Harmon Kardon Soundsticks vs. Bose Companion 3 series II

Harmon Kardon Soundsticks vs. Bose Companion 3 series II

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bilko2

Original Poster:

1,693 posts

233 months

Thursday 3rd July 2008
quotequote all
For my Imac
I have heard nothing but good reviews about both although the Bose ones are £100 dearer.
Has anyone done a comparison? I know cyberspace has the soundsticks and read all the reviews here but can anyone recommend the Bose ones?
Argh, i'm no audiophile but i know what i like and what sounds good. I won't get suckered into badge snobbery and brand marketing.
I like the look of the soundsticks and i like the control wheel of the Bose but i am interested in the sound most.
i listen to pop, classical, R&B, smooth jazz,Folky ( duffy )etc. Nothing too heavy or bass demanding. Watch the occasional dvd on my pc. Gaming done on my TV.
thanks

bilko2

Original Poster:

1,693 posts

233 months

Friday 4th July 2008
quotequote all
page3 said:
I had the Soundsticks but have now upgraded to the Acoustic Energy Argo's. A totally different league, but actually cheaper!
Don't say that!
I just reserved the soundsticks for store collection. now i have to check out the Argos jobs lol.

bilko2

Original Poster:

1,693 posts

233 months

Friday 4th July 2008
quotequote all
Too late
Bought and installed ,currently going through my itunes list.
I must admit that there is definitely a crispness about them and its nice to have stereo at a decent volume. I have set the bass just a tad above ero as suggested which seems to be the best setting.
I was listening to a piece by Diana Krall ( just the way you are ) and the piano immediately grabbed me. Currently listening to kanye West and it doesn't sound all that different from other speakers i have had apart from being crisper.
The stereo effect on Kelly Rowland ( work ) is awesome but there is a buzzing that i had never noticed.
One gripe i do have is the jack going into the earphone connector. I had to minutely adjust it to get rid of feedback.
Very pleased with the £45 saving i made at pc world by simply preordering them over the phone and collecting them an hour later.

The Bose ones i listened to instore on their demo tape which was obviously set to pick up the highlights sounded nice. The controls were nice too but they sounded a bit more like gangster rap than motzart.
Going to watch a film shortly and try them on that.
I understand that the speakers improve after a few hours of loosening up?, can anyone expand on this please?
Thanks for the previous review cyberface.

Edited by bilko2 on Friday 4th July 15:18