11 out of 12 people found this review helpful.
Harman Kardon Soundsticks II - EXCELLENT sound
Date of Review: Oct 29, 2008
The Bottom Line: Quirky style, inconvenient controls and absolutely fantastic sound make these speakers MEMORABLE.
The Harman Kardon Soundsticks II are the best sounding speakers I've ever had in my house. The sound is brilliant, clear and crisp with plenty of punch from the 20W subwoofer, making for the best-balanced sound I've experienced at home.
For sound quality, they truly put many more expensive and far higher-powered speakers to shame. No, they cannot output the sheer VOLUME of a 100 or 200 Watt system but the clarity is outstanding and the power adequate for most rooms.
The style is as controversial as the sound is excellent. The speakers and subwoofer are made of clear plastic and have an odd look that went well with the G4 Mac computers of a few years ago. They do not match the current aluminum Mac computers particularly well.
Usability suffers a bit because there is no Power Switch and the Volume Control is two touch-sensitive pads (+, -) on the Right Hand speaker with no tactile feedback. As a result, these speakers are best used with something that has a more convenient and tactile volume control such as a TV set or a computer with a keyboard volume control. No provision is made for attaching an MP3 player except by unplugging it from the computer first. Even with all of the shortcomings and the quirky styling, the truly stunning sound quality make these speakers a joy to experience. You will hear nuances not audible with lesser speakers and wonder with amazement how a mere 20W subwoofer plus 10W per channel (only 40W total!) can possibly sound like THAT.
