Overall, I give these a three because they are good but have some problems they need to work out. that being said, if you are in the market for powerful speakers with a great design the Harmon Kardon Soundstick IIs are for you. If you are looking for something with a more balanced output and a thicker bass I would stray away from them. Again, I would like to mention that I am not trying to discourage you from purchasing this item, I am simply attemping to have you consider some of the factors that I passes by at the store.

they are strongly built, very soild, they sound a little stiff brand new, but, you know, that’s normal for audio speakers, especially the sub. I run them at low volume for few hours and they start singing right there, I put the satellites on the table top, about 2 feet from each other, and the sub under the table, have a lot of definition and “width” from the two tiny, and with the bass boost twist at the back of the sub, you’ll be amazed how easy the balanced tone can be adjusted, and they sound very soild even in very low volume,

I tried pop stuff like Michelle Branch, Clay Aiken, sound very clean, and have a very good definition, jazz greats like Herbie Hancock, Miles Davis, every instruments sound so distinct, and bands like Maroon 5, My Chemical Romance(it’s esp good on trying stereophonic), Story of the Year, or even bit heavier Blink, or the D’n'B 4Hero, the Soundstick 2 still provide very good spectrum of different freq inside small area like my bedroom, thing like bassline and bass drum are audible and solid, yet highs like hihat and cymbal are clean but not ping, the overall performance is excellent, considering the price and size of the unit.

but when I turn to a even heavier side, like Pantera, Slayer, or Soilwork, Mnemic or Shadows Fall, those fast double bass rumbles are still audible, very clean, but even i boost the bass a little bit more, it still do not have enough power and air to be felt, i ‘m not talking about that kinda floor shaking storm, but just not enough “heaviness”, but i think it’s partly due to the fact that I connected the Soundstick directly to the iPod dock.

Cons?! i’d be happier if the bass adjust knob is placed at the front of the sub, but not the back, so i can hear the difference in tone while i’m adjusting, without leaning real close to the sub, which on and off gave me the illusion of excessive bass. And they don’t have any kind of indication on peak or threshold volume-wise, the touch volume control is good to use, but very often i’m worrying about if i would peak the system by turning too loud, especailly back when it’s brand new.

I’d recommend everyone buying one of this for small room use, the Soundstick sound really great, and combine with artistic design, the blue LED is really a thoughtful attraction, which really add points for anyone who want their system to be more than ordinary audio speakers, but a feelie as well.