…To ten million fireflies

I’m weird ’cause I hate goodbyes

I got misty eyes as they said farewell…

The SGD329 JBL Charge II Plus speaker powerfully belted out the lyrics of “Fireflies” by Owl City. The audience was enjoying a rich audio experience, as they swayed rhythmically in their seats – with their minds totally focused on the music.

Powerful JBL Charge II Plus speakers on display.

The speaker still kept on playing strongly… even when Andy Tsui, Director for Product Planning & Strategy, Home & Multimedia at Harman Lifestyle, picked it up with one hand… whilst holding a large glass of water in the other, and to my surprise, completely emptying the glass of water onto the speaker – and without spluttering at all, the music was coming out just as strongly as ever. The speaker even put on a show for the audience, with water sprouting out of it, making it resemble a geyser spewing out molten liquid.

JBL Charge II Plus: A water resistant and splash-proof speaker

It had been an impressive sight – and a wonderful piece of technology indeed. Said Tsui on the Charge II Plus, “It’s water resistant and splash proof, so if the speaker gets wet, that is not a problem. However it’s not water proof though, so you can say goodbye to the speaker if it drops into the sea or the swimming pool.”

In addition, the Charge II Plus speaker also comes with a powerful 6,000mAh battery, and its name is derived from the fact that it has the ability to charge a mobile phone whilst playing music simultaneously.

Media event by IMS Marketing audio distributor

This JBL Charge II Plus speaker was just one of the innovative products demonstrated to us at an audio media event hosted by IMS Marketing.

Ultra-portable JBL Clip+ Speaker.

Explained Wong YingMing, Brand Activator for APAC, Sports Headphones & Wearables at Harman Lifestyle, “Music is a big part of all our lives in today’s day and age. It is for me, especially when I am running. And music plays a big part in Harman’s business as well.”

Ever-versatile JBL Clip Plus speaker

Besides the Charge II Plus, I was also impressed by the ever-versatile JBL Clip Plus (SGD99.00) speaker, which is so small and portable that it can be easily clipped onto a handbag, a backpack or even a pocket. So this is convenient for outdoor activities such as hiking and trekking, as well as endurance sports including running or cycling.

The Clip+ is extremely versatile.

JBL Pulse: A speaker with colourful LED Lights

The JBL Pulse (SGD329) was another interesting product that we were given a presentation on. With colourful LED lights literally blinking in tune to the music that it is playing, I thought that this unique speaker would most probably be a talking point at parties and other functions, where it would be playing.

Colourful Pulse speaker works in tandem with the music it’s playing.

Explained Tsui on the JBL Pulse, “We have worked on this product for two years. We wanted to come up with something different, so we decided to combine both the audio and the visual element – to elevate the user’s music experience. We have been getting a lot of positive feedback and copycats for this product, because it’s such a different and unique music concept.”

JBL products are all about passion and dynamism 

These unique and creative portable products sum up what the JBL brand is all about, according to Wong. He said, “JBL is all about passion, energy and dynamism. It represents people who want to live their lives to the maximum.”

JBL products are full of passion and dynamism.

Harman Kardon Esquire Mini speaker

And the company’s premium house brand, Harman Kardon products, are for people who want grace and finesse and can afford the finer things in life, according to Wong. He said, “Harman Kardon’s products are inspirations – they have clean lines and are sophisticated. They may look simple on the outside but if you look closely, you will see that Harman Kardon products are all about finesse and refinement.”

He pointed out the Harman Kardon Esquire Mini (SGD149.95) as an example. An ultra-thin, suave and svelte looking rectangular audio speaker, Wong explained that every single hole in this speaker is in the exact same angle as the Harman Kardon logo.

Harman Kardon Esquire mini has a rechargeable battery with 8 hours of playtime
(photo: www.cnet.com)

But not only that – the Esquire Mini is also impressive in other ways – it has a rechargeable battery with eight hours of playtime and a USB for charging external devices like mobile phones an a versatile dual-microphone conferencing system featuring echo and noise cancellation technology.

Some of the other high quality audio products by Harman Kardon also include the NC premium noise-cancelling headphones (SGD299.95) and the Soho wireless headset (SGD249.95) which features simplified Bluetooth connectivity.

Harman Kardon earphones give high quality sounds

AKG N90 Luxury Earphones

And the AKG products are suitable for professionals working in the music industry, or those who may be looking for premium sound quality in their homes – such as the AKG N90Q luxury earphones, which will be launched soon.  The N90Q earphones were inspired by Grammy award winning producer Quincy Jones and are a state-of-the-art, flagship level headphones that represent the pinnacle of acoustic performance and audio customisation.

AKG N90Q luxury earphones are suitable for music professionals to use

Slated to be retailing at SGD2,199, I got the opportunity to test a pair out – and they are definitely impressive.

Though these earphones may be large, with two marshmallow-like ear cups, they gave me the feeling that the rich, deep music was practically surrounding the entire room – and that I had been completely enveloped in the centre of it. As a bonus too, the earphones are very comfortable to wear and I did not feel as though I was being weighed down at all by them.

Said Maarten Willems, Global Product Line Manager of Headphones, Harman Lifestyle, “The N90Q is the most accurate sounding headphones in the world today. They even measure the shape of your ear canal and your frequency response, to adjust the sound and optimise it to suit each and every listener. The N90Q also block off ambient noise.”

There are two colours available for these comfortable earphones – a black flagship version and a limited-edition gold & black coloured one.

Audio sound quality is important

Being able to come up with accurate-sounding and high quality audio products such as the N90Q headphones for consumers, is important in the audio technology market nowadays.

Audio quality of electronic products is important amongst consumers nowadays.

According to Willems, this is because audio sound quality is one of the most important things that people look out for when choosing what products to purchase nowadays. He explained, “The sound definitely matters. In the past, people used to buy the cheapest buds in the market, but now they are willing to invest more in better sound quality.”

And that ultimately, is what Harman and the brands under them – that is, JBL, Harman Kardon and AKG strive to produce – good sound quality for their customers.

Thank you, IMS Marketing, for the media invite to try the JBL, AKG and Harman Kardon product range.

web counter