if what bro E1 - AKG did not solve your problem,

if its still under warranty, send for warranti
i think the powerfilter is almost splat.. that requires opening(void warraty) replacing the aging cap.

Hi E1-AKG,

Thanks for the Harmon Soundsticks 3. It looks very nice and sound quality is good.
Im overall impressed with the built and the clearance of space from my old clunky 5.1 R501 Edifier.
Music of the Harmon Soundsticks 3 cannot compare the quality as the Edifier does not give and ambience
does not create the illusion that the music is in the middle of the monitor.

However I noticed some things lastnite while fidelling with some music,
these are just based on my thoughts.. i need to do more testing I'll also be comparing with the
Altec Lansing MX 6021 since its roughly in the price range :

Harmon Kardon Soundsticks 3 : Home Desktop + onboard audio
Altec Lansing MX 6021 : Office Notebook Macbook Pro, onboard sound

For standard 128kbps MP3s = they sound good but not great. Very Clear but  I have and MX6021 Altec in the office and that sounds better for Mp3s
For standard youtube music playing = still sound good but MX6021 performs better. Sounds are more Crisp and Powerful.
For FLAC Audio 16bit 44hz = the sound really gets better with the Harmon, the quality is excellent! MX6021 also performed very well but can hear a little bit of plastic rattling.. subtle but its there...
For FLAC Audio 24bit = sound has some cracks and light crackles in between after further testing.. some old songs really can hear some cracks and light crackles from the track of John Lennons "Imagine"
*note : when i play the song Beatles - Paperback Writer,
on the MX6021 it plays the music going left and right very fast..
but for the Soundsticks 3 it plays certain music on the left speaker and right speaker..
it gives a totally different effect.. is my hearing problem or does the Macbook soundcard better
than a standard motherboard audiocard?

Also want to ask since you posted that the FiiO E7 will improve sound?
Can i have more details on that, i have never played with a DAC Amp before and
im just using standard onboard soundcard which i know is not impresive material to
test the speakers out.

Thanks, im trying to optimize my music experience.
Hope anyone can help out and give some feedback.

Thanks for the reply. I'm looking to buy one more and lowest price I can find for a new one is RM850... was wondering if anyone had sighted an RM650 or something, since someone mentioned they saw it.