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60-hz · May 23, 2003, 09:34 AM

Thinking about buying a set of these for pumping out some music on my PowerBook 667 Dvi.

Are these really that good? And would you say that they are worth $200?

Angus_D · May 23, 2003, 10:14 AM

I'd say get the JBL Creatures instead.

engaged · May 23, 2003, 11:52 AM

Originally posted by Angus_D:
I'd say get the JBL Creatures instead.

Beg to differ on that one, unless you prefer the look of the Creatures. I do have the Soundsticks, so may be biased, but I did consider getting the Creatures. If you do a search I think you'll find that the subject of which speakers to get crops up almost as often as which mouse to get, and that the Soundsticks are rated above the Creatures for sound quility by those that have tried them both. (Think there was one recently...)

Creature had a 4" driver in the subwoofer, Soundsticks subwoofer has a 6" driver. Each Creature speaker has one transducer, each Soundstick speaker has four.

One thing that the Creatures have going for it is that the input is a 3.5mm audio jack, so you could use it with another source. Soundsticks are USB.

Powaqqatsi · May 23, 2003, 12:49 PM

Originally posted by engaged:
One thing that the Creatures have going for it is that the input is a 3.5mm audio jack, so you could use it with another source. Soundsticks are USB.

But the creatures need to use the crappy analog out (or an iMic), the Soundsticks are 100% digital. (I think)

exa · May 23, 2003, 12:55 PM

Why even bother with fancy plastic pieces of junk? Just get yourself some Klipsch promedias or Logitechs or the other speaker makers that make good speakers.

But the creatures need to use the crappy analog out (or an iMic), the Soundsticks are 100% digital. (I think)

Oh are the soundsticks 100% digital? Sound travels on an analog medium; the sound is converted to analog at one point. Only question is, are the digital/analog convertors better inside the computer (consider a good vs bad sound card) or in the speaker.

KP* · May 23, 2003, 01:16 PM

I'm no audiophile, but I like the sound of the Soundsticks (have never owned the Creatures, though). A few drawbacks:

1. As was said, USB connector means you can't hook them directly to stereo, etc.

2. No hardware volume control knob (there is one for the subwoofer, though)

3. The only way to listen with headphones is to switch the sticks off in System Prefs and change to built-in audio to activate the Mac's headphone jack.

In hindsight, especially for #2 & 3, I would have purchased something else.

bbjams · May 23, 2003, 01:46 PM

I have the soundsticks and they have broken 2 times in a year and a half. There is no way to turn them off so the volume gain knob for the bass adjustment corrodes and stops working. I sent them back under warranty the first time and they were replaced (it seemed like it was a common issue by the reaction of the support tech). They broke just after the replacement warranty period and HK would do nothing for me. I decided to take them apart and manually clean the gain contacts. This seems to work for a short period of time but is not perfect. They do sound really good on the mid and high range but I have better bass from a set of monsoon planarmedia 7's which were much cheaper. The monsoons get really good reviews online when compared to the soundsticks and I believe they sell an ice version that is clear/white instead of aluminum and black.
Good luck..

Angus_D · May 23, 2003, 03:24 PM

The sound quality from my Creatures is pretty good, and the easy access controls for volume, bass and treble are pretty nice. Also, they look pretty damn spiffy. Oh, and they have blue LEDs. The world needs more blue LEDs.

Leonis · May 23, 2003, 06:01 PM

SoundSticks' bass is very weak

SpoiledMan · May 24, 2003, 12:24 AM

Having used the Soundsticks for over 2 years, I must say that I loved the sound that came out of them. That is until I heard my new Klipsch Promedia 2.1 system. Now these are GREAT speakers! They have a subwoofer level control on the pod that also adjusts the volume control. There is also an aux input and headphone output on the pod which is tucked under one of the sattelite speakers. The difference is nothing short of amazing. I got them on sale at Amazon.com for 150 or about 50 less than I paid for my Soundsticks. If you try the Klipsch speakers, you will NOT buy the Soundsticks!

Chris

Severed Hand of Skywalker · May 24, 2003, 01:34 AM

Originally posted by Angus_D:
I'd say get the JBL Creatures instead.

Why the hell would you say that? It is obvious they are not as good as the soundsticks.

kovacs · May 24, 2003, 02:37 AM

For the price the JBL creatures are pretty good , the HK soundsticks cost 2 times more ( at least here in belgium ) but sound more balanced and natural. I have never heard the Klipsh speakers that everybody seems to be talking about, I don't think you can find them here. It's all about what you think is most important sound/price or looks... I went for the JBL's becuase I didn't like the USB and price of the soundsticks but there is no doubt about it that the soundsticks sound better especially at lower sound levels...

Busemann · May 24, 2003, 05:50 AM

Originally posted by Leonis:
SoundSticks' bass is very weak

Just turn up the bass volume then