Harman Kardon SoundSticks II Plug and Play Multimedia Speaker System
by JBL
|
List Price: Our Price: $118.88 You Save: $51.11 (30%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: CE See more product details |
|---|
Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Harman Kardon SoundSticks II Plug and Play Multimedia Speaker System
Customer Review: Best Speakers For Personal Listening - Not For Rap Enthusiasts
Summary: 5 Stars
If you are looking for sexy, stylish personal computer or laptop speakers that sound crystal clear and provide a rich EQ, then I highly advise you purchase these speakers now: Harman Kardon Soundsticks II 3-Piece Plug and Play Multimedia Speaker System. I am a fan of almost every genre of music, ranging from Bill Evans (jazz) to Marty Robbins (country) to Yes (rock) to Marlow (dubstep), and I cannot praise the sound enough. These speakers make other computer speakers sound like an analog television set with bad reception.
You will notice that these speakers are about a foot tall when standing, with four tiny little cone woofers housed per speaker. They are very unassuming little buggers! The stix certainly pack enough punch to fill a spacious room with masterful sound, though are not built as home stereo system - just excellent computer speakers. You may not replace your Cerwin-Vega floor-standers just yet...
The biggest complaint that I have heard or read about these speakers is that they are lacking in the heavy low-end. If you are a true, hardcore metal or hip-hop fan that lives for the chest-thumping bass, then these speakers are not for you - you want these:Logitech Z 2300 - PC multimedia speaker system - 200 Watt (total). If you are like me, and you actually want to hear your music, wallow in its splendor, and melt in its perfectly clear and evenly-balanced bliss, the Sound Stix are for you. Truly rich mids, sparkling highs, and defined, tight bass. Nothing is compromised in Harman Kardon's Sound Stix.
Customer Review: Incredible Quality for the Price
Summary: 4 Stars
I needed to buy a nice set of small speakers for my dorm. After looking around for quite some time, I still found myself coming back to look at the Soundsticks. When I finally decided on the purchase, I received it in a little under 3 days. (Perhaps Amazon wanted to get rid of it quick) I opened the box, giggled at the strange abstract shapes, then closed the box, threw it in my car, and drove to college.
Now when I got to the dorm, I was pretty antsy to set it up. Once I had everything plugged in, the blue light kicked on in the R2-D2 looking subwoofer, a previously unknown feature in the speakers. I consider myself a bit of an audiophile. Having been in the prosound business seasons you for crap components and for amazing components, but I must say, these things are pretty impressive. They have an incredibly pure sound to them and they can get pretty loud if you let them. The sub is what you would expect for a reflex enclosure. It is great for movies, video games, Youtube, etc. If you listen to music with a ridiculous amount of bass, (i.e. rap, hip-hop, reggaeton) do not expect to shake your g-money jewelry off your desk. It is great with all types of music as long as you keep the components within their limits. I believe the Soundsticks are worthy of the HK name.
The only thing that draws me away from a 5-star, and this is serious nit-picking, I know, is that the blue ominous glow from under my desk at night can be rather annoying when trying to sleep. I have found myself unplugging the whole system to shut it off, because there is no way to turn off and on the light individually. This should not matter to anyone living in a room bigger than a postage stamp but I do, so I included it in my review.
Customer Review: Harmon Kardon Sound Sticks w/3.5 mm plug GREAT!!
Summary: 5 Stars
We seem to be sensitive to noise and don't need "big, booming bass." After shopping for a portable set of speakers/dock for one daughter's ipod, both via online reviews, friends' takes, seemingly knowledgeable store staff, listening in stores and around, etc., we picked one that seemed to deliver the best sound. Pretty good. The search method seemed ok. So, after similar shopping for a set of semi-portable computer/mp3/ipod speakers, we settled on these HKs for our two other young'uns. GREAT!! 5 STARS!! - the speakers, that is. (Oh, yes, and, of course, the kids, too.)
Possibly not enough woofer for some - more than enough for us, but sound reproduction and clarity are OUTSTANDING. They seem to allow the best (even stuff you havenÂ't heard before!) in whatever you're hearing, whatever its provenance, to be heard - along with, of course, the not-so-great. Yes, I know I sound whacko, but I did do quality testing for dbx record pressings with a custom 500-watt system with virtually no noise. I know what it's like to be spoiled by the best custom sound system. This 3-piece package is as close as you can get to spoiling yourself for this price and size, and it works with any 3.5mm input.
At 6.4# this is not a system you can put in your MacBag or PcPocket to go. Too bad... It seems to me it would be best to keep the original box for any kind of travel: to and from college dorms, apartments, anything longer than a one-week stay where youÂ'll need good sound and can travel heavy (by car, train, steamshipÂ...) Â...
My next hunt might be for the best truly portable speakers.. I've already found one of the best in-ear buds and mp3 players ...
Customer Review: High performance in a sexy package
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought the SoundSticks I (with USB connection) for my Mac in 2003. The sound quality is exceptional with brilliant highs, a well-defined midrange and solid bass. Perfect for a desktop computer system. The speakers are efficient and produce more than enough sound to fill small to medium-sized rooms. I liked them so much I purchased the SoundSticks II in 2004 to use with my iPod as a bedroom sound system. I've since hooked them up to my bedroom's Samsung HDTV as a replacement for the underwhelming built-in speakers.
While SoundSticks were designed primarily for personal computer and MP3 audio they also make great TV speakers - especially in situations where a complex, multi-channel, TV speaker setup isn't practical. Most sound bars and 5.1 systems are adequate for TV/movie audio but aren't optimized for music. SoundSticks covers both bases nicely. (For TV use, the speakers readily connects to TVs with a 3.5mm mini stereo jack. TVs without a 3.5mm audio jack will need a 3.5mm stereo female To RCA male Y-cable as an adapter.)
My first set was priced at $170, the second set cost $125. At the current price of around $100 these high-quality speakers are a bargain. I've had no problems with either set after several years of use.
From a design standpoint, these stylish speakers have won awards and still look as fresh as when they came out 9 years ago. They have that cool factor the conventional, boxy designs just don't have. The subwoofer in itself is a work of art and as a 2.1 system, nothing else comes close.
Taking sound quality, aesthetics and price into consideration, SoundSticks are hard to beat.
Customer Review: AWESOME Speakers---Must Have!!
Summary: 5 Stars
These are by far some of the best computer speakers you can get, no questions. I've seen them all, Bose, Logitech, JBL you name it. These top them all.
I bought these speakers about a month ago because I wanted an upgrade from my small JBL Duet speakers. I wanted something with more bass because the JBLs don't have a subwoofer.
I am very glad I purchased these speakers. At first I thought they were a little pricey, but the Harman/Kardon name and the sweet transparent design were too good to pass up. To top it all off, the subwoofer has a small blue light inside and lights up the subwoofer, and makes the design look even cooler. The only thing I would change is to have the soudsticks light up blue as well.
Most importantly the sound quality is ridiculous. I have a pair of Bose headphones, the JBL speakers I just mentioned and Bose speakers in my car as well, and these Harman/Kardon speakers sound better than all three. I hear every little thing in my music and movies. The treble balance is great and the bass sounds ridiculously great, it can also be easily adjusted but I like it right in the middle. Every now and then I just love to crank the bass up and it sounds awesome. People come into my room and hear the speakers and they're blown away, they love them too.
These speakers would be perfect for a small party as well. I'm in college and when I go to appartment parties I see these other speakers and think to myself how much better my Harman/Kardon soundsticks would sound compared to all others.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. You won't be dissapointed.