The product development team at Harman Kardon has been working overtime this year hardly a week goes by without another product arriving on the warehouse shelves. The latest to turn up is a little bit different.
The new Harman Kardon Citation Amp brings the power of HD streaming to home entertainment systems. This tiny little device that’s smaller than a biscuit tin can power bookshelf, floor-standing, in-wall or in-ceiling speakers. It can also combine with all the other Harman Kardon Citation products to create a multi-channel wireless surround sound system.
Boasting a chunky 125W of Class D amplification per channel, the new Citation amplifier has a wide range of connections including HDMI ARC so that it can be used with a TV and the volume levels can even be controlled using the TV’s remote. The amp offers access to some 300 music streaming services and countless online radio stations thanks to the inclusions of Chromecast built-in and Apple AirPlay 2 technology.
At the rear of the amp, there are most of the inputs needed for a home cinema setup including HDMI, optical and coaxial digital inputs, plus stereo analog RCA phono sockets. On the output side, there is a sub output and a pair of speaker binding posts. When it comes to connecting to the internet there’s WiFi and. Ethernet.
The designers’ aim with the Citation amp was to produce a device that could blend into any environment without drawing attention to itself. The amp can be installed anywhere that there’s a power outlet. It’s also compatible with popular connected home automation control systems including both Control4 and Crestron.
The boffins at Harman Kardon describe point out that the Citation Amp features Harman Kardon Digital Loop amplification. This works by correcting the natural errors and distortion anomalies that occur in digital amplification. It’s an innovative technology that claims to restore audio quality to the way it was meant to be heard. I can’t vouch for that but if I get a chance to review the new addition to the Citation range, that’s one of the first claims I’ll be testing.
Pricing and availability: The Harman Kardon Citation Amp will go on sale this month and costs £549 / €599 / $TBC
More info: harmankardon.com
Specifications:
• Analog Input: 1 Aux (Stereo RCA connector)
• Digital Input: 1 Digital (HDMI ARC, Coax or Optical connector)
• Audio Outputs: 1 Line Out, 1 Subwoofer Out
• Other Connections: Ethernet, IR Remote Input, 12V trigger output
• Rated Output Power (8 ohms): 125W RMS per channel
• Rated Output Power (4 ohms): 200W RMS per channel
• Minimum Impedance: 4 Ohms
• Total Harmonic Distortion (THD): 0.05%
• Frequency Response: 20Hz-20kHz +/- 0.5dB
• Signal to Noise: >110dB A-Weighted
• Analog Input Maximum Input Level: 2V RMS
• Digital Input Formats: PCM, Dolby Digital
• Tone Controls: Bass, Treble
• Maximum Volume Control: 0 – 100% of maximum power
• Left/Right Channel Mono Summing: Yes
• Subwoofer output: Mono Summing or Crossover Mode
• Subwoofer Crossover Frequencies: 50 – 120Hz
• Bluetooth version: 4.2
• Wi-Fi network compatibility: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
• Power Supply: 100-240V~50/60Hz
• Power Consumption: 125W
• Dimensions (W x H x D): 8.5″ x 3″ x 9″ (215 x 75 x 230mm)
• Rack Height: 2RU
• Weight: 5.3 lb (2.4 kg)
