Harman Kardon Does It Well Again
Written: Oct 20 '02
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Excellent treble and midrange, volume can easily fill most midsized rooms.
Cons: Small sweet spot. Satellites can tip over easily.
The Bottom Line: Recommended without reservation because the looks, sound quality and price all combine to make an awesome speaker package.
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| bsuk's Full Review: harman/kardon Champagne 2 Speakers |
First things first. When I look for something that it going to go on my desktop, looks are important. I use a black flat panel monitor with a black keyboard and a matching Logitech MX500 mouse to go with it, and these are all nice looking things. So it was imperative to me that I got a set of speakers that looked equally as impressive. Luckily enough, when I settled on the Champagnes, it did not disappoint in that respect. The subwoofer, even though it's usually not seen, looks nice. It is in an upright position and is stylish as the satellites. And the satellites themselves look like something that could easily be fitting for the desktop of a student or an executive. If looks are important, then this one should be a high ranking candidate. Also for people who are on a small desktop, this should be looked into also. The satellites are tiny and take up no more space than say a normal cup.
As for the sound quality, this set of speakers did not disappoint either. I am using this in a carpeted room roughly 200-250 square feet large, and when i raise the volume to about 50-60% or so, it fills the entire room easily.
One complaint I have about the sound quality though is the sweet spot. The high and midrange sound that the satellites produced seem to be very trained and focused. If you're sitting down in front of a desk and you point the satellites toward you, then they sound awesome. But if you decide to get up and walk to the other side of the room, suddenly the highs become muddled and you just hear the midrange and the bass.
But while in the sweet spot, it does however reproduce excellent high and midrange level sounds. If music is your thing, these speakers will not disappoint. The subwoofer also kicks in fairly well but if you want to raise the volume and the bass level too much, the subwoofer sometimes doesn't have enough power in it to go too low. The bass is tight, but for serious bassheads who want something that will rattle plates off the shelves should look elsewhere.
The volume control are two rubber buttons located on the right satellite. They are easy to use and the rubber is a nice touch. Also it has instant mute. The cables are color coded also which reduces messups in the installation and the cords are fairly long. It's small details like these which improve the overall quality of the product, although the inclusion of a headphone jack would have been appreciated.
But all in all, it is a very nice speaker system. For someone looking for a good looking set of 2.1 speakers that also sound excellent, the Champagnes should definitely be high up on your list.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
bsuk
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Location: Baltimore, MD, USA
Reviews written: 20
Trusted by: 0 members
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