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 Buy Used: from $99.00 (click here) 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: THESE SPEAKERS ROCK!
Summary: 5 Stars
11.11.05
Capable of blowing the roof off any place when cranked to "eleven", these Harmon Kardon Soundsticks 2 are not only cleverly designed, but they pack a major wallop.
I was familiar with them when they came out a few years back, but waited for the price to drop. It never really did. The Apple Store has them now for $99, whereas Costco's price is $119. My decision was based on proximity, not price. The Apple Store's a distant 40 miles from my doorstep. So...
Once you rig this system up, check one last thing. Volume control. After set up, I only got faint sounds. If you look at the base of one of the satellite speakers you'll find the + and - symbols that help adjust the volume to your liking. The louder the better I say, so touch the plus symbol to its maximum range, leave it there and use your computer's controls as the master panel.
My wife's a tough critic, but she's sold on them. She can't belive the punch, clarity and of course, the big bad booming subwoofer. We also like plugging in our iPod to the speakers and play tunes that way.
Not only do they sound fantastic, but they look outrageously cool. I was turning heads at the store when I carried the box to the checkout. It's an early Christmas gift that rocks bigtime!
Customer Review: Absolutely amazing!
Summary: 5 Stars
I'll just start by saying these speakers are absolutely incredible. I have absolutely no regrets whatsoever. They are gorgeous, for one thing. I know they were designed to fit in with older Macs (the G4s, I think?), but they still look great. But at the end of the day, they are speakers, meant for audible rather than visual pleasure. And in that respect, they more than deliver. I'm listening to Celtic Woman on them as I'm typing this, and the voices are amazingly clear, while the drums and bass notes and pure and booming. I won't claim to be an audiophile (more of a wannabe audiophile haha) or to know the intricacies of good speakers, but I do know of all of the different speakers I've ever heard, these sound the best. Heck, on that note, I haven't even really played with the EQ at all, and they still sound amazing. They may not be at their best, and they're still the best I've heard. In fact, I know they aren't, because 90% of my listening on them has been MP3s, and the only super-high quality sample I've been able to get my hands on is the free nine inch nails album they release, which, frankly, sounds terrible (sorry to any NIN fans out there). Overall, I could not be more pleased and I would not hesitate to recommend these to anyone willing to pay a little for their speakers.Customer Review: You get what you pay for
Summary: 5 Stars
Sometimes you get MORE than you pay for.
I bought these used for $60 and they are excellent! I used to be an audiophile, but my wallet has been too lean recently to go too crazy with it. I knew I wanted some of these, but had to wait for a deal on them. Anyway, they sound great! one of the satellite speakers wasn't sealed, and split open (just the plastic part) I superglued it back together and it seems to have worked fine. The guy before me had these for 3 years and they're still going strong. The LED in the woofer is not very bright, it barely shows up in the dark. The speakers are directional, they sound EXCELLENT when pointed at you, and they get quiet quickly when pointed away from you. The sub is nice and full, won't fill an entire room, but gives a good boom sitting near it. The satellite speakers are very crisp, they give a very clear sound, but they do need the sub to pick up the lows that they leave out. They're beautiful speakers, and I like having them on my desk because they do look so good. I'd say they're definitely better than the JBL Creature speakers but its up to you if you can get a reasonable price. I think it'd be worth $120 to me new, and I'm cheap. Harman/Kardon does a great job and they haven't taken shortcuts on this setup. I give it two thumbs up.
Customer Review: Fell in love with these all over again
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought these speakers for my computer 3 years ago. Mostly used for listening to music. At low volumes, these speakers provide crisp highs and a solid mid range. Turning it up you're treated to thumping bass while maintaining great mid and highs.
My home theater receiver died 3 weeks ago. I brought my soundsticks to the family room and connected them to my apple airport express to stream our music to he main room in the house. These are usually used in a basement office, 8' ceilings and only 2 windows. Totally awesome environment for music/movies at my desk. My family room is wide open, 24' ceilings, a wall of windows and open into kitchen. A very big room to fill.
These babies sound awesome! They sounded so good, my wife asked why we even need a new a/v receiver! Of course, she is crazy, but these speakers have been a great fill in to entertaining the family while I wait for my new receiver.
I Highly highly recommend these speakers. You can buy 2 sets of JBL speakers for the price of these sound sticks. Believe me, spend the extra money on these speakers. Absolutely worth it. My wife has jbl creatures for her 21" iMac. They died after 2 years and NEVER sounded as good as these sticks.
6 stars on a 5 star scale.
Customer Review: Stylish and great sound for the price
Summary: 5 Stars
I had a 5.1 Klipsch system that cost several times this system that was taken out by a power surge. The Klipsch system was incredible and window shattering and especially the base was remarkable. But I have to add that the design and plastic speaker enclosures were embarrassingly crude and inelegant. I had only seen these HK speakers on an Apple system and the design was so crisp and elegant as most Apple products seem to be. I was only using the center, L and R and sub so when the system fried it seemed appropriate to get a 2.1 system without spending a great deal since I don't use the computer as my entertainment system. I brought these speakers home from Best Buy to preview them and I have to say that for the price the sound is excellent. The design is very minimalist and clean and although the base won't rock your world and the power wasn't meant to blow you away, for the Amazon price which is about the same as an entry pair or Shure ear buds, it's a terrific value and actually pretty impressive. As far as design it is far more attractive than the Klipsch. If you want excellent sound, sleek styling at a tremendous valus don't hesitate to take these home from Amazon. Best Buy and other retailers ask about 50% more so this is really the way to go. Highly recommended.