Harman Kardon AE

Harman Kardon's recent push into the earphone market brings us the in-canal AE earphones, which, at $149.95 (list) , are priced to compete with a very talented group that includes the Bowers & Wilkins C5 In-Ear Headphones ?and the Moshi Vortex Pro. The AE's drivers offer ample bass, but it's delivered in a more reserved manner than much of the immediate competition. Overall, the subtle response lends itself well to a variety of music genres. There are better-fitting and -looking pairs on the market, but the Harman Kardon AE is a breath of fresh air in an era of booming bass and extremely tweaked treble.

Design
Harman Kardon keeps things sparse and modern in the design department, with rounded rectangular, black and matte metallic-colored earpieces connected to a thin black cable. A three-button remote along the right ear's cable handles phone calls, volume, Play/Pause, and Track Navigation controls. Only the middle button has a raised marker, and it's hard to feel where one button ends and the next begins?since you can't easily look at the compartment when wearing the AE, this is a slight annoyance.

The earphones integrate controls for Apple devices. The microphone is built into the right earpiece, and call clarity is comparable with other iPhone remotes?not great, but passable. Included in the box: Three pairs of silicon eartips in various sizes, a pair of Comply foam tips, and a high-quality snap-shut carrying case with padded compartments to hold the earpieces firmly in place?a feature usually found inside cases for higher-end models and pro-gear.

Recently, earphone designers have been making subtle improvements to audio cables, utilizing cloth or new plastic coatings to reduce tangling and retain shape. A fine example of this is the tangle-resistant cable on the Denon Urban Raver AH-C300 In-Ear Headphones , which can still tangle a bit, but is easily released, and never seems to retain the curves of the coil when in use. The AE, however, does not employ this type of evolved cable or anything like the linguini-esque cables you find on earphones like the Monster iSport Immersion In-Ear Headphones. Instead, we have a simple, easily tangled and quite coil-prone cable in the AE. The AE looks good, but the rigid cable itself feels like an afterthought.

Performance
The overall response of the AE is more subtle and reserved than recent models like the intentionally bass-heavy Denon Urban Raver AH-C300. The AE not only has a less intense bass response, its high frequency response also appears to be less exaggerated. This is not to say, however, that the AE lacks power or clarity.

On deep bass tracks like the Knife's "Silent Shout," the earphones never distort, even at maximum volume (a level you are hopefully not planning on exploring much for your eardrums' sake), and the low frequencies are delivered with a definite boost?just nothing on the level of the Urban Raver. On tracks with significant thump, like Jay-Z and Kanye West's "No Church in the Wild," the sub bass frequencies are well-represented when a distorted synth bass enters the song, but the mid frequencies also shine, adding extra power to the attack of the persistent kick drum beat.

On instrumental tracks, like John Adams' classical piece, "The Chairman Dances," the mids again take center stage, with the lower register strings and percussion adding the occasional deeper bass presence to the mix?it's never overwhelming or too thin of a sound. Some purists may wish that the bass was dialed back a tad more, but the overall sound signature here is quite balanced and articulate without being overly crisp or bright.

If you're looking to spend a bit less, the Shure SE215 ?has a comparable sound signature?and the added bonus of a detachable, replaceable audio cable, which adds to its value. Compared with the similarly priced Bowers & Wilkins C5 In-Ear Headphones, the AE sounds, again, more subtle?it focuses on mids and providing ample bass response and articulation, but it offers less bass and crisp high-end than either the C5 or the aforementioned Moshi Vortex Pro. The C5, Vortex Pro, and AE all offer a response that is far from truly flat, so deciding which pair sounds better is a matter of personal preference. I find the more sculpted sound signature of the C5 exciting, and its fit is significantly more secure than anything else in the group. Still, the Harman Kardon AE is certainly a worthy contender; its audio performance is clean and well-matched with its price, and the pro-gear look of the case is an added bonus.

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