Since the range of Harman Kardon’s intuitive speakers is extensive, we’ve decided to check out one of their products. What we’re discussing in our Harman Kardon Citation MultiBeam 700 Soundbar Review is the Citation Multibeam 700.
The company claims that its soundbar is close to having the perfect audio balance. Plus, it also says the soundbar is the best on the market.
Harman Kardon’s claims intrigued us, so we’ve put its Citation Multibeam 700 to the test. We used it for over a week, and we’ll share what we’ve observed. To continue reading our Harman Kardon Citation MultiBeam 700 Soundbar Review.
Is it worth the price and purchase? We’ll find out. But before that, let’s see how Harman Kardon packed their soundbar and what they included inside.
Harman Kardon Citation MultiBeam 700 Soundbar Packaging
The soundbar arrived in time for the Harman Kardon Citation MultiBeam 700 Soundbar Review. It came in a black and white-themed package sporting a minimalist style which we love.
The box displays an image of the product, the company & unit’s name, plus a few key features. There isn’t much on the package, but it has all the essentials related to the product.
Inside, you’ll get the Citation Multibeam 700, a power cable, and some paperwork. The latter includes a warranty sheet, quick-start guide, and a safety sheet.
Harman Kardon Citation MultiBeam 700 Soundbar Review – Design and Functionality
One thing we have to say about the Citation Multibeam 700 is that it looks neat, compact, and discreet. Its adequate proportions allow it to fit beneath a 40″ TV.
Since its height is minimal, the Citation Multibeam 700 won’t touch or grind against the bottom of the screen. It also has clear wool covering that’s stain-resistant and aesthetically pleasing.
You can choose between a grey or black unit. And although simple, the cleanliness of its style is one of its highlights.
The Citation Multibeam 700 comes with a strip-shaped touch screen across the crown. Using it lets you set up the soundbar, select inputs, etc. There isn’t much to learn to get it up and running since it’s an intuitive and easy-to-use product.
Thin rubber pads are on the bar’s base, making it more stable on a flat surface. If not, you can also opt to have it wall-mounted.
You’ll find a bass reflex port along the rear of the Citation Multibeam 700’s cabinet. It’s specifically beside the cutaway holding the product’s physical inputs. These include an HDMI ARC socket, 3.5mm analogue input, digital optical output, and the main power.
While working on our Harman Kardon Citation MultiBeam 700 Soundbar Review, we learned it’s a rare kind of soundbar.
Why? It features a remote control that doesn’t decrease the entire tone of your audio-listening experience. The remote that comes with the soundbar is weighty, has reasonably-sized buttons, is adequately functional, and is comfortable to hold.
If using a remote control is too old-fashioned, you can opt for the Citation Multibeam 700’s touch screen instead.
It’s a little OLED display at the top portion of the soundbar. The touch screen on the soundbar is vibrant like other touch screens on select Citation units. However, it’s smaller than we want and isn’t as responsive as it should be.
The Citation Multibeam 700 has an integrated mic, so you don’t need other Google Assistant speakers on the network. However, it’s good to note that it can sometimes get triggered by noises on the film/program you’re watching.
Connection and Functions of the Harman Kardon Citation MultiBeam 700 Soundbar
The soundbar replicates the effect of speaker systems on full surround sound. But if you choose to go for a proper multi-channel system, don’t worry. You can set this soundbar to act mainly as a centre speaker.
Its main highlight is its surround-sound technology. With the drivers on each end of the product, it can achieve a 5.1 effect. It envelops you in sounds without needing extra speakers to get the effect.
Compared to similar products, you can bypass the drivers for a classic stereo-listening experience. This is a huge plus, especially when using the sound beam as a wireless speaker for music.
Harman Kardon designed their soundbars to function more efficiently for home entertainment hubs than for enhancing TV audio alone.
The Citation MultiBeam 700 also has streaming features similar to the other Citation units available. These include Chromecast, Bluetooth, and Apple AirPlay.
It comes with fewer physical connections than other soundbars on the market. However, these are all the essentials like an HDMI-ARC connection, optical in, and the aux in.
Having a wired internet port would be good. However, the Citation MultiBeam 700 already has a 2.4G and 5G WiFi transmitter, which is already enough.
Key Features of the Harman Kardon Citation MultiBeam 700 Soundbar
Is this product an ideal inclusion to your sound system? Let’s find out by discussing its key features in our Harman Kardon Citation MultiBeam 700 Soundbar Review.
Knowing a product’s key features is essential since it’ll give you an idea of what the product can offer.
MultiBeam Surround Sound for an Immersive Audio Experience
The Citation MultiBeam 700 offers a room-filling surround sound effect without needing additional speakers and wires. MultiBeam technology forms an expansive soundstage that makes every detail in your favourite music, movies, and TV series more audible.
Notably Attractive Design of the Harman Kardon Citation MultiBeam 700 Soundbar
The Citation MultiBeam 700 combines a sophisticated design with home audio innovation. It uses Kvadrat’s premium blended wool fabric, which is dirt-repellent and flame retardant.
Easy Setup with Google Home
The free Google Home app for Android and iOS lets you set up and manage the Citation MultiBeam 700. Using this app, you can also control other Citation speakers.
Hands-free Help with Google Assistant’s Voice Control
Google Assistant provides convenience with voice control features. You can say “Hey Google” and command the Citation MultiBeam 700 to stream music. Click the remote’s push-to-talk button to enable voice control for movies and TV.
Wireless Cinematic Surround Sound
The Citation MultiBeam 700 alone can achieve a rich surround sound effect. With WISA technology, this soundbar can create an entire 5.1 home theatre system for the ultimate surround sound experience. Adding a pair of Harman Kardon’s Citation surround speakers delivers a real surround sound experience.
Access Over 300 Streaming Services with the Harman Kardon Citation MultiBeam 700 Soundbar
The Citation MultiBeam 700 lets you relax as you explore its over 300 supported platforms via the integrated Chromecast. It allows you to enjoy your favourite content, internet radio, and podcasts in high-definition audio.
Enjoy Apple Music with AirPlay
With AirPlay, you can use the Citation MultiBeam 700 to access your playlists and discover new artists from Apple Music. Choose your soundtrack via the iPhone app and set the mood whenever you need it.
Ready for Multi-channel Surround Sound
You can create a multi-channel surround-sound experience via the Citation MultiBeam 700 plus Citation Tower speakers. Add the Citation Sub S to get a layer of deep, rich bass to complete your home theatre.
Plug-and-play, Easy to Use
The HDMI ARC and optical ports of the Citation MultiBeam 700 allow the integration of any TV. It’s compatible even with the latest and most advanced 4K televisions.
Plus, you won’t have to install any application to set it up since it’s ready for use after plugging.
Full Control on Privacy
When using the Citation MultiBeam 700, you can control what you share and how you connect. It’s convenient to switch its microphones on and off to provide security and privacy. The multicoloured LED indicators show the current state of the soundbar’s microphones.
Always Updated
The Citation MultiBeam 700 effortlessly keeps your features and services updated. It automatically downloads all upgrades into the system to maintain your home audio.
Attractive and Intuitive Controls of the Harman Kardon Citation MultiBeam 700 Soundbar
The Citation MultiBeam 700’s LCD colour display is both attractive and intuitive. You can control your music and access in-depth information from your audio content with a single press.
Wireless Bluetooth Streaming
Streaming your music from your smartphone or tablet is easy with the Citation MultiBeam 700. With this function, standard audio can give you an immersive musical experience.
Its 2402 to 2480MHz Bluetooth frequency range allows the soundbar to offer good wireless connectivity. You can enjoy your music with minimal latency and delays.
Easily Access All Your Favourites
The Citation MultiBeam 700’s colourful preset display icons make accessing your favourite playlists easy. From the soundbar, you can control your smart home devices with ease.
Impressive Audio that Speaks to You
The Citation MultiBeam 700 is an elegant-looking soundbar that delivers dynamic and powerful audio. You can enjoy full surround sound when listening to your favourite tracks and watching movies or TV shows.
What makes it better is you won’t need additional wires and speakers. This standalone soundbar projects rich audio that will fill the room. Of course, you can link it with other Citation speakers to enhance the experience.
The soundbar can work as a central channel when you pair it with different Citation speakers. Doing this will create the ultimate home theatre system with detailed surround sounds.
Aside from the superior audio experience, this soundbar also offers convenience. You can take advantage of voice commands for hands-free control.
Specifications
We’re discussing the product’s specifications in our Harman Kardon Citation MultiBeam 700 Soundbar Review. This soundbar’s transducers include two 25mm tweeters and five 50mm woofers. It has an output power of 210W RMS and a signal-to-noise ratio of over 80dB.
The Citation MultiBeam 700’s power supply delivers an input voltage of 100-240V~50/60Hz. It consumes only 2.0W of power on network standby mode and less power in sleep mode.
The product measures 790 x 65 x 130mm (W x H x D) and weighs 3.7kg.
For connectivity, it connects via Bluetooth version 4.3. Its Bluetooth transmitter frequency range is 2402 – 2480MHz, while it uses less than 10dBm power. Also, it works with 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4GHz/5GHz) wireless network.
Hands-on with the Harman Kardon Citation MultiBeam 700 Soundbar
We used the product and tested its different features. So, we’re sharing how it performed in our Harman Kardon Citation MultiBeam 700 Soundbar Review. First, we’ll discuss the setup process, which is one of the best things about the product.
The soundbar has a simple design, so you can leave it flat on the TV bench or mount it on the wall with the included wall brackets. And then connect the audio board to the TV’s HDMI input labelled ARC. Without the input, you will need the optical digital cable.
The initial setup is a breeze. All you have to do is switch the soundbar’s power on and select a language.
Select the Citation MultiBeam 700 in the list of WiFi networks, then complete the setup process. You can use the Google Home app, or if you have a HomeKit, you can use the Apple Home app.
Control and management were highly convenient since there were three options. We could use the remote control, the coloured LCD screen, and hands-free voice commands.
Using the Citation MultiBeam 700 is stress-free. It immediately responds when utilising it on HDMI or playing music from a mobile app.
We tweaked the equaliser to get the sound we preferred. It has four presets: Standard, Music, Movie, and News.
We played different songs with the Citation MultiBeam 700, and it delivered high-quality audio that made the music more enjoyable. It had a big soundstage with a good separation of elements, so it was easy to determine the vocals and each instrument.
Its audio was also dynamic and offered proper distance between noisy action and quiet tension. The midrange was brilliant for reproducing dialogue with character and detail.
Another great thing about this soundbar is it didn’t blur or smear the soundtrack even with its expansive sound. Instead, it focused and provided a good impression of the soundstage’s separation. There was adequate space to follow each soundtrack, even with busy scenes and action ramping up.
With the Music preset on the EQ and the surround setting switched off, the Citation MultiBeam 700 still impressed us. It delivered a lot of width on its soundtrack, even if the action boosted busy scenes. The soundbar even had enough subtlety to make the silence in scenes as prominent as screams.
When we switched off its surround settings, the soundbar’s audio output was slightly flat. But the details were still there, and its dynamism was enough. However, its overall music output sounded a bit thin.
Harman Kardon gave a lot of care and attention to the soundbar to avoid sparkly treble and rough edges. We appreciate that the company ensured there are no elements that may wear the ears.
This soundbar’s bass was also satisfying since it provided enough thump and rumble to most music.
The Citation MultiBeam 700‘s two 25mm tweeters and five 50mm woofers worked excellently in directing audio toward us. Aside from that, its sound was clear and precise.
Numerous soundbars attempt surround sound, but most people overlook this type of direct presentation. But this unit is difficult to ignore. It may not have the enveloping surround sound effect, but it added atmosphere and space to the audio.
The soundbar was immersive enough, which made our overall watching and listening experience more enjoyable.
The Citation MultiBeam 700’s tonality sounded great, and the top of the frequency range struck a good balance. There were attacks on the treble, but these weren’t too bright or loud, even above normal volume levels.
Its midrange was open, balanced, and full of detail. It enhanced the real subtleties of talking and singing voices, which delivered a defined overall audio quality.
We found the Citation MultiBeam 700‘s bass reproduction enjoyable. But since we wanted some changes, we adjusted the lowest frequencies using the remote control to suit our preferences.
We love that the soundbar can control low-ends well and doesn’t allow it to bloom or overpower midrange. However, the bass sometimes appears removed from the other sounds and was slightly noticeable when listening at lower volumes.
It wasn’t much of an issue because the overall sound quality produced by the Citation MultiBeam 700 was excellent.
Harman Kardon Citation MultiBeam 700 Soundbar Review Summary
The Citation MultiBeam 700 is a capable soundbar that’s easy to like. Its compact size and premium design make it easy to fit into any home entertainment system. Plus, it has all the handy features that can enhance your overall audio experience.
In addition to its good looks, it provides convenience with its plug-and-play design, voice control function, and smartphone compatibility. Another thing we liked about it is its accessibility to a plethora of streaming services. This soundbar allowed us to enjoy various media on all our available devices.
You can upgrade your system with other Citation products if you want more immersive audio. This soundbar allows you to create a multi-channel surround sound system.
Most importantly, the Citation MultiBeam 700 delivered excellent audio quality on HDMI or connected via a mobile app. Its overall sound profile sounded good and made our listening and watching experience more enjoyable.
We’re ending our Harman Kardon Citation MultiBeam 700 Soundbar Review by recommending this product. It’s an excellent home theatre solution for anyone who wants a good audio presence without dealing with large sound systems.
Learn more about the Citation MultiBeam 700 Soundbar by visiting Harman Kardon’s official product page for more details.
