Harman Kardon vs Bavsound – Which Brand Is Better?

Harman Kardon and Bavsound are two renowned and well-respected brands in the audio industry and produce high-quality speakers, soundbars, headphones, and subwoofers. Bavsound specializes in car audio products for BMW.
In this article, we will cover a general overview of both brands, looking specifically at the sound quality, durability, price and so on. 
Of course, each brand has different devices at different price points. However, we will compare them as closely as we can.

Harman Kardon is a well-known brand in the audio industry known for its high-quality home theater systems and audio equipment, while Bavsound is a well-regarded brand in the car audio industry known for its high-quality in-car entertainment systems.

Pros and Cons of Bavsound:

Bavsound is a company that specializes in producing high-quality car audio products, including speakers, amplifiers, and subwoofers. Here are some pros and cons of Bavsound products:

Pros:

• Known for producing high-quality car audio products with good sound quality and build quality.
• Offers a range of products for a variety of applications.

Cons:

• May not have as strong of a reputation as some other brands in the car audio industry.
• Some products may be on the expensive side.

Pros and Cons of Harman Kardon:

• Pros: Known for producing a wide range of audio products, including speakers, headphones, and home theater systems. Many of their products are well-regarded for their sound quality and value for money.
• Cons: Connection issues are common with this brand.

Quick History

Harman Kardon Quick History

In 1953, Sidney Harman and Bernard Kardon partnered to establish the Harman Kardon audio equipment company. In 1954, Harman Kardon manufactured the world’s first true receiver system with the production of the Festival D1000 for non-technical users.

After Bernard Kardon left, Harman created a parent brand, Harman International Industries, through which he took on new businesses, including JBL, Soundcraft, Newsweek Magazine, and many others.

Harman Kardon products include stereo receivers and CD players, headphones, home theater, AV receivers, car stereos, and other audio equipment.

Bavsound Quick History

Bavsound is a company that manufactures motor vehicle audio products such as direct speaker replacement kits, stealth subwoofer systems, and all other products that seamlessly connect with BMW vehicles. The company was founded in Atlanta, Georgia in 2004 by Micah Cranman.

Bavsound is the only company in the world that specializes in BMW audio and is clearly the finest option for audio upgrades for your BMW. Bavsound believes that audio products should be easy to install, sound fantastic, and protect the integrity of your BMW.

Sound Quality

Harman Kardon Sound Quality

Harman Kardon has done a great job of protecting the brand’s recording technology patents. They have ensured that all audio equipment from the brand produces high-quality audio that is almost as perfect as it was recorded in the studio.

Harman Kardon’s audio devices are targeted at primary consumers but intend to deliver quality. Hence, audio equipment from Harman Kardon provides balanced treble and bass, clear, and clean sounds that make it a better choice all the time.

However, one thing some people might find distressing about Harman Kardon is the fact that they can be bassy. An untuned Harman Kardon speaker has a bit of an overpowering bass effect to it, although you can always re-tune this to the way you would like it.

Bavsound Sound Quality

Bavsound speakers tend to have little distortion at high volumes. Bavsound mids usually come out smooth. The sound comes through with clarity, and loudness and is punchy irrespective of the volume you set it to. Many customers take pride in the bass their subs produce (especially the under seat subwoofers).

The bass is quite deep without raising the stock level of the audio system.

Features

Harman Kardon Features

Harman Kardon is a brand that is focused on delivering the best audio equipment.

There are several modern features on Harman Kardon products which include the multi-pairing feature on most new Harman Kardon speakers.

The feature allows the speaker to connect to multiple devices at once. Harman Kardon’s Automatic Multi-beam Calibration (AMC) in their soundbar adjusts the surround sound to your room set up.

Bavsound Features

Since there are various types of BMW, the features depend on how the car was set up from the factory. Also, most Bavsound systems are often for upgrades to get better sound quality in the car.  Some may include auxiliary or USB inputs for their sound systems. Generally, all their car kits (including amps, subs, and speakers) have easy DIY  installation—Plug and play. Also, their speakers work with most factory amplifiers and subwoofers.

Build Quality

Harman Kardon Build Quality

One thing that is common to Harman Kardon is their impressive build quality. Harman Kardon pays special attention to the design of each product, which includes the components, sound quality, and overall durability.

Their designs differ depending on the brand. For example, those with the JBL logo on them are mostly known for having fewer aesthetics but a powerful body that lasts a long time.

However, those with Harman Kardon directly written on them have a pretty interesting design that is sometimes unorthodox (like the Esquire speaker) but with a weaker structural delivery.

Another addition that is worth noting is that Harman Kardon products are mostly not a great fit for outdoor use. This may be because they are mostly focused on consumer products.

Bavsound Build Quality

Bavsound devices are designed with ultra-premium quality to provide exceptional clarity, detail, and richness.

From woven fiberglass cones to butyl rubber surrounds and silk composite tweeters, these speakers have a top-notch design that often complements the look of your BMW car.

Ease Of Use

Harman Kardon Ease Of Use

Harman Kardon products have varied sizes and are mostly waterproof.

These two factors ensure they are easy to carry around and easy to use anywhere. However, the absence of a 3.5mm input port on some of their products makes them a little hard to use, although this is compensated for with Bluetooth connectivity.

Another problem with using some Harman Kardon products is that they focus so much on the design that it affects the non-technical users. An example of this is seen in the design of the Harman Kardon Soundstick 3.

However, the Bluetooth multi-pairing feature in some Harman Kardon speakers improves its usability as it allows you to connect more than one device to the speaker at once.

Bavsound Ease Of Use

The Bavsound device is simple to use, and the installation process for a car is usually straightforward. Also, with the help of an installation video, it shouldn’t take more than two hours to install any Bavsound system. Bavsound also offers a guide booklet in case you find the setup and installation process challenging.

Cost

Harman Kardon Cost

An average Harman Kardon JBL Portable bluetooth speaker has a price range of around 40-400 dollars. However, here is a more concise idea of the Harman Kardon products:

• Headphones from $44 to around $500
• Earbuds from $40 to $120
• Soundbar from $150 to $1000
• Home theaters and surround speakers from about $150 to $1700 (full sound system)

However, there might be a slight difference in this price when getting any of the products. This price difference can be noticed across different regions and dealers.

Although most people buy them because of the delightful sound and quality, some people still feel the Harman Kardon devices are too expensive regardless of what they offer.

Bavsound Cost

Bavsound devices seem expensive for the kind of product they produce although there are devices that are very much affordable and still very up to the task. Bavsound mostly makes car audio systems and replacement kits. The cost of their devices ranges from $500 to $2,000.

Space Requirements

Harman Kardon Space Requirements

Harman Kardon products are some of the best audio equipment with space efficiency. They have a range of portable devices that can be placed almost anywhere without taking up too much space.

Their home theater systems come with a pretty sleek design, with portable speakers and subwoofers in most cases. An example of this is the HKTS 65 home theater speaker system.

Bavsound Requirements

Bavsound products, just like some other car audio producers, must fit into the space allotted for the system in the car. This means that they do not take up space (i.e. they make products for an allotted space).

Remote Controls

Harman Kardon Remote Control

Harman Kardon allows you to easily control and have a relaxing musical experience with the remote control. They have a physical remote control that mostly comes with the soundbars and the home theater system.

However, you can also download the Harman Kardon remote app for Apple, Android, and PC use. The remote allows you to play music and control your Harman Kardon device from anywhere in your house.

Bavsound Remote Controls

Bavsound products do not come with remote controls for the type of device they make since they are mostly for car use. Although they have clearly labeled soft buttons that make adjusting or controlling any setting quite simple.

Connectivity Options

Bavsound Connectivity Options

Burmester devices can be connected using wired or wireless options, or a combination of both. These options include Bluetooth, WiFi, USB, analog and digital audio inputs, and 3.5 and 6.3mm headphone jacks.

Power Range

Harman Kardon Power Range

The power range of Bavsound devices ranges from 100 watts to 1500 watts on average, which makes them not consume too much power.

Bavsound Power Range

Burmester devices have high power ranges that give powerful sound outputs. The 911 Mk 3 amplifier is rated at 180 watts, which means that it can power any domestic speaker to high volumes without issue. The 159 Mono power amplifier has an astounding 1200 watts of peak power.

Frequency Response

Harman Kardon Frequency Response

In a Harman Kardon receiver (using the AVR 1610 specs as an example), the frequency range is around 87 MHz to 108 MHz. Interestingly, in another device, such as the portable Onyx Studio 4 speaker, the frequency range is just about 50Hz to 20kHz.

When you need to get a Harman Kardon product, you can request the spec of the particular device to know the frequency response.

Bavsound Frequency Response

Bavsound devices have a frequency response that ranges from 5Hz to 20KHz. Of course, the frequency response varies from device to device. An example is the Bavsound revenant pro amplifier, with a frequency response of 2Hz to 23.5KHz.

Conclusion

Harman Kardon is a device you can trust for its quality. This is not just from their marketing, but because they put in the work to make their product stand out. However, you should know that such a quality product can be quite expensive. On the other hand, Bavsound has been the one and only company that produces audio systems for BMWs and has been living up to the task since then. This article shuffles out all you need to know about Bavsound devices in case you have a BMW car.