We had a 1st gen Echo in our master bathroom for listening to music in the morning ru-vid.comUgkxABghAEkaIDGZfHRBH3D3rBrlraNmnC71 and while in the shower. I didn't realize how tinny and awful the sound output on the original Echo was until we replaced it with the Studio. It was a sonic upgrade far beyond what I was expecting. Just wow. I love it because it's like having speakers IN the shower. My friend likes it because the music is so loud that she can no longer hear me singing. So that's a win-win.
Hi Guys, thanks for making it this far, I hope the video was helpful. First of all I would like to apologise for not including this writeup as part of the video, I couldn’t find the time to record a good video for it, but I hope to do that on future uploads please, Thank you. Ok now here are my thoughts on these speakers. Firstly, I’d like you to know how I rate any speaker, I grade them by 1. Sound Quality 2. Design and 3. Features, (Sound quality being the most important to me and features being the least important). So starting from features: Both speakers have very basic features and standard controls, there is no stereo sound, no app, no Wi-Fi connectivity no bells and whistle, however you do get wireless dual sound connection (ie. the ability to pair 2 of the same speakers together to play in sync) on both. So when it comes down to features, both speakers score a point. DESIGN: Now things get very interesting for me here as my taste for a good design is always on something out of the ordinary, basically I love anything that looks innovative, futuristic, and simply cool. Now one thing to keep in mind is that these two speakers are designed to project sound very differently, the Onyx has a forward directional sound projection, while the Aura has a 360-sound projection meaning you don’t really need to position it front-facing your listening area. When it comes to their looks, I would say they both look cool and Stylish, however most people are unsure about the looks of the Onyx 5. Some people liken it to a hand bag, and looking at it now I think it does look like a very premium hand bag. On the positive side I really like the look, I think it is designed to make a positive & stylish statement in the home, and I can boldly have this sitting in my living room. The Aura on the other hand being a 360 speaker already stands out from the vertical and horizontal bars that we are used to, it looks like an alien element, with the tinted transparent dome and the turbine on the inside, its just much of a conversation starter and I really appreciate the look. Having said all of that I can now tell you the winner of the Design category for me is the Aura Studio 2. Its weirdness is just hard to overlook, and it also brings a sense of futuristic flair to your home. SOUND QUALITY: The definition of a good sound quality is very subjective, and to me it isn’t excessive bass or overly boosted sound, rather due to the nature of my work as an editor, sound designer and music production, I lean towards a very flat sounding speaker to get my job done, but when it comes to just enjoying music I do love a good amount of thumping bass with clarity in the midrange and details in the highs. When it comes to Bass the Aura has the most resonated bass it is able to use its large vaccum to resonate and make its bass sound bigger. but due to its down facing woofer the bass sounds loose and less punchy, also at certain frequencies the air pressure inside the dome causes the bass reflex port to vibrate, this noise can be annoying for audio purists, but heavy bass lovers will accept it as part of the experience. The Onyx on the other hand has the most Clean, Punchy and tighter sounding bass due to is slightly bigger forward-facing woofer, genres like POP, EDM, Funk, Rock, blues, etc sounds better on the Onyx 5 because of the tighter kick drum sound. Midrange: This is where most medium sized speakers will generally fall apart, because it is hard to achieve good bass and midrange separation. Very bassy speakers mostly suffer from droning effect or muffled mids, this is usually where vocals and melody instruments reside. Having listened to the recordings surprisingly the Aura cleans up the midrange better than the Onyx 5. listen to the melody in the isolated mix notice how the Onyx 5 still produces a bassy tone while the aura rolls off bass nicely and produces better midrange, could be due to the Aura having multiple midrange drivers on both sides. Highs: without a doubt the winner of the highs is the Onyx 5. It compensates the lack of clear midrange with very detailed highs, now this instantly creates a perception of a cleaner more balanced sound. On the other hand, the Aura has less details in the highs causing it to have a darker sound. keep in mind the high/midrange drivers on the aura are on the sides so this could be why it lacks detail in areas around the front and back. We have taken that into consideration during the recording and have adjusted the mics to capture the best sound reproduction of the Aura. CONCLUSION & WINNER: In my opinion the Winner of this sound Comparison is the Onyx Studio 5!! It has the most clean and balanced sound. For a sealed and smaller body I think the bass sounds impressive while producing enough clarity and detail in the sound. Audiophiles would likely not be looking at these speakers but if they were to pick one, I would guess they would draw closer to the Onyx studio 5. This is my take guys! Let me know yours, its ok if it is different. Different is GOOD!
i still believe i made the right choice buying the aura studio 2 because of it's great overall sound (in my opinion) i have some suggestion for you to remove the bass rattling by placing it on a firm surface such as floors or a thick wood table. but if i have to say for portable sound (with battery) of course onyx studio 5 wins and also after watching onyx 4 vs onyx 5 i found that onyx 4 leans to a brighter sound than onyx 5
@@juliuskaspar3299 hi, appreciate your comment, and the AURA in this video is actually sitting on 3inch thick hard wood, I have also tried it on a very hard glass sutface but I still get the vibration issue, but you are right, an isolated hard surface is definitly better than one with other stuff on it. I discovered it is due to air pressure inside the AURA dome that causes the body to rattle at high volume. Dont get me wrong the aura is an amazing speaker just very little draw backs. And very well said, I also agree the onyx 4 still has a cleaner mids and highs compared to the 5.
I have the studio 2 and it’s by far the most impressive speaker you can buy. It looks good on the table and most people don’t even know it’s a speaker. It sounds amazing and looks really cool. Definitely worth the money.
Bro what I think that your channel is best for review , especially for sound test of speakers . I can't imagine how can someone make such good sound test videos really love your videos and keep doing your work like this. I wish your channel will grow fast.
The best sound comparison method I've ever heard!~ (coz my aura 2 is broke and want to either upgrade or sidegrade it) and i choose onyx 5 for having the better sound that match my mostly genre (Classical, Acoustic, pop) than aura studio 2. Thank you
Fernaldi Aldi thanks for the comment, really appreciate it. If you are a fan of the Aura 2 then you might want to check out the new Aura 3 it just might be better but I can’t fully say because I don’t have it yet, I am hopping to buy one soon.
never had the aura but onyx have always impressed me next to any other system, any onyx i owned was always far better quality sound and build than anything other than boss
OCM Reviews pls do a review on Aura Studio 3! I’ve been dying to get it but I haven’t seen any reviews online other than a couple of Romanian and Russian ones haha
The glass in aura so noisy after you up the volume until 75+ but this onyx 5 really balance sound so beautifull. Overall you need buy 2 onyx 5 and make a wondefull sound in your room
Your videos are amazing. I'm literally surprised to see why your channel has not received such recognition. You're way better than most of the RU-vidrs out there. Great job! Wireless earbuds are trending so it would be great to see you covering the trendy topics so you can get more subscribers.
Muhammad Arbaz Khan Thanks for the awesome comment and suggestions, I really appreciate it. Will work on covering more trendy topics on this channel soon as suggested. Thank you.
Frankly speaking you have a few subs but you have the BEST sound comparison video Ive seen aside from Jims Review. Now I'll always check your new content.
@@OCMANMEDIAHow is your experience with the battery life of the onyx? They say it is about 2.5 hours in maximum volume, is it realy? By the way, this beat in the beggining of the comparison i so stuck in my head, it's dope :D
Tin Andric thanks for the feedback!,, yeah the battery life lasts between 2-3 hours at constant 100% volume if the speaker is fairly new. If you’ve had it for a while and always run it on batteries then the life will decrease further. Harman Kardon never improve their batteries they aim their speakers to be more for plug in wall power, which is a shame. I always use mine plugged-in so my battery is still good.
@@tinandric17 100% the sound is worth it! I think they are really great speakers. I just mean they are not so great for people that will always take it outside for long play using the battery, as for me I use mine indoors so its awesome!
For some sound sources, 2 gives a deeper feel to the depth of the sound source distribution than 5. Further, 5 indicates the distance from the sound image. In other words, 5 makes the depth of the sound source distribution feel more planar than 2.
Wow, thanks for this video. It helps me alot on deciding which to purchase. I was searching for Onyx Studio 3 or 4, but unfortunately it had been discontinued. But I really loved the quality of the sound. Then comes to this Onyx Studio 5 vs Aura Studio 2 sound's comparison, I think you had already helped me made up my decision on which to purchase. It all depends on individuals. If you're a person more to "fine" musics such as classicals, jazz, or something "fine tune" type of musics, Aura Studio 2 is the right choice, coz it's sound is more to fine and sharp treble (high notes). But the bass, is very much lower. For myself, I'm more to Electro, Rave, Dance, Rock type of genre musics, now I know I shall go get the Onyx Studio. Because it has a more "solid" bass, that's what I need when playing an Electro Remix type of musics, and also the treble is okay, slightly lower comparing to Aura Studio 2. But it all balanced well with the bass. Overall, I think Onyx Studio is my thing. But here I must add a little comments. This is Onyx Studio 5. If comparing with Onyx Studio 6, Studio 6's sound quality is much more better than 5's. It has more "compact" bass than Studio 5. Besides, Onyx Studio 5 is not Waterproof, whereas Onyx Studio 6 is Waterproof comes with (IPX7), and Studio 6 weights at 2940gm = 2.94 kilos, slightly lighter than Studio 5 weights at 2980gm = 2.98 kilos. On the outer design, my impression on both Aura & Onyx. Aura looks very "fragile" to me, I'm not sure the casing is it made of glass. But it seems very fragile. Wonder if I blass the maximum volume will the casing just break or if by accidentally, it drop on the floor, I wonder will it break as well. While on the Onyx, it looks more sleek and easy to handle. There's no worries of it being fragile. Plus Onyx has it casing cover if you search thru online shopping websites. It helps alot on protecting it against dirty when not using. Can just place the whole speaker into the casing. Overall, thank you very much of making this video, and yeah, true enough, it needs an ear phone to hear the sound's quality differences. And lastly, why Harman Kardon. I've been doing alots of comparisons. JBL Boombox 2, Sony XB33, Edifier S3000 Pro Active, MI LX06, Huawei SOUND X... etc, None of it really "satisfied" my "demands" of sound's quality. JBL Boombox is a little "noisy" when comes to bass blasting. Seems like the outer packing couldn't take the impact of the woofers. Then it delivers the sound seems like a "broken bass". You know what I mean ? Sony XB33, ... It was very disappointing. The bass, treble everything, the sound's quality it just a nehh 👎🏻. Edifier S3000 Pro Active not too bad, around the comparison range with JBL Boombox 2, and also is the same problem, the outer packing's problem that can't delivers a solid bass, it just delivers a very noisy and unsupported bass due to it's packing, can't withstand the impact of the bass. MI LX06 & Huawei SOUND X... Thou are China made, it's totally A Huge Failure 👎🏻. Extremely lousy quality of sounds, OMG 🤦🏻♀️. It's only more for their phones. Not other accessories. All are real junks. (No wonder if you look at the pricings, it is a huge difference), and there's the reason. Even on phones, MI is even not compatible with Huawei. Among so many recent China brands of phones, MI, Oppo, Realme, the features can't compare with Huawei. If given a choice, I would prefer the previous Nokia Microsoft Windows Lumia 950XL. I used to had it, since some 2 years ago, WhatsApp stopped supporting these range of devices, it was just so damp disappointing. Thou it was an OS phone, but I loved the camera's features, it was so damp sharp on photography. And the sound when playing a song, it was clear, solid and damp loud. Not even Huawei can compared with it. Currently I'm using a Huawei Mate40 RS 5G's phone. Honestly, still not 100% satisfied with the performance. And for those of you planning to get this phone, I highly suggest you go and test out the real device before purchase for a better understanding. Then you'll know what I meant. My mistake was, I didn't test the real device, but one of my pal had it, so I briefly tried it but since it was my pal's phone, lots of other features like after snapped photo's quality, it was not so "convenient" for me to see coz it may had some of pal's privacies. But first impression, I like the design. So I bought it via online. (Partly was due to the quarantine of Covid, lots of shops are unable to open for business, so I just contacted my phone's seller a shop, and bought it thru ordering). Honestly, I did had some regrets. But it's ok. I might reconsider to get another Nokia's. But currently still unsure on which series of Nokia phones should I get.
@@MB2kbps Sorry bro, my comments was a year ago when I got my Onyx 6. Now I'd found something else 100x better than Harman Kardon. Check out for Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore US2 Mutiroom speaker. The sound's quality is ... Impeccable and close to perfections. Wondering which brand of cars are paired with Bang & Olufsen speaker ? Audi R8 Sypder V10.
cant say i ever heard of that one b4 now but im sure many others also do that, mine equivalent is when on full screen if i need to squint to see small distant objects i maximise forgetting its already full screen. oh the joy of our quirks lol
Cara ! Comprei as duas . Kkkk vou pagar o boleto somente de uma ! Super dúvida. Pq não curto música muito aguda, eu curto grave bacana sabe ? Mas não um grave que distorça. Algo de qualidade , gostosa , com grave de qualidade. A Onyx é então a melhor opção ? Eu olhando o vídeo parece que me atraiu mais o som. Não é fraquinho não né ? Outra pergunta. Consigo emparelhar com a tv smart tb ? Muito obrigado , será importante pra mim.
I’m not an audiophile, but certainly an enthusiast. I’ve watched many audio comparisons so far & hands down, this is the best channel so far I’ve come across. I hope more people like me finds their way to this Channel. All the very best ✌️
well that makes a change all we usually get from india is phishing scams or an hour on hold listening to jingles. lol sorry bad humour i love india sorry for stereo typical meme-ury, you guys n girls for most part are all awesome
Thank you man! thank you so much for making such amazing comparison videos you really helped me make a decision. I recently sold my JBL Xtreme and I wanted to buy a new one with better bass and over all sound quality and my options were onyx studio 4, 5 and aura 2 and there are no good quality comparison videos on the internet right now and you have all of them so I appreciate your effort and thank you for helping me and many many others in making a decision. I try to recommend your videos to as many people as possible so they can ask for speakers and comparisons they want to see and you can get the likes and subscribers you deserve! Well done Sir well done!
My pleasure! I'm glad the video was helpful, and I really appreciate your awesome support for this channel. already a good list of requests coming through, starting to look at the JBL family including some really good unpopular brands. will keep you guys updated. thanks!
@@OCMANMEDIA looking forward for more videos, and as I said before try to make some outdoor videos as well because we want to hear how they will sound in an open space
@@enigmaticmoni sorry for late reply, but yes absolutely I would love to make some outdoors video aswell, although I dont have the resources to do it yet but in not too distant future of this channel we be able to achive that for you guys. and Thanks for the ideas.
@@nicolleandrade3607 I chose Studio 5 because of portability and trust me the amount of bass this speaker can generate is just phenomenal I actually couldn't believe my ears! it can literally rattle your room and things in it. P.s Marshall has a somewhat flat frequency response so I didn't go for that option
no harm dude but nowadays our generations are enlightened to the full history of our species so many of us find god bless to be nothing more than an insult!! u do know to believe in god in 2020 makes you clinically insane.
This is just video Try to hear in real life Hkaura is better alot then khos5 Hkaura need to plugin to play the music,best for home use Hkos5 is more portability with battery inside,but sound quality and bass not as good as hkaura2 I prefer to buy hkaura for home use
@@rickyw9920 i have both and the onyx 5 sounds way better than the aura 2. Sold it off and got the aura 3. And yes, the aura 3 is way ahead of the onyx 5.
It's a close match, but at 18:17 (jazz music) i hear the diference, Onix sound more clean and deep. It's like 50 box cheaper, Its portable, so, Onix is better for me...
Hey @OCM Reviews bro... could you tell me which is the better way to use the Onyx 5/6, while Plugged in or Just as a normal BT speaker? I mean like fully charge when its closer to die and remove AC adp then use it or how? When considered for long term durability of the battery? Please let me know your opinion. Thank You :)
Aura got more echo , it sounds more like in a concert hall. while Onxy is more to a bombox . Very nice comparison. try dual Aura it will make more sense.
1-How to connect aura 2 with multiple HK speakers for surround sound/ multiroom experience? 2 - What do I need to look for when purchasing 2 aura for dual speaker function? does it have to be the same model no. to connect?
Another great video review here, you now got me on my second watch of your reviews (subscribed) ! In what I heard in my system it seems the Onyx 5 has the edge specially on the nice, controlled tight bass. The Aura seems a little loose in the sub region. The mids and highs are almost the same for both but I'm sure there is a difference in actual hearing. May I ask, at max volume , how long does the Onyx Studio 5 plays music till it dies out. I had the 1st gen Onyx Studio and battery life is terrible.
allan soria thank for your comment, I really appreciate it. Honestly I don’t have that information and I do apologise. Loud music is frowned upon in my neighbourhood so I am unable to test speaker at max loudness for a long time. Hopefully in future when I get a workspace of my own I would be able to run more tests and provide you guys with lots more information.
Almost neck and neck the 5 is fuller, I like how you do a wide selection of music not club crap all the time, I'm watch you a bit more than Jimsreviewroom now a days because of the music selection and very good producton quality, definitely like the showing of the actual speakers under the screen/cover
The best speaker really depends on your preference, what you want in the speaker. If I should recommend just one speaker I would say the Onyx studio 4 because of price and performance. second answer: Yes it can be paired. Third answer: JBL has some good speakers like the extreme , extreme 2, boombox. They are Bass focused, however their sound quality is not as good as Harman Kardon.
I think they are sounding nearly the same. Except for the bass, Aura 2 has the vibration. Onyx 5 is not as treble as Onyx 4, maybe because Onyx 5 has more bass than Onyx 4.
Another great comparison, thanks! Yes, Onyx studio 5 overall more balance and clean, studio sound. It’s more suitable in a small room with it in front. While Aura give you spacious sounds, like in a bathroom. It’s more suitable in a living room. Hard to say which one is the real winner, really depends on the genre of personal preference. But for the design, Aura is the clear winner :)
onyx studio soundstage is not so large as compared to the aura studio 2. base is a bit better on onyx but if u check music and sound its better on aura. on onyx it sounds like someone is suppressing the voice and music.
Nope, not just you, infact your ears are 👌 top notch very correct. So i upgraded my microphones and made adjustments to my recording techniques, so my newer videos will sound better than old ones if you compare video for video. I try not to reuse old recordings in new videos.
I bought an Aura because of the rounded and balanced performance across all genres, be it showcased in the middle of the hall or tuck into a corner. I agree that the highs isn’t as tight and crisp as the Onxy, but you can easily reduce the bass from your source. Viola! Your highs are great! You can’t produce the immersive deep bass with an equilizer on the lower capacity Onxy driver. Hope this provides another insight to your viewers on their selection process.
Never buy portable speaker unless you know what youre doing. it will ruin your days with battery issues couple years after. Yes, portable is always about the batteries.
I see what you mean, but the Aura actually dont have any drivers at the back, the drivers are more to the sides, only the woofer gets a "true" 360 projection, but I could be wrong tho.
привет,благодарю за видео,что бы там сам купил между этими колонками?не могу решиться что взять.Я слушаю обычно дипхаус,минимал,и иногда рок,что подходит лучше?.
Aura Plus is a Bluetooth / Wifi network speaker, Aura studio 2 is Bluetooth only. The 2 speaker build is the same so the sound quality is also the same. however if you play audio over wifi it sounds a bit better than Bluetooth so in this case the Aura Plus might have a tiny edge in sound.
Hi Buddy Thanks for your videos Need one help which of the below is best as im looking for something with awesome sound (volume and bass) : Aura Studio 2 Onyx studio 5 Jbl link 500 Jbl Extreme Jbl extreme 2
Himanshu Arora hey man what’s up, haven’t heard the Jbl link 500 in person yet so I can’t fairly comment, but for the rest I would say the Aura 2 and Onyx 5 are top, won’t regret either way you go, both are excellent in volume and bass. The Aura has more fuller low end so it vibrates more like a sub woofer, while the Onyx has a tighter bass still with good vibrations. I personally would lean towards the Aura 2 because I love that low frequency rumble it gives, it can be a bit too much for some people. also, people don’t like the opening on the top of the Aura 2 because dust and particles get into it so keep that in mind too. I still like mine regardless. No matter the choice you make between the 2 speakers you won’t regret it for sound, volume and bass.
OCM Reviews So, how to clean the dust & particle in Aura Studio 2? Is the glass can be opened? Need the information please, because i’m going to buy a new Aura. Thanks!