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Thankfully, the SB 16 does have controls on the unit itself (power, volume, source switcher), so you’re not stuck if you do have problems with the remote. That said, we would’ve preferred a small remote to be included, if only because it would make programming a learning remote (such as a Logitech Harmony) much easier.

Setup
The SB 16 doesn’t have any speaker calibration setting requirements, but there are sound-tuning adjustments. First, there’s a “Trim” switch that sets the input sensitivity in three steps. The unit is shipped with the Trim set to “1,” which didn’t allow the SB 16 to play loud enough for us, even when the volume control was set to max. Moving the Trim switch to the “2″ setting increased the max volume enough so it was loud enough for us. The sound bar also has a “Wall-Table” EQ switch that tunes the speaker’s tonal balance for wall or table mounting.

The subwoofer has another set of controls on its rear panel: Crossover, Volume, and a Phase Switch. The first two have a big effect on the perceived sound balance of the SB 16 system. We set the volume control knob three quarters of the way up, and the Crossover at approximately 125 Hertz (it has a range from 50-150 Hz). In any case, you make these adjustments “by ear,” and try to produce the smoothest possible blend between the sub and sound bar. Harman recommends setting the Phase Switch to “0,” which worked for us. The alternative position, “180,” may produce a smoother blend in some rooms. Experiment and see for yourself which sounds better.

While Harman claims the wireless subwoofer can be placed “anywhere” in the room, we recommend placing the sub within 5 or 6 feet of the sound bar for best sound quality.

Performance
The SB 16 had a bigger and fuller tonal balance than any self-amplified (i.e., no AV receiver required) sound bar we’ve tested in quite some time. Obviously, the large subwoofer was primarily responsible for that, but we never felt the bass was overdone or that the subwoofer called attention to itself.

Putting the SB 16 through its paces with our reference “torture” discs like “Master and Commander” and “Black Hawk Down,” we were impressed with the system’s poise under pressure. The gunfire and explosions in large-scale battle scenes sounded cleaner and less distorted than what we’ve heard from most sound bars. Considering the size of the sub, the bass wasn’t particularly powerful or deep, but the quality of the bass was excellent. Dialogue was natural, even when we listened to the SB 16 with its “3D Surround” processing turned on. That’s rarely the case with stereo sound bar systems’ faux surround effects. Harman Kardon’s 3D Surround did not generate room-filling 3D surround effects, but it definitely spread the soundstage well beyond the edges of the sound bar.

The film “3:10 to Yuma” further demonstrated the level of the SB 16′s sonic sophistication. When the bullets fly and bounce off the armored stagecoach in a holdup, the metallic pings and clangs sounded realistic, as did the rifle shots echoing off the mountains.

Music auditions started with singer-songwriter John Gorka’s “The Gypsy Life” Blu-ray. The acoustic music’s realistic timbre sounded natural, and the dynamic shadings of Gorka’s vocal, piano and guitar, and the rest of the band were more nuanced than what we’ve heard from most sound bars. The SB 16′s treble detail and “air” were also above average, which also played a part in producing a broad and deep soundstage. The SB 16 was nearly on par with what we expect to hear from a bona fide 2.1 channel system.

Rock music on CD revealed the limitations of the SB 16, which started to sound strained with the music turned up loud. Even so, the SB 16 was a little better than average. The SB 16′s overall performance is excellent, and there’s nothing better in its price class.

Conclusion
The Harman Kardon SB 16 features a premium price tag and some remote control quirks, but its excellent sound quality and exterior design make it worth the extra cash. That said, it’s definitely worth checking out how your existing HDTV handles the remote issues we highlighted before you buy.

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BW, which is now branding itself by its longer, more formal name, Bowers Wilkins, is known for its high-end speakers. However, a few years back the company dipped into the more mainstream consumer market with its first iPod speaker system, the $600 Zeppelin, followed by the smaller and more affordable Zeppelin Mini.

Now the company is back with a new version of the Zeppelin called the Zeppelin Air that shares many design traits of the original Zep but offers better sound and one very important new feature: support for Apple’s Airplay. That feature allows you to stream music wirelessly from an iOS handheld (an iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad) or from a PC or Mac running iTunes to the Zeppelin Air via your home network.

Design and features
As we said with the original Zeppelin, we are impressed with the Zeppelin Air’s build quality and stylish look. While the older model had a mirror-polished stainless steel back, this one goes with a polished black back and the front black cloth covering remains tastefully demure.

Measuring around 25 inches wide, the Zeppelin Air is about the same size as the original model, but the new model has shed a few pounds, weighing around 13.5 pounds compared with the original Zep’s 16.5 pound weight.

In the past, better components meant a weightier product, but Bowers Wilkins has managed to trim the weight while improving the sound. That improvement is mostly due to new drivers, each of which now has a dedicated “audiophile” class D amplification unit. The previous Zeppelin had three amps powering five drivers, including a 5-inch bass driver, twin 1-inch tweeters, and two 3.5-inch midrange drivers. With the new Zeppelin Air, the tweeter design is borrowed from the company’s MM-1 PC speakers, and the size of the two midrange drivers have been trimmed from 3.5 inches to 3 inches.

Bowers Wilkins says the combination of more power to drive the improved drive units along with Flowport technology and advanced Digital Signal Processing has “dramatically improved the bass performance.” It also points out that the DACs (digital to analog converters) have also been upgraded with new 24bit-96KHz capability, which also helps on the performance front.

As we mentioned in our review of the original Zeppelin, the amps generate a bit of heat, so the unit runs slightly warm to the touch.

Tucked into the Zeppelin Air’s curvy rear end is an Ethernet port, a 3.5mm auxiliary stereo input jack, a USB 2.0 port for PC connectivity, and a composite video output for connection to your TV. (The video output is useful for displaying photos and videos from iPod models that are so equipped, but it can’t be used to stream videos via AirPlay.) The Air also boasts built-in Wi-Fi, so you’re not limited to wired home networks.

In addition to accepting standard analog cables, the 3.5mm input jack also works with optical digital cables. The USB port is intended for connections to PCs and Macs–it can be used for firmware upgrades, direct music playback (as a USB speaker), and as a syncing dock for iPods and iPhones. To that end, the 30-pin docking port accepts all recent-generation iPods and iPhones, but–like all iPod accessories–compatibility can be somewhat uneven, especially when it comes to older models of iPods.

Using AirPlay
Of course, you can simply use the Zeppelin as an iPod/iPhone dock and it does work perfectly well in the capacity, charging your iPod or iPhone when it’s docked (One warning: if you have a case on your iPhone, you may have to take it off to get your device to slip properly in the dock).

However, the big selling point here is AirPlay, and a lot of people will be interested in streaming music to the speaker from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch, essentially turning those devices into remotes for playback of your music.

Before starting, it’s best to make sure the Zeppelin Air has the latest firmware. Firmware updates must be done via the USB cable, which needs to be connected directly between the Zeppelin Air and your PC or Mac. It works well enough, but we’d prefer a system that provided for automatic “over the air” firmware updates.

To get started with AirPlay, you’ll first have to get the Zeppelin Air onto your home network. You can do that by connecting the Zeppelin directly to a PC or Mac via Ethernet, or by logging onto the Air’s initial temporary Wi-Fi connection. Both ways worked well enough for us. Once connected, you then call up a browser and type “169.254.1.1″ in the address bar and press enter. You’ll be taken to the Zeppelin Air setup page, where you can then log the Zeppelin Air into your wireless network using the password you’ve created to access the network. What’s nice is that you can do this with any Web browser–there’s no need to install special software.

Once you select your Wi-Fi network and enter your password, the unit saves that information in its internal memory. You’re then good to disconnect and set up the Air any place within range of your Wi-Fi access point. (We left the Air unplugged overnight and then powered it back up, and it relocated and logged into our Wi-Fi network again with no problems.) Note that AirPlay devices require secure, password-protected Wi-Fi to work wirelessly–open Wi-Fi points won’t work.

Once the Zeppelin is up and running on the network, it should be ready to work with other AirPlay sources–namely, your iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad, or your PC or Mac running iTunes. In both cases, those other devices need to be logged into the same home network as well. You’ll also want to make sure you’re running the latest version of iOS and/or iTunes, and that you have Home Sharing turned on.

It’s also worth noting that each method of using AirPlay–streaming from the iOS device or streaming from computer-based iTunes–offers a slightly different experience. When playing a song on your iOS portable device (iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad), you’ll notice a devices menu icon in the bottom-right corner of the screen. You touch that button, select the Zeppelin Air from the menu, and your music will start streaming after a few seconds.

A network can have multiple AirPlay-compatible devices on it–anything from a Mac or Windows PC running iTunes to a Zeppelin Air, Apple TV, or Apple AirPort Express. But when playing audio from your portable iOS device, you can only stream to AirPlay compatible speaker (such as the Zeppelin) at a time.

On the other hand, the AirPlay option should be universally available from nearly any app with audio output–be it the iPod playback app, Pandora, video player, or what have you. Keep in mind that the Zeppelin (or other AirPlay speaker) will stream whatever sound you’d otherwise hear from the iPhone/iPad’s internal speaker–so if you boot up Angry Birds, you’ll hear that on the Zeppelin as well.

AirPlay can also be used to play music from a networked computer running iTunes. But you don’t need to be sitting at the computer to use it–just download Apple’s Remote app, and follow the on-screen instructions to link it to a given computer (basically, you input a four-digit code). Once that’s done, you’ll have access to the entire iTunes-based music library on your hard drive from the screen of the iPad, iPod Touch, or iPhone. For whatever reason, these songs can be played on multiple AirPlay speakers (just choose which ones–and relative volume levels–from the Remote app). Currently, though, you can’t play different songs in different rooms–just the same song in multiple rooms.

We’re not going to go into too much detail for AirPlay playback, but overall we’d say that once you get past the initial setup, which is fairly straightforward though not without the potential problems endemic to setting anything up on your home Wi-Fi network, it’s definitely a nice feature that’s well worth taking advantage of. Also, the audio quality of the streaming is superior to what you’d get compared with Bluetooth, but we did encounter some glitches where the music stopped playing for short periods or simply conked out altogether, forcing us to reconnect to the Zeppelin Air.

In other words, AirPlay isn’t exactly rock steady at this point. As it stands, if you’re really looking to set up a multiroom audio system, it makes more sense to go with Sonos, which offers more features, better reliability, and better bang for your multiroom buck.

In our review of the original Zeppelin, we docked it a little for not having certain extras like an FM radio. And while that particular feature still is missing, the ability to load apps onto your iPhone or iPod Touch makes those omissions easier to ignore. As mentioned, more and more audio apps, including Pandora, are compatible with AirPlay speakers, so you’ll be able to stream music not just from the music library on your device, but from a multitude of apps.

Audio performance
The Zeppelin Air sounds bigger than it really is. While we didn’t have an original Zeppelin on hand for a direct A/B comparison, we definitely think the Zeppelin Air has more bass and plays louder than the old model.

Stereo imaging quality varied with distance; it was best when we sat 2 to 5 feet away from the speaker. As we moved further away stereo separation dwindled, so the sound was essentially mono. Not that the speaker sounded small; the Zeppelin Air’s rich tone and healthy bass output will never be mistaken for a table radio’s. The Zeppelin Air’s built-in subwoofer bass is powerful for a small speaker, but definition is only fair, so distinguishing individual bass notes isn’t always possible. The speaker doesn’t have bass and treble controls, but you can fine-tune the Zeppelin Air’s sound to taste with the “EQ” setting on your iPod or iPhone. We experimented with the EQ and preferred the sound with the “Bass Reducer” turned on.

The Zeppelin Air really came into its own with acoustic music of all kinds, and Diana Krall’s vocals and piano were crisp and clear. With Ms. Krall’s effortless jazz filling the CNET listening room, the Zeppelin Air’s audiophile credentials were fully in order.

We couldn’t resist playing some Led Zeppelin tunes, cranking them up to a healthy volume. The Zeppelin Air can play fairly loud and fill a moderately sized room with sound, and it’s a great compact system, though no iPod speaker ever really sounds as good as a pair of decent bookshelf speakers. The size limitations will become more obvious when playing the Zeppelin Air loud. The Bose SoundDock 10 or Monster Beats by Dr. Dre Beatbox iPod Dock would be better choices if high volume playback is a priority.

Turned down to a very low volume, the Zeppelin Air’s “Dynamic EQ” feature automatically increases the subwoofer’s bass output. The Zeppelin Air’s sound doesn’t get thin or weak at hushed, late night listening volume.

We briefly compared the Zeppelin Air with a pair of Audioengine A5 powered speakers. The A5s are great, but the Zeppelin Air had more bass power and a more natural tonal balance. The only area where the A5 bettered the Zeppelin Air was in stereo imaging. The Audioengine A5s are stereo speakers that can be separated as far apart as you’d like, so they had a decisive advantage in stereo imaging.

We also put the Zeppelin Air into service as a sound bar speaker in the CNET home theater. The sound had great authority and fullness, but men’s voices sounded too “chesty,” so dialog intelligibility suffered. Movies with wide dynamic range explosions and such were scaled back in their impact. All in all, the Zeppelin Air is an excellent iPod speaker, but only a fairly competent sound bar speaker.

Conclusion
We liked the original Zeppelin and said it looked “amazing” and was better built than a lot of competing models. However, we also said the hefty price tag and the Bowers Wilkins name may have raised our level of expectations to an almost unreachable level.

As we said in the introduction, the new Zeppelin Air costs the same ($600) as the original, sounds better, and has AirPlay built into it. So while it’s still expensive, it does offer significantly more for the money. If you’re in the market for a luxury iPod, iPhone, or iPad speaker, this Zeppelin Air certainly fits the bill. Just make sure to compare it with the Sonos and the growing number of AirPlay devices before you throw down the platinum card.

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TDK Sound Cube

TDK is working hard to break away from its history of dusty cassette tapes and make a new name for itself with a line of premium portable speaker systems. The company kicked off 2011 with its TDK 3 Speaker Boombox, which sent us into convulsive fits of retro sonic bliss. For those interested in something more affordable and portable, the TDK Sound Cube ($299) is a more manageable option than its bigger brother, while still holding its own as a great sound system.

Design and features
When we call the TDK Sound Cube a boom box, we literally mean that it is designed like a box. There are speakers on each of its sides, a comfy leather handle up on top and a compartment on the bottom with room for 12 D-cell batteries.

Without the batteries inside, the Sound Cube weighs as much as a 12-pack of beer. With the batteries installed, you’re in for a workout. Still, it’s a much more portable system than its big brother, which was a bit of a shin-smacker.

The audio source, station preset, playback control, and other functions are accessed using illuminated capacitive touch controls located above the front speaker. To the left and right of these buttons are two gloriously oversize aluminum knobs that control volume, radio tuning, and other functions. As on the 3 Speaker Boombox, the volume knob goes to 11.

In spite of our enthusiasm, there are some design disappointments in the TDK Sound Cube. Instead of offering a proper dock or enclosure for your connected iPhone or iPod, the speaker system just has a nonslip padded surface on the top. In fairness, TDK’s design decision makes it easier to use with a broad range of audio devices (heck, you could place an old Walkman up there), and makes it more future-proof. Still, a secure space for docking your precious iPhone would be nice.

On the back, the TDK Sound Cube offers an iPhone/iPod connection (via USB), USB stick media playback (MP3, AAC, WMA), and a slew of auxiliary input options, including RCA, minijack, and a quarter-inch instrument input that can be blended with the other audio for instant karaoke and block party high jinks.

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Audio setup
Since our HTX-22HDX review sample was the plain 2.1 channel version, we initially thought it wouldn’t require any setup or speaker calibration adjustments.

As we listened we felt the subwoofer volume was too low, so we turned up the sub with a few taps on the remote’s Ch Sel button. As we continued listening we also noted movie dialogue was a little hard to follow. Since there’s no center channel volume adjustment possible in a 2.1 channel system, Onkyo offers a Center Image adjustment in the HTX-22HDX’s onscreen setup menu. The Center Image control attenuates the right and left channels’ volume to effectively raise the center channel volume. It improved dialogue intelligibility to the point where it was about average for a stereo or sound-bar system.

The setup menu also has a couple of potentially useful features like a user-adjustable Max Volume setting, and Power On Volume, with which you can predetermine the HTX-22HDX’s initial sound volume.

Performance
We started our HTX-22HDX auditions with Ben Affleck’s heist movie, “The Town.” Set in Boston’s Charlestown neighborhood, the film’s on-location scenes supplied a very realistic soundtrack for our listening tests. The gunfire exchanges between the robbers and the police in a garage at Fenway Park had good impact, and the screams of the wounded robbers echoing in the garage were chilling. But the HTX-22HDX’s subwoofer didn’t have enough power to produce the heavyweight sound of an armored truck crash and the massive thud when it flipped over. Turning up the sub’s volume and the EX Bass enhancement function didn’t help matters; the HTX-22HDX’s low-end power was consistently lightweight during all of our music and movie listening tests. The Zvox 430 HSD sound bar doesn’t come with a separate subwoofer, but that speaker produced more and better bass, and played louder than the HTX-22HDX.

With the HTX-22HDX’s two speakers set up approximately 6 feet apart, Diana Krall’s “Live in Rio” concert DVD projected a large, open soundstage that we judged as superior to what we’ve heard from most sound-bar speaker systems, including the 430 HSD. Krall’s piano, the acoustic bass, and the orchestral strings sounded fine, but her voice and the drums’ cymbals had a harsh, tinny edge, and the applause had an oddly hollow sound. Lowering the volume to a more moderate level tamed some of the harshness.

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ “Mojo” Blu-ray high-resolution DTS Master Audio soundtrack felt lackluster. The HTX-22HDX can play fairly loud, but rock music sounds strained when pushed. Dynamics were limited, though bass definition was reasonably good.

The HTX-22HDX is probably best suited to very small rooms (under 200 square feet), and for buyers who just want a small step up from built-in TV speakers.

Wrap-up
We almost always love the sound quality of Onkyo’s home theater systems, so we were surprised that the HTX-22HDX was underwhelming sonically. Although the design, feature set, and price are nice, it’s really only suited for buyers that don’t demand a big home theater sound.

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