Harman Kardon has announced the latest addition to its popular range of wireless speakers. The Citation Amp is a sleek, compact amplifier that's designed to power bookshelf, floor-standing, in-ceiling, and in-wall speakers, as well as wireless speakers to create a cable-free multi-channel surround sound system.
It comes with 125W of Class D amplification per channel and a frequency response of 20Hz - 20kHz. Connections include coaxial, optical, RCA, and HDMI ARC – which means you can use it to power a soundbar, and use your TV's regular remote to control the volume.
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- Read our Harman Kardon Citation One review
For wireless music streaming, you're covered by built-in Google Chromecast and Apple AirPlay, giving you access to "over 300 music streaming services", according to Harman Kardon.
In order to connect to your other wireless speakers, the Citation Amp can be hooked up to your home's Wi-Fi network, and also comes with Bluetooth 4.2 – which isn't the latest wireless transmission standard, but it should be enough to get you by.
Audio as the artist intended
According to the company, the Citation Amp houses some clever technology that should make your music sound great. Called Harmon Kardon Digital Loop amplification, it corrects "the natural errors and distortion anomalies that occur in digital amplification", restoring audio quality to "the way it was meant to be heard".
Unlike many amps on the market, the Citation Amp has a small footprint, and comes with a slick design that should fit into any home – it's a shame that Harman Kardon hasn't continued the stylish fabric look that the rest of the range is furnished with, but without the need for a speaker grille, it's understandable.
Like much of the Citation range, the amplifier doesn't come cheap, and will set you back £549. That works out at about $720 / AU$1,000, though we daresay those price conversions will be a little more favorable when global availability is announced.
Saying that, it's worth keeping an eye on older Citation speakers over Black Friday, as they could be subject to some hefty discounts.
- Check out our Harman Kardon Citation Towers review
