Reviews for Harman Kardon SoundSticks III 2.1 Channel Sound System

Nearly all reviews for these speakers say they are phenomenal. I would say that they are good, and undeniably great value for money.

I think a lot of the speakers' success lies in using them EXACTLY as the designers intended - on a desk at which the listener is sitting, with speakers positioned exactly perfectly to get the right sound. I've been trying to use them as speakers in the corner of our living room in a "macbook+long cable+speakers=great hi fi" setting, and they perform a little less well. After a while I've figured why, so here's my tip:

While crisp hi's and big basses are there in bundles with these speakers, the mid-frequency warmth that really helps for a "relaxing" home sound, especially at lower overall volumes, are often far too low.

I tested this and, sure enough, cutting trebles and basses (alternatively boosting mids) really helps these speakers. Cutting the trebles/boosting the mids also seems to significantly alleviate the issue of requiring perfect speaker placement too. (NB: The lack of a system wide EQ for the MacBook get's REALLY annoying here! Seriously, Apple - get it sorted!).

So, my star rating is only 3 because a) my expectations were so high and b) I was initially a bit disappointed in the sound in our living room set up. However, having done a bit of tweaking the sound really is great. So - I hope this helps anyone, if they're at all disappointed in the sound as I was!

I just plugged in the speakers and fired up iTunes. The sound filled the room.

They are a perfect match to a Mac; simple, elegant and high quality.

Just purchased the HK Sound Sticks III
Previously have owned the Bose Companion 5's and top JBL's for my 27" Quad Core iMac.
These are for sure the best out there for the money.... PERIOD.
Very, very good response and clarity, and the ability to adjust the bass mixes brilliant.
Would like to have had the blue LED light, and the option to turn the inner LED light off, but pleased way above what was expected.
Would recommend highly

I have ordered these speakers twice and they go out each time.... Love them when they work but when they do not...... YUGGGGGG.... then I hate speaking to someone on Mar's that cannot understand what I say,.....

I've done weeks of research before purchasing these and i'm glad i found them. Good looking speakers to compliment your apple product or anything else. Awesome sound from all ranges and more than enough bass when needed. glad i bought these puppies.

Aside from the fact the we have a very modern decor in our home made me buy these speakers but I must say they are out performing the other speakers in the house. We have them set up using the Airplay so we can put them anywhere. If I could rate these higher I would.

Highly recommended.

PS. These silly things glow in the dark and are a real conversation piece.

I received these speakers for Christmas and I have to say I'm very impressed. The sound is awesome and can get as loud as you want.

The only complaint I have is that the power is located on the Subwoofer, which is designed to go under a desk. It can be inconvenient at times, but it is a small price to pay for the sound you get in return.

Perfect little Xmas gift to myself. The Apple salesman suggested them & I bought them on his rec. This system kicks!! Yeah! I can even quickly pack them when I visit friends or fam. I love the touch mute. My playlists on Mac & IPhone sound fantastic!!Get 'em!!

These speakers throw out such a perfect, crisp, clear, and LOUD sound, that I think they are unbelievable! Easy to set-up, beautiful to look at, and well worth the price. Awesome!

The sound is excellent. Really can't complain for a pair of computer speakers + subwoofer. However, i noticed a buzz when cranked to high volume while plugged into the computer. Seems like plugging it into the headphone jack instead of the speaker output fixes the problem. Oh and no buzz at all when plugged into iPhone either.