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Harman Kardon Gets Into Multi Room Audio at CES 2016 With Omni+ Speakers

Harman Kardon Gets Into Multi-Room Audio at CES 2016 With Omni+ Speakers

By Ali Pardiwala | Updated: 6 January 2016 12:16 IST

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Not that multi-room audio is a new thing, but 2016 is the year when the concept of multiple connected speakers is set to take off. While a slew of manufacturers including Sonos, Bose, and Sony already have product lineups to take the segment on, others such as Harman Kardon are just getting into the act.

Speaking of which, the American audio specialist company has announced its new Omni+ range of products, which includes the Omni 10+, Omni 20+ and Omni 50+ speakers, the OmniBar+ soundbar and the Adapt+ accessory which can be used to give your older speakers multi-room connectivity. All of the above can handle high-res audio with support for up to 24-bit/192kHz files, and can stream using Google Cast or Spotify Connect. In addition, the Omni 50+ can be used outdoors, thanks to some basic splash resistance. Multi-room connectivity is controlled using a dedicated companion app.

All of the speakers have plenty of connectivity options, with 5G Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Ethernet, and auxiliary inputs all supported. AirPlay is missing from the list, but this shouldn't be too much of a problem considering the companion app can use Wi-Fi to stream audio.

Harman Kardon has also made it easier to pair multiple products together to create a 3.1 or 5.1 wireless surround sound setup, by connecting two or more speakers to the OmniBar+. Typical multi-room connectivity uses the companion app, and can be set up to play either the same track in multiple rooms, or different tracks in different rooms, by using multiple speakers connected via your home Wi-Fi network.

All of the new speakers have just been launched at CES 2016, and are expected to launch globally in the first half of 2016, with pricing ranging from $199 for the Omni 10+ to $999 for the OmniBar+. India-specific availability and pricing information is yet to be made available, but we'll keep you posted as soon as we find out.

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Further reading: Audio, CES, CES 2016, Harman, Harman Kardon, Harman Kardon Adapt Plus, Harman Kardon Omni 10 Plus, Harman Kardon Omni 20 Plus, Harman Kardon Omni Plus, Harman Kardon OmniBar Plus, Multi Room Audio, Speakers