I always admired the design of the SoundSticks as a child growing up in the Y2K era. Never was able to afford a Mac or the audio equipment though. But now at age 29, I have the latest iMac and I just ordered the SoundSticks 4. Cannot wait!
Mine are the 1st modal which are 19 years old. Unfortunately they just gave out recently and aren’t recognized no matter what I try. Lights up but no sound or recognition. Guess a new gen 4 is in my future!
The original designer of HK Soundsticks is Jony Ive. Soundsticks started as a product / project with Apple & HK. I use them for gaming, booting Windows on my Mac Pro 5,1. In my experience, it is a perfect setup, especially with a new 34" Curved Ultrawide 3440 x 1440 21:9 LG monitor, driven by an Nvidia Titan Xp. Put the subwoofer behind the monitor, and the two sticks flanking the monitor. Doom Eternal was never better! Shall we say, more bang for the buck? :-)
About a year ago I ran into a HK 920 receiver right outta 1972 and it really was even on the inside. The people I purchased from are in the business of total refurb including all solder joints. Questionable components and whatever else they found were R&R as needed with quality parts. I also found an original cabinet and that’s very groovy as many HK receivers were sold naked and they look good naked as well. I’ve now seen a review for this product that I didn’t think I’d ever see ( not my kinda stuff ) BUT I think my daughter will enjoy it so I am in on the HK Sticks !! Thanks for a pleasant informative review.
Would've loved a remote. They should've kept the bass control on the subwoofer. Disappointed that volume control were removed from the sticks. No Aux cable included 🥴
Hey Luke - thanks, this is a really great tour and overview. I know this is a few years old now but I just love the look and was thinking about purchasing it. On a related note I was wondering your thoughts on the HK Citation series and how to get that gear, nobody seems to carry the Citation towers, sub woofer, or surround speakers anymore except for overseas. Do you have any suggestions?
Hi Millennium, thank you for the kind words. We're not carrying the Citation Series at this point, not sure why it isn't so widely available these days
I'm having mixed feelings on the overall design. The Subwoofer is gorgeous and a nice change from the original. The speakers is what I'm not so sure about. There is so much white. There is hardly any contrast. The base should have been metal. Aluminum or a shiny chrome would have made them pop. The back of the speakers is overwhelming. The white panel along with the ripples takes a minimal design and complicates it. They look too sporty to me, like they were designed by Nike. Someone really should have taken the less is more approach.
Surprised you didn't touch on the product defect found in the earlier models. Ive purchased two thus far and they both died a few years in due to faulty connections between speaker wires and the subwoofer. It looks like the problem has been fixed based on the modifications to the plug ends. Could you touch on that? Otherwise, the sound and the look are very high quality. Im just shy spending $300 on a system that has twice demonstrated the manufacturer's intent to design this product's obsolescence within 2 years of the purchase.
@@ssng1I am rocking the mark1’s on my PC, I got the mark2 and mark3 on standby when they each are beyond the point of fixing, managed to find each generation for decent prices. The mark4 will cost me more than all 3 generations I have lol
I haven't heard the Aura Studio 3 yet, however if I had to make an educated guess I'd say the sound sticks as they offer separate drivers and more of them.
@@tapatapaz so far so good , im using it everyday on my PC , i just hate the speaker is easy to idle if the volume sound not big enough , dont know how to handle it
This has too much bass for music in my taste. So I hook up with my TV. OMG! It will trash your soundbar right away. And it looks freaking awesome with LED light on movie night. Tip: 3.5mm setup doesn't light up the led 😒
@@candyKane117i 3.5mm aux cable. It's been 6mo old and things has been changed. There are many soundbars with proper subwoofer on the market with attractive price tag. Now I use this as desktop speakers meanwhile touch of custom EQ setting on bass.
The older soundsticks had a knob on the subwoofer to adjust the bass level. Looks like these don't have one. How do you control the sub level on these?
@@GramophoneMD Actually there is as can be seen on some press photos, but I can't find them anywhere to buy :/ So technically yes, there is a black option but practically not haha
Not everybody can fit full size bookshelves on their desk unfortunately. These are not a bad compromise. They honestly did impress me for what they are.
This is a most important judgment. Can you explain exactly why you deem the IIi superior. Is the wire one important factor of your comparison? I personally tend to prefer wiring, but I have never had the IV in hand, so I depend on your opinion, assuming that you have effective experience of the IV. Is that the case or you are just guessing by intuition.
Designwise, soundsticks III looks way better imo. Had One, getting another One tomorrow. The previows One i had, had an issue on The satelites, the "glue" around them started to fail sticking It together. Going for hot glue if It happens again, worth The trouble as there is no similar quality options on The market.
@@roobookaroo It’s the aesthetics, the features, the design, the specs, the whole package that doesn’t compare to the SSIII. The IV has no bass control knob, no touch volume buttons, the Aura-inspired subwoofer’s sound quality is roughly on par (with the III) but the whole aesthetic absolutely shat upon what Jony Ive (Yes, the designer of iMac, iPad, iPhone, many other Apple products) has designed and made famous enough to be put as a permanent display in the New York Museum of Modern Art. The price has floated significantly too from the III to IV since I purchased, adding an extra $40 per set, in comparison with said previous generation. Also, the Bluetooth is unnessesary. If you have Wi-Fi, iTunes, and iTunes remote (app), you’ll have a much stronger connection than Bluetooth and play songs as if you were picking them straight from your phone, without sound quality loss from Bluetooth. Wired sound quality and connection will (for the foreseeable future) always be better than Bluetooth.
@@ricardojiy I only had one faulty set of SSIII where after only a month or so, a couple of drivers randomly burned out in the right satellite, and H/K sent me a new one. No questions asked. Been holding onto this one for the last 5 years 😎👍🏼 Hope you’re enjoying your new IIIs now.
@@Bassistking This is a terrific response. Thanks a lot. I have to replace my old first-generation Soundsticks I with a new one. The IV is already available in Singapore, but not yet in the States or Europe. The problem (for me anyway) is that the III is practically gone from the market. Reading you, I am convinced by your argument and ready to get a genuine III if I can find it.
Everything’s an ad. Surprise surprise - the very best stuff is the stuff we sell or are sponsored by. Over and over...and over. It seems being dishonest is the new honesty.
We sell what we sell because after 45 years of being in business in the industry, and being one of the founders of the very concept of home theater we'd like to be able to think that we have some know how on what's good. Now that said these things did fairly impress me. However if you you are looking for a more high end experience on your desk and you don't mind paying more for it have a look at the Totem Acoustic Kin Play or the JBL 3 series powered monitors. Choose the JBLs for accuracy, choose the Totems for fun but clear. Audioengine is worth a mention for their HD line too. No company shoptalk, just one enthusiast to another You'll need some desk space though.
Shame the 4 looks ugly compared to the 3, the Bluetooth doesn't have aptx codec support only crappy sbc and from what I have been reading the Bluetooth they implemented has latency issues, doesn't have a subwoofer control either.... Meh ill pass...
totally unavailable in australia and totally the worst experience ever when purchasing... DO NOT BOTHER UNDER AND CIRCUMSTANCES.... they do not actully care about your purchase... regardless of anything you are not going to get them in Australia for at least a year 2023... fucking pathetic.... give up and buy something better..
Darren, did you attempt to purchase them on Sky by Gramophone or are you describing an experience you had either with Harman directly or through someone else? If you did try to order from us, I absolutely want to get to the bottom of why you weren't properly served, as first and foremost you should have been contacted almost immediately after ordering if the system let it through and took your payment as we do not sell in Australia. I want to make sure something didn't fall through the cracks here. Please let me know!
I always admired the design of the SoundSticks as a child growing up in the Y2K era. Never was able to afford a Mac or the audio equipment though. But now at age 29, I have the latest iMac and I just ordered the SoundSticks 4. Cannot wait!
Right there with ya, but in 2024 lol. Having money as an adult with the wonder of a child is the way 🫡
"Whoa - it lights up!!"
Great video, I still have Soundsticks II from 15 years ago but I am seriously impressed by these new ones.
You soundsticks is 15 years old already? Impressive quality! Makes me wanna buy this
Mine are the 1st modal which are 19 years old. Unfortunately they just gave out recently and aren’t recognized no matter what I try. Lights up but no sound or recognition. Guess a new gen 4 is in my future!
Awesome video. I love my Soundstick 4. The aesthetic is the main reason I made the purchased. The sound quality is the bonus.
Good choice!
The original designer of HK Soundsticks is Jony Ive. Soundsticks started as a product / project with Apple & HK. I use them for gaming, booting Windows on my Mac Pro 5,1. In my experience, it is a perfect setup, especially with a new 34" Curved Ultrawide 3440 x 1440 21:9 LG monitor, driven by an Nvidia Titan Xp. Put the subwoofer behind the monitor, and the two sticks flanking the monitor. Doom Eternal was never better! Shall we say, more bang for the buck? :-)
About a year ago I ran into a HK 920 receiver right outta 1972 and it really was even on the inside. The people I purchased from are in the business of total refurb including all solder joints. Questionable components and whatever else they found were R&R as needed with quality parts. I also found an original cabinet and that’s very groovy as many HK receivers were sold naked and they look good naked as well. I’ve now seen a review for this product that I didn’t think I’d ever see ( not my kinda stuff ) BUT I think my daughter will enjoy it so I am in on the HK Sticks !! Thanks for a pleasant informative review.
Would've loved a remote. They should've kept the bass control on the subwoofer. Disappointed that volume control were removed from the sticks. No Aux cable included 🥴
Hey Luke - thanks, this is a really great tour and overview. I know this is a few years old now but I just love the look and was thinking about purchasing it. On a related note I was wondering your thoughts on the HK Citation series and how to get that gear, nobody seems to carry the Citation towers, sub woofer, or surround speakers anymore except for overseas. Do you have any suggestions?
Hi Millennium, thank you for the kind words. We're not carrying the Citation Series at this point, not sure why it isn't so widely available these days
Great review, and great choices of music.
Glad I found this channel, very nice review. Subbed.
is the sound quality get better if you try connecting it with the aux instead of bluetooth?
I'm having mixed feelings on the overall design. The Subwoofer is gorgeous and a nice change from the original. The speakers is what I'm not so sure about. There is so much white. There is hardly any contrast. The base should have been metal. Aluminum or a shiny chrome would have made them pop. The back of the speakers is overwhelming. The white panel along with the ripples takes a minimal design and complicates it. They look too sporty to me, like they were designed by Nike. Someone really should have taken the less is more approach.
Criminally underrated comment^
for my desktop should buy this or go for Aura 4?
3.5mm cable to connect to the PC isn’t included in the box? Or the 3.5mm cable are not included in this soundsticks 4?
Comparatively which sounds better and louder, the Marshall Woburn 2 or this?
Never heard the Marshall, couldn't tell you.
Is this good for BT Turntables like AudioTechnica?
Love these speakers. Is there anyway to get the black ones in the US?
Great video!
Glad you enjoyed it
Surprised you didn't touch on the product defect found in the earlier models. Ive purchased two thus far and they both died a few years in due to faulty connections between speaker wires and the subwoofer. It looks like the problem has been fixed based on the modifications to the plug ends. Could you touch on that?
Otherwise, the sound and the look are very high quality. Im just shy spending $300 on a system that has twice demonstrated the manufacturer's intent to design this product's obsolescence within 2 years of the purchase.
I've had Soundsticks 3 since 2011/2012 and they work perfectly
I have Soundsticks 1 and they just quit after 19 years!
@@ssng1I am rocking the mark1’s on my PC, I got the mark2 and mark3 on standby when they each are beyond the point of fixing, managed to find each generation for decent prices. The mark4 will cost me more than all 3 generations I have lol
cool guy, nice video
Thank you much
Can you tell us the shipping weight of the box before opening it?
I'll see about getting a scale.
Any idea of the release date? I desperately want to get one of these...
Thanks to SARS-CoV-2, it seems to have been delayed a bit.
If you want the looks, go for these.
If you want the sound go with Klipsch Pro Media
If one's budget is a little higher then Totem Acoustic's KIN Play Mini are about as good as it gets for desktop use too.
can you adjust the level of bass?
The BT capabilties doesn't include Qualcomm AptX or Sony LDAC.
Out of curiosity, can the speaker modules bend backwards like the previous design?
They do not.
@@GramophoneMD Hmm, that’s weird. I have the 3s and I really utilize the feature.
Is sleep mode active?
Hey is there a way to control the bass levels on this thing?
No, there is not. (Source: Harman/Kardon)
No tone controls unfortunately.
can the harman kardon soundsticks 4 light moving when sound play
It does not.
Hi, the subwoofer is ok to place on the floor? Or it must be place in parallel with the satellite speakers to sound good?
The floor is fine.
My issue is the inability to control volume remotely when wired to your tv
any compare with aura studio 3 ? im looking forward about these one vs aura studio 3
I haven't heard the Aura Studio 3 yet, however if I had to make an educated guess I'd say the sound sticks as they offer separate drivers and more of them.
Soundstick is a more transparent and hi-fi voiced product. AS3 has a more compressed, distorted (resonance) and bass heavy sound to it.
@@carloslaend1635 tbh already bought the as3 couple days after this video post , thanks bro
@@edzeeeyy do you like it? 1 year into owning it
@@tapatapaz so far so good , im using it everyday on my PC , i just hate the speaker is easy to idle if the volume sound not big enough , dont know how to handle it
THANK YOU . I WANTED TO GET THOSE BUT WAS SKEPTICAL. I AM O BOSE GUY...BUT THESE SOUND AMAZING
can the bass module be placed under the desk or doesn't have any sense?
Under the desk is fine.
Does anyone know if these can be used somewhere other than connected to a desktop computer?
Because I would like to use these at a party or a gathering.
I have a H/K aura studio 2 but hate to use it because of too much bass. Anybody there who can help me how to EQ lower the bass? Pls help.
I wanna update my Sound sticks, i still have version 1
Do it. USB audio was never a great idea.
This has too much bass for music in my taste. So I hook up with my TV. OMG! It will trash your soundbar right away. And it looks freaking awesome with LED light on movie night. Tip: 3.5mm setup doesn't light up the led 😒
This is what I need to know, planning to buy tomorrow 😎
What cable did you use to hook it to your tv?
@@candyKane117i 3.5mm aux cable. It's been 6mo old and things has been changed. There are many soundbars with proper subwoofer on the market with attractive price tag. Now I use this as desktop speakers meanwhile touch of custom EQ setting on bass.
" Tip: 3.5mm setup doesn't light up the led ", could it be fix?
The older soundsticks had a knob on the subwoofer to adjust the bass level. Looks like these don't have one. How do you control the sub level on these?
It can't some of music that has strong bass looks bad on this speaker
Do you hear about equaliser?))
old comment, but there's an easy-to-use equalizer that's built right into Music on macOS. Just go to Window and Equalizer.
@@elenchus yeah that's only if you're using the music app. If you're just playing on RUclips then no options.
I got 4 power cords in box. no aux cable.
8:01 mood xD
Is there not a black variant?
There is not, just clear/white.
@@GramophoneMD Actually there is as can be seen on some press photos, but I can't find them anywhere to buy :/
So technically yes, there is a black option but practically not haha
Yes there is
I'm using the black variant
@@bobtan101 Where did you get them? I want them in black, not in white. Otherwise i'm not gonna buy em
I will give 10/10 for design but bit overpriced specially HP Harman kardon destop setups are terrible....just looks good dosent sound good
Thank you for your comments
WOW!
I just don’t get why you’d get something like this and not just proper speakers...
space, my friend.
Not everybody can fit full size bookshelves on their desk unfortunately. These are not a bad compromise. They honestly did impress me for what they are.
Cool is subjective. That doesn't mean it isn't real. :-)
After years of waiting, I gotta say this is a disappointment. The Soundsticks III (wired) remains superior, IMO.
This is a most important judgment. Can you explain exactly why you deem the IIi superior. Is the wire one important factor of your comparison? I personally tend to prefer wiring, but I have never had the IV in hand, so I depend on your opinion, assuming that you have effective experience of the IV. Is that the case or you are just guessing by intuition.
Designwise, soundsticks III looks way better imo. Had One, getting another One tomorrow. The previows One i had, had an issue on The satelites, the "glue" around them started to fail sticking It together. Going for hot glue if It happens again, worth The trouble as there is no similar quality options on The market.
@@roobookaroo It’s the aesthetics, the features, the design, the specs, the whole package that doesn’t compare to the SSIII. The IV has no bass control knob, no touch volume buttons, the Aura-inspired subwoofer’s sound quality is roughly on par (with the III) but the whole aesthetic absolutely shat upon what Jony Ive (Yes, the designer of iMac, iPad, iPhone, many other Apple products) has designed and made famous enough to be put as a permanent display in the New York Museum of Modern Art. The price has floated significantly too from the III to IV since I purchased, adding an extra $40 per set, in comparison with said previous generation. Also, the Bluetooth is unnessesary. If you have Wi-Fi, iTunes, and iTunes remote (app), you’ll have a much stronger connection than Bluetooth and play songs as if you were picking them straight from your phone, without sound quality loss from Bluetooth. Wired sound quality and connection will (for the foreseeable future) always be better than Bluetooth.
@@ricardojiy I only had one faulty set of SSIII where after only a month or so, a couple of drivers randomly burned out in the right satellite, and H/K sent me a new one. No questions asked. Been holding onto this one for the last 5 years 😎👍🏼 Hope you’re enjoying your new IIIs now.
@@Bassistking This is a terrific response. Thanks a lot. I have to replace my old first-generation Soundsticks I with a new one. The IV is already available in Singapore, but not yet in the States or Europe. The problem (for me anyway) is that the III is practically gone from the market. Reading you, I am convinced by your argument and ready to get a genuine III if I can find it.
Everything’s an ad. Surprise surprise - the very best stuff is the stuff we sell or are sponsored by. Over and over...and over. It seems being dishonest is the new honesty.
We sell what we sell because after 45 years of being in business in the industry, and being one of the founders of the very concept of home theater we'd like to be able to think that we have some know how on what's good. Now that said these things did fairly impress me. However if you you are looking for a more high end experience on your desk and you don't mind paying more for it have a look at the Totem Acoustic Kin Play or the JBL 3 series powered monitors. Choose the JBLs for accuracy, choose the Totems for fun but clear. Audioengine is worth a mention for their HD line too. No company shoptalk, just one enthusiast to another You'll need some desk space though.
Shame the 4 looks ugly compared to the 3, the Bluetooth doesn't have aptx codec support only crappy sbc and from what I have been reading the Bluetooth they implemented has latency issues, doesn't have a subwoofer control either.... Meh ill pass...
totally unavailable in australia and totally the worst experience ever when purchasing... DO NOT BOTHER UNDER AND CIRCUMSTANCES.... they do not actully care about your purchase... regardless of anything you are not going to get them in Australia for at least a year 2023... fucking pathetic.... give up and buy something better..
Darren, did you attempt to purchase them on Sky by Gramophone or are you describing an experience you had either with Harman directly or through someone else? If you did try to order from us, I absolutely want to get to the bottom of why you weren't properly served, as first and foremost you should have been contacted almost immediately after ordering if the system let it through and took your payment as we do not sell in Australia. I want to make sure something didn't fall through the cracks here. Please let me know!