I purchased this from HK website when it first came out years ago and it has been my favorite speaker ever since,despite having purchased several other similarly priced similar brand speakers. I believe I paid $199 for this originally. It has made it through 2 moves and other than the speaker discontinued the Smart speaker Cortana feature few years ago ,I have not a single complaint. You used to be able to say "Cortana,get Alexa" and then could use the Alexa smart feature but that also stopped when the Cortana support was discontinued. HK did issue $50 refund checks to all owners who submitted a request when they announced the removal of smart feature. This speaker gets very loud but the quality is clear and never distorted. I use it to stream audio from ... MoreI purchased this from HK website when it first came out years ago and it has been my favorite speaker ever since,despite having purchased several other similarly priced similar brand speakers. I believe I paid $199 for this originally. It has made it through 2 moves and other than the speaker discontinued the Smart speaker Cortana feature few years ago ,I have not a single complaint. You used to be able to say "Cortana,get Alexa" and then could use the Alexa smart feature but that also stopped when the Cortana support was discontinued. HK did issue $50 refund checks to all owners who submitted a request when they announced the removal of smart feature. This speaker gets very loud but the quality is clear and never distorted. I use it to stream audio from phone,computer and sometimes even link my Firestick to it when watching shows on my smaller TV that has not the greatest sound ability and this always does the trick. Not sure why this was discontinued but I'm grateful I got one before it disappeared. Harmon and Kardon products have always been reliable and long-lasting for me so I would definitely recommend buying a speaker from this brand if you are looking for top quality sound and versatile use coupled with fair price and long product support.

All in all it's an interesting device that needs some improvement though to be the best

Pros: - very good looking; - high quality materials used by harman kardon; - nice, clear sound; - the micprophones catch your voice from almost anywhere even from other rooms; - Cortana has some nice answers such as "dude!" when you ask if she likes to party , even can play "rock paper scissors" etc. Cons: - at max. volume , the speaker looses the strong bass , it sounds more like screaming than music :) , but you don't need max. volume for a good audition as it has enough power to serve a good audition at about 60-80 % vol. - the initial setup pairing is very hard if you're outside US , as you'll need Cortana app for android, iphone etc and it's not available in Europe. - the plug in adapter is a mess, it needs lot of improvement; - the bluetooth does not work too ... MorePros: - very good looking; - high quality materials used by harman kardon; - nice, clear sound; - the micprophones catch your voice from almost anywhere even from other rooms; - Cortana has some nice answers such as "dude!" when you ask if she likes to party , even can play "rock paper scissors" etc. Cons: - at max. volume , the speaker looses the strong bass , it sounds more like screaming than music :) , but you don't need max. volume for a good audition as it has enough power to serve a good audition at about 60-80 % vol. - the initial setup pairing is very hard if you're outside US , as you'll need Cortana app for android, iphone etc and it's not available in Europe. - the plug in adapter is a mess, it needs lot of improvement; - the bluetooth does not work too well, I did not managed to connect it to my laptop , only to the phone and also it stops playing the music from the phone via bluetooth at irregular intervals of time and you have to press pause and then play on the phone to play again the music. - bluetooth is not available if whole setup with Cortana app is not done; - also Cortana needs improvement, even if she's funny , as she stated herself when asked how old is she : she says "i'm a spring chicken" born on 2nd of april 2014;

Best all around smart speaker #timbotruth

About a year ago I purchased all of the smart speakers and this, Invoke speaker was the best all around, by far.Silly long name-Harmon/Kardon Invoke by Microsoft featuring Cortana, which, I believe, hurt in its marketing.It has the brain of Bing, second only to Google. It has amazing surround sound, second only to the HomePod.Ease in connecting smart enabled devices to it. Only thing it is behind all other devices is its inability to connect multiple for stereo sound across the room or in other rooms or to use as an intercom system.It does appear that this line is being abandoned because of stiff competition from the other big three but the value on this thing is still out of this world. I’ll bet you will get a very solid two years out of it before the next ... MoreAbout a year ago I purchased all of the smart speakers and this, Invoke speaker was the best all around, by far.Silly long name-Harmon/Kardon Invoke by Microsoft featuring Cortana, which, I believe, hurt in its marketing.It has the brain of Bing, second only to Google. It has amazing surround sound, second only to the HomePod.Ease in connecting smart enabled devices to it. Only thing it is behind all other devices is its inability to connect multiple for stereo sound across the room or in other rooms or to use as an intercom system.It does appear that this line is being abandoned because of stiff competition from the other big three but the value on this thing is still out of this world. I’ll bet you will get a very solid two years out of it before the next two generations of smart devices come out and you get sucked into buying the latest and greatest.

Great Bluetooth Speaker, MS ended support in 2021.

As a Bluetooth Speaker, this has a really great sound especially if you place it in a corner. It does sound okay in an open space, but the Bass (not base < learn to spell it correctly!> ) is enhanced in a corner. Just connect to it as a Bluetooth speaker with your phone, or other device. Unfortunately, it is only Bluetooth Version 4.1 , so it isn’t the latest version of Bluetooth (5.3).Microsoft ENDED support for the Cortana app and the Invoke in January 2021, so you need to be aware of that because you won’t be able to use this as it was originally intended. If you do an update, the update will block the use of Cortana in the update.If you find this on Sale/Clearance and want it for just a really great sounding speaker, I would definitely recommend it! I have ... MoreAs a Bluetooth Speaker, this has a really great sound especially if you place it in a corner. It does sound okay in an open space, but the Bass (not base < learn to spell it correctly!> ) is enhanced in a corner. Just connect to it as a Bluetooth speaker with your phone, or other device. Unfortunately, it is only Bluetooth Version 4.1 , so it isn’t the latest version of Bluetooth (5.3).Microsoft ENDED support for the Cortana app and the Invoke in January 2021, so you need to be aware of that because you won’t be able to use this as it was originally intended. If you do an update, the update will block the use of Cortana in the update.If you find this on Sale/Clearance and want it for just a really great sounding speaker, I would definitely recommend it! I have noticed that WM carries it (shipped) at $64 for the Silver color %26 $81 for the Black color. I am using mine as a Bluetooth speaker in my bathroom sitting on a corner shelf and it does sound great! Good volume, clear sound and decent Bass for it’s size. This speaker has 3 small woofers (1 inch..?), 3 tweeters (1/2”) and 2 bass ports as well. It’s not going to blow you away, so playing it at moderate volume or so and you will be happy with it. At the highest volume, I’m sure you’ll eventually blow one or more of the small speakers.

Great speaker, well designed and constructed.

I bought this from the Msft store last week and have been testing this against the Amazon Echo. The sound quality on this is very good. Crisp, clear audio, good amplification to crank it up when desired. It is well designed and manufactured. Cortana works pretty good but it is not quite as feature rich as the Echo. I suspect Msft will be doing some updates to increase the functionality and bring it more on par with other smart devices. The audio qualify is better than the Echo or Google Home so if you are looking for a great sounding smart speaker, this is a great choice. If you are vested in the Msft ecosystem, again, this is a great choice. If you are vested in the Amazon or Google Ecosystems, the other devices might be better suited to your needs. Overall, I am ... MoreI bought this from the Msft store last week and have been testing this against the Amazon Echo. The sound quality on this is very good. Crisp, clear audio, good amplification to crank it up when desired. It is well designed and manufactured. Cortana works pretty good but it is not quite as feature rich as the Echo. I suspect Msft will be doing some updates to increase the functionality and bring it more on par with other smart devices. The audio qualify is better than the Echo or Google Home so if you are looking for a great sounding smart speaker, this is a great choice. If you are vested in the Msft ecosystem, again, this is a great choice. If you are vested in the Amazon or Google Ecosystems, the other devices might be better suited to your needs. Overall, I am pretty happy with this speaker.

Love the Invoke! It needs to be advertised more.

Love the quality of sound and love Cortana, much smarter than Alexa at everyday stuff and smart homes. Use Invoke more than the three Echo's around the house. In ways it does more and ways it does less than Echo, but I love that Invoke/Cortana has more intelligence and not just doing label matches with smart home things. It works well with Samsung SmartThings and Emerson Sensi thermostats (Sensi's cost much less too others).Did I say I love to sound quality - for the size of the device it really is fantastic. It will not thump your house but lows in vocals and other non-extreme lows sound great. Brass, classical, jazz, country, Christian and vocal music is very good. Hip Hop not so great.

So far, so alright.

First and foremost, it's a beautiful speaker with crisp loud sounds. The microphones that let Cortona hear and respond to you are sensitive enough for a normal speaking voice to be picked up, even when playing music. My only gripe is that Cortona is not as intuitive and versitile on the speaker as the one on my phone or PC. I can do most basic things, but if you have contacts on anything (Gmail, Yahoo,etc.) but the people app connected to Cortona then it will not have access too it. I have alot of music on my "One Drive", but it's not accessible, hopefully this will be rectified, I can use iHeartRadio, TuneIn Radio or subscribed Spotify as music. It takes notes, remembers n reminds like my phone or PC Cortona. I added my smart house features to Cortona and it's ... MoreFirst and foremost, it's a beautiful speaker with crisp loud sounds. The microphones that let Cortona hear and respond to you are sensitive enough for a normal speaking voice to be picked up, even when playing music. My only gripe is that Cortona is not as intuitive and versitile on the speaker as the one on my phone or PC. I can do most basic things, but if you have contacts on anything (Gmail, Yahoo,etc.) but the people app connected to Cortona then it will not have access too it. I have alot of music on my "One Drive", but it's not accessible, hopefully this will be rectified, I can use iHeartRadio, TuneIn Radio or subscribed Spotify as music. It takes notes, remembers n reminds like my phone or PC Cortona. I added my smart house features to Cortona and it's performing admirably. I'm currently using the wink hub which Cortona accesses everything through. Overall I understand that this is Cortona's first outing into this field and the short comings will hopefully be rectified in the future. FYI, the Cortona Skype feature with this speaker has free calling in the USA. I've played with it a little and it "works" when it has the number in it's people app or calling a business, but the caller ID shows up as annonymous. (I think there is a fix for that, I don't know)

Underwhelming music service options

I was hopeful for the Invoke but I should have been more suspicious that they hadn't completed their agreement with Pandora in time for launch. During the Christmas holidays the product page at Microsoft insisted that Pandora was coming "soon." When you visit that same page now, there is no explicit mention of which music services are supported. As of today Feb 23 2018, it only supports free iHeartRadio, free TuneInRadio and paid Spotify... and, sadly, NO PANDORA. While I must admit that the speaker sounds very good, without supporting more streaming services, its use in my household is limited. If I had to make the purchase again, I would not buy the Invoke. Instead, I would consider paying a little more for a speaker that supports more streaming services right out ... MoreI was hopeful for the Invoke but I should have been more suspicious that they hadn't completed their agreement with Pandora in time for launch. During the Christmas holidays the product page at Microsoft insisted that Pandora was coming "soon." When you visit that same page now, there is no explicit mention of which music services are supported. As of today Feb 23 2018, it only supports free iHeartRadio, free TuneInRadio and paid Spotify... and, sadly, NO PANDORA. While I must admit that the speaker sounds very good, without supporting more streaming services, its use in my household is limited. If I had to make the purchase again, I would not buy the Invoke. Instead, I would consider paying a little more for a speaker that supports more streaming services right out of the box. As it stands, the Invoke is not a good value.

Works Fantastic!

The invoke is a very well built device. It is an excellent companion to Cortana. Being a Windows Phone user since the beginning made this purchase a natural choice for me. Cortana is an excellent digital assistant. I've tried a couple of Amazon Echo devices and they work good, but Alexa is not as much of an "assistant" as Cortana. The sound quality of the invoke is superior to the Echo, especially in the lower range and spacial reality of the sound. It has some heft to it, which lends to that good quality feel it has. I haven't had any technical glitches or issues with it in a couple of months (at least none that can't be attributed to a flaky internet connection).Pros:Excellent sound quality. Great voice recognition. Excellent integration with Cortana. Quality ... MoreThe invoke is a very well built device. It is an excellent companion to Cortana. Being a Windows Phone user since the beginning made this purchase a natural choice for me. Cortana is an excellent digital assistant. I've tried a couple of Amazon Echo devices and they work good, but Alexa is not as much of an "assistant" as Cortana. The sound quality of the invoke is superior to the Echo, especially in the lower range and spacial reality of the sound. It has some heft to it, which lends to that good quality feel it has. I haven't had any technical glitches or issues with it in a couple of months (at least none that can't be attributed to a flaky internet connection).Pros:Excellent sound quality. Great voice recognition. Excellent integration with Cortana. Quality feeling and looking device.Cons:Fairly expensive if you don't buy it on sale.

Works Sometimes

This Cortana device seemed to be ok when I first got it, but it also seemed to not be able to do much. It could play music from Spotify, turn the lights on and off, etc. The speaker was really nice and full sounding. But soon we realized that Cortana was turning on and off at odd times. she would sometimes blurt out "something went wrong" with no provocation. Then sometimes she wouldn't acknowledge at all. Another shortcoming was that she could only keep track of one timer at a time. At the end, we just got tired of her, unplugged her, and put her in the closet. Very disappointing.