Hi! Guys I've just got a new toy some new computer speakers so this video will be a
tech review of the Harman Kardon soundsticks so lets get started in this video first I'll
un box the speakers and show you exactly what to expect in the box secondly while I'am doing
that there four or five versions of these speakers and these are the latest ones and
there are currently two versions available so I will explain the differences between
all the models I will explain what they are and what they are not thirdly I will set them
up and show you how they connect and give you a demo of the sound quality a comparison
hopefully in a way that will translate to video now as I said there have been a number
of versions of the Harman Kardon soundsticks they were first unveiled and launched in around
the year 2000 it was a collaborative project between Apple and Harman Kardon who back then
co developed several speaker systems for Apple computers now from what I can make out back
then Apple launched the iSub not the soundsticks it was just the sub woofer it didn't have
the two satellite sticks and it was available as an accessory for their desk top computers
at the time it was a USB sub woofer so it improved bass but also with compatible Apple
computers at the time it adjusted the computers other internal or external speakers frequency
range so they did not have to handle the base they did not overlap with the sub and it increased
their volume so it increase overall sound quality beyond just adding more bass it was
very clever if you look at images of the Apple iSub back then it looks identical to the sub
speaker that comes with the soundsticks today the technology within has changed but the
overall design hasn't and it was an award winning design this jelly fish shaped sub
speaker and it is the Apple iSub that in in the museum of modern art and design in New
York permanent collection I have not been to see them but from what I can see on-line
it is the Apple and Harman Kardon iSub from around 2000 not the soundsticks with the two
satellite speakers as you see it today if you have been to see the display let me and
everyone know in the comments below I think Apple computers were changing quite rapidly
at the time in terms of design technology compatibility and the operating systems a
few years later the iSub was replaced in Apple's offering by the soundstick system with the
satellite speakers which is far simpler in terms of compatibility and eventually the
newer Apple computers no longer supported the iSub and here is where I think things
got confusing for people even at the time at the same or around the time Apple launched
the iSub Harman Kardon launched the soundsticks which are basically certainly aesthetically
the iSub but with two satellite speakers and with a USB input a single USB from the sub
which in turn powered the satellite speakers but the two systems were completely separate
they were not interchangeable or compatible with one another you can still read articles
and forum posts from around the time and people were struggling to figure out what was compatible
with what they wanted to know if you could but the satellite speakers separately and
plug them into you iSub but of coarse you couldn't they were two separate systems what
the iSub did was very clever but it had limited compatibility compared to the soundstick set
up so then in around 2004 you get the second round the second generation of the system
the iSub has been dropped and the soundsticks system is also replaced by the soundsticks
two the difference between the originals and the two overall design and aesthetics very
little changed really just technical and compatibility updates the originals were designed to work
with computers via USB mainly macs but they did work with most PCs one way or another
the soundstick two instead of connecting via USB they now had a 3.5mm stereo connection
just like the current models and just as you would find on headphones so basically any
device you could plug headphones into you could use the system and they had volume controls
on one of the satellites now so you could control them and mute them independently of
the input device you could now use the soundsticks with an iPod the soundsticks one came out
about one year before the first generation iPod's and iPod's were not an instant success
they were relatively expensive initially and only mac compatible initially they came out
in 2001 but didn't really take off until late 2003 early 2004 and now you could plug soundsticks
straight into your iPod then in around 2010 the soundsticks two are superseded by the
soundsticks three which again have very little changed in terms of design but they have improved
audio cable a removable and replaceable input cable again increasing compatibility and the
feet of the satellite speakers are now black not silver which is apparently a small change
to make them more in keeping with the current Apple designs and this model I have here is
the latest and so now the fifth incarnation if you include the iSub these are the soundsticks
wireless they are effectively the same as the three's but with blue tooth connectivity
you can connect devices the same way as you do with the three's by 3.5mm jack or via Bluetooth
the power light is turned to white from blue and it has a blue light which comes on if
connected via blue tooth I want to talk a little about what the speakers are and what
they are not firstly they are an amazing looking design and clear plastic goes with anything
they were designed as computer speakers to sit on a desk top and elevate your multimedia
experience by improving the quality of sound from inbuilt speakers you would normally find
on desktop screens or built in to laptops they suggest you put the sub on the floor
under your desk but firstly unless you have a tiny desk or drill holes in it the cables
to the satellite speakers which are not removable and fixed in length are simply not long enough
but no matter I have sat mine on my desk because why would you hide something under your desk
that is considered so well designed it is on display in New York's design museum the
system does exactly what it was designed to do you want the satellites to sit unobtrusively
next to your computer be it a desktop or a laptop and if you sit the satellites on your
desk and point them at you they sound great the linear design a the limited power does
mean that they are very directional though to get the best from them they need to be
pointing directly at you and even angled correctly towards you so that leads me to what they
are not they are great for watching YouTube vlogs and videos and movies they give way
more depth to the sound track than virtually any inbuilt computer speakers and you can
adjust the bass on the sub to get a real kick but they are not earth shattering home cinema
speakers they are fantastic for listening to music the radio or pod casts and as an
iPod dock at your desk but they will not fill a room large enough to dance in with amazingly
load and high quality audio if you want to throw a party you are going to need some floor
standing speakers not these little desktop satellites I would highly recommend these
as computer speakers they look amazing they sound fantastic and they are size and design
that works well in conjunction with a computer on a desk if you are looking for audio quality
for music production I think at this price point your money will go a lot further in
the headphone market that with loud speakers of any description and if you want dance floor
filling power you are going to need something considerably larger and in much larger cabinets
I have watched a few YouTube vlogs and a movie using them and they are in a different league
to my Mac Books in built speakers they give a real depth to the back ground noise and
music and real contrast between that and the dialogue so if your using a laptop they are
going to be a very significant improvement for you and on my PC which is what I purchased
them for to replace some basic and very inexpensive speakers again they are a big improvement
and they look cool so lets show you how they are set up power goes into the sub the button
on the sub is a power button and also rotates which adjusts the base level to your personal
preference you then have two jacks for the satellite speakers and a 3.5mm jack for the
input cable
The input cable supplied has one straight jack and one angled I found the angled end
was slightly fatter than the straight end so I've used that plugged in to the sub because
the fat end won't allow it to fit my iPhone it will only fit if you remove the case so
the straight end works perfectly
so that is setting it up all that is left to do is plug the power cable in when it is
switched on and not in standby mode you'll see the white power light come on and if it
is connected to a Bluetooth device a light on the front will glow blue OK so lets do
a demo of the speakers first of all I will compare them to my iPhone's speakers I'll
connect then via cable and via Bluetooth to show you how simple that is to set up I'll
also show you what I mean by them being quite directional and then I will show you a comparison
between the soundsticks and my Mac Book in built speakers and again connecting via cable
and I'll show you how to set up the Bluetooth if you hear feedback throughout this video
it is just me touching the input cable it is nothing to worry about OK so this is the
soundsticks connected to a phone via the input cable the volume controls on the speaker are
on the right speaker you've got up and down they work quite rapidly I quite like them
and if you touch them both together it instantly mutes the volume and then touch either of
the volumes again and it will un mute it because you have two volume controls the device's
volume control and the speakers volume control it takes a little bit of playing around to
get the perfect setting for you let me just show you how easy it is to set up the Bluetooth
I'll go into the settings of my iPhone the camera is not focusing very well but it is
quite a simple set up in the Bluetooth menu you switch Bluetooth on it has listed the
sound sticks there tap them and it will connect it is that simple because I'am filming this
in quite bright daylight you cant quite make it out but on the front of the sub there is
a blue LED which has illuminated it illuminates when you connect via Bluetooth that looks
pretty cool in the dark it makes the whole sub sort of glow blue
(music) As I said earlier in the video the linear
design of the satellites makes them very directional ideally to get the best quality the full frequency
range from them you need them both pointing at you and angled correctly at you and I'll
demonstrate that now in quite an extreme way they will fill a room with music you will
be able to hear the music throughout the room but to get the best audio quality the full
frequency range they need to be pointed right at you I can demonstrate that in extreme way
by pointing them at the camera and then at the ceiling and you will see exactly what
I mean they sound amazing when they are focused on you but when they are not they are not
that great (music)
It does not detract from them as computer speakers if you are sat at a desk with the
pointing at you they are absolutely amazing but if your looking for a speaker if your
throwing a party every weekend and your looking for speakers to fill the room these may not
be for you OK lets compare the soundsticks with the inbuilt
speakers of a Mac Book in the same way as we did with the iPhone first of all I'll play
them via the input cable and then I'll show you the Bluetooth set up again if you hear
any feedback don't worry it is just me touching the input cable it is nothing to worry about
I'am not entirely sure how well the difference in audio quality is going to come across in
this video and the chance are if your watching this your in the market for a new set of speakers
as well but I can tell you the difference between the soundsticks and the inbuilt speakers
on a Mac Book is significant the sound sticks are a significant improvement right I will
just show you how quick and simple the Bluetooth set up is you go in to system preferences
go in to Bluetooth the Bluetooth menu it will detect the soundsticks well it will if I remove
them from my iPhone it can only connect to one device at a time they are already connected
to my iPhone so I'll disconnect from that and as you see there in the background as
soon as I have turned the Bluetooth connection off on my iPhone the Mac Book has found the
soundsticks and then it is just a simple matter of pairing the two and that is it you are
connected OK using the Bluetooth menu I'll just for
a little while switch between the soundsticks and the inbuilt Mac speakers hopefully that
will give you a clearer idea of the difference between the two the audio difference between
the two you can definitely hear a full frequency range from the sound sticks and a greater
depth to the sound (music)
so in conclusion if you are looking for some well designed great sounding computer speakers
I would recommend these for you I hope this review helped you in your decision one way
or another if so please hit the thumbs up like button and if you would like to be the
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