Altec Lansing 220 PC Multimedia Speakers - Good Sound At Low Price
Written: Jan 23 '03 (Updated Apr 01 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Low price, very good sound, nice design, no external power supply
Cons: Somewhat big and heavy
The Bottom Line: I am very happy with these speakers. They are relatively inexpensive, look stylish, produce very good sound and don’t block extra AC jacks.
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| dkozin's Full Review: Altec Lansing 220 2 Speakers |
I finally decided to replace the lame speakers that came with my computer. Since I have a black flat panel display and a silverfish-black mouse, the color had to be black also. So I got Altec Lansing 220 for $25 (there is a $5 rebate on the company’s web site, so maybe I’ll get $5 back).
The speakers are somewhat heavy and not small, which is a good thing because they are turned on by a power button on the right speaker. Since the speakers are heavy and the button does not require much pressure to push, you don’t have to hold the speaker with your other hand as you push the button.
The speakers have black and silverish finish and are quite stylish. They have a separate volume knob and a power button with a green “Power On” LED. The stands for them fit so tight, I couldn’t push on of them all the way in the speaker’s slot for the fear of breakage. But it still holds the stand in place.
The power cord is attached to the left speaker, even though the power button and volume control (as well as the headphone jack) are on the right one. The cord between the speakers is quite long and seems to have several wires, which, along with power button and power cord location, suggests that both speakers are powered by their own amplifiers.
The speakers are shielded, so you don’t have to worry when placing them by your computer CRT monitor (it is a non-issue for me, since I have an LCD monitor).
Sound
The speakers produce very good sound, much better than the ones that came with my computer. The sound is crisp with sharp treble and the bass is very well reproduced. The speakers can output sound at relatively high volumes with low distortion.
The sound is so much better with these speakers that I can now hear instruments I didn’t know existed with my previous speakers. Even though you can hear static at moderate volumes when there is no music played, when the music or sound effects are played, the noise level is low.
The speakers are rated at 11 Watts of total continuous power and 20 Watts of total peak power. They produce 60-22000 Hz with 1% THD at 3.8 Watts per channel. 11 Watts of total power achieved at 10% THD, so using the full power of this speakers causes sound to be distorted. But the speakers sound good at up to 7.6 Watts total power, which is more than I normally use.
Power
The speakers have no external power supply, which is a good thing. External power supplies tend to block an extra port on my surge protector.
Conclusion
I am very happy with these speakers. They are relatively inexpensive, look stylish, produce very good sound and don’t block extra AC jacks.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
dkozin
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 in Electronics |
 - Top 10 |
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Location: California
Reviews written: 817
Trusted by: 514 members
About Me:
I love to push buttons on electronic (audio and video) equipment. It makes me happy.
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