• Welcome to TechPowerUp Forums, Guest! Please check out our forum guidelines for info related to our community.

Harman Kardon Unveils the Coolest Speakers Ever Made

btarunr

Editor & Senior Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Oct 9, 2007
Messages
47,233 (7.55/day)
Location
Hyderabad, India
System Name RBMK-1000
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 5700G
Motherboard ASUS ROG Strix B450-E Gaming
Cooling DeepCool Gammax L240 V2
Memory 2x 8GB G.Skill Sniper X
Video Card(s) Palit GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER GameRock
Storage Western Digital Black NVMe 512GB
Display(s) BenQ 1440p 60 Hz 27-inch
Case Corsair Carbide 100R
Audio Device(s) ASUS SupremeFX S1220A
Power Supply Cooler Master MWE Gold 650W
Mouse ASUS ROG Strix Impact
Keyboard Gamdias Hermes E2
Software Windows 11 Pro
Harman Kardon's breathtakingly beautiful new GLA-55 high-end speaker system is now available to purchase in the UK. After much hype and expectation, the ice-cool speaker system has finally arrived, just in time to provide the ultimate gift for Christmas.

This eagerly-anticipated two-piece speaker system provides the perfect mix of cutting-edge style and impeccable sonic performance. Whilst boasting striking good looks in the form of a stylised clear glass design, the GLA-55 also packs a high-impact audio punch. Crisp soundscapes are delivered through the system's powerful Atlas woofers and crystal-clear CMMD tweeters. The GLA-55 speaker system combines art and science to deliver the ultimate audio solution for desktop computers, laptops and portable media players.



The GLA-55 is arguably now the best 2.0 speaker system available and excitement has been mounting since the concept was first unveiled at IFA. The design and sonic performance of the speakers have been tweaked to perfection to deliver the ultimate audio experience.

The GLA-55 system has a retail price of £749.99 and can be purchased from Apple in the UK.

The GLA-55 features many proprietary technologies to provide the highest quality sound possible; including:
  • Atlas AL and CMMD Transducers - The CMMD drivers provide accurate high frequencies, but are capable of low-frequency extension to four octaves; the Atlas AL drivers are capable of nearly 2,5 cm peak-to-peak travel for tight, accurate bass reproduction. Their pairing provides a full, rich frequency response, from the lowest bass to highest highs.
  • Slipstream Port Design - The GLA-55 port minimizes boundary layer separation, providing high-output bass with low distortion.
  • COE (Computer-Optimized Equalization) - The system equalization is computer-optimized to provide a rich, complete soundstage over a wide range of listening positions.
  • OCT (Optimized Compression Topology) - The GLA-55 system utilizes a proprietary compression technology to ensure clean, accurate sound at high output levels.
  • The Harman Kardon GLA-55 system is compatible with desktop computers (all platforms), laptops and MP3 and portable media players. In clear with chrome accents.

View at TechPowerUp Main Site
 
Joined
Apr 29, 2008
Messages
742 (0.12/day)
Location
Auckland
System Name PBD
Processor Core i5 760 @ 4.0GHz
Motherboard Asus Maximus III Gene
Cooling Corsair H-50-1
Memory 4 x 4096mb G.Skill Ripjaws 1600 Cas7
Video Card(s) ASUS GTX 670 DirectCU TOP
Storage Crucial 256GB SSD (system) + 2x Samsung F3 1TB (storage) + 2x 2TB Raid-1 NAS (backup)
Display(s) Dell SP2309w 23" 2048x1152
Case Antec Max Fusion Remote
Power Supply Corsair AX750W
Software Win 7 Pro x64
£750 for two speakers.

:eek: :eek: :eek:


Wow. :twitch:

You best have some high-quality audio files to play through these! They are beautiful though. If you are into that sort of thing.
 
Joined
Dec 10, 2007
Messages
7,185 (1.16/day)
Location
Adelaide Australia
System Name Becca 2
Processor AMD A10 4600m quad core @ 2.3 ghz
Motherboard dunno
Cooling Logitech alto connect
Memory 16 Gig ddr3 1600mhz
Video Card(s) Ati HD 7660G + & 7470M
Storage 1 TB
Audio Device(s) onboard crap
Software Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit with sp1
Harman Kardon trying to take on Bang and Oluffsen with the complete over the top gear award
 
Joined
May 4, 2009
Messages
1,972 (0.35/day)
Location
Bulgaria
System Name penguin
Processor R7 5700G
Motherboard Asrock B450M Pro4
Cooling Some CM tower cooler that will fit my case
Memory 4 x 8GB Kingston HyperX Fury 2666MHz
Video Card(s) IGP
Storage ADATA SU800 512GB
Display(s) 27' LG
Case Zalman
Audio Device(s) stock
Power Supply Seasonic SS-620GM
Software win10
Harman Kardon trying to take on Bang and Oluffsen with the complete over the top gear award

We have a B&O store downtown and there is nothing even remotely close to this jewel, except for the price of course :D
 
Joined
Dec 10, 2007
Messages
7,185 (1.16/day)
Location
Adelaide Australia
System Name Becca 2
Processor AMD A10 4600m quad core @ 2.3 ghz
Motherboard dunno
Cooling Logitech alto connect
Memory 16 Gig ddr3 1600mhz
Video Card(s) Ati HD 7660G + & 7470M
Storage 1 TB
Audio Device(s) onboard crap
Software Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit with sp1
For some reason they look to me like fancy irons.
 

DaC

Joined
Jun 1, 2007
Messages
609 (0.10/day)
Location
São Paulo - SP - Brasil
Processor Q6600 @3.6
Motherboard Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P
Cooling Xigmatek S1283
Memory 8gb Crucial Red Tracer
Video Card(s) ASUS TOP HD 4850 512
Storage Seagate 160GB 7200.11 / 320GB 7200.10 / 500GB 7200.11 / 1TB 7200.12
Display(s) 17" AOC
Audio Device(s) ESI Julia -> Zero DaC -> Senn HD650
Power Supply 550W Seven team
Nice... but.... will it blend ?!?!?! :laugh:
Ok, now.... how this brand compares to B & W and stuff ?
Seems to me that it might be overpriced because of the design
 
Joined
Dec 10, 2007
Messages
7,185 (1.16/day)
Location
Adelaide Australia
System Name Becca 2
Processor AMD A10 4600m quad core @ 2.3 ghz
Motherboard dunno
Cooling Logitech alto connect
Memory 16 Gig ddr3 1600mhz
Video Card(s) Ati HD 7660G + & 7470M
Storage 1 TB
Audio Device(s) onboard crap
Software Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit with sp1
The fact its completly overpriced might have something to do with my comparison. :slap:
 

btarunr

Editor & Senior Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Oct 9, 2007
Messages
47,233 (7.55/day)
Location
Hyderabad, India
System Name RBMK-1000
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 5700G
Motherboard ASUS ROG Strix B450-E Gaming
Cooling DeepCool Gammax L240 V2
Memory 2x 8GB G.Skill Sniper X
Video Card(s) Palit GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER GameRock
Storage Western Digital Black NVMe 512GB
Display(s) BenQ 1440p 60 Hz 27-inch
Case Corsair Carbide 100R
Audio Device(s) ASUS SupremeFX S1220A
Power Supply Cooler Master MWE Gold 650W
Mouse ASUS ROG Strix Impact
Keyboard Gamdias Hermes E2
Software Windows 11 Pro

Kreij

Senior Monkey Moderator
Joined
Feb 6, 2007
Messages
13,817 (2.13/day)
Location
Cheeseland (Wisconsin, USA)
They should have just gone all out and made them out of Baccarat crystal and sold them for about $1200 per speaker.
 
Joined
Jan 2, 2009
Messages
9,899 (1.71/day)
Location
Essex, England
System Name My pc
Processor Ryzen 5 3600
Motherboard Asus Rog b450-f
Cooling Cooler master 120mm aio
Memory 16gb ddr4 3200mhz
Video Card(s) MSI Ventus 3x 3070
Storage 2tb intel nvme and 2tb generic ssd
Display(s) Generic dell 1080p overclocked to 75hz
Case Phanteks enthoo
Power Supply 650w of borderline fire hazard
Mouse Some wierd Chinese vertical mouse
Keyboard Generic mechanical keyboard
Software Windows ten
Harman Kardon do make some shite lol
 
Joined
Jul 31, 2006
Messages
95 (0.01/day)
Location
Paraguay
Those speakers doesnt look cool at all!!!!!!

PS: Speakers are not meant to be cool, they are meant to sound cool.
 
Joined
Jan 2, 2009
Messages
9,899 (1.71/day)
Location
Essex, England
System Name My pc
Processor Ryzen 5 3600
Motherboard Asus Rog b450-f
Cooling Cooler master 120mm aio
Memory 16gb ddr4 3200mhz
Video Card(s) MSI Ventus 3x 3070
Storage 2tb intel nvme and 2tb generic ssd
Display(s) Generic dell 1080p overclocked to 75hz
Case Phanteks enthoo
Power Supply 650w of borderline fire hazard
Mouse Some wierd Chinese vertical mouse
Keyboard Generic mechanical keyboard
Software Windows ten
Have you seen Harman Kardon sound sticks people?

Costs £86 for a 2.1 sound system with horrible sound quality and more silly see-throughness : /

I just don't understand why people buy from this brand.
 

Mussels

Freshwater Moderator
Joined
Oct 6, 2004
Messages
58,413 (7.94/day)
Location
Oystralia
System Name Rainbow Sparkles (Power efficient, <350W gaming load)
Processor Ryzen R7 5800x3D (Undervolted, 4.45GHz all core)
Motherboard Asus x570-F (BIOS Modded)
Cooling Alphacool Apex UV - Alphacool Eisblock XPX Aurora + EK Quantum ARGB 3090 w/ active backplate
Memory 2x32GB DDR4 3600 Corsair Vengeance RGB @3866 C18-22-22-22-42 TRFC704 (1.4V Hynix MJR - SoC 1.15V)
Video Card(s) Galax RTX 3090 SG 24GB: Underclocked to 1700Mhz 0.750v (375W down to 250W))
Storage 2TB WD SN850 NVME + 1TB Sasmsung 970 Pro NVME + 1TB Intel 6000P NVME USB 3.2
Display(s) Phillips 32 32M1N5800A (4k144), LG 32" (4K60) | Gigabyte G32QC (2k165) | Phillips 328m6fjrmb (2K144)
Case Fractal Design R6
Audio Device(s) Logitech G560 | Corsair Void pro RGB |Blue Yeti mic
Power Supply Fractal Ion+ 2 860W (Platinum) (This thing is God-tier. Silent and TINY)
Mouse Logitech G Pro wireless + Steelseries Prisma XL
Keyboard Razer Huntsman TE ( Sexy white keycaps)
VR HMD Oculus Rift S + Quest 2
Software Windows 11 pro x64 (Yes, it's genuinely a good OS) OpenRGB - ditch the branded bloatware!
Benchmark Scores Nyooom.
listen to music from your ipod while ironing your clothes...
 
Joined
Jan 2, 2009
Messages
9,899 (1.71/day)
Location
Essex, England
System Name My pc
Processor Ryzen 5 3600
Motherboard Asus Rog b450-f
Cooling Cooler master 120mm aio
Memory 16gb ddr4 3200mhz
Video Card(s) MSI Ventus 3x 3070
Storage 2tb intel nvme and 2tb generic ssd
Display(s) Generic dell 1080p overclocked to 75hz
Case Phanteks enthoo
Power Supply 650w of borderline fire hazard
Mouse Some wierd Chinese vertical mouse
Keyboard Generic mechanical keyboard
Software Windows ten
Odd thing is,as speakers I wouldn't buy this, but if an Iron did, I'd be all over it :D

Hot steam from something that looks like ice D:
 

WarEagleAU

Bird of Prey
Joined
Jul 9, 2006
Messages
10,812 (1.61/day)
Location
Gurley, AL
System Name Pandemic 2020
Processor AMD Ryzen 5 "Gen 2" 2600X
Motherboard AsRock X470 Killer Promontory
Cooling CoolerMaster 240 RGB Master Cooler (Newegg Eggxpert)
Memory 32 GB Geil EVO Portenza DDR4 3200 MHz
Video Card(s) ASUS Radeon RX 580 DirectX 12 DUAL-RX580-O8G 8GB 256-Bit GDDR5 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video C
Storage WD 250 M.2, Corsair P500 M.2, OCZ Trion 500, WD Black 1TB, Assorted others.
Display(s) ASUS MG24UQ Gaming Monitor - 23.6" 4K UHD (3840x2160) , IPS, Adaptive Sync, DisplayWidget
Case Fractal Define R6 C
Audio Device(s) Realtek 5.1 Onboard
Power Supply Corsair RMX 850 Platinum PSU (Newegg Eggxpert)
Mouse Razer Death Adder
Keyboard Corsair K95 Mechanical & Corsair K65 Wired, Wireless, Bluetooth)
Software Windows 10 Pro x64
Harmon Kardon is a good top name in speakers and makes some nice ones. However Creative, Klipsch, Logitech, and Bose have supplanted it.
 
Joined
May 31, 2008
Messages
5,787 (0.96/day)
Location
Switzerland, Heart of Europe
System Name Fractality 1.0
Processor Intel Core i7-860 @ 3.6GHz
Motherboard EVGA P55 SLI
Cooling Prolimatech Megahalems and four Fractal Design 120mm fans, sleeved
Memory 16GB Kingston Hyper RAM
Video Card(s) PNY GeForce 580 XLR8
Storage 64GB and 180GB SSDs / 1TB and 2TB HDDs
Display(s) 24" Acer V243W
Case Fractal Design Define R2, sleeved all I/O cables
Audio Device(s) onboard
Power Supply Corsair HX750W modular, sadly only stock sleeving
Software Win 7 64bit
This reminds me of that Ipod Zeppelin speaker which sells for a thousand bucks here...


Not really great speakers + "fancy" design" = heavily overpriced. My 20$ Labtec PC speakers do their job just fine.
 
Joined
Jan 2, 2009
Messages
9,899 (1.71/day)
Location
Essex, England
System Name My pc
Processor Ryzen 5 3600
Motherboard Asus Rog b450-f
Cooling Cooler master 120mm aio
Memory 16gb ddr4 3200mhz
Video Card(s) MSI Ventus 3x 3070
Storage 2tb intel nvme and 2tb generic ssd
Display(s) Generic dell 1080p overclocked to 75hz
Case Phanteks enthoo
Power Supply 650w of borderline fire hazard
Mouse Some wierd Chinese vertical mouse
Keyboard Generic mechanical keyboard
Software Windows ten
Harmon Kardon is a good top name in speakers


I'd say only in the same way that Ipod are a good name in mp3 players, which isn't necessarily good :laugh:
 

Mussels

Freshwater Moderator
Joined
Oct 6, 2004
Messages
58,413 (7.94/day)
Location
Oystralia
System Name Rainbow Sparkles (Power efficient, <350W gaming load)
Processor Ryzen R7 5800x3D (Undervolted, 4.45GHz all core)
Motherboard Asus x570-F (BIOS Modded)
Cooling Alphacool Apex UV - Alphacool Eisblock XPX Aurora + EK Quantum ARGB 3090 w/ active backplate
Memory 2x32GB DDR4 3600 Corsair Vengeance RGB @3866 C18-22-22-22-42 TRFC704 (1.4V Hynix MJR - SoC 1.15V)
Video Card(s) Galax RTX 3090 SG 24GB: Underclocked to 1700Mhz 0.750v (375W down to 250W))
Storage 2TB WD SN850 NVME + 1TB Sasmsung 970 Pro NVME + 1TB Intel 6000P NVME USB 3.2
Display(s) Phillips 32 32M1N5800A (4k144), LG 32" (4K60) | Gigabyte G32QC (2k165) | Phillips 328m6fjrmb (2K144)
Case Fractal Design R6
Audio Device(s) Logitech G560 | Corsair Void pro RGB |Blue Yeti mic
Power Supply Fractal Ion+ 2 860W (Platinum) (This thing is God-tier. Silent and TINY)
Mouse Logitech G Pro wireless + Steelseries Prisma XL
Keyboard Razer Huntsman TE ( Sexy white keycaps)
VR HMD Oculus Rift S + Quest 2
Software Windows 11 pro x64 (Yes, it's genuinely a good OS) OpenRGB - ditch the branded bloatware!
Benchmark Scores Nyooom.
I'd say only in the same way that Ipod are a good name in mp3 players, which isn't necessarily good :laugh:

exactly.

'good enough' is the better term.
 
Joined
Aug 10, 2007
Messages
4,267 (0.68/day)
Location
Sanford, FL, USA
Processor Intel i5-6600
Motherboard ASRock H170M-ITX
Cooling Cooler Master Geminii S524
Memory G.Skill DDR4-2133 16GB (8GB x 2)
Video Card(s) Gigabyte R9-380X 4GB
Storage Samsung 950 EVO 250GB (mSATA)
Display(s) LG 29UM69G-B 2560x1080 IPS
Case Lian Li PC-Q25
Audio Device(s) Realtek ALC892
Power Supply Seasonic SS-460FL2
Mouse Logitech G700s
Keyboard Logitech G110
Software Windows 10 Pro
Meh. I'll just keep these made-for-Dell Harmon Kardon that a friend gave me.

Now if they were crystal skulls...
 
Joined
Sep 15, 2004
Messages
1,583 (0.21/day)
Location
Poland,Slask
System Name HAL
Processor Core i5 2500K
Motherboard Asus P8P67 Pro Rev3.1
Cooling stock
Memory 2x4GB Kingston 1600Mhz Blu
Video Card(s) Asus 560Ti DirectCuII TOP
Storage Kingston 120 3K SSD,WD Black WD1502FAEX
Display(s) LG 1440x900
Case Chieftec Mesh Midi
Audio Device(s) onboard
Power Supply Corsair TX750V2
Software w8
It will be so breathtakingly finger printed and dusted after a week :)
Its one of those things that look so nice on a picture and yet so shitty in reality.
 
Joined
Jan 2, 2009
Messages
9,899 (1.71/day)
Location
Essex, England
System Name My pc
Processor Ryzen 5 3600
Motherboard Asus Rog b450-f
Cooling Cooler master 120mm aio
Memory 16gb ddr4 3200mhz
Video Card(s) MSI Ventus 3x 3070
Storage 2tb intel nvme and 2tb generic ssd
Display(s) Generic dell 1080p overclocked to 75hz
Case Phanteks enthoo
Power Supply 650w of borderline fire hazard
Mouse Some wierd Chinese vertical mouse
Keyboard Generic mechanical keyboard
Software Windows ten
This would look good in one of those bars made of ice atleast.
 

Jakl

New Member
Joined
Nov 18, 2008
Messages
515 (0.09/day)
Location
Home
System Name AMD Fun Rig | Intel Lil' Gaming Rig
Processor 720BE x4 3.4ghz 1.375v | E8400 4ghz
Motherboard Gigabyte 790FXT-UD5P | eVGA 780i
Cooling Scythe Mugen | TRUE
Memory G.Skill 2x2gb 1600 | 4x1gb Crucial 800
Video Card(s) ATI 3870 | eVGA 9800GTX
Storage 1TB Seagate | 1TB Seagate
Display(s) 24" ASUS VK246H | 28" Acer LCD TV | 40" Sony V4100
Case Lian Li | Cosmos 1000
Audio Device(s) Asus Xonar D2X | Onboard
Power Supply Thermaltake 1200W | PC Silencer 750
Software Win7 64
wow sick lookin speakers. Love the Glass Crystal Look...

Imagin if it was 2.1 with a Sub. The Sub would look like a brick of ice lol

I would get it if it was 2.1 :(
 
Joined
Jan 11, 2005
Messages
1,491 (0.21/day)
Location
66 feet from the ground
System Name 2nd AMD puppy
Processor FX-8350 vishera
Motherboard Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3
Cooling Cooler Master Hyper TX2
Memory 16 Gb DDR3:8GB Kingston HyperX Beast + 8Gb G.Skill Sniper(by courtesy of tabascosauz &TPU)
Video Card(s) Sapphire RX 580 Nitro+;1450/2000 Mhz
Storage SSD :840 pro 128 Gb;Iridium pro 240Gb ; HDD 2xWD-1Tb
Display(s) Benq XL2730Z 144 Hz freesync
Case NZXT 820 PHANTOM
Audio Device(s) Audigy SE with Logitech Z-5500
Power Supply Riotoro Enigma G2 850W
Mouse Razer copperhead / Gamdias zeus (by courtesy of sneekypeet & TPU)
Keyboard MS Sidewinder x4
Software win10 64bit ltsc
Benchmark Scores irrelevant for me
didn't glass break at certain freq. ?
 
Joined
Jan 2, 2009
Messages
9,899 (1.71/day)
Location
Essex, England
System Name My pc
Processor Ryzen 5 3600
Motherboard Asus Rog b450-f
Cooling Cooler master 120mm aio
Memory 16gb ddr4 3200mhz
Video Card(s) MSI Ventus 3x 3070
Storage 2tb intel nvme and 2tb generic ssd
Display(s) Generic dell 1080p overclocked to 75hz
Case Phanteks enthoo
Power Supply 650w of borderline fire hazard
Mouse Some wierd Chinese vertical mouse
Keyboard Generic mechanical keyboard
Software Windows ten
didn't glass break at certain freq. ?


No any frequency the speakers would make.

unless the engineers are actually stupid.

Engineers tend not to be luckily XD
 
Top