By Jayanta Ghosh
Harman/Kardon’s Go + Play Wireless, a sequel to Go + Play, virtually identical to the original Go + Play except for changes to the pack-ins and top surface. It is high performance, wireless speaker designed to work with Apple devices as well as Bluetooth-equipped mobile phones, laptops and tablets.
Harman effectively cut a large hole in Go + Play’s top, inserting a giant rubber pad in place of what used to be the iPod/iPhone docking area and power/volume buttons. The only cosmetic positive to this odd, inconsistent alteration of the prior design is increased symmetry, as the original Go + Play previously had two silver buttons one off to the left side of the dock and one button on the right. Now, all three of the circular buttons look cheap and rubbery, with volume down, power/Bluetooth button, and volume up buttons spaced nicely in a line across the top.
Just with few simple steps you can set up the Go Play Wireless. Just by long press of the power/source key on the speaker it goes into pairing mode. The power button is ringed by a light that dimly glows white for power, then blue when a Bluetooth connection is established; you can pair it with any smartphone, tablet or laptop. Go Play Wireless and the connectivity in all devices was smooth and without any issues, and it has a good coverage area also. You can also hook up your music player to the Go Play Wireless via the 3.5 mm headphone jack route.If we talk about its audio output, then we can say that the Go + Play Wireless starts strong. It benefits from the continued presence of four drivers—two large Ridge drivers with front and rear ventilation, paired with two small aluminum-domed Atlas tweeters—plus 90 total watts of amplification, slightly but not meaningfully down-specified from the 120-watt package in the original model.
Together, these components enable Go + Play Wireless to play at small room-filling volume levels, delivering very nicely equalized audio that is particularly capable in the bass department by comparison with common Bluetooth speakers. We played bass as dominant in songs but never bloated or flattened, which makes this system stand out. Even as the volume levels become dangerous, distortion is not evident, a benefit of Harman’s extremely capable audio engineering and component sourcing teams. While the midrange is not particularly detailed, this remains a fun boombox-style audio system, great for rap, dance and rock music, particularly when played loud.
Pros: Good in high volume levels also, good bass, room feeling, USB charging feature
Cons: Heavy, no USB drive option
Price: Rs 24,990
