The most affordable speaker in Harman Kardon's multiroom smart speaker lineup just got much more affordable. With a list price of $230, the Harman Kardon Citation One smart speaker is currently discounted by $140 at Best Buy to bring its price to a very attractive $90.
The squat, 4.4-pound speaker measures 5.5 inches wide by 7.1 inches tall and looks elegant with its blended wool fabric cover -- available in black or gray, and both color options are on sale. It offers Google Assistant for hands-free control of your tunes and other smart features, and it supports Chromecast for multiroom audio via Wi-Fi. There's also Bluetooth for pairing directly with a phone or tablet, but there's no wired connection. With one 20mm tweeter and one 89mm woofer, the speaker pumps out 40 watts of mono sound, but you can pair a second Citation One in the same room for stereo sound.
CNET hasn't reviewed it, but the reviews I've seen elsewhere are generally positive and describe a rich, bass-heavy sound.
The Citation One is on sale now because it'll soon be replaced by the Citation 200 this fall. The $300 Citation 200 will offer bigger sound with its 50-watt output and greater portability with a battery and changing base and IPX4 splash-proof protection. And for your bedside, the Citation Oasis will be released this fall for $200. It has only 12-watt output but features a built-in alarm clock and wireless phone charging capabilities. In addition to Chromecast, both new speakers will also support Apple AirPlay, which the Citation One lacks.
Tiny JBL speaker on sale, too
If you want to spend even less for a mini Bluetooth speaker that you can take anywhere, the JBL Go 2 is on sale at Best Buy and Amazon for $29 or $30 (depending on the color you choose). That's a $10 or an $11 savings from its list price, but we expect the Go 2 to drop to $20 in time for the holiday shopping season.
The Go 2 can fit in your pocket, is fully waterproof and has speakerphone capabilities. Rated for 3 watts of power, it's not the best speaker for headbangers but makes a good travel companion for streaming videos and watching movies. It will soon be pushed aside by the JBL Go 3 this fall. Read our JBL Go 2 review and check out the JBL Go 2 on sale at Best Buy and on Amazon.
