Harman Kardon Updates Iconic SoundSticks with Streaming and HDMI

It could be argued few desktop systems carry the same cultural weight. First introduced at Macworld in 2000 and co-designed with Jony Ive during his defining iMac era, the original SoundSticks went on to earn a place in New York’s Museum of Modern Art.

More than twenty-five years on, and spotted at the recent Bristol Hi-Fi Show (above), the fifth generation arrives with its distinctive transparent aesthetic intact, but a very different feature set beneath the surface.

The headline shift is the move to Wi-Fi streaming. SoundSticks 5 now supports Apple AirPlay, Google Chromecast, Spotify Connect, TIDAL Connect and Qobuz Connect, with Roon Ready certification adding a layer of credibility for higher-resolution playback. For a compact 2.1 system at this level, that repositioning is a significant upgrade.

Bluetooth is updated to version 6.0, with Auracast enabling multi-speaker pairing for the first time in the SoundSticks line. Dual-device connection is supported, while the Harman Kardon One app handles EQ adjustment, room calibration, and control of the system’s ambient lighting, which offers six presets with adjustable colour and brightness.

Inside the clear enclosures, the hardware is familiar, but the system around it has evolved. The SoundSticks 5 uses a 3-way configuration comprising a 5.25-inch down-firing subwoofer, six 1.6-inch midrange drivers across the two satellites, and dual 1-inch tweeters. The changes are now joined by HDMI ARC for TV integration and Dolby Audio support.

Look at it, and you’d swear very little has changed. The subwoofer’s updated white dome and metal centre plate distinguish it from the outgoing SoundSticks 4, but the overall form remains largely untouched. The integrated lighting, adjustable via the app, still defines the experience as much as the sound, using colour and motion to bring the transparent design to life.

For this writer, in a market dominated by black boxes, the SoundSticks 5 feel like a reminder of a more expressive design era, one that still has the potential to inspire a bit more variation and daring.

The Harman Kardon SoundSticks 5 is available from March 2026, priced at £349.99 | €380. Additional regional pricing and availability have yet to be confirmed.

For more information visit Harman Kardon