Rating: Summary: Impressive Review: I received these speakers for my birthday last October, since my friends were tired of hearing my complaints about the awful speakers my computer came with. They truly are the best computer speakers I have heard priced at less than $$$. They have a very neutral sound, i.e. non-boomy bass, smooth mids, and crisp but not overly bright treble. The frequency response is also impressively flat overall, aside from a small dip in the lower midrange, which I have noticed with every computer speaker system. The gain limiting is very good, as the speakers can be at full volume with little to no distortion. They sound at least a million times better than a Bose Acoustimass system. I have noticed that they get grainy when the equalization isn't flat and the surround setting is turned up, so just keep those set to the middle, keep the EQ on your computer off and prepare to be blown away. My nit to pick...Satellites tip over somewhat easily, so place them carefully.
Rating: Summary: Loud and Clear Review: If you are in the market for computer speakers, these are for you. They have it all, loud sound, sleak looks, and kickin' bass. I was blown away the first time i plugged them into my computer. I would not hesitate to recommend these speakers to a friend.
Rating: Summary: BAD Review: Just to start off, it is impossible to even get any good sound out of these speakers. I got these with the dell, and they have nice sound, but the volume is really bad. The volume control is in a bad spot (ON TOP OF THE RIGHT SATTELITE) really annoying. Also, you can get much better sound out of the JBL creature speakers, JBL invaders, and the JBL soundsticks. All of the JBLs sound better and look much better with an apple. These speakers are made to look good with PCs which they do, but NOT AN iBook!!!!! They sound okay, don't look great, for speakers they are just mediocre.
Rating: Summary: Great speakers for any type of listening! Review: Let me start out by saying that I know speakers and that when the first note came out of these beauties I was amazed. These speakers are also some of the most stylish ones I have seen yet. The highs from the sattelites are crystal clear and beautiful sounding. The mids are rich and full unlike some other speakers I have heard. And finally the bass is wonderful. Even though the bass isn't the most powerful I've heard it can reach right down and produce some extremely low bass while maintaining its strength. Let me end by saying that for the compact size of these speakers they pack a powerful punch and for this amount of money they are the absolute BEST you can get!
Rating: Summary: Excellent Sound Quality, Great Value Review: My goal in purchasing the Harmon Kardon Champagne speakers was to simply produce sound superior to that of the internal speakers in my Sony Vaio laptop. I wanted something compact and inexpensive, figuring the quality can't be a major differentiator at this price point. My expectations have been greatly exceeded.
Scanning Craigslist, I came across someone selling these speakers as an unneeded accessory to her Dell computer. The speakers appeared to be very well suited for my limited desk space. The champagne-flute design is both compact and very aesthetically pleasing. The subwoofer has a small form factor as well, which is appealing in a Manhattan apartment.
While I only paid $20 for the set secondhand, the sound quality is vastly superior to that produced by my $150 Sony compact stereo. Playing a wide variety of mp3's on my Vaio, the sound is crystal clear and well defined. Voice, guitar, piano, cymbals, and bass come through with remarkable clarity.
The small form factor of the two main speakers, each about the same size and shape as an actual champagne flute, allows placement directly on my desk besides my 16" laptop screen. With the speakers 20 inches from the listener, the timbre is excellent.
At 10" high and 8" wide, the elliptical-frustum-shaped (check a geometry text) subwoofer has great base and excellent aesthetics. However, it would be nice, if possible, to have the controls and power switch accessible from the speakers. Presumably, this would distract from their sleek shape. To be somewhat critical, the subwoofer seems to get a bit overwhelmed by songs with deep base such as Sade's "By Your Side" when the base control is at its maximum setting.
Having a couple of friends who are audiophiles, I have spent significant time listening to $30k systems. While this $20 setup can't compare, the value is unsurpassed. It is actually hard to believe this quality of sound comes from a hard drive and such diminutive speakers.
Unfortunately, there seems to be an odd, albeit rarely occurring, problem where the sound fades away after time. It has been tough to characterize, but it appears to be linked to having the system on for several days. Turning the main power off for ten minutes solves the issue. There is no clear relation to the volume level or of excessive use.
One feature that is rather interesting, but not appealing to some customers, is a "softswitch" on the top of the left speaker. It raises and lowers the volume with no indicator light. This is highly undesirable in many scenarios. When there is a problem with connectivity or the system itself, one doesn't know if the volume is elevated. Likewise, turning on the computer with the speakers connected and powered, the user will have no indication of how loud the first sounds will be at first.
Pros
* Great Sound Quality
* Compact Design
* Fabulous Aesthetics
Cons
* Possibly design/quality control problem causing fading/absence of sound (seldom)
* No volume indicator
* Could use additional inputs for right and left audio (cable box, TIVO, DVD player)
Rating: Summary: Great Speakers for the price! Review: Speakers sound great and look even better. Definitely think they are easily worth the price. Also have the H/K SoundSticks (Clear speakers with 4 drivers per speaker, model # T2587LL/A). If you can spring for the extra cost of the soundsticks, I think they are worth it; they have a cleaner bass and fuller sound.
Rating: Summary: Pretty good, what you see is what you get Review: These speakers came standard with my new dell computer. for the standard speaker package they are amazing. I'm a college student and these speakers are sufficient for my room. However I've gotten pretty into sound and gaming and now I am looking for a fuller system. These speakers are good for a basic user, but the bass isnt very high output and they lack true multi channel feel. All in all if your just looking for basic pretty loud speakers for your music and games these are the speakers to go with, but if you want very high quality accurate multi channel speakers go with a true 4.1 or 5.1 system.
Rating: Summary: Pretty good, what you see is what you get Review: These speakers came standard with my new dell computer. for the standard speaker package they are amazing. I'm a college student and these speakers are sufficient for my room. However I've gotten pretty into sound and gaming and now I am looking for a fuller system. These speakers are good for a basic user, but the bass isnt very high output and they lack true multi channel feel. All in all if your just looking for basic pretty loud speakers for your music and games these are the speakers to go with, but if you want very high quality accurate multi channel speakers go with a true 4.1 or 5.1 system.
Rating: Summary: harman kardon Review: These speakers look great but they have very weak lows and no mids. However, the highs are very clear.
Rating: Summary: Can speakers get any better? Review: This speaker system is absolutely amazing. The sound clarity and quality are as good of those on a Bose Stereo system! Whether you are playing a computer game, or listening to music, the sound is superb. The positive aspects of this speaker system are that Harman Karmen has an excellent reputation, the speakers are very modern, unique, and stylish, the speakers are extremely small, there are convenient controls on top of small speakers ( + and - symbols control the volume)and you can control the surround sound, the bass, etc on the subwoofer, and the sound is excellent. In the directions, it said that you should place the speakers a certain distance from the monitor because it interferes with it...I have not had trouble with that even though my speakers are very close to the monitor. In addition, it takes 3 minutes, literally, to set these speakers up. This Harman Karden speaker system has an excellent value, and you should definitely consider it if you are looking for great surround sound at a decent price.
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