Harman/Kardon SB 16
Manufacturer: Harman Part number: SB 16
Where to buy
*Total price for the Harman/Kardon SB 16 are estimated and may vary slightly based on exact tax, shipping, manufacturer rebate or any sale/promotion on the merchant site.
show CNET editors' review
Harman/Kardon SB 16 price range: $599.00 - $599.99
- Reviewed by: Matthew Moskovciak and Steve Guttenberg
- Edited by: John Falcone
- Reviewed on: 03/23/2011
- Released on: 01/15/2011
The good: The Harman Kardon SB 16 has excellent sound quality for a sound bar. Its exterior design is also a cut above budget sound bars, and its two digital audio inputs should be enough for basic home theaters.
The bad: The subwoofer's giant footprint may be too much for some buyers. The SB 16 also relies on your TV's remote to adjust volume, which may result in annoying onscreen messages on some HDTVs. And $600 for a sound bar is more than many are willing to spend.
The bottom line: The Harman Kardon SB 16 features a premium price tag and some remote control quirks, but its excellent sound quality and exterior design make it worth the extra cash.
Read CNET's full review
show User reviews
Write Review Showing opinion 1 to 5 out of 5
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10 stars
Disabled Speaker Message Workaround
by g8rei on September 19, 2011
Pros: We easily circumvented the annoying "speaker disabled" popup by not disabling the TV speaker as recommended by H/K and instead sticking in a male/male headphone extension cord into the TV's headphone jack. Then we paired our remote with the soundbar as i
Cons: None that I am aware of.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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8 stars
EASY SET UP....NO REMOTE ISSUES
by oakparkmark on October 13, 2012
Pros: Higher priced but worth it.....awesome sound....5 minute set up from box to functioning.
Cons: Big subwoofer but generates excellent sound. Placed it upfront in a corner as suggested.
No real CONS.
Summary: Connected to 4 year old SONY 52" LCD. Under MENU: disabled the speakers and enabled the SOUND SYSTEM option. Pressed two buttons on the soundbar to allow it to search ...
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Summary: Connected to 4 year old SONY 52" LCD. Under MENU: disabled the speakers and enabled the SOUND SYSTEM option. Pressed two buttons on the soundbar to allow it to search for my DirecTV remote. Touched the volume button on the remote and an instantaneous connection was made. I live in Florida where cement floors prevent us from hiding wires. This is the perfect alternative if you have wiring issues. Highly recommend. Best Buy 18 months no interest. Go for it.
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8 stars
Remote NO-problem
by Kaub07 on March 24, 2011
Pros: Dont' actually own.
Cons: Don't actually own.
Summary: I don't actually own this product, but as for the remote issues it seems that if I understand it correctly many users would have a relatively simple work around. ...
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Summary: I don't actually own this product, but as for the remote issues it seems that if I understand it correctly many users would have a relatively simple work around. As many users have an external box (i.e. sat, cable, ect) which has a remote of it's own, most 'universal' remotes from Dish, Direct, etc. allow you to program them to use an AV system with a separate 'code' as the volume control. In that case you could program the SB16 to use that code as opposed to the TV code itself. I may be missing something, but I think I'd try that.
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1 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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4 stars
no hdmi is fatal as far as I'm concerned
by ijudd98 on March 31, 2011
Pros: maybe the sound quality?
Cons: price and no hdmi
Summary:
Updated on Mar 31, 2011
think i will check out the yamaha although unfortunately can't see a review for it here... yet.
Summary:
Updated on Mar 31, 2011
think i will check out the yamaha although unfortunately can't see a review for it here... yet.
0 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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7 stars
HDMI Inputs?
by wilkofbm on March 24, 2011
Pros: Harmon Kardon is known for making a reasonably priced quality product.
Cons: Why are there no HDMI inputs?
Summary: As someone who is in the market for a new Sound Bar I was initially very interested in this product. Unfortunately, the lack of HDMI inputs/output is a non-starter ...
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Summary: As someone who is in the market for a new Sound Bar I was initially very interested in this product. Unfortunately, the lack of HDMI inputs/output is a non-starter in today's A/V world.
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0 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
Showing opinion 1 to 5 out of 5
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show Specifications
- Manufacturer: Harman
- Part number: SB 16
- Description: Home theater installations typically involve five loudspeakers, a subwoofer or two, and lots of speaker wire. Not every room can accommodate all that stuff - and not every homeowner wants to live with it. Whether you need traditional stereo playback or realistic 3-D surround-sound processing, the SB 16 simplifies your life, delivering true harman/kardon performance with an absolute minimum number of components and wires leading into the system.
General
- Product type Sound bar speaker system
- Speaker type Sound Bar
- System configuration 2.1-channel
- Speakers included 1 x Sound bar,
1 x Subwoofer Features
- Speaker Type Active
- Woofer size (inches) 3 in,
3/4 in - Nominal output power (total) 150 Watt
- Response bandwidth 50 - 20000 Hz
- -3dB frequency response 50 - 20000 Hz
- Crossover frequency 50 - 150Hz
- Magnetic shield Yes
- Audio amplifier Integrated
- Connectivity technology Wired
- Controls Volume,
Subwoofer cut frequency,
Subwoofer phase,
Subwoofer volume control - Additional features 3D surround sound mode
Connections
- Connector type 1 x Audio line-in ( RCA phono x 2 ),
1 x SPDIF input ( RCA phono ),
1 x SPDIF input ( TOSLINK )
Details
- Driver details 2 x Midrange driver - 3 in,
1 x Tweeter driver - 3/4 in - Driver details Subwoofer : 1 x Subwoofer driver - 10"
Compatibility | Accessories
- Included accessories [Jul 2, 2008 from CDS: Miscellaneous] Audio (optical) cable,
Wall mounting brackets,
Audio cable - Cables included Audio (optical) cable - 5 ft,
Audio cable - 6.6 ft
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