Harman Kardon Soundsticks 4 140W Bluetooth Wireless 2.1 Speaker System - Black - Iconic Transparent Design, 5.25" Subwoofer, Aura Lights, 3.5mm + Blue

I waited for years to be able to purchase Soundsticks, and I am hopping on board with the 4th generation. It's understandable why they are adored as such. The sound is impressive, the presentation is beautiful, the warranty is strong.Sound quality is very good. The option to control bass levels has been removed, but Harmon Kardon tuned it perfectly. I have never wanted more or less bass in any of the music, movies, or games that I have tested these with.The quick guide booklet is fairly self-explanatory, but not enough. I have experienced high levels of latency regardless of whether I'm using my MacBook Pro on Mac OS, Windows 10, or my iPhone with the Bluetooth connection. I have a ticket open with Harman support, but I'm honestly not terribly sure what they ... MoreI waited for years to be able to purchase Soundsticks, and I am hopping on board with the 4th generation. It's understandable why they are adored as such. The sound is impressive, the presentation is beautiful, the warranty is strong.Sound quality is very good. The option to control bass levels has been removed, but Harmon Kardon tuned it perfectly. I have never wanted more or less bass in any of the music, movies, or games that I have tested these with.The quick guide booklet is fairly self-explanatory, but not enough. I have experienced high levels of latency regardless of whether I'm using my MacBook Pro on Mac OS, Windows 10, or my iPhone with the Bluetooth connection. I have a ticket open with Harman support, but I'm honestly not terribly sure what they would do. I've restarted both the input device and the speakers, tested different sources, tested different software, and I can't pin a pattern to it.With that said, the logical next step would be to use a wired connection that is stable and consistent. The AUX option is fine, but only fine. I can adjust the volume on the speakers using my keyboard over Bluetooth, but when wired I have to reach over to the subwoofer and adjust the volume? Why not include an updated version of USB-C or Thunderbolt control to go directly to the computer? It would've been more stable and more convenient.Aside from those annoyances, I love the product, and I have no regrets about buying it. It's just weird that in late 2020 that there's these latency issues and there was no thought to provide a stable wired connection alternative that goes beyond an AUX cable that's been around since the early 2000s.

These are a great entry into the SoundSticks line of speakers. As my title states, these were originally designed by Apple for Mac back in 2000, with subsequent iterations in the last 21 years. I love that these harken back to Apple's product design of the first half of the 2000s with the clear high quality plastic encasing a nice design internally with white accents; very Apple-like! I use these everyday with my Mac mini and they haven't disappointed: just like with Apple's products, they just work where Harman Kardon has factory-tuned the sound profile for what they think is the best experience that you can get with these. Now, if you want to customize the sound to your liking, you can search for and install an app that lets you do so.The unit is made up of two ... MoreThese are a great entry into the SoundSticks line of speakers. As my title states, these were originally designed by Apple for Mac back in 2000, with subsequent iterations in the last 21 years. I love that these harken back to Apple's product design of the first half of the 2000s with the clear high quality plastic encasing a nice design internally with white accents; very Apple-like! I use these everyday with my Mac mini and they haven't disappointed: just like with Apple's products, they just work where Harman Kardon has factory-tuned the sound profile for what they think is the best experience that you can get with these. Now, if you want to customize the sound to your liking, you can search for and install an app that lets you do so.The unit is made up of two satellite speakers with built-in left and right RCA cables, the subwoofer, and power cable, which are all connected to the subwoofer. Although not included, if you're like me and plan to use this with a stationary source (Mac mini), I purchased a simple white-colored 3.5 mm audio cable to plug in and have lag-free audio. These speakers also have the option for bluetooth so, if you have an iPhone or any other bluetooth-enabled device that you want to stream audio from, you're covered.As for the most important aspect (the sound), these sound AWESOME! Very clean with no emphasis on any one aspect of sound: simply well-rounded. The bass on these sound REALLY GOOD as well: you can FEEL the bass whenever you listen to a bass-heavy sound effect or song. Speaking of sound, in order to adjust the volume, the subwoofer has touch-sensitive buttons on the front face towards the bottom; a departure from previous generations that had the volume control on one of the speakers itself. However, as with all external speakers, since I set the speaker volume on the physical unit itself to around halfway and then adjust on my Mac itself, this is a non-issue for me. What's also cool is that, if you do decide to adjust the volume, the center of the subwoofer's interior lights up in a number of rings: when you lower the volume, the number of rings decreases towards the center; when raised, the number of rings increases radiating out from the center. What a nice touch!You never have to worry about turning these speakers off as they have an auto standby feature that kicks in when there's no sound after a few minutes. Whenever it does go to sleep, you'll know by the subwoofer's center light inside the dome lighting up and staying lit for a few minutes finally turning off. The only downside about this is that they don't always wake up right away when sound starts to play; I've had these wait as long as around 20 seconds on occasion before finally hearing what I want! However, this was with the previous unit that I replaced with the one that I'm reviewing now, so it may have been just a quirk with that particular unit (one of the reasons why I returned the old one, just in case).Overall, I would DEFINITELY recommend these beauties to anyone who wants the combination of great aesthetics and sound, with that Apple-like ease of use and just works balanced sound.

This is an update to my former review on HarmanAudio.com, the website I purchased on and the website that these are no longer listed on for sale. With my experience, I somewhat wonder if other users have had similar frustrations and they pulled the product??? Anyhow, the below review is going to be redundant of what I posted and what is still true and some updates after months of ownership. Here we go:I waited for years to be able to purchase Soundsticks, and I am hopping on board with the 4th generation. It's understandable why they are adored as such. The sound is impressive, the presentation is beautiful, the warranty is strong.Sound quality is very good. The option to control bass levels has been removed, but Harmon Kardon tuned it perfectly. I have never ... MoreThis is an update to my former review on HarmanAudio.com, the website I purchased on and the website that these are no longer listed on for sale. With my experience, I somewhat wonder if other users have had similar frustrations and they pulled the product??? Anyhow, the below review is going to be redundant of what I posted and what is still true and some updates after months of ownership. Here we go:I waited for years to be able to purchase Soundsticks, and I am hopping on board with the 4th generation. It's understandable why they are adored as such. The sound is impressive, the presentation is beautiful, the warranty is strong.Sound quality is very good. The option to control bass levels has been removed, but Harmon Kardon tuned it perfectly. I have never wanted more or less bass in any of the music, movies, or games that I have tested these with.UPDATE: Still feel this way, and the lovely sound quality alone along with the beautiful aesthetic is what gets my two stars.The quick guide booklet is fairly self-explanatory, but not enough. I have experienced high levels of latency regardless of whether I'm using my MacBook Pro on Mac OS, Windows 10, or my iPhone with the Bluetooth connection. I have a ticket open with Harman support, but I'm honestly not terribly sure what they would do. I've restarted both the input device and the speakers, tested different sources, tested different software, and I can't pin a pattern to it.UPDATE: To date, the only resolution Harman offered was for me to return the set and get them replaced under warranty. Credit to Harman where it's due, but I don't trust that I'd get the replacement quickly when they delayed my initial order and I had to be an annoying customer for them to expedite my purchase to be as close to my delivery timeline as possible.It's easier for me to just continue using these finicky things, because once I do reset the Bluetooth module, add and delete the SoundSticks from my MacBook Bluetooth several times, and it finally gets recognized and connected, it works just fine via Bluetooth on Mac OS ONLY. It's impossible to do anything other than AUX connection on Windows, because the latency is intolerable and unrepairable.As I said in my first review, Harman Kardon missed a huge opportunity with the only wired option being AUX. Mac OS prevents volume adjustment when using an AUX connection, which is unacceptable, though it's adjustable on Windows. Logically, Harman should've done what they used to do and include a hard wired USB connection. Update it with the times and make it USB-C / Thunderbolt 3, and the $400 price tag is justified. Without it, while I do not have regrets purchasing these for the design and the sound quality, the lack of features and the infuriating experience daily just getting them connected definitely has me thinking I will not be purchasing the next generation or any future SoundSticks without the glaring Bluetooth issues being solved or adding more appealing and stable wired connection options.Aside from those annoyances, I love the product, and I have no regrets about buying it. It's just weird that in late 2020 that there's these latency issues and there was no thought to provide a stable wired connection alternative that goes beyond an AUX cable that's been around since the early 2000s.