Harman/Kardon Soundsticks 4 Review: What’s Old is New Again
Harman / Kardon Soundsticks 4 Rating: What is old is new again
"The Soundsticks 4 are a classic design that has been updated for modern times. They sound great."
-
Classic yet updated styling
-
Warm, accessible sound
-
LED in the subwoofer is a nice touch
-
Supports bluetooth and 3.5mm jack
-
Great value for money
-
The subwoofer must sit on your desk
-
No EQ customization options
-
Does not come with an aux cable
The Harman / Kardon sound sticks are classic. I can't say that I personally owned any of the earlier iterations released since 2000, but I can say I knew someone who did. In college, these were the computer speakers you had to own.
But how is the new $ 300 Anniversary Edition Harman / Kardon Soundsticks 4 holding up 20 years after it was launched and some updates to keep it up to date? The design is unique and largely unchanged from the original, but how well do they work and, more importantly, how do they sound? Let's get into that.
Out of the box
The Soundsticks 4 are packaged very simply, and I'd say that's a good thing. Although originally launched along with the iMac in 2000, Harman / Kardon doesn't seem to be continuing the packaging trend that Apple is following with hard cardboard and a ton of plastic. While there are a few here, the main and inner packaging is made from standard cardboard and foam, which has made the soundsticks safe on their travels to me. It's not particularly sustainable packaging, but neither is it the worst we've come across.
Jaron Schneider / Digital Trends
The Soundsticks 4 are delivered with a left and right speaker unit with four drivers, the subwoofer, a power cord and ready to use. Given that these are primarily computer speakers, I found it strange that Harman / Kardon didn't come with a 3.5mm audio aux cable, especially since the Soundsticks 4 support the hard-line In accept. The only instant connection option you have is Bluetooth. This works, but is not ideal for me. Sure, I like bluetooth, but as a past life video editor, I have a hard time trusting wireless connections when listening critically. Television companies have set themselves up to be known that they typically don't have an HDMI cable in the box, but computer speakers don't have such expectations. If you want to provide the input, specify the cable.
Clear mood
Jaron Schneider / Digital Trends
If you weren't familiar with the soundsticks prior to this version, they always had this transparent build that originally looked great for the time, especially with the iMac they were designed for. But 20 years later, the emphasis on using clear plastic with electronics has decreased significantly. It doesn't look bad by any means, but in 2020 the design aesthetic is extremely unusual and likely polarizing.
On a video call with the soundsticks in the background, someone rightly asked me if it was a humidifier.
Thanks to the white and gray used throughout, the design has aged pretty well in my opinion.
But I kind of like her. Personally, I think they don't look bad at all next to a 27-inch iMac. Compared to the original, the Soundsticks 4 use significantly more opaque parts that perfectly frame the clear parts. I think if this entire system were as see-through as the original in 2000 it would be pretty garish, but thanks to the white and gray used throughout, I think the design has aged pretty well.
Jaron Schneider / Digital Trends
Table top in mind
Harman / Kardon are continuing a strange design decision: All three parts should sit clearly on your desk. The left and right speaker units have no controls to speak of. Instead, these are located on the front and back of the subwoofer. The volume, which you can probably only control from your computer, is toggled by two raised white buttons on the front of the subwoofer, while the buttons for power and Bluetooth connectivity are on the back. When you change the volume, turn on the device, or connect to a Bluetooth device, the LEDs in the subwoofer light up differently. This means that you should be able to see very clearly that it lights up, which you probably wouldn't notice if it were on. The typical subwoofer location on the floor under the desk.
Jaron Schneider / Digital Trends
I suppose the idea is that you don't want to "hide" the subwoofer under the table because of the design, but it's not particularly convenient. The submarine is quite large, which means that it takes up a large part of your workspace. I don't know all about you out there, but my desk isn't that big. It's big, but putting up my laptop stand, monitor, and podcasting microphone doesn't leave much room for other items. The left and right speaker arrays are thankfully pretty thin and easy to hide, but the subwoofer will take up a lot of space. The sub is powerful too, which means you can definitely feel it shake the table when it plays music. I'm not a huge fan of this when I'm trying to work.
If you are thinking of just laying it on the floor, you might just know that the sound quality is going to deteriorate. I'll go into the sound quality breakdown in the next section, but know that I tested the sound with the sub both on the table and below and the audio quality was noticeably worse with the sub on the floor.
Sound sticks sound good
I can point out the lack of an aux cable and the need to have all three parts on one table, but all that's worth it for audio quality: the Soundsticks 4 sound fabulous.
The soundsticks 4 sound fabulous.
I was honestly surprised at how good the sound quality was from what were, for me, the thin, small arrays. Sure, they had four drivers apiece, but since they were so small, could they really do that much? Well, not only do they make a lot, they're rich and sound full in a way that seems to defy their sleek design.
Jaron Schneider / Digital Trends
Sagres from The Last Man on Earth comes through completely and in detail, with the nuanced lyrics blending wonderfully into the bass. The Decemberists “Once in My Life” is my go-to for selection of detailed vocal audio. While not perfect, the Soundsticks 4 do a very respectable job of recreating the lead vocalist's high-pitched timbre-focused voice. These speakers definitely put more emphasis on the lows and mids than the highs, but the result is a very warm and rich sound, albeit a little less detailed than other speakers and audio equipment. In their price range and especially for computer speakers, I really like what I hear from them.
As mentioned earlier, the bass seems to work a lot better in filling audio when it's at the same level as the left and right speakers. If you place the subwoofer on the floor, the music will sound noticeably less saturated.
If you limit the sound sticks to a lower volume, they cannot provide a particularly balanced EQ.
I also noticed that the sound quality deteriorates when the Soundsticks 4 are played at less than half their maximum volume. If you limit the sound sticks to a lower volume, they cannot provide a particularly balanced EQ.
Speaking of EQ: The SoundSticks offer no way to manage this at all. This is generally fine as the soundsticks sound pretty good right away, but I miss being able to tune them to my preferences. You can feel the bass, but it won't knock you off your seat. If you want the incredible, chattering bass from our computer speakers, you should probably look elsewhere.
Since it's a bluetooth speaker when using Spotify on mobile you can change the EQ in the settings there, but I found that increasing the settings there actually pushed the soundsticks 4 too hard and there was a lot of bad audio -Cracking occurs. What I heard was like the peak of audio signals and it was like they couldn't compensate for the digital signal pushing them too far. I blame Spotify more than the soundsticks, but with no option to customize the sound in any other way, the experience was disappointing.
Our opinion
The Harman / Kardon Soundsticks 4 are a fantastic take on a classic design, with just enough updates to get them fit in 2020 without deviating too far from the classic look. Aside from a few minor flaws, they sound fantastic and are good value for money.
Are there any other options?
If you're really craving the classic look that the Soundsticks 4 bring to the table, it will be difficult to find anything like it. If you don't mind being a little more understated, I really like mine Edifier R1700BT Speaker. However, they are not compatible with a dedicated subwoofer. Similarly, in our roundup, we recommend the best computer speakers too Aperion Allaire or the Audioengine A2 +. You will find that these are all a bit cheaper than the soundsticks, but none of them come with a subwoofer.
How long will they last?
Although they are made almost entirely of plastic (at least on the outside), they feel sturdy. Since they shouldn't move much I would expect these to last for years.
Should you buy it?
Yes, if this style is your thing. They sound great and while you will need to create a lot of desk space to support them, they are well worth it for the sound and aesthetics.
Editor's recommendations