Fans of the handsome Harman Kardon Soho-I now have a Bluetooth version of the headphones to consider. At $249.95 (direct), the Soho Wireless is an expensive but well-made option. The on-ear controls are trickier to operate than most, but their invisibility allows for an uncluttered look—these headphones are as much a fashion statement as they are a powerful audio option. Fans of rich, boosted lows won’t be disappointed, and thankfully, Harman Kardon also provides enough high-mid presence to keep the sound signature balanced. Purists, should steer clear, but for those who like a little added low-end without going overboard, the Soho Wireless is an excellent option.

Design
Harman Kardon certainly knows how to make a good-looking product. The Soho Wireless, offered in black, white, or brown ultra-soft leather with stainless steel accents, picks up where its wired sibling left off—they look quite similar, with ample padding in the headband and in the supra-aural (on-ear) earpads.

The controls for Play/Pause, Track Navigation, Volume (which works together with your mobile device’s volume, not independently of it), and Call Answer/End are hidden in plain sight—the Soho Wireless has a touch-sensitive surface (yes, through the leather) on the right ear’s outer panel. The bottom of the right earcup also houses the micro USB charging port (it’s protected by a snap-shut cover), the Bluetooth pairing button, and a 3.5mm audio cable jack for wired listening (cables for audio and charging are included).

If the Soho Wireless has a flaw, it’s that, although its swipe-based control surface on the right earcup’s outer panel allows for a look that is completely unadorned, sometimes we miss real buttons. The sensor had a little trouble recognizing what I was trying to do, and at times it simply didn’t recognize my touch—so adjusting volume occasionally took longer than it needed to, with multiple swipes required, and sometimes I ended up with an unintended musical pause. All of the functions rest in the same small space, but they rely on different movements—a slow drag upward raises volume continuously, for instance, and a quick swipe up raises the volume a notch. But in the middle of the swipe is where you tap to play or pause tracks, and sometimes I accidentally paused when I want to adjust volume. As my time with the control surface progressed, I got better at it, but using it requires a nuanced touch that might annoy some users. You can at least lock the control panel (using a circular gesture) to prevent truly unintended taps from stopping music.

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As mentioned, you can also listen to the Soho passively in wired mode, though the included, detachable cable has no remote control or mic for operating your mobile device. Regardless, when you plug the cable in, the Bluetooth functionality is automatically disabled. The audio cable, as well as the USB-to-micro USB charging cable, is clothbound.

A super-thin protective pouch is also included—the headphones fold down flat into it and then the cover closes magnetically for easy stowing.

Performance
On tracks with serious sub-bass content, like The Knife’s “Silent Shout,” the Soho Wireless delivers plenty of deep bass response. At top, unsafe listening levels, the Soho Wireless doesn’t distort either. And the bass is quite powerful, even at more moderate levels. Luckily it’s balanced out with sculpted, crisp high-mids and highs.

On Bill Callahan’s “Drover,” a track with far more reserved bass content, his baritone vocals get a little bit of added presence in the low-mids, bringing out their richness. The high-mids give the vocals a decent amount of treble edge, so things remain clear. There’s some added low frequency presence on the drums—they sound boosted, for sure, but not in a manner that makes them sound unnatural. And the guitar strumming on this track is also quite crisp and bright. The sound signature that emerges is one with rich, boosted lows and crisp high-mids—but the high-mids aren’t quite as present as the low-mids.

On Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “No Church in the Wild,” the kick drum loop’s attack gets just enough high-mid presence to remain sharp and slice its way through the dense mix, but it doesn’t sound as crisp and powerful as it can on headphones that offer more high-mid boosting. The low-mids are beefed up here again, so that the sustain of the kick drum loop has some extra heft to it. We also get a decent sense of thunder from the sub-bass synth hits that punctuate the drum loop, but this is not Beats-level bass boosting.

Orchestral tracks, like the opening scene in John Adams’ The Gospel According to the Other Mary, get plenty of added low-mid presence, which brings out the lower register instrumentation in an exciting, if not completely accurate, way. Purists won’t be thrilled with the added bass presence, but most listeners will enjoy it. It adds a bit of body to classical tracks without shifting the balance of the mix too much, as things are still plenty crisp and bright in the higher frequencies.

If you’re looking for a crisper, but still bass-boosted, sound signature, the AKG K845 BT is a solid Bluetooth pair that offers just that. The Beats Studio Wireless is on the opposite end of the spectrum, offering booming lows that go beyond the Soho Wireless’s low-mids boosting. And if all of these are out of your budget, the Jabra Move Wireless is a solid, well-balanced Bluetooth headphone pair with decent overall balance between lows and highs. At $250, the Harman Kardon Soho Wireless is a visual stunner with robust bass response and clear, shimmering highs. The sound signature is definitely sculpted and not for those seeking flat response, and the control surface can occasionally be annoying. But this is, regardless, a stylish, powerful Bluetooth headphone pair.