Although sound quality matters more than the design or appearance of a desktop audio system, it’s hard not to appreciate the styling of the Harman Kardon Nova’s units. This powered stereo setup comes in black or white, with a spherical transparent shell surrounding each speaker, housing a 1.25in tweeter and 2.5in woofer. The transparent plastic satellites on Microlab’s FC60BT 2.1 system look good, but the Nova looks stunning.
There’s also a set of touch-sensitive buttons. You hold the touch-sensitive power button for a few seconds to power on the Nova, and slide your finger around the speaker to adjust volume. This control system initially takes some getting used to, as it isn’t quite the same as using a touch-screen on a smartphone or tablet, but it works well enough.
There are a few ports built into the side of the speakers, carefully hidden so they don’t get in the way of the design. Power, 3.5mm audio and optical connectors are included, with Bluetooth supported for wireless streaming, along with NFC pairing.
One slight setup hiccup came from the cable connecting the two speakers together though. The (assumed) proprietary connector uses an oddly shaped array of pins, which can only be pushed into its socket a certain way. Our unit arrived with them bent out of place, possibly from a previous reviewer lining them up incorrectly, but this problem wouldn’t exist if Harman Kardon had used a more straightforward connector.
Otherwise, Harman Kardon has clearly gone to a lot of effort to make the Nova such a desirable-looking object, which made us initially suspicious that it could be all style over substance. However, this fear was allayed when we started listening to them. The clarity was almost up there with Acoustic Energy’s Aego M, while the bass was surprisingly powerful for such small speakers.
The strongest area was in games and movies. Battlefield 4 sounded great through the Novas and, as with Microlab’s X1 set, we didn’t really mind the lack of a subwoofer due to the clear, crisp bass with each gunshot and explosion anyway. Band Of Brothers sounded similarly superb, without even a hint of nasty tinny noise from loud bullet pings, even at maximum volume.
However, there was a noticeable lack of punch when playing back music. Beethoven’s strings sounded crystal clear, while electric guitar chords sounded reasonably powerful. However, it couldn’t compete with the bigger 2.1 systems on test, which offer enough volume and bass to seriously provide some punch. Although the Nova didn’t emit any nasty noises when faced with low frequencies, it hardly shook the floor with them either. Then again, you can’t expect floor-shaking bass from a 2.5in speaker. but that’s what you lose when going for a small speaker set.
That’s not to say you won’t enjoy listening to music on the Nova. Not everyone wants as much thumping bass as possible, and in confined areas, the Nova will still sound fine.
What you’re paying for here is brilliant clarity, and the Nova undoubtedly scores top marks for its accurate sonic reproduction. If you’re short on space, the Harman Kardon Nova set offers great sound quality and fantastic looks, plus the flexibility of Bluetooth input.
However, the Nova lacks the punch of the larger 2.1 sets available. If you’re after some loud stereo speakers, with a stronger kick from the bass response, the Acoustic Energy Aego M set provides better sound for a similar price, but it can’t match the Nova’s looks.
VERDICT
Superb clarity and a beautiful design, but missing that essential punch when listening to music at louder volumes.
SPECIFICATIONS
Inputs 3.5mm RCA, optical, Bluetooth
Stated total RMS power 80W
Stated frequency response 55Hz-20kHz