Harman gets into the sound-bar biz with SB 16

Harman Kardon is best known for its stylish, component-style AV receivers, but the company is expanding its lineup to include a sound bar. The newly announced SB 16 is available now, and will join the crowded market of sound-bar home theater systems, with its $600 price pushing past the standard price of a system like this.

From Harman Kardon's product page, we're not seeing anything that would distinguish the SB 16 from its many competitors. It's a 2.1 channel system with a wireless subwoofer and it includes "3D" virtual surround processing, which is included on most sound-bar systems. Its connectivity includes a coaxial audio input, optical audio input, and analog audio input, but there's no HDMI connectivity like on last year's Sony HT-CT150. The page also mentions that the SB 16 works with your TV's existing remote control, although that means that Harman doesn't include a separate remote with the SB 16, according to the user manual.

Of course, specs aren't the whole story, so we'll have to get the SB 16 in for review to see how it sounds and handles in everyday use.