Harman Kardon - Citation 200

I got my Harman Kardon Citation 200 for 200€ and I see it's often discounted. The sound, as expected from a Harman Kardon speaker, is exceptional. Although keep in mind it is mono. If you can get your hands on a used Harman Kardon Go+Play (2.0 or 3.0) I'd get that one.

A lot of this depends on your budget. The best all-around at a good price was the Harman Citation 200. Very similar to the Sonos Move 2 in terms of sound and build quality. The official Harman store on eBay put refurbished ones up for sale for only $75US earlier this month (with updated firmware for speaker groups, etc.), but they're sold out now (I bought 4 since that was a crazy good deal). Some others aside from the ones you mentioned: Harman Enchant Speaker - This one is brand new and still in the process of rolling out to stores. I'd imagine it's similar to the discontinued Citation 200, but even better. Brane X - Higher end and likely more than you want to spend (I won't even mention options that cost more than it), but an incredible speaker. JBL Charge 5 WiFi - This is probably the best option for you given the price. Just make sure you get the wifi version. The new 2025 Charge 6 doesn't have a wifi option. Also about the Bose, it's regularly updated and does have cast support (though I think the Enchant is a better value since they're around the same price here in the US). I have also seen some good deals on some open box JBL authentics 300s and that's a great option. Apart from those and what you listed, you're limited to older models. There are a lot of good older options (on eBay, etc.), BUT many haven't had their firmware updated. That doesn't matter if you're only casting to the one device, but you need at least cast version 1.52.272222 (released in 2022) for the speaker to work in speaker groups. I know the older JBL Link 10, 20, and 300 did get the update, but can't speak to many other older options.

Neither the JBL Charge 5 nor the new Harman Enchant speaker have mics, just casting ability (similar to a Chromecast audio). The Charge 5 does have water resistance though, so I'd lean that route since you said you'd be close to water even though the Enchant is the superior speaker. Plus the JBL is tough and can handle some wear unlike basically everything else mentioned. Otherwise, if you feel you have to have a mic + water resistance, you can splurge on the Bose. Or, even better, if you can find a deal on the discontinued Harman Citation 200 (whether new or used). All good options. ;)

Harman Kardon Citation 200. Hands down the best option there is out there (better than the Bose). Only problem is the price has been creeping up to msrp, but it was regularly discounted and available for less than $150 for a long time. Glad I grabbed one for $100 when I could for my patio, but I'm kicking myself for not buying another.

I don't believe so. Hence why the price has gone up (limited availability). I really wish Harman Kardan had the same brand recognition as it does in Europe so there was more availability here in the States. Edit: Looks like the cheapest options are some stores on eBay selling them new for $279. Outside of that, remaining retailers have them for $349.

Heads up, the Harman Audio store on eBay just added refurbished Citation 200s last week for only $75! Extremely good deal for the quality of the speaker you're getting. I just ordered a few to give as Christmas gifts and to have one more for my garage. I felt I got the best sound outside by adjusting the bass to level 3 (out of 4) and treble to level 4. Also fyi, you get better sound when the speaker is on the dock than when it's running on battery only (though still good).