Harman Kardon Soundsticks III LED Desktop Wired Speaker System - Transparent

I've just been introduced to the wonders of the i7-2600K processor and the possibility of being able to work my photographs and listen to music at the same time. That's not something I've been able to do for a while; Photoshop is amazingly resource hungry. So, with the possibilities offered an upgrade to my old, but ever faithful Yamaha YM-10 system was required.Having spent some considerable time researching my options, I was torn between the Altec Lansing Expressionist Ultra MX6021 and the Harman Kardon Soundsticks III. I was biased towards the latter given the huge size of the sub-woofer on the Altec system. While most reviews were rapturous about the system, several were critical of the bass; a surprise given the size of the before mentioned bass unit. When I came across the Harman Kardon Soundsticks III at the bargain price available on Amazon though, my decision was made.Initial impressions were good. The packaging was a little `cheap' looking to be honest, but the speakers survived the trip. Lifting out the components I was immediately taken with the quality of the product. I've read that these speakers have permanent residence in the Museum of Modern Art in New York City and I can see why. They are stunning. They look even better in the flesh then they do in any of the photo's I've seen. While the components are essentially acrylic, they're very solid and have a quality feel to them. Setting up the system was very simple and the satellite speakers look great next to my new monitor. The bass unit is very pretty, but I don't have the space for it on my desk, so it's on the floor where it belongs. SO, having unpacked, I plugged the units in, fired up iTunes and rocked out!I was initially flummoxed by the perceived sound quality - a little muffled - but as others have already discussed in their review, the satellites are highly directional, so positioning makes a big difference. Oh, boy is it worth a couple of minutes setting up. I have the satellites sitting one either side of the monitor, tilted back from fully vertical by about 10 degrees and angled slightly inward. Try sitting at your normal spot on the workstation and `aim' the speakers at your ears. Bliss is bound to ensue.I had previously taken note of a review on the Amazon.com site by a gentleman who found, as I did, that the top-end was a little too bright.[...] and toned down the output using the iTunes equalizer as Andrew recommended. I've had this problem before, and much of this has to do with the environment. I've not much in the way of soft furnishings in my office.I've read a couple of reviews that say that the bass is a little lite with this system. All I can say is that this is not a problem I can verify. I would suggest that putting the sub-woofer on the desk may look great; it certainly is pretty, but if its sound quality you're after, then a rock solid concrete floor covered with a good dense carpet is the way forward. Bass is no longer the `thump-thump-thump' that the Yamaha sub-woofer provided, but a spectacular and tuneful rendition of the notes being played. If you ramp up the volume, you can start moving your internal organs about with the beat. There's no problem that I have on my copy of this system in that department. The bass is rock solid. Try a little Deadmau5 at volume and watch the pictures fall off the walls.In summery then, I couldn't be more pleased with my purchase. The Harman Kardon Soundsticks III look and sound amazing. They are capable of high quality, crystal clear sound quality with clinical levels of clarity at the top end and grinding bass that's equally in evidence when driven hard, and at more serine volume levels that are certain not to annoy the neighbours. You don't have to make your ears bleed to appreciate these speakers, though they certainly will go very loud if required. For the £99.99 I paid for them they're nothing less than a solid gold bargain and I have no difficulty recommending them.

I spend quite a few days trying to decide which speakers to buy. So I think I did my homework pretty well.Initially I wanted to get a speaker system without a subwoofer due to limited space. But... and a HUGE but... nothing on the market, this side of £200 doesn't sound even remotely close to a system with a subwoofer.Next, price... these are quite a bit more than JBL Creatures, which I also considered, but Harman Kardons sound way better. And I personally think its money well spent.HK Soundsticks are not without fault. They look great with that transparent polycarbonate but they are nightmare to maintain clean in a busy household.All wires in the sub are hardwired so if anything goes wrong, nothing you can do but replace the whole unit.Cables...although very thick and well protected they are are everywhere around your computer/laptop and don't go well with nice and clean lines of the speakers.BUT... you will overlook all these minor faults when you have them set up and start listening some music or watch a movie.They are simply stunning at this price range.Again, if you are looking for some VERY loud speakers, look elsewhere. Logitech is a good choice for you than.My old 2.1 speakers were Logitech z340. They are stupendously loud. But you can't really make out words in a song at the top end. My 10 year old son loves them, so he ended up having them since HK's arrived.Soundsticks on the other hand are beautifully clear. And don't make mistake, I am not saying they are not loud... they are, but in a civilized way.All in all, these are great speakers, well worth the Amazon price (not sure if I can include price or if I can compare other shops here, but just google and you will see what I am on about). I don't know if I would pay nearly double the amount which is the RRP.Harman Kardon Soundsticks III will put a smile on your face every time you listen to them and well deserve 5 stars

- blast from both speakers when playing music with piano or something like that at low level- good and clear bass (you must put the sub under a desk, otherwise it's like there is no sub)- hard to control the bass level since it's behind the sub (and NO, sorry, I'm not used to set the bass level once for all, some musics need higher bass than other)- sound is great, give the impression that every range of the sound is well treated- max level is not very loud, and when you approach max level, music is cut every 2 seconds so you can't use max level so the "real" max level is really weakWould have give these speaker 3 stars because the sound is really great (as long as you do not hear music at low level (there is a blast) and assuming that the sub is well placed). But when speakers start to produce different level of sound, I'm like "what the point of buying speakers for 2 months...."I had a Logitech Z 2300 during a bit more than 2 years (the jack broke), the sound quality was not as clear as it is with the Soundsticks III but I was not obliged to put the sub under my desk to make it work, and the bass level could be change buy the remote.And mostly, I was not obliged to replace it only 2 months after the purchase, but 2 years ! (and still, the speakers still work, I just have to change the jack cable)(sorry for my english, I'm french ^^)