Harman Kardon SoundSticks II Plug and Play Multimedia Speaker System
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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 |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Harman Kardon SoundSticks II Plug and Play Multimedia Speaker System
Customer Review: Very surprised and remain pleased
Summary: 5 Stars
Bought these fancy speakers used, off Ebay last summer and I cannot be happier. Not being an audiophile, I just wanted something that looked great on my desk and sounded better than my cheap speakers that came with my PC years ago. Boy was I surprised. Never had a sub-woofer before, still have my monster speakers from the latter 1980's and enjoy a bit of bass when I'm listening to music.
Well, times change don't they. Instead of listening to my stereo and CD player, I find myself sitting at the PC listening to 'net radio a lot while working. Unsatisfied with those puny speakers, I started searching for an upgrade. You will not be disappointed. Not only do they look like something from apple, they sound very much like upscale speakers. I can turn them up, just a bit, and enjoy music all across the bonus room and my office at home. Movies sound even better. Star Wars or Harry Potter are a whole new experience. Now my wife fusses at me to "turn that music down" for a whole new reason.
Between the blue light and the way too futuristic volume control, this set will charm anyone to be a believer. One minor piece of education, when you "accidently" push the volume buttons togther, that mutes the speakers. Took me a few days to figure that out. Guess when she says, "did read the directions, stupid?" that she has a point. Otherwise, my sticks have been one of my best purchases and further pushes me toward being a true mac head. Good luck, you will NOT go wrong with this purchase.
Customer Review: Excellent Speakers, though not perfect.
Summary: 4 Stars
I received these as a gift and have been very satisfied with them. The sound is clean and clear and they just look cool. I have had them for three years now and have had zero problems with them even moving them to and from college.
The system does have a few quirks.
-No power switch. I thought this was odd, but for what ever reason Harmon/Kardon didn't design one on this set. It does have a mute function. Tap both volume buttons simultaneously and it prevents the annoying feedback you get when you unplug them from your computer. I found this out on my own, which leads to my next gripe.
-Poor instructions. Most systems indicate left and right channels and explain functions and features. I have noticed with other Harman products that while their instructions have excellent diagrams, they tend to lack much written instruction. Which speaker is the left and which is the right? And that mute function. Not listed in the instructions.
-Lastly, and this is just my observation, I think the subwoofer should have some kind of protection covering the vent port. Has anyone ever dropped something in it? Or wondered about debris getting inside? I haven't had any problems with this, but it's just my observation and something I thought Harman should address.
Overall, I have been very pleased with this set. Again the sound is AWSOME! But it does have a few quirks that could make or break a buyer's decision. I do believe that anyone who buys these will be pleased.
Customer Review: My Happy, Sensitve Ears Love Them!
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm not an audiophile expert, but I'm very particular about sound. I've been cringing through years of cheap tin can speakers for my PCs. I put on my Sennheiser headphones when desperate! :-) With the Instant Play at Netflix and more time spent on my computer with homework and projects, I had to break down and buy better sound. I have realistic expectations. I know that if you want the house to rattle, you need to purchase a quality receiver with powerful, expensive speakers. These SoundSticks gave me way more than I expected for the $100 mark.
I like the clean, ultra-modern look of the speakers. It doesn't add a cluttered look to my small space. It was very nice being able to adjust the angle of my speaker on its unique base. I could adjust for when I'm sitting in my chair, or way back on my bed during movies. I followed the directions, placing the sub under my desk. Just a note...I've always run my sound out through the 4-track/equalizer. I adjusted that first. Then I adjusted the subwoofer(which is also the on/off switch) to about 80-85%. Lastly, I adjusted my PC's equalizer. It didn't take much tweaking to find a good blend.
I tested the sound with some of my favorites from various genres...Front Line Assembly, Queens of the Stone Age, Daft Punk, Twista, A7X, and some Beethoven. Sounds great at high, medium, and low volumes. It was like hearing everything with new ears. Happily tested out some games, quickly forgot my chores and lost track of time!
Customer Review: Nice and small
Summary: 4 Stars
I originally wanted to get the B&W MM-1, which are only a 2.0 system. After seeing it at the Apple store, the speakers were just so bulky, not to mention the sky-high price. I've seen some reviews say this has a USB connection. Mine didn't. Perhaps that was the 1.0 version? Also, I've seen it mentioned that there's no on/off switch. Mine has the bass boost knob on the subwoofer that you push in in order to turn off the setup. I have my LCD in a corner table, so I placed the woofer behind it, out of the way and not on the floor. I would have preferred the on/off switch to be on one of the satellites. Also, the power cord/wires to the satellites are right next to the bass boost knob, which I think is a poor design decision. I would want the only piece a user to ever touch to be away from ugly wires, right? Also, the touch sensors to control overall volume could have been placed at a better location. When I grab the satellites to move them or adjust the tilt, I do so with one hand where my ring finger and pinky reach around to hold down the base while my index finger and thumb wrap around the clear tube to adjust tilt. This almost always inadvertently adjusts the volume, catching me by surprise.
I won't comment on the audio quality because I'm a bit jaded with $15k speakers in the next room, so while I could watch a movie on my workstation, the sound experience won't be anything close to what I would experience if I walked a few feet =)
Customer Review: Great Speakers, Beats BOSE Companion 3 Easily
Summary: 5 Stars
I am a BOSE fanatic in general. I have a BOSE sound-dock for my iPOD, have the BOSE Companion 3 system for one of my computers, a BOSE Home Theater system, 2 pairs of BOSE headphones and a BOSE wave radio. You get the picture. I've bought BOSE over the years because even though they are generally over priced, I'm guaranteed a very high level of sound quality without having to do too much shopping around. I guess I'm willing to pay a little extra for that. And I know that there are those that will argue that I'm giving BOSE sound way too much credit. That said, I was in the market for some less expensive speakers for my office PC and I read a lot of good things about the H-K Sound Sticks II system. So I ordered a set without ever having heard them. Short story: phenomenal. You will feel that bass response immediately. I play .mp3s on my computer and haven't heard the richness of sound that comes out of this system since, well, I played vinyl lps in my dorm room way back when. In a head-to head comparison with my BOSE Companion 3s, the sound sticks are a clear winner. The BOSE are somewhat clearer, but that's it. The sound sticks more than hold their own in clarity and blow the BOSE away in the low-end. And that's at half the price. If you are in the market for a pc speakers, these have to be the all-time best. The only downside is that my love for BOSE has probably been permanently shaken. I'll have to check out other brands from here on out.