Rating: 
Summary: Astounding design, improved electronics
Review: Many of the opinions of the original Soundsticks apply to these Soundsticks 2--incredible design, good sound, and so on, but these second generation speakers are better in several respects:Harman/Kardon abandoned the awkward, limiting USB interface of the original model. The Soundsticks 2 use an almost universal connector, the stereo mini-plug, used in almost all computers and portable stereo equipment--CD players and the like. I use mine with my iPod and it's a dynamite combination. The volume control consists of two touch-sensitive pads on one of the sticks. Touch both simultaneously, and it mutes. Very cool. They kept the blue LED in the subwoofer which glows beautifully in a darkened room. Bass from the subwoofer is more than adequate, in my opinion, and overall sound is quite good. Setup is incredibly simple. But most of all, the cool-ness factor of these speakers, especially the subwoofer, is worth the price of admission. You won't want to hide this one under a desk. Everyone stops in their tracks when they see this speaker system. Highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Crisp Clear Sound
Review: These speakers give much better sound than my old pair of speakers. They also look much better than just about any multimedia speaker out there. Of course, they cost more too. If you are looking for a good sounding, sharp designed set of speakers and can afford the $150-$200 price, get these. If these cost too much, but you still want something unique looking, try the JBL Creature II speaker set. It ranges $60 - $100. A few things you cannot tell from the product description:
> These speakers (Soundstick II) are compatible with PCs. The original Soundsticks were only for Apples.
> The casing, though plastic, is very solid. I can't tell how scratch resistant it is though. I have not tried to scratch them yet...
> The subwoofer has a bass adjust knob.
> One of the satellite speakers has a touch volume control.
> The system does not have an on/off button. It designed to stay on all the time.
Rating:
Summary: WOW!!!!!!
Review: Wow. These babies are amazing. I'm not going to blab on about what you already know, instead I am going to elaborate on some features that I didn't realize until I got them myself.
First of all, ONLY THE SUB LIGHTS UP. I always thought that each little sphere inside the sticks lit up blue. - wrong - just the subwoofer. It is quite beautiful however and it is for this reason that I chose to display it on my desk rather than under it. At night it transforms into a groovy glowing jellyfish, but if you catch a glimpse of it from the side or rear, you see that this effect is produced from one measly little LED in the back. (the little ring inside DOES NOT LIGHT UP) One only gets the jellyfish look from the front really. But it's still really cool.
Also, there is a mess of cables in the back that aren't really that attractive, but once you crank up the sound, you realize that any cosmetic imperfections the soundsticks may have is really obsolete due to the fact that they already look cool and SOUND AMAZING!!!!
If you have a mac, buy these. You will not be disappointed.
Now excuse me while I invite all my friends over so I can see their reactions. Peace.
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