Harman Kardon Soundsticks III 2.1 Channel Multimedia Speaker System with Subwoofer

Harman Kardon Soundsticks III 2.1 Channel Multimedia Speaker System with Subwoofer..

Buy Harman Kardon Soundsticks III 2.1 Channel Multimedia Speaker System with Subwoofer By Harman Kardon

Most helpful customer reviews

479 of 506 people found the following review helpful.
Sound specifics
By Andrew Ackerman
I am a musician.

These speakers look great; that is the main reason I bought them. I do wish the sound quality was better. The sound quality is above average, but not great. However, I was able to use software graphic equilizer to adjust the sound to a better balance.

The frequency response is uneven. The tweeters are all very small speakers, 1.25 inch wide, with one woofer unit. Since there are no mid-range speakers, the mid range is compromised. It is not all bad though.

The best feature is great top end response from these little tweeters. Above 8K hz and 16K hz, the sound is very crisp and clear. As I generally like good meaty bass, with high crispness, this is not bad.

The clear plastic bass unit is great to look at, but cannot match the sound of a square wooden box - as is true for concert halls. Unfortunately the bass has an unatural high spike about 120 hz. Also the output below 60 hz is virtually non-existant. Putting the woofer on the floor under a desk might magnify the 30- hz but again it is great to look at, so I keep it on top of the desk. I find the woofer volume best around 60 to 70%.

Here is how I have adjusted iTunes graphic equalizer to over come the speakers' native tendancies (1 = a line):

32 hz +2
64 hz 0
125 hz -0.9
250 hz +0.9
500 hz +0.9
1K hz -0.9
2K hz 0
4K hz -0.3
8K hz -0.6
16K hz -1.2

You will want to increase the mid 250 and 500 hz range to increase warmness. There is another unnatural spike at 1 K hz, where the wavelength matches the dimensions of the stick tubes. It sounds like talking thru one of those gift wrapping paper tubes. Reduce 1K Hz to avoid that. The top can be tempered down to taste; the top is the best frequency range these speakers produce.

The left and right need to be placed far apart. I am not sure if the speakers are doing this on purpose, but I get an uneasy mono feeling if they are too close. Too much focus. I also turned on my computer hardware virtual surround sound which seemed to round out and increase the stereo spread. If you have it, try a computer setting bass boost on as that will increase warmth.

The left and right should be pointed directly at you, not angled away, to get the benefits of those high frequencies.

I got these new for $140, and I think they are worth it. As always, it is best to try before you buy in a store front, if you are that picky. Hope this helps!

76 of 80 people found the following review helpful.
space-age-jelly-fish speakers!
By L. Hartwell
My husband just gave me a pair of these for an early xmas present. I love the way they look, but was a little freaked out when they came out of the box due to the size of the subwoofer...these are for my desk. But we hooked them up and within minutes I was a super happy camper. The sound is clear and crisp and the bass is adjustable. For the person who said that you can't turn these off, you can if you press down the bass control knob. The sticks are attached to a heavy black donut shaped base and you can adjust how they sit on the base so you can point them at your head rather than your chest. One of the sticks has touch volume controls and if you touch both at the same time the sound is muted.

So far I love them. Going to really enjoy listening to music again. I would totally recommend them to a friend.

98 of 108 people found the following review helpful.
Subtle improvements over the previous version
By J. Welch
I've owned the Soundsticks III for close to a month now and have been thoroughly impressed. Harman claims the new model provides the same audio quality as the previous edition. The new version III audio cables are silver braided and clear. Other changes include black bases on the satellites, the black sub volume dial is also the power on/off switch, and there is a white led light in the sub. Input voltage on the power transformer is 100v-240v, so it will work outside the US without the use of a converter. One thing worth noting, since it is not in the manual, is that the satellite with the volume controls is the right speaker.

I find the sound stage to be vivid and non-fatiguing. The instruments and voices are crisp and detailed. I mainly listen to 80's, classic rock, and metal, and all appear to be clear and balanced. I can easily listen for extended periods without being fatigued. IMO this is one of the best 2.1 computer speaker systems available. You will not be disappointed.

See all 637 customer reviews...More...

OtterBox Defender Series Case and Holster for Samsung Galaxy S III - Retail Packaging - Pink

OtterBox Defender Series Case and Holster for Samsung Galaxy S III - Retail Packaging - Pink..

GET OtterBox Defender Series Case and Holster for Samsung Galaxy S III - Retail Packaging - Pink By OtterBox

Most helpful customer reviews

44 of 46 people found the following review helpful.
Tough and Girlie at the same time
By SandyToes
We bought this for our daughter-in-law for Christmas, since our grandsons are always playing Angry Birds on her phone, and the 3-yr-old has been known to throw it across the room. It went on in a jiffy, very easily.

She commented that it didn't make her phone feel bulky or heavy in her hand (it was previously 'naked'). She likes the pink, but loves the security even more. Yes, we did throw it across the room, she missed the catch, and her phone is still working just fine, with nary a scratch to the screen or the Otterbox.

Highly recommended to parents of young children and anyone else who tends to drop the phone from time to time. Don't we all?

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful.
Great Case
By Caitlin
Exactly what I was looking for. Completely covers my phone so its protected. My only complaint is that its a little difficult to push the lock button through the case. Otherwise I love this case!! If your looking for a heavy duty case, this is definitely for you.

26 of 30 people found the following review helpful.
Terrible Case!
By Melissa
After one week of use the color on this case had faded and the edges were peeling off. After one month of use the entire outer layer had stretched and would no longer fit on the inner portion. I am so disappointed because I thought Otterbox was a name I could trust, but when I went on the Otterbox website many of the reviews of this same case had a similar problem to mine.

See all 334 customer reviews...More...

Bose Wave® Music System III - Titanium Silver

Bose Wave® Music System III - Titanium Silver..

Buy Bose Wave® Music System III - Titanium Silver By Bose

Most helpful customer reviews

374 of 393 people found the following review helpful.
WHAAAT!? 500 dollars for a stereo? Is this the 80's?
By V. Yalung
I bought this system through the Bose website because they offer a 90 day no questions asked return policy which includes shipping, PLUS 6 month zero percent financing, so I could try it out and only put up a hundred bucks to decide if I want to keep it. The first thing I thought when I saw the different options were that the prices are RIDICULOUS. For one of these guys without the CD player, it's 350 bucks. You add a simple decades old technology CD player, and they bump it up 150 dollars. Insane. However, if you don't listen to CDs and use your iPhone or MP3 player to listen to the majority of your music, you can get the CD playerless model, and add bluetooth connectivity for 100 bucks, which totals 450 for the system. I opted to go for this model, partly because I can always add bluetooth later but can't add the CD, and because I buy most of my music through amazon and it's all burnable to MP3 format, so I have CDs with over 120 songs on them in alphabetical order that I listen to in my car, and it's a huge bonus that they all work on this CD player.

So, moving along... Unpacking and getting it up and playing is as easy as the listing said it would be. Take the cord, plug it into the unit, and plug the other side into the wall, and voila- you're ready to go. One thing that I want to mention is that this does not come with an FM/AM antenna included, but the instruction manual says that you can plug one in, so that's something you may want to consider if you're living in the boonies or out in the middle of BFN. The unit uses the power cord as the antenna, and the manual states that the cord should be straight to get optimal results, but I haven't really had any problems with getting the stations I want to listen to, so it might be YP, but not MP. (My problem)

The design of the unit is very simple and seemingly seemless. There is a "touch pad" at the top of the unit, which is nothing more than an invisible button useful for the alarm functions, a slot for a CD, an lcd display, all on a clunky, though charmingly attractive box. The remote control is essential to this music player's operation, and Bose is probably counting on me losing it so they can wring me out for more cash. The remote is nothing special, and almost reminds me of those remotes I used to get when I had Kenwood CD players and disc changers installed in my car. Nonetheless, if you lose it, you won't be able to use this thing for much.

There are four inputs/outputs on the back of the system, and they are: FM antenna, Bose link, AUX in, and Headphones. The AUX in and Headphones outputs are both 3.5 mm, which is the smaller of the two main connectors, but if you have a 3.5mm to 1/4" adapter (that costs like 2 bucks on amazon) you can plug in your digital piano, or guitar from the amp into the AUX IN. I've done both, and the sound, especially from my Casio Previa Digital Piano came out about a million times cleaner and more pleasing than the stock speakers. You can also use professional headphones with quarter inch jacks with the adapter, but that almost defeats the purpose of spending 500 bucks+ on a stereo set.

After taking the time to learn the components, the remote and operation, alarm functions and time setup etc. and finally getting to really listen to music, it's easy to remember why I bought this thing in the first place. The sound is as good as money can buy. I'm a leisure musician living with a family of musicians, and we all appreciate the distinctive Bose sound. The songs I've listened to seem to come to life, and the speakers don't miss a single detail. Playing Christopher Cross's "Sailing" turns the living room into a warm day in the bay, listening to Kenny Chesney takes me back to my roots in Tennessee, "Turkish March" transforms the space into a music hall, and the bass from Juvenile's "Back that Azz Up" really makes my house feel like the VIP room at the club. When I listen to my Wave, I like to just close my eyes and absorb the sound that you almost never get to hear in your car or from your ipod. It's ear candy.

223 of 232 people found the following review helpful.
A Great But Pricy Sound System
By TMStyles
I have enjoyed my Bose Wave music system for just over a month and I am very pleased with its performance. This is the second or third generation of the iconic Bose one-piece tabletop sound system that is intended to make you think you are listening to a much more complicated and professional component system. And, to a great extent, it does just that--or at least, it is closer to a stereo component sound than to a stand-alone run-of-the-mill radio sound. It certainly features a deeper range of bass sounds than any other one-piece radio I have ever encountered.

Bose has pioneered its spectacular sound machines which seem highly defined by their innovative speaker systems which they refer to as "waveguide speaker technology". This one-piece system produces a clear, natural, room-filling sound without the need of external speakers. It has a very innovative physical design with a small unintrusive footprint that sits well on a night stand or in the kitchen. I particulrly appreciate the Titanium Silver color which seems appropriate for any area of the home. It is simple to install right out of the box and has the FM/AM radio, CD player, and clock/alarm built in. There is an auxiliary input for an MP3 player or other alternate sound source.

I especially appreciate the alarm system that opens softly and gently rises in volume as you awake. It comes with a credit card size remote control; however, I purchased the larger backlit remote with a dedicated cradle that I use instead. All in all, this is an effective and very impressive one-piece tabletop sound system that I enjoy daily. It is a bit pricy, but ultimately, you get what you pay for.

84 of 85 people found the following review helpful.
Great even at a Distance
By David Muskera
I had the Bose Wave Music System (one disk changer and remote) for a week or so now. Never thought I would pop the $$ for this but when I found it at a good price, I said "go for it". I'll admit, I'm surprised and impressed. I did expect it to be different, better and so forth - just because of the reputation - but I was not prepared for the details of that difference. The sound is remarkable. It not only sounds great when you're in the room with it but also because of how well it produces music throughout several adjoining rooms . For example, when I am in my living room, two rooms away from where I placed the Bose (in the kitchen at the rear of the house and facing the back) the music sounds almost even better - its rich and full and more rounded than any of my other music systems with the possible exception of the one that takes up a great deal more space. I like listening to it from my reading chair in the living room....great full powered sound without being overpowered by it... I hear details of CD music I've not heard before from such a distance. I think the distance listening factor of this unit is the most remarkable feature of all that are mentioned.

Some reviewers have been critical of the unit being controlled only by the remote with no on board buttons. I can see that as a problem if you have kids and pets (who like to eat remotes - and yes, both the kids AND the pets might do that).... but for me, a single guy living alone, it is no problem. Actually, the unit looks sleek without all those buttons on top and you don't have to worry about dust accumulation. Just the same, I do recommend getting a backup remote - easily available on the eBay market (just Google it). If you've got an extra $500 for a new unit, go for it...or, if your funds are more limited, look around. It can be found for less. In my case and considering what I paid, it was more than worth it.

See all 230 customer reviews...More...