Harman Kardon SoundSticks III Review | Harman Kardon SoundSticks III Price, Features and Complete Review

The great: The Harman Kardon SoundSticks III 2. 1 speakers equip music lovers with four drivers in each satellite along with a large subwoofer to pump extra bass.

The bad: There is no external jack for plugging in headphones, the bass controls are installed on the subwoofer itself, and there's no way to switch off the translucent lighting without powering down the entire program.

The bottom line: The $170 SoundSticks III speakers offer light cosmetic upgrades (and unfortunately retain several irritations) from the previous model, but if you're a fan from the iridescent design, this speaker system won't disappoint.

Review:

The Harman Kardon SoundSticks III speakers don't offer a lot more than the first SoundSticks and their SoundSticks II follow up we've already reviewed, but who are we to argue having a design that was deemed worthy of the New You are able to Museum of Modern Art's permanent collection? The SoundSticks III speaker system keeps the same inner components we loved about its predecessors--four 1-inch drivers installed vertically in dual 10-watt satellite speakers and drawing power from a 20-watt subwoofer that sits on the ground. Unfortunately, Harman Kardon SoundSticks III didn't change any of the things we found irritating concerning the SoundSticks'... Expand full review

The Harman Kardon SoundSticks III speakers don't offer a lot more than the first SoundSticks and their SoundSticks II follow up we've already reviewed, but who are we to argue having a design that was deemed worthy of the New You are able to Museum of Modern Art's permanent collection? The SoundSticks III speaker system keeps the same inner components we loved about its predecessors--four 1-inch drivers installed vertically in dual 10-watt satellite speakers and drawing power from a 20-watt subwoofer that sits on the ground. Unfortunately, Harman Kardon SoundSticks III didn't change any of the things we found irritating concerning the SoundSticks' first two iterations, so you still have to achieve down to the subwoofer to turn off the program, but if you can overlook some missing details and do not mind its capacitive volume buttons, the SoundSticks III speakers are certain to earn you accolades from jealous listeners.

Design

The original SoundSticks debuted back in the year 2000 around the same time frame that Apple introduced the clear iMac G3 computer, and there is a reason the two devices carry a similar aesthetic: both started being an image in the mind of Apple's current lead custom, Jonathan Ive.

The current SoundSticks III use the same clear plastic transparency for that subwoofer and satellite combination, and many have compared the pale light inside towards the glow of a jellyfish. This time around, Harman Kardon SoundSticks III has lowered the intensity from the internal blue lights so they aren't as distracting as about the last two models.

The two transparent, 10-watt satellite speakers each have four 1-inch drivers built into a vertical column and look almost a similar as the Soundstick II speakers, with the exception of the new black color for the base rings. The rings allow you to adjust the angle of the satellites, which helps when the height of your desk is incongruous with your seat. The satellites are wired to open ports on the underside of the 10. 2x9. 2-inch subwoofer and link together utilizing a cable wrapped in transparent housing for extra protection towards pets, humans, and whatever else might be chewing up wires around your home. The sub's open 1/8-inch input jack also means that a person with a male audio output can play music on the actual SoundSticks, and setting up the system to play from a computer only took us a couple of minutes.

Capacitive-touch volume buttons may have blown skirts up in 2000, but the inability to view incremental volume amounts is pretty irritating today, and on multiple occasions we found ourselves pumping the volume up to eardrum-piercing levels by accident due to the ultrasensitive buttons. We can only hope that Harman Kardon SoundSticks III will wise up and build the following SoundSticks with a dedicated volume knob.