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"Disregard reviews by newbie owners--good for one date." on by caponsacchi
Pros: Pretty to look at. Make a good first impression. The looks enhance the sound, which is quite lovely if not striking (lacking a rich mid-range). The common mini-plug for the whole unit is handy.
Cons: User inaccessible parts. Delicate wiring that shorts out in a few months, leaving you with one satellite speaker or worse. Delicate tiny 4-pin connector for one of the satellites. Pointless "touch" volume control (and impractical). Good for playing on
Summary: Ultimately, these are going to lead to Harman Industries shooting itself in the foot. The first impression, infatuation has worn out, and consumers are unlikely to keep coming back and buying these (at ever inflated prices) as frequently as some replace their Apple gadgets. But Harman keeps raising the price without attending to durability and practical issues. I refuse to be seduced into buying a 3rd pair, and I've never ended up with a unit worth trying to sell to someone. You'll get the same sound from Harman's ugly but much less expensive JBL Creature speakers. But you'd do better to pick up Cyber-Acoustics ]3:1 computer speakers n the $30-40 range.
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"Best computer speakers I've ever owned" on by Stacyx
Pros: Beautiful looks, fantastic sound, well-built, price
Cons: nothing major
Summary: I got rid of my Bose computer speakers after the cat ate through the wires and after reading some reviews I decided to go with the Soundstick III. First, the only difference between these and the last version (II) is the color of the base of the satellite speakers and there is a white light in the subwoofer. For the price of these speakers, the sound can't be beat- they sound better than computer speakers that cost almost twice as much. I was pleasantly surprised at the build quality- they are very, very solid. The down-firing subwoofer provides deep, rich bass but note- it's a pretty good sized sub so if space is an issue- either on top of or below your desk, keep that in mind. It works best on the floor but right now I have it on top.
My only complaint and it is so minor it's hardly worth mentioning, but I will- the volume controls on the right satellite are a bit annoying. It's not a huge issue because I mainly use my computer volume control and itunes volume control but I am used to 2.1 systems having a little volume pod as opposed to having to reach over and adjust the volume on a satellite. But really, it's not a huge issue at all.
Uses- all types of music, movies. I am not a gamer so I can't speak to how they sound with games.
I really would recommend these speakers without any hesitation. -
"Great Sounds, Could listen for Hours..." on by ryokusanagi
Pros: Non-fatiguing sound.
Cons: My only complaint is no remote control I guess. But what the hey, I need the exercise anyway. ^_^
Summary: I first tested this with my xfi2. Fell with it. First song I did not even need to use the EQ (its a pop song), I only needed to tweak it on low quality MP3s that are metal songs.
I definitely recommend it. -
"Jaw dropping! Eye opening!" on by kurek412
Pros: Magnificent sound, Gut busting clarity. truly a design marval.
Cons: i didn't design them.
Summary: Magnificent sound, im serious, I've had many different speakers in my life from Bose to Technic sound systems. None match to the clarity and bass accuracy of these speakers, some people say that these miss strong bass cues in some songs, but the reason some people think this is because they are brain washed with those hard hitting sound systems and expect huge bass drops, but they're not hearing the actuality and accuracy of the real low notes, these truly capture the true colors of all music genres. Trust me, im an industrial designer, these speakers are worth ever penny. All in all these are fantastic speakers, if you want room filling clarity and accurate bass lines, these speakers are worth the money!
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"Great Speakers!" on by okaygo
Pros: Good sound, fills a room, chalk resistant
Cons: Sensitive volume adjustments (though for my purposes no matter)
Summary: So we have a set of these speakers currently in our climbing gym. We used to have a surround sound system, but as we found out, chalk (you use it to keep your hands dry while climbing) does not play well with open vents and subsequently destroyed our receiver. Thus the Harmon Kardon system. We usually just plug in a laptop or iPod, and blast the tunes away. It sounds great, and fills our racquetball court sized bouldering gym with more than enough sound without sounding hollow or weak. Also, all of the speakers are unorganized and sitting in the corner while playing amazing sound. On a side note, they continue to be highly chalk resistant.
Harman Kardon SoundSticks III user reviews
