Harman Kardon SoundSticks Wireless Bluetooth Speaker System

After owning quite a few PC speaker setups, there is no denying the initial "Wow" reaction to this stunning design during the unboxing even before even turning the unit on. Very neat packaging, accessories and manual. The speakers themselves have a nice "heft" to them without feeling fragile despite the glass surface. The rubber stands attached to the satellite speakers also work remarkably well preventing slippage of the speakers by accidental knocks or inattentive gesture of the hand over the desktop. The setup just...works.The subwoofer houses most electronics including the amplifier as well as almost all buttons. There is a small metallic sensor located at the bottom front base of the right satellite unit to control the volume setting of the set. Works very well, however, there is no tactile or visual feedback of the current volume level. There is a white LED inside the sub indicating powered state.The overall sound quality is quite satisfying; well above average in its class, but not on par with the best studio monitors especially at the sub-bass levels. There is plenty of kick, midrange and treble extensions are right where they need to be in this price range. Distortion is minimal for both plain stereo 2.1 or various simulated Surround modes. Both Bluetooth and wired modes provide equally impressive sound quality.Overall, the setup proved to be very flexible and capable sound setup for my gaming PC making it both a good value for price paid as well as a statement piece and conversation starter due to it's unique industrial design, quality and performance. I'm very pleased with this purchase. To date I have not find anything to complain about.My only enhancement suggestion would be some kind of visual indicator like a discreet LED strip or similar indicator to validate the volume levels without looking at the Windows UI to prevent startling someone in the room by switching sources at different dB levels at times, since at the highest levels these speakers can be really loud. No biggie, but a useful add-on feature to an already sophisticated setup.

I had purchased the original Harmon Kardon soundsticks that are wired 6-7 years ago when they came out and I loved them. Unfortunately my dog had chewed through the audio cables that connect the satellite speakers so I had to go shopping for new ones. I was pleased to find out they came out with newer version of them with wireless bluetooth!The sound quality is clear and crisp while the deep bass accentuates the background. The speakers do need to be facing your direction in order to get the 2.1 surround sound feeling with great mid-range.The build quality feels solid with a rubber outlining metal for the base and a clear plastic material housing the speakers. The subwoofer itself is a giant clear jellyfish shape with an aesthetic design. There's also a black power button that you push which doubles as a bass control knob if you want to adjust it.You should note that the speakers are not directly fed to the woofer, but they have wires (about 3 ft in length) that you must connect to the sub. The cables are also constructed of a shiny thick lining as opposed to the previous model that has regular skinny audio lines.My only gripe was setting up the bluetooth as I had trouble with my windows 10 upgraded laptop. My galaxy phone paired just fine but for some reason my laptop would not connect for the life of me. After a bit of researching I found out that when you upgrade to Windows 10, somewhere along the installation the driver files get corrupted. So I found out my bluetooth model and manually went to the factory website to upgrade the drivers. I hope that helps you if you're having trouble connecting wirelessly.All in all a great purchase and would recommend to a friend.

UPDATE: 3 years later these speakers are still trucking and they sound just as amazing as the day I wrote the original review. I seriously cannot recommend these enough they have not given me a single issue. This is an investment which has already paid off and when these die I will be going Harman again.These are the best speakers I have ever owned, and this is coming from a Bose girl. Im not an audiophile so take that into account. The bass is EXTREMELY powerful to the point where I have to turn it down otherwise it shakes my mouse and makes it go crazy on the screen. It sounds AMAZING especially when I play video games. One of the best parts has to be the looks. This looks like something out of an alien movie and gives my modern themed room, even more edge. Ive had it 2 months so far and no problems at all with it. The bluetooth feature is definitely worth the extra money since I can alternate between playing music from my phone or my computer and since I power my desktop with my SurfaceBook laptop it takes a huge load off the Surface Dock because it used to disconnect all the time when it was powering my old speakers. Overall this was worth every penny and I recommend them to everyone.*I have NOT received any product free or discounted for review. Thus, all opinions are strictly my own. As someone who relies solely on reviews when making a purchase, I know how crucial they can be and I hope mine helped you when considering this.