If you are looking for the best sound available on a bluetooth speaker, and money is no object for you, you are probably already trying to decide between the Beats Pill XL and the Harman Kardon.
Both speakers are the top dogs in the realm of large, powerful Bluetooth speakers. These are the kinds of speakers that make audiophiles sing loving praises.
Despite being completely wire free, both speakers have an impressive range of sound that allow you to play your music exactly as it should be, with no tinning or problems with distortion once you reach higher volumes.
Trying to choose between both of these can be a very daunting task, as, other than their designs, they might seem very similar. This article will try to take you through the special features of each one, and then compare both together to allow you to see which one suits your particular need.
Beats by Dre Pill XL
Everyone has heard of the Beats company by now. Founded by Dr. Dre, this company has been making high quality headphones and speakers since 2008.
Initially, most people came to know of the Beats company from their heavily advertised headphones, appearing in many stores on elaborate display cases and on the heads of many people. However, slowly more and more people are finding the power of Beats speakers.
The Beats Pill XL Bluetooth speaker is very likely their best speaker yet.
Each Beats Pill XL is large, larger than other Bluetooth speakers you might be used to. For this though, you do get up to 15 hours of constant on time battery life, due to all the extra room for power. The full size of the Beats Pill XL is 13 by 3.75 by 3.75 inches, meaning that if you ever want to carry this around with you, it will need to be placed into a backpack. But, if you do bring it out anywhere with you, you will be able to take advantage of one of its amazing extra features. If you connect a phone or a tablet to it via USB cable, it can also charge up your device for you. This means that you can use your mobile device to play music without having to worry about if you will have enough charge left to last you until you get home.
As well as extra battery life, this additional size gives the beats pill the ability to produce an amazingly loud and high quality sound. Sometimes, the beats are criticized for being a little bit too heavy on the bass, but, with the right type of music, the Beats by Dre Pill XL can actually help to reveal dimensions to your music that you didn’t know existed before.
The other thing to note about the Pill XL Bluetooth Speaker is how stylish it is. After all, now it is owned by Apple, the Beats company will never be able to get away with putting out a poorly designed product.
Everything about the speaker has been built to impress. It uses a stylish black layout, and there is only a single button on it, with all other ports carefully hidden around the back of the speaker.
If you are new to the world of bluetooth speakers, but are looking for high quality speakers, then the Beats is an amazing fit for you as connecting any device to it is simple. As long as your phone has an NFC chip in it (and most newer phones do), all you have to do is place your device near it and the speaker will automatically connect up. You can then instantly start using your phone to select and start playing songs, with a range of up to 30 feet away from the Beats Pill XL.
The Beats has also been made for sharing in mind, and not just your music in a room. If a friend of yours also has a Beats Pill Bluetooth speaker, all you have to do is bump them together and both speakers will act as one, allowing you to create a dynamic space for sound.
At launch, the Beats Pill XL cost $325, meaning that yes, you will have to pay for all of this quality, but it can be very worth it.
Harman Kardon – Onyx Studio
The very first thing you will notice about the Harman Kardon – Onyx Studio is how out of the world it looks. When people are looking at it, they will often wonder what it is before realizing it is one of the best bluetooth speakers that money can buy.
There are no buttons on the front of the device. Instead, any buttons that you need are cleverly hidden around the sides. This means that nothing upsets from the simple and pure wow factor of the high quality Harman Kardon bluetooth speaker.
The Harman Kardon is designed to remain stationary in one place, although it does come with a rechargeable battery that will last for up to five hours. Part of the reason for this is the speaker is packed with all of the latest sound technology, meaning that it uses far more power than other comparable speakers. If you do want to end up taking it elsewhere, you will have needed to have hit the gym before hand, as the speaker is very heavy.
As for sound, the Harman Kardon is amazing. The bass coming out of this speaker is just as clear and powerful as you could ever want it to be. It is very possible to fill a room with sound and not have to crank up the volume on all of your devices even 25% of the way. One of the best ways to describe the sound that comes out of these speakers is “warm and clear”, with every single instrument and voice in your music sounding as if it is coming from a live and undistorted source.
The speaker only struggles slightly if you are playing particularly bass heavy tracks, such as hip-hop. Here, sometimes, the bass can get a bit muddled with midrange tones, meaning that the previously amazing clarity that you have experienced instead washes away into a little bit of a mess.
One thing you will have to be aware of is that there is only one way to play music on the Harman Onyx Studio Speakers, and that is via a bluetooth connection. There is no other way at all to connect up devices, meaning that if you are planning to use this on a computer or television without a bluetooth chip, then you will be out of luck.
Although you might not be able to pair more than one of them up at a time, the other great thing about the Harman Kardon Studio Bluetooth Speakers is the placement of the internal speakers. Due to their slightly curbed positions, the device can actually give you omni-directional sound, making it sound like your are listening in surround sound without having to actually have speakers all around your home.
Although the recommended retail of the speakers is $400, if you are lucky, you can sometimes pick them up at heavily discounted prices, with some places offering them for the low price of $150.
In comparison:
If you can ever see yourself moving around the speaker to other places, such as a friend’s house or between home and the office, then you will probably want to look into getting the Dr. Dre Beats Pill XL. This is because it’s lighter weight and longer charge time makes it perfect for this need.
Another reason to pick the Dr. Dre Pill XL is if your music typically contains bass heavy sounds, such as most rap and hip-hop or drum and bass songs. This is because the Beats are second to none in being able to get the bass tones of your music just right for your listening.
But, if you prefer a cleaner and crisper sound, then the Harman Kardon Onyx Studio speakers are for you, as it can accurately reproduce almost all music with clarity you would only otherwise get if you broke into a musicians home and stole their master tapes.
If this does sound like the kind of sound you want, then the only reason you might want to choose the Beats over the Harman Kardon Onyx Studio is if you are planning on using your speakers with any devices that do not have a bluetooth connection. If so, keep in mind that the Dr. Dre Beats XL do have an aux port, allowing you to play music from practically any device.
