The lowdown
The need for high quality audio from non traditional sources such as the PC and indeed digital audio players has never been higher and as such some of the bigger names in audio are catering for that demand. Harmon Kardon are one such brand and with their Soundsticks II it looks like they're onto a winner.
What's good?
The soundsticks resemble some kind of beautiful cyborg jellyfish and are nothing if not unique. The see-through appearance means these speakers will attract attention and look fantastic in any situation. It's gets better though: the Soundsticks sound amazing too. The range is excellent, the trebles and highs are crisp and the bass full and deep. There's a knob positioned discreetly on the back of the sub with which you can vary the bass level which means you can fine tune the sound to your exact needs.
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The volume control is located on the bottom of one of the speakers and uses the unique to Harmon Kardon 'capacitance touch' control, which is basically a refined and cooler version of a feather touch mechanism. The Soundsticks are versatile in that they work excellently with any kind of digital audio player and also superbly as a part of a PC/Mac setup.
What's bad?
There really isn't that much to detract from the appeal of these speakers but if pushed there are one or two niggling issues that slightly dent its finish. Firstly, and least significantly, I couldn't find the volume control for the first five minutes of using the Soundsticks. This probably has more to do with my male refusal to read instructions and downright stupidity rather than any major design fault, so we'll ignore that one.
The only real problems then are the lack of a remote control and the lack of a visual indicator of the volume level. The additions of these two features would have obvious advantages so it's a shame they've been overlooked. A shame, but by no means a tragedy.
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Do you need it?
The Harmon Kardon Soundsticks come thoroughly recommended here at GadgetCentre. The combination of a truly original design and great sound quality are always going to impress and that's certainly the case here. You can pick the Soundsticks up for around £100 so can't really go wrong.
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| Useful Links: |
Zoodex |
| Features: |
• Unique Design
• Frequency Range : 44Hz-20kHz
• Power Consumption : 4 W idle, 65 W Maximum
• Interface : Analogue (3.5mm)
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| Verdict: | 
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