Harman Kardon Citation Multibeam 1100 in test

The Harman Kardon Citation MultiBeam 1100 Soundbar promises an impressive home cinema experience without additional speakers and subwoofers. Equipped with Dolby Atmos and innovative multibeam technology, it delivers full, spatial sound with extensive functionality. That cost – is the price reasonable?

No room for a subwoofer, but still want good surround sound? With the Citation Multibeam 1100, the manufacturer Harman Kardon promises exactly this. The manufacturer relies not only on high-quality components, but also on special sidefiring speakers, a touch display and plenty of power up to 630 watts. The Stylish Bar can be expanded by including satellites and subwoofers for even more immersive (3D) sound. During testing, we wanted to know if everything worked as promised without add-ons.

The Citation MultiBeam 1100 has a beautiful design that’s available in black or a relatively light grey. The soundbar is covered with Danish manufacturer Kvadrat’s high-quality wool fabric, which is said to be dirt-repellent and flame-retardant – it’s certainly attractive and it feels good too. So it is not noticeable that, despite the high price, apart from a narrow metal strip at the top of the front with the specific manufacturer’s letters, Harman Kardon uses plastic almost exclusively as a material. You can’t see it, but you can feel it, especially with the attractively shaped speakers on the sides. Given the MultiBeam 1100’s high price, we expected higher quality materials.

Thanks to two colors and dimensions of 115 x 6.5 x 13 centimeters, the soundbar is slim enough to fit easily into any living room. Despite the length, which exceeds even a typical 50-inch television, the combination of organic curves and low height make the device appear almost delicate overall. Despite its size its almost light weight of 4.6 kg fits well. If desired, the Citation Multibeam 1100 can also be attached to a wall using the included mounting materials.

A special highlight for the soundbar is the integrated touch LC display on the top, which enables easy operation. The front has just several individual LEDs as a display. Alternatively, the included remote control offers several direct selection buttons for the most important settings, so that no Internet connection or app controls are necessary. There is no app.

The Citation MultiBeam 1100 is equipped with a variety of ports and functions. Apart from WiFi, Bluetooth and AirPlay, it also supports Chromecast, Alexa MRM (Multi Room Music) and Spotify Connect. The soundbar can be integrated into the network via WLAN and LAN and set up via the Google Home app. Multiroom functions and voice-controlled playback require smart speakers compatible with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple Siri.

In terms of connections, the soundbar offers an HDMI input and output with eARC support (Enhanced Audio Return Channel) as well as a Toslink socket for an optical cable. Thanks to eARC, the volume of the soundbar can be controlled in everyday life using the television remote control, so that actually the remote control of the soundbar is no longer needed. There are no analog inputs, which may be a disadvantage for users of older televisions or projectors. The HDMI ports support 4K/60p, HDCP 2.3, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, and HDR, making them future-proof.

The operation of the Citation MultiBeam 1100 is intuitive and user-friendly. Like smartphones, touch displays enable easy navigation through various settings, thanks to graphics and text everyone immediately knows how and where to change something. Things look different with the LED on the front. Like many competing products, up to four white LEDs light up for varying numbers of times and can also be dimmed in different ways. Like the competition, it’s anything but worthwhile really – why not have a little display up front?

Fortunately, there is rarely any need for later intervention. After initial playing, setting, and fine-tuning, the soundbar runs without any further interference. Otherwise, the remote control is used, which covers all important functions. The soundbar’s automatic calibration works quickly and reliably, making it easy to get started. The platform then became much broader than before calibration. As always, the following applies: Be careful!

Overall, the Harman Kardon Citation Multibeam 1100 impresses with its full, spatial and very clear sound. Spatiality is achieved through a combination of Dolby Atmos and Multibeam technology, where two side-firing speakers ensure that the sound is surprisingly impressive even without additional surround speakers. However, without satellites, we are missing the full 3D sound, the soundscape is quite wide and therefore reminiscent of a very three-dimensional stereo, but without additional speakers it does not cover us from all sides .

Still, we really like the sound. Particularly noteworthy is speech intelligibility, which hardly diminishes even when viewed from the side. While other soundbars sound a bit dull, especially at low volumes, in testing the MultiBeam 1100 automatically adjusts the sound and produces crystal-clear sound. If desired, it’s surprisingly full, so we were initially confused and looked for the subwoofer that was obviously connected – but there was none in the test. When we tried it further, it became immediately clear that the bass was sufficient for a pleasantly full sound, but as expected, it wasn’t really deep. Strictly speaking, it reaches below 40 Hz, but the compression is audible below 60 Hz, even if there is a slight flutter or twang around 60 Hz. Either way: If you don’t have a subwoofer and don’t expect one, you’ll be perfectly satisfied with the MultiBeam 1100 for bass. If you want more, you need to choose the appropriate Sub or Sub S subwoofers.

While easy intelligibility of dialogue and very clear sound is a positive in films and television, it can sometimes seem a bit exaggerated when it comes to music. Bass and treble can be adjusted separately in 4 levels, but level 2 is too dull and level 3 is too loud for our tastes. This can be fixed slightly by disabling the 3D sound option, but overall we find the Harman Kardon Citation Multibeam 1100 better suited for movies and series than music. This is a shame, after all, thanks to its integration into the Alexa universe with Echo devices, it offers not only voice control, but multi-room music as well.

With an RRP of less than 875 euros, the Harman Kardon Citation Multibeam 1100 belongs to the upper price range of sound bars. However, in the meantime, the manufacturer itself considers it to be in short supply. 480 euros In gray and theoretically only 327 euros in black – if the latter version had not been sold at the time of testing. No wonder, because the soundbar is really good for this price!

The Harman Kardon Citation MultiBeam 1100 is ideal for home theater enthusiasts looking for a great sound experience without additional speakers or a subwoofer. The sound becomes even more full with satellite and sub, but it still provides surprisingly full and spatial sound. They also have a wide range of functions, making them an excellent choice for modern living rooms. Also worth highlighting is the clear touch LCD, which makes operation child’s play. Only those who particularly value harmonious and neutral music reproduction can be less enthusiastic about the soundbar.