Recently I visited the Apple shop in the city centre in Adelaide, South Australia. Even though I have owned several of their products over the years I had always purchased them from authorised retailers. All of their stores are virtually carbon copies and are laid out in a particular way. In some respects, they look like fashionable cafes or even a modern art gallery. They also attract a lot of trendy hipsters because it is the coolest place to congregate on a Saturday afternoon. As well as selling official Apple merchandise like Mac’s, iPads and iPhones they also sell compatible devices from other manufacturers. A great example is the wonderful Aura from Harman Kardon.
Harmon Kardon was originally established in 1953 by Sidney Harman and Bernard Kardon. In 1956 Bernard Kardon retired and sold his interests to Sidney Harman (who decided to keep the company name). For most people Harman Kardon have become associated with the automotive industry. Impressively many high end car manufacturers like Audi, BMW, Land Rover and Mercedes Benz have opted to use their stereos. However, they also sell a variety of exclusive products direct like headphones, amplifiers and the superb Aura wireless speaker.
When I initially saw the Aura wireless speaker on display in the Apple store I was pretty awestruck. At first it isn’t really obvious what the product actually does because it has a sculptural appearance. The modernistic design is pretty special and that is why it was awarded the prestigious Red Dot prize. Certainly if you have a smart phone and want a stylish portable speaker then this is the perfect companion. Due to ghost like aesthetic and size this device would sit comfortably and look great in anyone’s home.
As well as being visually beautiful the Aura also has a pretty decent audio quality. This is enabled by a 4.5” subwoofer delivering Omni-directional, 360-degree sound. Due to an integrated Bluetooth and AirPlay® facility for Apple users it is really easy to stream music.
