Two things stopped this plucky Dolby Atmos soundbar from beating reigning champion Sonos
Competition in the entry-level Dolby Atmos soundbar segment has been intense over the past twelve months.
I know that, having helped review some of the most interesting opponents of our reigning champion, the multi-award winning Sonos Beam Gen 2.
It started at £430 / $560 / AU$800, but the price has slightly increased at most UK retailers to £449. That’s challenging the Sonos model specifically, which launched at £449 / $449 / AU$649.
In terms of connectivity, the soundbar offers two HDMI connections – one dedicated input and one output that can receive audio from your TV via eARC. That’s better than the Sonos Beam Gen 2, which only includes a single HDMI eARC output.
Powerful, powerful sound
Right out of the gate, the Harman Kardon Enchant 900 introduces us to an exciting sound performance that’s a quick step up from the sound of our TV.
This sense of power is greatly aided by the wide and expansive sound presentation of the sound bar.
If you watch Dune: Part Two in our screening room, Timothée Chalamet’s Paul watches as a giant sand worm jumps out of the sand. In this scenario, the sound bar presents a more open sound stage than the TV speakers, providing a focused sound that fills the room.
You can use Harman Kardon’s surround sound processing feature, which makes the sound stage wider and more enveloping. We find that it loses a touch of focus compared to when it’s off, where we get a small but fast sound.
A stop-focus ratio is appropriate in this example, as the improved sense of cinematic scale deserves a slight toning of the noise, so we leave it on.
It certainly surpasses the Sonos Beam Gen 2 in this regard, which can reach the same level of immersion and expansion.
The words are clear
It’s a common complaint when watching TV at home that we often can’t hear what the characters are saying on the screen, forcing you to turn up the volume or turn on the subtitles.
You won’t have that problem with the Enchant 900, though, as it delivers clear yet dynamic vocals that make it hard to miss a word.
This was made clear when we switched to it King and Commander: The Far Side of the Worldwhen a motley crew of ships is attacked by their enemies.
Despite the competition with the sound of the growing songs and the cracking of the wood of the ship, the voices are heard remarkably while maintaining a good amount of character and emotion, which makes the performance reasonably balanced; some of the best we’ve heard at this level recently.
But not too subtle
But, although it delivers room-filling sound while keeping the voice balanced, the Harman Kardon Enchant 900 cannot be described as a subtle soundbar.
When we switch to music via the streaming platform Qobuz, we get a good example of this. Aurora The church yard it starts soft and gentle, only his words start the track.
The sound bar is able to create a good sense of anticipation by building from a quiet voice to a bass-heavy chorus. But the interpretation of his words is stronger than it should be, and it does not have the subtle presentation that we find in bars like the Sonos Beam Gen 2.
This may not be a problem for those looking to deliver an amazing home movie experience, but those hunting for subtlety will be better served by the Award winner.
It is not a powerful singer with treble or bass
This slightly hallowed presentation continues when it comes to its triple performance, especially when pushed to extremes.
In the middle It is not brokenfor example, the screeching of airplane engines sounds harsh and can overwhelm the rest of the song at the loudest moments. This contrasts with the full Beam full sound which balances each frequency with more control.
You can lower the treble programmatically with the Enchant 900, but this disrupts the balance between frequencies.
Additionally, while its bass delivery is rock-bottom and engaging, it struggles to reach the same level of precision as competitors like the JBL Bar 300MK2. We say in our review: “Alternatively, the slightly cheaper JBL Bar 300MK2 delivers a more controlled bass that provides greater impact during intense action scenes, thanks to better detail in the lower frequencies.”
All this meant that the Harman Kardon Enchant 900 received a respectable rating of four stars overall, with the JBL and Sonos models delivering the best bang for your buck.
Still, it’s a solid choice for those looking to add more range and excitement to their sound. I hope the company fixes our two gripes for the next model!
MORE:
Here is our review of Harman Kardon Enchant 900
Check it out The best soundbars for Dolby Atmos
And these best budget soundbars
