Harmon/Kardon Soundsticks 2 Question


Recommended Posts

Hello Fellow Mac Users,

I have a question. Two, actually.

1) Does anyone use the speakers listed in the topic?

If yes,

2) When you first start playing songs, or when a sound plays (ie, MSN Messenger for a new message), do you sometimes hear a small click noise, like the speakers are waking up from an inactive state? It reminds me of my home stereo, where when I pop in a DVD and the music starts playing, there's a small noise as the subwoofer wakes up.

Basically, I'm trying to determine if this is normal or if there is a problem with the speakers. Note that this doesn't happen all the time, and it's only when a sound/music first starts.

Thanks.

Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/225414-harmonkardon-soundsticks-2-question/
Share on other sites

I have the speakers as well and I don't experience the popping that you mention. I am sure if you recently made the purchase you can return them for another pair, at the very least let the store examine them for you.

The only times I remember them 'popping' was when my power went out unexpectidly.

Best of luck!

Well, the noise sporadically reappears, so I'm off to exchange them for a new set! Normally I'd blame it on the powerbook, or consider it normal.. however, since there is no problem with headphones, I would think speakers plugged into the headphone port would be trouble-free as well.

One last post before I'm done with this thread..

The new speakers make that noise as well... however, I've determined after a bit of testing that the noise only occurs when I'm using the powerbook with battery power. When it's plugged in, it's fine. Maybe that will help someone should they ever have this problem :)

When your PB is unplugged, the audio hardware is turned off to conserve power until it's needed, which is why you hear that little noise before it starts as the audio hardware is given power (which is what you hear) and powered back up.

When your PB is unplugged, the audio hardware is turned off to conserve power until it's needed, which is why you hear that little noise before it starts as the audio hardware is given power (which is what you hear) and powered back up.

That is almost the exact answer the Harmon/Kardon technician told me when I emailed to inquire as to if the sound is normal behavior :) What the technician didn't tell me that I figured out (and you just confirmed) is that the noise only happens when the PB is unplugged.

Thank you!

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • Still using Microsoft Money 2005 in 2026 here!
    • I have a couple to mention, and they still run great on Windows 11 Adobe Lightroom Version 2 Alcohol 120% CLZ Book, Comic, Game, Movie, & Music Collector (PC - No longer sold / Grandfathered in - now mobile apps/online only) DVDDecrypter ISO Buster Pro version 1.9.1 (Still supports HD-DVD too) Nero Burning Rom 8 (Only the burning software, no backup, media converter, etc)   OpenAL (Runtime) - GuildWars 1 Reforged still uses it for 3d headphone audio PowerDVD 12 Ultra SPTD (SCSI Pass through Direct Driver) UltraISO Windows Media Encoder 9 WinImage You can tell I still sport an optical drive    
    • Linux 7.1 arrives with an NTFS overhaul and major hardware performance boosts by Paul Hill The founder of the Linux kernel has just announced the availability of Linux 7.1. This is a stable version of the kernel that will now be tested by various Linux distributions before it is shipped to users through update managers. Some users, like those on Debian, for example, might not get it for a long time, if at all, while Fedora users can expect it in the near future. With Linux 7.1 out on time, the merge window for Linux 7.2 is now open, giving contributors the opportunity to send in major new features that have been waiting for the last two months. Torvalds warned that he is currently travelling and will be in another timezone, so timing for the merge window may be irregular due to timezone differences and limited internet access. Torvalds said that he has already fetched early pull requests to allow him to do some offline work, but the travel could still cause disruption. Right now, he is not planning to extend the release, but did consider it. He said he might later regret not extending, though. In terms of this last week of development for Linux 7.1, Torvalds said there were no major or alarming changes. This week consisted mostly of smaller driver updates to GPU, networking, and sound, networking fixes, trace tooling fixes, and misc minor fixes. The shortlog this week lists fixes for driver bugs, memory leaks, I/O and USB fixes, networking and RDMA fixes, DRM/graphics fixes, and tooling and verification improvements. Specific fixes include USB series heap-overflow and buffer overflow fixes, and multiple use-after-free, memory-leak, and refcount corrections across subsystems such as i2c, zram, gpio, and net. There are fixes for graphics drivers, including amdgpu, i915, and virtio, as well as hypervisor and virtualization tweaks affecting mshv, vmbus, and hyperv. According to Phoronix, anyone running Linux 7.1 should look out for the new NTFS driver, Intel FRED for improved performance on Panther Lake and future CPUs, faster graphics with Intel Arc Battlemage, and improvements for older AMD Radeon GPUs. If you are running Linux on your computer and everything is fine, then you don’t need to worry about updating to Linux 7.1 as a priority; just wait for it to be pushed to you. If you have tried Linux on hardware but it didn’t work properly, trying again with a distro that uses Linux 7.1 could cause Linux to work on your machine, thanks to the new hardware support.
    • you can also do this with this tool: PowerSettingsExplorer made by mbk1969 at 3dguru forum.. I found it by accident researching on modern standby and annoying quirks of it in 2022
    • AB Download Manager 1.9.1 by Razvan Serea AB Download Manager is an open-source, feature-rich download manager designed to accelerate downloads, organize files efficiently, and provide seamless control over downloads. With support for multiple connections, resume capability, and an intuitive interface, it enhances the downloading experience for users seeking speed and reliability. The software integrates with various browsers, enabling quick link grabbing and batch downloading. It supports HTTP, HTTPS, and FTP protocols, ensuring broad compatibility with different file sources. Users can schedule downloads, set speed limits, and categorize files automatically for better organization. AB Download Manager is lightweight yet powerful, making it a great alternative to proprietary download managers. Its open-source nature allows developers to contribute, customize, and improve the software as needed. Whether you're downloading large files, managing multiple downloads at once, or seeking an ad-free experience, this tool offers a practical and efficient solution. Key features of AB Download Manager: Multi-Connection Support – Accelerates downloads by splitting files into multiple segments. Resume Capability – Allows paused or interrupted downloads to be resumed without starting over. Batch Downloading – Supports downloading multiple files at once for improved efficiency. Browser Integration – Captures download links directly from browsers for seamless operation. HTTP, HTTPS, and FTP Support – Ensures compatibility with a wide range of file sources. Download Scheduling – Enables users to automate downloads at specific times. Speed Limiting – Lets users control bandwidth usage for optimized performance. File Categorization – Automatically organizes downloaded files into designated folders. User-Friendly Interface – Simple and intuitive design for easy navigation. Cross-Platform Compatibility – Works on multiple operating systems. Ad-Free Experience – No intrusive ads or tracking for a clean user experience. AB Download Manager 1.9.1 changelog: Added An option to customize notification sounds (#1259) Fixed Ongoing notification was laggy on Samsung One UI devices (#1269) Improved Updated Translations Minor UI/UX improvements Download: AB Download Manager 1.9.1 | Portable | ~80.0 MB (Open Source) Download: ARM64 | Portable ARM64 | Android Links: AB Download Manager Website | Github Page | Screenshot Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware
  • Recent Achievements

    • Week One Done
      rolfus earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • One Month Later
      Leroy Jethro Gibbs earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Conversation Starter
      flexorcist earned a badge
      Conversation Starter
    • One Month Later
      AndreaB earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • One Month Later
      agatameier earned a badge
      One Month Later
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      507
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      196
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      139
    4. 4
      ATLien_0
      90
    5. 5
      Steven P.
      81
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!