Just like JBL speakers, Harman Kardon speakers are also a quality choice when looking for portable speakers. The Onyx Studio models are the most popular, and for a good reason.
I have used an Onyx Studio 5 for over a year, which has never disappointed me. Recently I decided to upgrade to an Onyx Studio 6, and to my surprise, the speakers can be connected to each other to provide an even better audio output.
Read on as I show you how to pair your Harman Kardon speakers together and tell you which speakers can be linked together.
Key Takeaways
- The Harman Kardon Onyx Studio 3, later Onyx versions, Go + Play, and HK Onyx Mini can be paired together but to a speaker of the same model.
- For instance, you can only pair a Harman Kardon Onyx Studio 5 with another Studio 5.
- However, some users have stated they were able to pair closely related models like a Studio 6 with a Studio 5.
- To pair Harman Kardon speakers together, get the first speaker in pairing mode, then connect it to a music source, e.g., a phone or laptop.
- Then press and hold the Bluetooth button on the first speaker until you hear a tone; this will take approximately five seconds.
- Press and hold the Bluetooth button on the second speaker until you hear a tone.
- Once you hear the tone, the speakers will connect to each other as long as they are close.
- You can get the speakers to play in Stereo mode by pressing and holding the Play button on both speakers for five seconds.
- The speaker you press and hold the play button on first will be the right speaker, and the second one will be the left speaker.
- You can also use an AUX Y splitter to connect two Harman Kardon speakers as long as they have an Aux port.
How to Pair Two Harman Kardon Onyx Studio 5 Speakers Together via Bluetooth (Dual Mono Mode)
Connecting Via Bluetooth
One way you can connect Harman Kardon (HK) speakers is through Bluetooth. The steps are straightforward to follow, as described below.
Get the Speaker in Pairing Mode
You should first power on one of the speakers and ensure it is in pairing mode. Press the power button to power on the speaker, and the LED will flash to indicate the speaker is on.
Once the speaker is on, it will automatically go into pairing mode if it has never been connected to another device or if the speaker has been reset.
If the speaker does not go into pairing mode, you can force it by pressing and holding the Bluetooth button for three seconds. You will hear a tone, and the LED will start flashing white or blue, depending on the speaker’s model.
Press the Bluetooth button for 3sec to initiate pairing
The Bluetooth button is usually the first button on the far left on most models of HK speakers, and it resembles the Bluetooth symbol.
Pair Your Phone/Tablet with the Primary Speaker
Once the speaker is in pairing mode, enable Bluetooth on your source device, i.e., phone, laptop, tablet, iPad, etc., The steps to enable Bluetooth connectivity vary depending on the device and model; consult the user manual or manufacturer’s website if you need more clarification.
After enabling Bluetooth, scan for the Harman Kardon speaker and connect. If you are asked for a passcode, use 0000.
The primary speaker will be the speaker to which we have connected the source device.
How to Pair Your Phone with Onyx Studio 6 Speaker
Pair Both Speakers (Wireless Dual Sound Mode)
Once you have paired the primary speaker to a source device, power on the second speaker.
Then press and hold the Bluetooth button on the primary speaker until you hear a tone. The tone will play after approximately five seconds, and the LED will start blinking rapidly.
Next, press and hold (for five seconds) the Bluetooth button on the second speaker until you hear a tone and the LED starts blinking white rapidly.
After five to ten seconds, the speakers will connect to each other, and the LED will stop blinking light solid white.
The feature for pairing two Harman Kardon speakers is Wireless Dual sound.
If you have an HK Onyx Studio 4 speaker, press the HK Connect+ button to get the speaker into wireless dual sound. The HK connect+ button is the second button after the Bluetooth button.
Always ensure the speakers are within ten meters of each other and that the secondary speaker is not connected to another source device to avoid issues like audio lagging.
Pairing Two Harman Kardon Go+ Speakers Together (Dual Mono)
Getting the Speakers in Stereo Mode
Once you pair the Harman Kardon speakers together, they will play mono audio, and you can change to stereo audio if you wish to.
Mono audio entails the speakers playing audio through one channel, while stereo audio entails the speaker playing audio through the left and right channels.
To get the speakers into the stereo mode, press and hold the Play button on one of the speakers for three to five seconds and you will hear the audio slightly fade. This will be the Right speaker.
Next, go to the other speaker, press and hold the Play button for five seconds, and this will be the left speaker.
To enable stereo mode, after pairing two Harman Kardon Speakers together, press the PLAY button on one speaker for 5sec and then do the same thing on the other speaker
Play audio through the speakers while enabling stereo mode so that you can tell when it is active.
On some models, like the Onyx Studio 8, you can change the speaker you want to be left or right when playing stereo audio by pressing the Bluetooth button twice.
Using Auxiliary Cables
Alternatively, you can use an auxiliary Y splitter to connect two Harman Kardon speakers to one source. For example, if you want to connect your phone to two speakers using a cable, you will need an auxiliary Y cable with one 3.5mm (M) plug on one end and two 3.5mm plugs (M) on the other end.
Auxiliary Y cable with 1 x 3.5mm (M) on one end and 2 x 3.5mm (M) on the other end
Once the connections are established, disable Bluetooth on any device paired to the speakers and power them on. You should hear audio from the speakers once you play it on the source device.
You can also check the source device’s audio settings to toggle between stereo and mono modes.
Which Harman Kardon Speakers Can Be Paired Together?
Not all HK speakers, like the HK Onyx Studio, support the wireless dual audio feature; therefore, check with the user manual or Harman website if your speaker supports it.
However, the Onyx Studio speakers from version three and later support wireless dual sound features. Other models are the Go + Play and the Onyx Studio Mini.
You can only pair speakers of the same model, but users have easily paired the Onyx Studio 5 and 6, or Onyx Studio 3 and Onyx Studio mini.
Pairing Harman Kardon Mini with Onyx Studio 3
Pairing Harman Kardon Smart Speakers Together
If you have Harman Kardon Smart speakers like those in the Citation range that use the Google Home app, you can group them in the same app.
HK Citation Speakers (Image Credit – Harman Kardon YouTube Channel)
That way you can play audio from more than one HK smart speaker in stereo or mono mode depending on the setup.
Assuming you have already set up the speakers using the Google Home app, you can pair them following the steps below:
- Open the app and ensure you are on the home screen. If not, tap the home icon on the bottom left corner of the app’s launch screen.
- Next, select the speaker or room you want to connect to another.
- Select the Settings option.
- Go to the Sound settings option and select Speaker pair.
- Select the home whose speakers you want to pair, then select Next.
- Select next again, and the app will show the list of speakers connected to your home network, choose the speakers you want to be paired with and press next.
- Select the left of the room option, then select the Play sound option on the bottom of the screen to identify and position the left speaker. Repeat the step by selecting the right of the room option to identify and position the right speaker.
- Tap next and a new window will pop up requiring you to select the room the pair is in and name the pair.
- Select continue and follow any additional prompts to complete pairing.
How to Pair Two HK Citation Speakers for Stereo Sound
In the above setup, pairing matching models like two Citation 500 speakers will be in stereo mode. But if you pair different models like a Citation 500 and a Citation 100, the speakers will output mono audio.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Question: Can you pair the Onyx Studio 6 with the Onyx Studio 7?
- Answer: According to Harman Kardon, you cannot pair Onyx Studio 6 with the Onyx Studio 7. However, if your Android phone supports Dual Audio (Android OS 10 and higher), you can play music on both speakers at the same time, regardless of the speaker model. As far as I’m aware, you can do the same thing with iPhones (iOS 13 or higher), but only if the Bluetooth speakers or earbuds/headphones are Apple-compatible. In other words, you can do this only with Apple and Beats products, but you cannot play music from your iPhone to Onyx Studio 6 and Onyx Studio 7 at the same time.
- Question: Can you pair two Onyx 6 speakers?
- Answer: Yes, you can pair two Onyx 6 speakers. Connect the primary speaker to a source device and press the Bluetooth button until you hear a tone. Power the second speaker and press the Bluetooth button until you hear a tone, and the two speakers will connect.
- Ensure the speakers are within 33 feet or ten meters of each other when pairing them.
- Question: How many Onyx 6 Can you pair together?
- Answer: You can only pair two Onyx 6 speakers together at the same time.
- Question: Can you pair two Onyx Studio 7 speakers?
- Answer: Yes, thanks to its Wireless Dual Sound feature, you can pair two (but NOT MULTIPLE) Harman Kardon Onyx Studio 7 speakers.
Conclusion
Once you connect your HK speaker to a source device, you can connect that speaker to another compatible HK model to increase the audio output. Some speakers even support stereo mode that separates audio channels into the left and right.
If you encounter any challenges when pairing the speakers consult the user manual or contact Harman Kardon‘s customer support team.
I read that you can pair up to six hk7 onyx 7 speakers together. However I can only pair two. You should clarify that on your website and also let the sales team know so that people won’t buy more than two speakers and try to pair them.
I find it hard to believe that you read anything about pairing multiple HK Onyx Studio 7 in this article. The article clearly states that you can pair only two, and that you can’t pair Onyx Studio 7 with previous generations of Onyx Studio speakers. Also, we don’t have a sales team since we don’t sell anything.
Best regards,
Steve