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Harman/Kardon Enchant 1300  Soundbar Review

Reviewed Apr 13, 2021 at 09:47am
Writing modified Nov 30, 2021 at 02:22pm
Tested using methodology v1.0 
Harman/Kardon Enchant 1300
7.3
Mixed Usage 
7.8
Dialogue/TV Shows 
7.5
Music 
6.9
Movies 
 1

The Harman/Kardon Enchant 1300 is a 5.0 soundbar that's advertised to have 13 channels, but it really has a mix of 13 speakers and tweeters. We confirmed it's a 5.0 bar through our testing files, which send signals to specific channels to determine the true number of channels. It also comes with built-in Multibeam technology that's advertised to help create a more immersive surround sound experience. Out-of-the-box, it has a slightly bass-heavy sound profile that adds some extra punch to your audio, and there are even a few sound enhancement features available to help you customize its sound. However, it struggles to reproduce a thumpy low-bass, which can be disappointing for fans of bass-heavy music and action-packed movies. You can purchase a subwoofer separately, but we don't currently test for this.

Our Verdict

7.3
Mixed Usage 

The Harman/Kardon Enchant 1300 is satisfactory for mixed usage. Out-of-the-box, it has a slightly bass-heavy sound profile that adds a little extra punch to the mix while still reproducing clear and accurate vocals and dialogue. There are a few sound enhancement features to help you customize its sound, though it still struggles to reproduce a rumbling low-bass, which can be disappointing for fans of bass-heavy genres. Also, it doesn't support Dolby Atmos content, and it doesn't offer a very immersive surrounds experience.

Pros
  • Gets loud.
  • Bass adjustment feature.
Cons
  • Doesn't support Dolby Atmos.
  • Lacks low-bass.
7.8
Dialogue/TV Shows 

The Harman/Kardon Enchant 1300 is very good for dialogue-centric content like TV shows. Thanks to its dedicated center channel and balanced mid-range, it can reproduce vocals clearly and accurately. There's also a dialogue enhancement feature available to help make voices sound more clear and crisp. It gets pretty loud, too, and you can easily stream podcasts from your phone to the bar wirelessly via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and Chromecast built-in.

Pros
  • Gets loud.
  • Dialogue enhancement feature.
  • Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and Chromecast built-in capabilities.
Cons
  • Doesn't support Apple AirPlay.
7.5
Music 

The Harman/Kardon Enchant 1300 is good for music. Out-of-the-box, it has a slightly bass-heavy sound profile that adds a little extra punch and warmth to your audio. You can also use the bass adjustment feature as well as the EQ presets to help customize its sound more to your liking. Unfortunately, it struggles to reproduce a thumpy low-bass, which can be disappointing if you like bass-heavy genres like EDM. However, you can purchase a dedicated subwoofer separately, though we don't test for this.

Pros
  • Gets loud.
  • Bass adjustment feature.
Cons
  • Lacks low-bass.
6.9
Movies 

The Harman/Kardon Enchant 1300 is fair for movies. Out-of-the-box, it has a slightly bass-heavy sound profile that can still reproduce dialogue clearly thanks to its balanced mid-range. However, it struggles to reproduce a thumpy low-bass, so you don't feel the deep rumbles in action-packed scenes. It doesn't support Dolby Atmos content, and it doesn't have dedicated surround speakers, so surround content doesn't sound as clear and real. On the upside, it does get pretty loud.

Pros
  • Gets loud.
  • Bass adjustment feature.
Cons
  • Doesn't support Dolby Atmos.
  • Lacks low-bass.
  • 7.3
    Mixed Usage
  • 7.8
    Dialogue/TV Shows
  • 7.5
    Music
  • 6.9
    Movies
  • Changelog

    1.  Updated Apr 13, 2021: Updated 5.1 PCM via Full HDMI In to 'Yes'.
    2.  Updated Apr 13, 2021: Review published.
    3.  Updated Apr 08, 2021: Early access published.
    4.  Updated Apr 05, 2021: Our testers have started testing this product.

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    Differences Between Sizes And Variants

    The Harman/Kardon 1300 Soundbar comes in 'Graphite', and you can see the label for the model we tested here.

    If you come across another version, let us know in the discussions so we can update our review.

    Popular Soundbar Comparisons

    The Harman/Kardon 1300 Soundbar is a 5.0 setup that you can upgrade by purchasing a subwoofer separately. It has built-in Multibeam technology that's advertised to help create a more immersive surround sound. However, it lacks dedicated surround speakers, so it doesn't sound as clear and real as some of the other setups we've tested. It also has a room correction feature that automatically optimizes its audio reproduction based on the room you're listening in.

    See also the best soundbars, the best soundbars for music, and the best soundbars for movies.

    Sonos Beam (Gen 2)

    Depending on your listening habits, you may prefer the Harman/Kardon Enchant 1300 or the Sonos Beam (Gen 2). The Harman/Kardon gets louder with less compression at max volume. It also has more physical inputs, including a Full HDMI In port for high-quality passthrough. That said, the Sonos' better-built, more compact design may be preferable for some users. It also supports Atmos content, unlike the Harman/Kardon.

    Bose Smart Soundbar 900 with Speakers + Bass Module

    The Bose Smart Soundbar 900 with Speakers + Bass Module is better than the Harman/Kardon Enchant 1300. While the Harman/Kardon is good for music and dialogue-centric content like TV shows, the Bose offers a more versatile overall performance. It's a better choice for movies, as it supports Atmos content and has better surround and soundstage performances. It also comes with a dedicated sub and satellites, and it can reproduce a more extended low-bass.

    JBL Bar 9.1

    The JBL Bar 9.1 is a better soundbar than the Harman/Kardon Enchant 1300. The JBL comes with a dedicated sub and satellite speakers, and it reproduces a more extended low-bass. It has a better surround performance, and unlike the Harman/Kardon, it supports Dolby Atmos content. It also supports more wireless playback options.

    Sonos Arc

    The Sonos Arc is better soundbar than the Harman/Kardon Enchant 1300. The Sonos has a more neutral sound profile out-of-the-box with a more extended low-bass. It also supports Dolby Atmos, unlike the Harman/Kardon. That said, the Harman/Kardon offers more wireless playback options, comes with three Full HDMI In ports, and supports high-quality passthrough. You can also upgrade both setups with a subwoofer, and you can also see the results for the Sonos Arc with Sub + One SL Speakers.

    Show more 

    Test Results

    perceptual testing image
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    Design
    Style - Bar

    The Harman/Kardon Enchant 1300 has a sleek design. There's a tight fabric covering on the front and most of the back of the bar, and the top and the sides have an aluminum feel. The bottom of the bar is made of plastic.

    Style - Subwoofer

    This soundbar doesn't come with a subwoofer; however, you can purchase one separately.

    Style - Satellites
    Dimensions - Bar
    Width44.0" (111.8 cm)
    Height2.7" (6.9 cm)
    Depth4.9" (12.4 cm)

    The Harman/Kardon 1300 is quite large, so it likely can't fit between the legs of your 55" TV. On the upside, it isn't very tall, so it shouldn't block your TV screen unless your TV sits flush on the table.

    Dimensions - Subwoofer
    WidthN/A
    HeightN/A
    DepthN/A
    Dimensions - Satellites
    WidthN/A
    HeightN/A
    DepthN/A
    Back - Bar
    Bar Mounting
    Proprietary

    On the back of the bar, there are a few openings for the inputs and the power cable. There are also proprietary mounts so you can mount it on your wall, and the brackets and screws are included.

    Back - Subwoofer
    Enclosure
    No Subwoofer
    Back - Satellites
    Mounting
    No
    8.0
    Build Quality

    The Harman/Kardon Enchant 1300 has an impressive build quality. The fabric covering the front and the back is tight and doesn't seem like it could rip easily. The top and the sides have an aluminum feel, which seems solid, but unfortunately is also prone to collecting fingerprints over time.

    In The Box
    HDMI Cable Length
    1.1 m (3.6 ft)
    Digital Optical Cable Length
    1.1 m (3.6 ft)

    • Manuals
    • Mounting template
    • Remote with 2xAA batteries
    • Mounting brackets and screws
    • AUX cable
    • Optical cable
    • HDMI cable
    • Power cable

    Sound
    7.1
    Stereo Frequency Response
    See details on graph tool
    See details on graph tool
    Tested Preset
    Standard
    Slope
    -0.80
    Std. Err.
    3.21 dB
    Channels
    5.0
    Low-Frequency Extension
    54.2 Hz
    High-Frequency Extension
    19.3 kHz

    The Harman/Kardon Enchant 1300 has a decent stereo frequency response. With its Automatic Multibeam Calibration room correction feature turned on, this soundbar has a slightly bass-heavy sound profile that adds a little extra punch and warmth to your mixes. However, it struggles to reproduce a thumpy low-bass, which can be disappointing for fans of bass-heavy music or action-packed movies. It also comes with a bass adjustment feature and several EQ presets to help you customize its sound more to your liking.

    7.1
    Stereo Frequency Response With Preliminary Calibration
    See details on graph tool
    Suggested Preset
    Standard
    Suggested Bass Setting
    -4
    Suggested Treble Setting
    N/A
    Slope
    0.03
    Std. Err.
    2.70 dB
    Low-Frequency Extension
    57.4 Hz
    High-Frequency Extension
    19.3 kHz

    With its room correction feature turned on and the bass adjustment set to -4, the Harman/Kardon 1300 has a decent stereo frequency response. It reproduces a very neutral sound profile that's suitable for listening to lots of different types of audio content. However, it still struggles to reproduce a deep, thumpy low-bass, which can be disappointing if you like to feel the rumbles in bass-heavy music.

    8.0
    Stereo Soundstage
    See details on graph tool
    Crosstalk Error
    2.18 dB

    The Harman/Kardon Enchant 1300 has a great stereo soundstage performance. The soundstage is perceived to be bigger than the table. Audio sounds a bit processed and mixed to make the soundstage seem bigger, but it doesn't sound too unnatural. It also has very good focus, so objects seem to come from an accurate, pinpoint location rather than a general area.

    8.1
    Stereo Dynamics
    See details on graph tool
    SPL @ Max Volume
    93.6 dB SPL
    DRC @ Max Volume
    1.04 dB

    The Harman/Kardon Enchant 1300 has a great stereo dynamics performance. It can get loud without a lot of compression at max volume, so it's suitable for listening to audio at parties and in large rooms.

    7.1
    Stereo Total Harmonic Distortion
    See details on graph tool
    Weighted THD @ 80dB
    0.70
    Weighted THD @ Max Volume
    2.26

    The Harman/Kardon Enchant 1300's stereo THD performance is decent. Distortion falls within good limits at normal listening volumes, resulting in clear and pure audio reproduction. However, there's a jump in distortion when you play the bar at max volume. This may not be very noticeable with real-life content, though.

    8.5
    Center
    See details on graph tool
    Localization
    Discrete
    Slope
    -0.01
    Std. Err.
    2.65 dB
    SPL @ Max Volume
    92.0 dB SPL
    Weighted THD @ 80dB
    0.31
    Weighted THD @ Max Volume
    1.18

    The Harman/Kardon Enchant 1300 has an excellent center channel performance. This 5.0 setup offers a discrete center channel, which helps to more clearly and accurately reproduce voices in dialogue-centric content like TV shows. Though it struggles to reproduce low-bass, this shouldn't be too noticeable, since there typically isn't a lot of low-bass in audio content played on the center channel.

    6.3
    Surround 5.1
    See details on graph tool
    Localization
    Phantom (Front Firing and Side Firing, Bar)
    Slope
    -0.43
    Std. Err.
    3.05 dB
    SPL @ Max Volume
    92.7 dB SPL
    Weighted THD @ 80dB
    1.05
    Weighted THD @ Max Volume
    2.40
    7.1 Rears
    No

    The Harman/Kardon Enchant 1300 has a passable surrounds performance. It uses its front and side-firing speakers to create phantom localization. Unfortunately, this doesn't sound as clear and real as discrete surround speakers, so objects in the soundstage like voices and footsteps may not be clearly and accurately represented. These objects are perceived as coming from in front of you, rather than from all around you.

    0.0
    Height (Atmos)
    Localization
    Not Supported
    Slope
    N/A
    Std. Err.
    N/A
    SPL @ Max Volume
    N/A
    Weighted THD @ 80dB
    N/A
    Weighted THD @ Max Volume
    N/A

    For a soundbar that supports Atmos content, check out the JBL Bar 5.0 MultiBeam.

    6.1
    Sound Enhancement Features
    Room Correction
    Yes
    Dialogue Enhancement
    Yes
    Auto-Volume/Night Mode
    Yes
    Subwoofer Level Adjustment
    No
    Bass Adjustment
    Yes
    Treble Adjustment
    No
    EQ
    Presets
    Surround Level Adjustment
    No
    Rear Level Adjustment
    No
    Height Level Adjustment
    No
    Virtual Surround
    Yes

    This soundbar has a mediocre selection of sound enhancement features. It comes with a room correction feature called Automatic Multibeam Calibration, which automatically optimizes the audio reproduction based on the unique acoustic characteristics of the room you're listening in. It also offers five EQ presets to help you customize its sound: 'Standard', 'Music', 'Movie', 'Voice', and 'Personal'. The 'Personal' preset is a customizable preset, and you can store up to five different presets on the remote by adjusting the bass to your desired level. However, it lacks more robust sound customization features, such as a graphic EQ.

    Connectivity
    Physical Inputs - Bar
    Optical Audio In
    1
    HDMI ARC
    1 (shared)
    HDMI Out
    1 (shared)
    Full HDMI In
    3
    Analog Audio In 3.5mm (Aux)
    1
    RCA In
    No
    USB for Files
    1
    Ethernet
    No

    The Harman/Kardon Enchant 1300 has several physical inputs, including three Full HDMI In ports that let you use the bar as a hub between different devices. There's also an AUX port, so you can wire older devices and smartphones to the bar to play audio.

    6.1
    Audio Format Support - ARC
    eARC
    No
    Dolby Atmos
    No
    Dolby Digital
    Yes
    Dolby Digital Plus
    No
    DTS
    No
    DTS:X (eARC only)
    No
    Dolby TrueHD (eARC only)
    No
    DTS-HD MA (eARC only)
    No
    5.1 PCM (eARC only)
    No

    The Harman/Kardon Enchant 1300 Soundbar supports Dolby Digital via ARC, which is commonly found on Blu-ray discs and streaming platforms. However, it doesn't support DTS. While sound was playing from the bar during our DTS tests, the bar displays that it's playing PCM content instead of DTS.

    8.3
    Audio Format Support - Full HDMI In
    Dolby Atmos
    No
    DTS:X
    No
    Dolby Digital
    Yes
    Dolby Digital Plus
    No
    DTS
    Yes
    Dolby TrueHD
    No
    DTS-HD MA
    No
    5.1 PCM
    Yes

    Update 04/13/2021: After retesting the bar with a different HDMI splitter, we confirmed that the bar supports 5.1 PCM.

    The Harman/Kardon Enchant 1300 has satisfactory audio format support via Full HDMI In. It supports more common formats like Dolby Digital and DTS, which are found on Blu-ray discs and streaming platforms. However, it doesn't support more premium surround sound formats like Dolby Digital Plus and DTS:X.

    10
    Audio Format Support - Optical
    Dolby Digital
    Yes
    DTS
    Yes

    The Harman/Kardon Enchant 1300 supports both Dolby Digital and DTS content via Optical. These formats are commonly found on Blu-ray discs and streaming platforms.

    8.8
    Latency
    ARC
    50 ms
    Optical
    41 ms
    Full HDMI In
    9 ms

    The Harman/Kardon Enchant 1300 has an amazing latency performance. It has low latency over its ARC, Optical, and Full HDMI In ports, so video and audio are in sync, making it suitable for watching videos and movies. However, some apps and some TVs compensate for latency differently, so your real-world experience may vary.

    9.0
    Wireless Playback
    Bluetooth
    Yes
    Wi-Fi
    Yes
    Chromecast built-in
    Yes
    Apple AirPlay
    No

    The Harman/Kardon 1300 has incredible wireless playback connectivity. You can wirelessly stream audio from your phone or your tablet to the bar over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, and it also supports Chromecast built-in. However, it doesn't support Apple AirPlay, which can be disappointing for listeners with Apple smartphones.

    Other Input Specifications
    4k @ 60 Hz Passthrough
    Yes
    4k @ 60 Hz @ 10 bit Passthrough
    Yes
    4k @ 60 Hz @ 4:4:4 Passthrough
    Yes
    HDR10 Passthrough
    Yes

    The Harman/Kardon 1300 can passthrough the highest quality signals. When connected between your PC and your TV, text on the screen looks clear and crisp.

    Connectivity - Subwoofer
    Sub Wireless
    No
    Connectivity - Satellites
    Sat Wireless
    No
    Additional Features
    Interface
    Display
    Yes

    The Harman/Kardon Enchant 1300 has a small display screen. It shows all the settings that you change, as well as the inputs and the volume level. You can also have it display the firmware version by pressing a sequence of buttons on the remote.

    Bar Controls

    On top of the bar, there are a few physical controls. You can use them to turn the bar on and off, adjust the volume, and change the inputs.

    Remote
    Universal Remote
    No

    This soundbar has a fairly simple remote that lets you control all of the bar's functions. You can use the Sound Mode button to switch between the five EQ presets: ' Standard', 'Music', 'Movie', 'Voice', and 'Personal'. The five preset buttons on the remote are for the Personal Presets, which you can program yourself by changing the bass adjustment to the desired level.

    Voice Assistants Support
    Amazon Alexa
    No
    Google Assistant
    No
    Apple Siri
    No
    App
    App NameNo App
    iOSNo
    AndroidNo
    Acts As A Remote
    No
    Controls Soundbar's Settings
    No
    Casts Device Files
    No

    The Harman/Kardon Enchant 1300 doesn't have a dedicated companion app. However, you can use the Google Home app to set up the bar and connect it to Wi-Fi. The Google Home app also lets you complete firmware updates, cast to the bar with Chromecast built-in, and adjust the bar's volume level.

    Other Features
    Power Saving
    Standby
    HDMI CEC (TV Remote Control)
    Yes

    This soundbar goes into standby mode after ten minutes of inactivity. It also supports HDMI CEC, so you can use your TV remote to control some of the bar's basic functions.

    Comments

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    Harman/Kardon Enchant 1300: Main Discussion

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      Unfair without the sub

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