The Macintosh is often ignored by peripherals manufacturers, because so much easier to develop products for the Windows PC that has a much larger market. Thankfully the Harman Kardan SoundSticks break this convention in great style. They complement the Macintosh perfectly in both terms of aesthetics and delivery of quality sound.
Since the first iMac, Macintosh has broken the beige box rule with all its machines. I am the proud owner of a Blue G3 with complimenting monitor. It’s a great machine, but it also looks great when it’s powered down. It’s more than a tool for me, it’s also a great looking piece of technological furniture.
Harman Kardan has designed a product that perfectly complements any modern Macintosh in terms of style and form, but also transforms it into a quality small stereo system. This speaker system is so good that it really demands to be seen and not just heard.
The satellite speakers are like transparent obelisks seated on a blue rubber ring. They pivot on this rubber base to allow the user some degree of control when focusing the sonic image. Each speaker has four small tweeters mounted within.
The sub woofer that unfortunately should be placed under your desk is an amazing looking thing. It reminds me of Robbie the Robot from the 70’s TV series ‘Lost in Space’. It is completely transparent and also contains a blue light that can give a room a soothing ambient glow. Even my wife, an interior designer and aesthete who often groans when I bring home one more ‘geeky gadget’, was truly impressed with the look of this system.
The technology used in the building of these speakers is very sound. They can be set up in five minutes. There is no software to be installed or drivers that need tinkering and cajoling to work. The sub woofer simply needs to be plugged into the mains and then connected to the Mac via USB. The satellite speakers plug into the sub woofer, and that’s it. Boot the Mac, and it will recognise that the speakers are there, and what a difference they make.
I received the Speakers on the same day that New Line Cinema made the latest Lord of the Rings trailer available online. So it was a natural thing for me to use this trailer as the first test I’d put the speakers through. I was impressed. I won’t say that they deliver home cinema quality surround sound, but it’s not a million miles away from that kind of experience either.
The sonic image the speaker system creates is small and is really only accurate while seated at the computer—but it is a computer peripheral after all—and in my mind this is not a weakness. I am also impressed with its delivery of music, I’ve played an eclectic mix from gentle jazz to trashy punk and booming techno tunes and been delighted every time. They add a whole new dimension to any games I’ve played on my Mac as well.
The bass the Sub Woofer delivers is deep, rich and warm—it would in fact fill a medium-sized room if paired with larger satellites. While watching the Two Towers trailer, I was hugely impressed with the surround effect that the sub offers. The moody bass drums seemed to be hitting my ears from every direction. The Satellite speakers delivered the dialogue to what seemed be the centre of the screen, while sword clashes and horses hooves could be heard to my left and right.
Taking the sound from the USB port is also great engineering. In my testing of these speakers—OK, I listened to a lot of CD’s with them—I experienced no computer noise or background machine hum intruding. Incidentally Harman Kardan say that the system will work with most USB equipped PC’s, so Windows users need not feel cheated.
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