stop it, turn it off and on, etc. This thing is just a marvel of modern technology. I could not be more pleased with it. I can take it and my entire musical library anywhere and enjoy good, quality sound. This thing ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!

This unit produces great sound in a stylish package worthy of a modern art museum. Great volume, great bass. The only caveat I have is with the manual. In eleven languages, in microscopic print and with very few details, pictures or instructions. I didn't realize it didn't have the adapter for my new ipod nano until I asked the online help at harmon kardon (which is excellent by the way!).

Also, the first unit I purchased would shut itself off periodically for no reason (not sleep mode on the ipod, which online help suspected). I returned it and have had no problems with the new unit.

I did massive research regarding the perfect solution for iPod portable sound. I also contemplated a stationary speaker solution, because prior to discovering the HK GO + PLAY, there was nothing out there that was even worth the effort. So I read all the reviews, hit the stores to listen to the various products available to consumers, and it came down to this:

- The Logitech offerings seemed to cheap to me from every perspective.
- Bose make good professional products, not impressed with the consumer stuff.
- Altec's offerings just can't fill a room with enough sound, unless your standing next to them.
- The Athena was better than the BOSE, but still not room filling.
- The JBL offerings, had to much treble for my taste.
- GEORGE, over-rated from my standpoint.
- Griffin, great manufacturer, terrible with speaker technology.
- B&W, I honestly was not impressed considering the $600 price tag. For that much money, go buy a Yamaha AMP and be done with it.
- Klipsch, nice but not really a portable solution, and the sound was not full range.

Overall, the HK GO + PLAY killed all the above mentioned in every category. The bass, the mids, and the highs are extremely well balanced for something of this size. If you know anything about engineering, you have to commend HK for building something quite unique in sound principle. I have this unit in my living room with 12 foot ceilings and the sound reverberates throughout my home like a true fidelity setup. It's simply incredible that HK was able to pull this off??? You have to give them credit.

Do yourself a favor if you purchase this; turn off the EQ on the iPod, you don't need it when you dock it with the GO + PLAY. It has built-in electronics that computer control the sound dynamics of each tune. That's why they did not include any timbre controls (bass and treble) with the unit. It's not really needed as result of the DSP processing being used. The iPod EQ is just going to throw off the units sound processing capabilities.

Enjoy, because I know that I will...

I love this boom box. I took it with me on vacation and it worked great with my 30g iPod Video. At home, I most often have it connected to AirTunes via Airport Express router so I can play iTunes directly from my computer. This, to me, is what separates it from the Bose Sound Dock, which has no extra ports. The sound on this baby fills my large living room. I compared it in the Apple Store to all of the others, including the Bose, and there was no comparison. All in all, it was worth the price, but I'd like to see it a little bit more competitive with some of the others. Oh, I forgot to mention, when I returned from vacation, I forgot to plug it in so I inadvertantly ran it on battery power for a few weeks. I got plenty of life out of the batteries. I don't have any problem seeing my iPod screen either, and the remote works great even from other rooms in the house.

Update 12-30-2010:
I have updated to 5 stars because now I can! The sound is just great and although the remote is complicated (to say the least) the sound is just awesome. My friend has a Bose and the bass in this blows it away, as does the overall sound quality. Buy it, you will NOT be disappointed.

Edit 4/26/08:
Okay, now the remote works....inspite of HK telling me it won't work properly. I don't know if it was something I was doing or not, quite honestly. I tried every combination, I turned it on and off, and it would not work properly. Now, when I went to listen to some music and try to figure out what it WOULD control, it seems to be working perfectly. If it stays like this, I wish I could change my rating to 4 stars, minus one for the lack of control over bass and treble, etc.... and that would really add up to half a star reduction, so might still rate it at 5 stars. I will post back in about a month to let you know if things are not just running haphazardly....I am still curious why the rep at HK told me what he did, instead of possibly telling me that the remote is not working properly. My advice, go to the apple store, try your unit on one of these and then if it works, come back and save almost $100 (after tax) here.

Important Update August 24, 2008********

It has been several months and all works very well. The sound is just awesome, and I truly regret the intitial problems that I had. This is so good, and the sound so clean, that it really deserves 4.5 stars (still a minus for lack of bass and treble control). I heard this side by side with the bose and, for my ears and preferences, find it to be a hands down winner. The remote works from over 15 feet. The only thing I can say is you really should listen to each first because some may prefer a more sharp ("tinnie") sound, and some, like myself, enjoy the richness of the bass.
I bought this for my iPod Touch.

Pro's:
-Awesome sound. Best I have heard and I listend to everything in the apple store. With that said, you need to listen to everything yourself because some people prefer more bass and others prefer a brighter sound. I found this to be just the right balance for my preference. The differences between this, the Bose, the Klipsch, etc., are very different, so you should try them all out.
-Portable. Add D batteries and you are ready to go, anywhere.
-Solid design. This is no sissy plastic boombox. It feels solid, not flimsy at all.
-Turn it up, no distortion. Crisp and clean all the way up. Plenty of power. (If it doesn't sound loud, it might be the recording).

Cons:
-No docking adapter for the iPod Touch
-Remote does not work properly for the iPod Touch
-No bass or treble controls
-User guide is useless. Well, not completely useless, I am sure you could use it for kindling. Translated uselessness into 11 different languages
-Remote instructions (on a sticker you must stick on the back) has very small print....not that it matters, it is not fully compatible with the iPod Touch (you can scroll through music and select different songs awkwardly, but you can not raise or lower the volume).

With that said, I would give the seller a 4. Fast shipping, though mediocore packaging. Price is awesome.....so lets say 4.5 stars.

I am very happy with the sound, however I am disappointed with the remote as well as the lack of instruction (I understand there is little to do, however, with the way it controls the iPod Touch, there should be better instructions).

Here is what I got from Harman Kardon:

"Good evening and thanks for your inquiry. Unfortunately, because of Apples security authentication IC which is exclusive to all new iPod's including the iTouch this makes the product incompatible with some operational features of the HKGOPLAYBLK. As a result this may affect some operation of your remote as well as it not being able to pass video."

This is not mentioned on their website, or anywhere else. So, if you have a newer product from Apple, the remote may not work properly. At this price level I feel this is unacceptable. Hence the two stars. If I had an older "I" product, and all worked well, this would easily be 5 stars.