Harman Kardon Soundsticks III 2.1 Channel Multimedia Sound System

After hearing the Harman Kardon II's a few times from my friends, and in the Apple store, I was intrigued and wanted to give these a shot.

It's worth noting that this model is an upgrade from the previous Harman Kardon Soundsticks II. There a few differences:
1. Black base on the HK3 instead of the previous white. Personally I think the black looks much sleeker.
2. The audio cables are detachable rather than attached directly to the subwoofer. It's also worth noting that the cables are not detachable from the satellite speakers however.
3. Instead of the blue LED light that featured in the previous version, this one shows off a white LED light. Which one is `better' is down to personal preference, I like the white one myself.

Thoughts:

These speakers are really something special. The sound clarity is so accurate and crisp that I have noticed some of my songs in my collection have a `hiss' sound that I have never heard before, indicating they are poor quality versions. Furthermore, I hear sounds in songs that I've not heard before on my late Logitech Z-2300's. The louder you play these speakers the more beautiful the sound is. They are also superb for movies, the bass can easily be turned down preventing it from drowning out the vocals in films. Overall in terms of sound they are easily the best I've heard in this price range, and I honestly think they are not far off the Bose Companions.

In terms of physical build, despite the sensational design, no compromises on quality were made. They feel so solid and quality. The speaker's angle can be adjusted depending on how you prefer them. Just a word of advice, the angle of the speakers and their location can have a big influence on the quality of the sound produced. It's something that's worth getting right. The subwoofer is beautiful with three wires coming out from the back, all of which are detachable. The wires feel strong and are also a similar colour to the system making them fit in perfectly.

The Good:
- Amazing sound quality and bass
- Easy on the eyes
- Solid build
- Priced well

The Bad:
- Too many bulky cables come from the back of the subwoofer

I've owned these for two weeks now, and will add more details if anything relevant comes up. So far, so good though!

Prior to purchasing these speakers I owned the Logitech Z-2300 set. Here is a quick comparison between the two, if you are deciding between these two speaker sets:
1. The Logitech has much deeper bass than the HK3 set, but excessive bass that drowned out the rest of the sound. That makes the Logitechs poor for movies.
2. The HK3 is obviously much sexier, smaller, and more desk friendly.
3. Although the Logitech Z-2300's are obviously much louder, the HK3 provides more than enough volume for the average user, even if it's for a house party.
4. Finally the quality of the sound and its clarity is far more superior on the HK3.

I first purchased a set of these around November 2010. The design and sound quality are impressive. Similar to other reviews, the level of volume these can reach for such a small size, whilst holding clarity, truly is a pleasant surprise.

Unfortunately, around January 2011, I noticed that one of the towers was playing predominantly louder than the other. Having checked all the cables, plugs and eq settings on my mp3 player, I contacted Amazon and exchanged the damaged units for a new set.

It is now 1/10/11 and I have came across the exact same problem. Having carried a quick search on Google and Harman Kardon's website, it would appear this is not an uncommon fault. Frustratingly, I will now have to claim the manufacturer's warranty (1 year valid) and have to travel a round trip of about 70 miles to the only distribution centre in Scotland to have them 'repaired' or at best 'replaced'.

The true problem (other than the speakers lasting 7 months at best) is that the fault appears to be due to a power issue, yet these speakers come supplied with a Sub and Amp which only require you plug in and turn on. Therefore removing any error with power wattages that may result from the user. The fault lying solely on the manufacturer, who seem to be doing nothing actively to remedy the issue.

By no means have I pushed these speakers to their limit. At best, I would say that they have reached 3/4 of their volume potential about 2 times max, so it becomes even more frustrating that the donkey work has to be carried out by me, the customer.

For the cost, the known fault and the lack of customer service, I would advise any potential buyer to leave these on the shelf. Whilst they do sound great - I am now in a position of deciding to fork out more money to purchase a completely different set and forget about the soundsticks, or carry out all the legwork for the warranty, in hope that the same problem wont just happen again a few months down the line. That, to me, doesn't sound good at all.

****** UPDATE - 29/11/11 *******

Many thanks for your comments.

As an update - I did eventually locate a warranty agent down in England -

The elected repairer nominated on Harman Kardon's own webpage (In Scotland) advised that they no longer dealt with Harman Kardon and any assistance would only be a good will gesture from the shop themselves - which would not apply to me as I did not purchase the speakers from them shop in Scotland.

At my own cost I sent the speakers to the agent in England, to find upon return they replaced the faulty satellite only. I say this of course however no paperwork was received back with them to advise of any work which was undertaken. Less than 2 full months later, the exact same fault has just occurred.

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.