Harman KardonHK SoundSticks 4-2.1 Bluetooth Speaker System with Deep Bass and Inspiring Industrial Design (White)

I freelanced for Harman in the 90s and they were a great client for about 20 years. Over that time I got to experience all of the wonderful sound systems from the various Harman brands. I'm still a Harman fan even though I no longer work for the company, but this iteration of the Soundsticks didn't wow me like I hoped.First the cons:- Out of the box, the sound is flat (note that I said "out of the box"). This will bum out anyone that expects plug-and-play convenience.- Previous Soundsticks that had a nice mid and high range with bass that you could adjust in just the way you liked it. I find that every other song that I listen to requires adjusting the EQ. This is especially aggravating if you listen to a wide variety of music. If you're a whole album type, then you'll find that the speakers are great once you get them dialed in.- The cable length from the sub to the satellites is very short compared to old models. I was really surprised at how short they are and how annoying this was when setting the system up.- The satellites are fixed in the angle they point as opposed to the old models that were adjustable. If you want the sound pointed in your face, you're good. If you have a high ceiling and want to bounce the sound upward, you're stuck. A minor complaint, but I felt it worth mentioning.- At lower volumes the sound is noticeably flat...The pros:- ... but at loud volume, these speakers thunder like speakers three times their size - and they maintain their warmth and brightness without getting tinny. The flatness of the audio goes away and you will get room shaking power. If you love it loud, just hit that add to cart button and get your credit card out now.- The sound fills my office nicely and can be heard on the other end of my house at even a moderate volume. While this is a good thing, I'm not always cranking music when I'm at my computer. Sometimes I just want some light ambience and that's where these Soundsticks fall a bit short.- The design is nothing short of outstanding and they look great on my desk. Being able to get the satellites away from the sub is worth the price alone. And since the sub is so gorgeous, putting it on the floor under your desk would deprive you of seeing how cool it looks every time you walk in the room. I keep mine at desk level. And since all the buttons are on the sub, keeping it on the floor is simply not an option. A control dial would be nice for future models, but that kind of thing isn't Harman's style.- The sub can be very powerful if you're into that sort of thing. Oh, and the sub has a nice LED light. It's too bad that it's only one color and doesn't do anything but illuminate.- Others are complaining about the Bluetooth connectivity for some reason. It works fine for me. And you can connect with cables if you're old school.Of all the speakers I have in my house, I rank the Soundsticks at or near the top. Only my old Design Acoustics floor standing speakers can compete. The Soundsticks beat my Pioneer towers and trounce my JBL and Bose bookshelf speakers.If you're the type that doesn't consider yourself an audiophile, but also take music seriously and know good speakers when you hear them, the Soundsticks are tough to beat. Vastly superior to the all-in-one options.

I'm one of those types of amazon shoppers who looks at and compares a lot of products when I want to buy something, look at a lot of the reviews, I often times ask Customer Questions, and I look at a lot of YouTube videos about the product. Or in other words, I spend a lot of time trying to choose the best product that works for me, and this product is EXACTLY WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR! 😄Also, the PROs are...1) Originally, I was looking for two portable Bluetooth speakers that I could pair together to produce right-left real stereo sound, but this is exactly what the two satellite speakers on this unit do.2) These speakers get really loud, although, I can't imagine a situation where I would be turning them up to full volume.3) I personally think that the speaker cords are long enough, even though I've read some reviews where some customers didn't think that they were long enough. However, when I extended them out, they look like they are around 3 feet long. Therefore, that's a 6-foot spread between each of the two satellite speakers.4) The bass is great. However, of course they're not going to sound as good as my Polk Audio PSW505 12" 460-Watt Powered Subwoofer that I keep in my living room or something comparable, however, for a portable Bluetooth speaker, the sound of the bass is excellent!5) Even though this is technically a desktop computer speaker, I think that this works great or even better than the average Bluetooth speaker.6) It's very easy to use, and I don't think that the manual had instructions in it, but just pictures of the various parts of this speaker system and how those parts fit together. However, everything is very self-explanatory.7) And I find it very beautiful and very unique looking. Also, I like the way the lights come on when you turn on the power, and how the light changes when you adjust the volume from your phone.But as far as the CONs go, for me there are no cons, however, maybe it would be for someone who likes to take their speaker on the go with them. Although, I don't think that an on-the-go Bluetooth speaker would have all these features in it, and probably wouldn't sound as good. However, if you're looking for a speaker that you would use for an indoor party or get-together, then I can't think of a better Bluetooth speaker.*EDITED!* Here are some additional pictures of the HK SoundSticks in my apartment building's Community Room.