Customer Reviews

Harman Kardon Champagne 2.1 Computer Speakers (3-Speaker, Burgundy)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

Ok, as you all know years ago they used to have those desktop satillite speakers for computers that you just plugged into the computer and they didnt need a wall outlet for power.. much like headphones.. They still have those now. And to help accomodate this, sound cards in computers pump out a very small amount of voltage to basically give power to those speakers or else they will have the power of 2$ headphones... I know why your speakers, especially the subwoofer, have been giving problems... The subwoofer uses copper coil wrapped around a small cone in the bottom of the speaker and changing in Electromagnetic waves cause it to react with the built in Natural magnet causing the speaker face to Move... THats just fine if you had wattage only. But with the voltage from the sound card.. The copper wire, not built to hold much voltage at all, will over time deteriorate much like iron will rust causing shortages in the wire or even hissing crackling sounds because of the damaged magnetic fields... TO prevent this problem only turn your MASTER VOLUME in volume control up halfway or very close to halfway whether over or under. This will allow for a sufficient amount of wattage from the sound card to reach the amplifier in the subwoofer to give yu great sound. Ive had my own RCA PROFESSIONAL SERIES audio video receiver for about 6 years now and i researched sound cards because my sound card being plugged directly into the amplifier i always got an *Overload* safety shut down... meaning there was too much wattage going in or out of the receiver.. i found out about the computer wattage thing and the middle master volume tip has worked Tons...

If you dont believe me about the computer putting out voltage to power its parts... what do you think powers the LED lights on your keyboard or the LASER on your optical mouse, what about the power to your webcam.

I hope ive been helpful to future buyers of subwoofing products... this also works for desktop speakers

Acquired these with my Dell computer 2 years ago. Speakers had very impressive sound quality. Thoroughly enjoyed them. But now the subwoofer makes a horribly distorted deep bass sound that overpowers all other sound. It's so bad the speakers must be turned off. This speaker set is too expensive to have such a rotton service life. Speakers should last a lifetime. I see from other reviews that other people have experienced the same failure I have, even sooner. I hope the problem is reparable.

I'm part of the group that has had no luck with these. They worked in the beginning...then something fried inside the sub...returned them, got new ones...Same thing happened...now they are unuseable. They start to go when you hear the light crackling...then it moves into the bass distortion mode...now they just hum loudly with intermitent loud crackling. I'm now shopping for new speaker and when I saw that they were still available I just wanted to see what other folks were saying about them...WOW, I'm not alone! They look cool but they have a quality issue for sure...hit or miss I guess, a gamble for sure!

Like many others, I ordered these speakers with my new Dell. They look great with the PC and I was very pleased with the sound...that was for about 9 months. I don't think I 'overworked' these speakers but the left speaker is blown. It hisses with most songs but oddly goes away sometimes.

The other (smaller) annoyance is that it's fairly easy to knock the speakers over. They are front-heavy. They need more weight on the back of the base.

The sub has output to below 35Hz, which provides a dramatic enhancement to your movies, music, or gaming experience. In addition, it is one of the very few subs that looks cool enough to show off on your desktop, rather than sheepishly hidden away under your desk like so many others.
The sats play loud and clean, plus they look fantastic. I've gotten many, many complements and questions about these speakers, both from their appearance and their sound quality.
Two thumbs up--way up!!

This speaker system has great looks, and great high sounds, but does not have any power in the lower bass sounds and a very weak mid-range sound. It does not live up to what I thought the system could be when I purchased it. I am pretty disapointed with the system, and am already looking at a 4.1 system by Klipsch, I listened to it in the store, what a great system!! Much more power than this one. (But 5 times the cost!) This system has great looks, too bad the power could not be as great.

I'm listening to these now, they SOUND AWESOME! But, give them 10-15 mins and they will be emiiting the loudest static that will drive you statically-insane!

I'm trying to track down the source of the static, seems moving them away from anything electronic helps! ;) Oh well, I enjoy them while they work.. but I fear next time the power goes off, that's when the static seems to come back, and come back it does with vengeance!

UPDATE: THESE ARE IN A DUMP SOMEWHERE.

This is a low quality product. This set was the original equipment with a Dell PC I own. After having replaced the speakers twice under warranty, I actually paid Dell for a new set (a mere six months ago) which now needs to be replaced. I won't be purchasing these speakers again. The subwoofer, which controls the desk top speakers, becomes distorted over time rendering the entire system useless.

There is so much static interference that i cannot use the speakers. I cannot find them on the Harman Kardon website. So there is no customer help. My advice: don't buy these speakers, Sjoukje

The sound was very good when I got these speakers and were for about three months. Then the bass started creating a horrbile muffling sound that would sometimes go away for a bit if you hit (I'm not making this up) the top of the speaker in just the right way. Nine months later the speakers just stopped working. Do NOT get these speakers.