Talk about niche. HTC's latest smartphone is betting on audiophiles that can tell the difference between uncompressed 96kHz and 192kHz music tracks. Oh, and they need to be on Sprint. If that sounds like you—someone that's looking for studio-quality audio on a mobile device—the One (M8) Harman Kardon Edition is like a dream come true. It's the same great smartphone as the original One (M8), but with a better pair of bundled earphones and a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) for playing 24-bit/192kHz FLAC files. Everyone else can save $30 and get a nicer paint job by sticking with the original.
We've already reviewed the
One (M8) on Sprint, so head over to that review for a full run down on its features and design. The $229.99 (with two-year contract) Harman Kardon Edition is almost physically identical, so we'll focus primarily on audio enhancements in this review.
A Different Look and SoundPhysically, the only visible difference between this and every other One (M8) is the paint job. Instead of the standard gold, gray, or silver finish, the Harman Kardon Edition features a black back with a gold face. While there might be some people out there that find this color combination complementary, it certainly isn't pleasing to my eye. The black in particular feels out of place, making the One (M8) look like a silver model that's been colored in with a Sharpie.
The other noticeable change is that the Harman Kardon Edition comes with a different pair of earphones, which are a modified version of Harman Kardon's
AE earphones we reviewed back in 2012. They're a solid pair, with subtle response that's good for allowing uncompressed audio tracks to shine. I still prefer my pair of
Bowers & Wilkins C5 In-Ear Headphones for their better fit and richer bass response, but these beat the earphones bundled with the traditional One (M8). I had a hard time getting a good fit though; I needed to use the largest set of ear tips to achieve a proper seal, but even then they were quick to pop out. And I'm not crazy about the styling; once again HTC has decided to use the black and gold motif, which makes the part that sticks out your ear look like costume jewelry.
Note: The video below is of the unlocked HTC One (M8), which is physically identical to the Harman Kardon Edition aside from the color.
On the audio-front, there are a few different things going on here. The first is software based, and less likely to be of interest to true audiophiles. The phone comes with Harman Kardon's Clari-Fi technology, which it claims restores the quality of compressed audio. It does this using algorithms that expand the dynamic range of the music, adding back the highs and lows in real time. To my ears, this basically sounds like a bass and treble boost, much like the Beats Audio integration in the first-generation HTC One, but a little less severe. It gives tracks a slightly bigger, warmer sound.
The other setting, LiveStage, is supposed to make music sound as if it's coming from across a stage, rather than one channel. This seems to be accomplished primarily through the addition of reverb, and when used in combination with Clari-Fi, really does make most tracks sound wider and more alive. But on tracks with a lot of upper midrange, like Weezer's "The World Has Turned and Left Me Here," Live Stage can leave the music sounding somewhat hollow. And ultimately, these are still software tricks that change the integrity of the sound, so audiophiles will likely turn them off (which is easy to do, but buried under the Settings menu).
The real reason audiophiles should consider this phone isn't a software trick, but a digital-to-analog converter that offers lossless audio playback to 24-bit/192kHz. This means you can listen to music that has been digitized in 24-bit audio sampled at 192kHz (for comparison, CDs are 16-bit/44.1kHz). It's the same audio format supported by Neil Young's forthcoming
PonoPlayer, but the beauty is that you don't need to buy a dedicated audio player when you can just use your phone.
This is in contrast to other HTC Ones (including the original model released last year), which support up to 24-bit/96kHz FLAC. And the truth is, for most people, that should be more than enough. The debate between 96kHz vs. 192kHz audio is a long one, and many people may not hear a difference at all. Listening to 96kHz and 192kHz files on the One (M8), for instance, you really need an exceptional pair of ears to distinguish the difference (though, for the record, both formats sound fantastic through the phone). But if you're looking for a smartphone that can double as a high-end audio device, the Harman Kardon One (M8) is the phone to get.
Just keep in mind you'll need to do some searching to find those 24-bit, 192kHz tracks. Sprint's own Music Plus app, included on the phone, doesn't offer FLAC files. You'll need to download them from third-party sites like
HDTracks and import them to your device. Just make sure to buy a big microSD card, since uncompressed tracks take up a lot of storage space.
ConclusionsThe HTC One (M8) Harman Kardon Edition takes one of the best Android phones available and makes it slightly better—for some. If you're a Sprint user, and the kind of person that can tell the difference between 96kHz and 192kHz audio, then yes, the Harman Kardon Edition is definitely worth it. On the other hand, if you're never going to seek out and download uncompressed audio files, you can save a few bucks by buying the original model. You'll be missing out on the
better earphones, but you can get the phone with a much sleeker paint job. The Harman Kardon Edition still gets our Editors' Choice, though the original model is the likelier pick for most buyers.
