Rating: 
Summary: The Sweetest Sound
Review: "Oh WOW," were the first words out of my mouth when I removed the SoundSticks from the box. They're two sexy little crystal sticks that stand over a foot high. They look as if they've been carved from ice, with the wires inside the Sticks well hidden from view. The SoundSticks have a small footprint and are very stable. You wouldn't expect the Sticks to be able to produce as much noise as they actually do. They're really impressive little things, all the while remaining elegant and highly stylish.The iSub, on the other hand, is huge, and the bass you get out of it is incredible, really giving the music a whole new world of sound. The iSub's bass knob seems to stop at just the right point, knowing what too much bass is (think bright green and orange Civic's with five foot tall spoilers). The 'Sub has a small blue light that gives it a faint blue glow, but not so much as to be distracting or keep one awake at night. Harman Kardon did a great job with with the design of these speakers. The SoundSticks are a great addition to any music-loving Macintosh, looking stylish while booming with great sound. As a quick reminder, make sure to change you Sound System Preference's Output to the SoundSticks. What better way to hear that new iTunes Music Store purchase than with a set of very-impressive SoundSticks!
Rating:
Summary: Exceptional Form AND Function: Soundsticks look/sound great!
Review: ...their brilliant design is what first caught my eye, their great sound is what keeps me smiling while listening to them. Despite what other reviewers here have erroneously reported, of course Soundsticks work seamlessly with OS X: plug in a few cords and you are running instantly and beautifully...with a keyboard system volume control and/or a speaker volume control in iTunes, who needs one on the speakers, too? With the possible exception of making them cordless, I can't think of a thing I would change about Soundsticks. Am extremely pleased with this product. How often do you find a product that marries form and function this well? Rarely. Computer speakers have never looked/sounded so good.
Rating:
Summary: Great, work beautifully with OS X!
Review: Absolutely astounding, the best speakers anywhere. The best part is they work perfectly with Mac OS X. With OS 10.1.4 and previous, they were a liitle soft, but 10.1.5 fixed it and now they play at a better, fuller volume.
Rating: 
Summary: USB audio is the devil.
Review: After a couple of years of wonderful sound under OS 9, I upgraded my Mac to OS X (10.3.2). The "crash-proof" operating system was not USB Audio-proof: when my SoundSticks are connected and playing, my computer would more or less randomly but frequently render my USB mouse and keyboard useless, essentially freezing the computer. USB audio simply introduces another level of things to possibly go wrong. The sound is great, though, so if you're considering these get the newer SoundSticks II instead: they use the 3.5 mm audio out jack and are otherwise the same.
Rating:
Summary: USB audio is the devil.
Review: After a couple of years of wonderful sound under OS 9, I upgraded my Mac to OS X (10.3.2). The "crash-proof" operating system was not USB Audio-proof: when my SoundSticks are connected and playing, my computer would more or less randomly but frequently render my USB mouse and keyboard useless, essentially freezing the computer. USB audio simply introduces another level of things to possibly go wrong. The sound is great, though, so if you're considering these get the newer SoundSticks II instead: they use the 3.5 mm audio out jack and are otherwise the same.
Rating:
Summary: Look great, dodgy range
Review: After a tetchy honeymoon period, I'm beginning to warm to the Harman Kardon Soundsticks. It's taken a while to get the bass bin to play by my rules. In my house, the bin is a bit lacking and only really works if you are using the soundsticks as a living room hi-fi and not in a confined space about your monitor. I listen to a lot of trance, house, ambient & reggae - which have very different range requirements. With reggae the bass bin often gives out squelchy noises. Deep stuff is the same. With other tunes the bass is okay, but that's because it's more in the background. Trance and electronica are great when the big bin kicks in with driving bass. For stylists, a note of caution. HK's soundsticks are real ooh-aah! material that lose currency pretty quickly if your partner is a 'practical' person who likes having fifty books and a box of credit card statements stacked in front. If, like me, you're a minimalist, then these are for you. Overall, three stars for looks and a speaker set so perfectly integrated with Mac OS X.
Rating:
Summary: Don't worry - they work with OS X!!!!
Review: After reading several "reviews" about the problems associated with the Soundsticks and the new PowerMacs and PowerBooks I was leary of purchasing these speakers. However, I purchased them and hooked them up at the same time I set-up my new G4 PowerMac and I am extremely pleased with the sound quality and look of the HK Soundsticks. Don't worry about the negative reviews, these babies play and have sound quality that equals the quality of a PowerMac or PowerBook. Shop around for best price, i.e., ~$170. + shipping and you will be satisfied. Only limitation is the volume attainable from the PowerMac, but it is loud enough, for those still possessing "normal" tympanic membranes. I love 'em. I will respond to emails, but no audio snobs.
Rating:
Summary: The ultimate complement to a Cube or Quicksilver!
Review: All I can really say is"Wow!" What nice speakers. They look absolutely stunning next to my Apple display (cinema) and the color scheme and clear plastic match the G4 enclosure perfectly. Nice execution. The sound is fantastic for an average size room and will rival most upper end bookshelf sized systems. Setup is extremely simple (plug em in) and the speakers show up in the Sound control panel with no software to install. Amazon also has a very good price on these, especially when combined with one of the online coupons. I am very satisfied. Any drawbacks? Well, the satellite speakers are somewhat directional, so they don't really "fill" the room (they could have staggered the speakers on the stick, but still make no mistake- these are loud!). There is no volume control on the unit so you have to use the Sound control panel or iTunes or similar to change the volume (not a big deal unless you want a remote or instant volume gratification). The iSub (woofer) has an adjustment, but it only sets the relative bass level, and not the satellite's volume. There is no headphone miniplug so you still have to use the one on the back of the CPU. You trade a little function for a lot of form. If you are a hard-core audiophile, you may miss a few features like high, mid, and bass control and should maybe look elsewhere. If, however, you love your Mac and want the best for it, look no further. The sound is clear, penetrating, and powerful for such a small package. You will not be disappointed. These are performance art. 5 stars for the average user (me), 4 stars for the true audiophile.
Rating:
Summary: The ultimate complement to a Cube or Quicksilver!
Review: All I can really say is"Wow!" What nice speakers. They look absolutely stunning next to my Apple display (cinema) and the color scheme and clear plastic match the G4 enclosure perfectly. Nice execution. The sound is fantastic for an average size room and will rival most upper end bookshelf sized systems. Setup is extremely simple (plug em in) and the speakers show up in the Sound control panel with no software to install. Amazon also has a very good price on these, especially when combined with one of the online coupons. I am very satisfied. Any drawbacks? Well, the satellite speakers are somewhat directional, so they don't really "fill" the room (they could have staggered the speakers on the stick, but still make no mistake- these are loud!). There is no volume control on the unit so you have to use the Sound control panel or iTunes or similar to change the volume (not a big deal unless you want a remote or instant volume gratification). The iSub (woofer) has an adjustment, but it only sets the relative bass level, and not the satellite's volume. There is no headphone miniplug so you still have to use the one on the back of the CPU. You trade a little function for a lot of form. If you are a hard-core audiophile, you may miss a few features like high, mid, and bass control and should maybe look elsewhere. If, however, you love your Mac and want the best for it, look no further. The sound is clear, penetrating, and powerful for such a small package. You will not be disappointed. These are performance art. 5 stars for the average user (me), 4 stars for the true audiophile.
Rating: 
Summary: They couldn't put a USB hub in this?
Review: Certainly, this is one of the better sounding speaker sets available, and easily the best LOOKING that I've seen. Even the power transformer has the cool translucent plastic look which has become the apple standard My main complaint is that if you're going to make a (...) USB speaker system, shouldn't you at least put a mini-USB hub into it so that you don't completely burn a USB port for the speaker?
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