Altec Lansing VS2621 Computer Speakers

Tired of the tinny sounding speakers built into your laptop, or the cheap speaker set that came packaged with your new PC? A high quality 2.1 speaker set that utilizes full-range drivers as well as a powered subwoofer could quite well be the answer you’re looking for. Altec Lansing has upgraded their speaker lineup with the new VS2621 2.1 Computer Speaker System.

The VS2621 is simple to set up and to use with either a laptop of a desktop PC, and it features a contemporary design and an auxiliary jack that lets you play music through the speakers with your MP3 player. They are also priced at a reasonable $49.99 USD. But with pricing and styling aside, how do they actually sound? Read on for our take on this 2.1 speaker set.

Design

The VS2621 was designed with contemporary styling in mind, but does not sway too far from the look and feel of any other computer speaker system. A nice looking glossy black finish is used on the 2 satellite speakers and a matte black finish is used for the subwoofer. The right satellite speaker contains volume and tone controls, as well as the AUX input for connecting an MP3 player. The right speaker also uses a bright orange LED light to indicate when the speakers are powered on. The two speakers are connected with a single speaker cable that measures about 4’ in length.

The two satellite speakers utilize 2” full-range drivers housed in a triangular shaped enclosure. The satellite speakers are also slightly angled up, which is useful for directing the sound toward the ears of a listener that is seated slightly higher than the placement of the speakers. The side-firing subwoofer utilizes a 4” driver, with a ported design to maximize efficiency. An on/off power switch is located on the back of the subwoofer, along with the power cord.

Specifications

• Drivers: Two Full Range 2” (50mm)
• Subwoofer: Sidefiring 4” (100mm)
• Sound Pressure Level (SPL): 93 dB
• Total Continuous Power: 28 Watts RMS
• Each Speaker: 7.5 Watts per Channel (@ 8 ohms @ 10% THD @ 200 Hz - 20 kHz)
• Subwoofer: 13 Watts @ 4 ohms @ 10 % THD @ 50 Hz – 200 Hz
• System Response: 45 Hz - 18 kHz (-10 dB)
• Signal to Noise Ratio @ 1 kHz input: > 65 dB
• Satellite Dimensions: 5.1” x 4.7” x 5.2" (130mm x 120mm x 131mm)
• Subwoofer Dimensions: 4.9” x 10.3” x 8.8” (125mm x 262mm x 224mm)

In the Box

The test unit came in black (the only color choice available) and included the following:

• VS2621 Computer Speaker System
• Quick Install Guide

Out of the Box Setup

Using the Quick Install guide, the setup of the VS2621 was extremely simple. After plugging in the subwoofer, connecting the cable to the subwoofer and plugging in the speakers to my laptop – the speakers were immediately recognized by my laptop. There was no driver installation to mess with and no other configuration needed. Using Windows Vista as the operating system, these speakers are truly plug and play. If you want to adjust the volume or the tone of the speakers, you simply use the control knobs on the front of the right satellite speaker.

Sound Quality Performance Testing

The sound quality performance evaluation of the VS2621 speakers was performed by listening to MP3s and FLAC music stored on my Sansa Fuze MP3 player as well as MP3s stored on my laptop. I listened to a number MP3s with bit rates of 128kbps and 320kbps, as well as lossless audio tracks in FLAC format. A wide selection of classical, rock, alternative and hip-hop music was used in the evaluation.

First impressions revealed that the speakers produce a relatively clean sound at low and moderate volume levels. The amount of detail from the speakers was ample, especially with higher quality music files as the source. They produced a sweet spot both directly in front of the speakers as well as about 30 degrees to the left and right of the center listening position.

The 4” bass module gives a bit of bump to all types of music, and adds impact to explosions and gunfire while playing games on your PC. It definitely adds to the experience versus simply listening to a 2 speaker stereo set. The 4” driver does not reach down into the lowest levels of 30Hz and below, but produces clean and tight bass frequency sound effects. Be advised that the bass level is quite dependent upon where you place the bass module, so I recommend testing various placements within your room before deciding on a final spot.

The satellite speakers produce a balanced amount of mid frequencies and high frequencies, with good instrument separation at low volumes. They start to sound a bit harsh as you turn up the volume, but you can tame this by turning the tone level down as you reach higher volume levels. The tone is basically a built-in equalizer that raises and lowers the low and high frequencies. I would have liked to have seen a subwoofer volume level built-into the subwoofer, as this is a much more effective way of fine tuning the sound.

Other Considerations

A few other shortfalls which I found during my testing of this speaker system.

A short cable of only about 4.5 ft. in length between the satellite speakers limits their use to a desktop PC or a laptop PC. The cord is too short, for example, to move the satellite speakers to the left and ride of your bed to allow for bedroom listening. This was not an issue for me, as I only used them with my laptop and with my MP3 player, but could be an issue for some users.

Unfortunately, the auxiliary input is not simply a second input which can be used in conjunction with the primary input, but rather disables the primary 3.5mm input jack whenever a cable is inserted into the auxiliary input jack. I found this out after leaving my MP3 player plugged into the jack, and was a bit surprised to find this out.

Altec Lansing VS2621 Speaker System

As long as you don’t set the bar too high with your expectations of the Altec Lansing VS2621 computer speakers, you will be happy with them. They won’t blow you out of the water with sound quality or thumping bass, but they deliver a noticeable upgrade to tinny laptop speakers or generic PC computer speakers. And the reasonable upgrade cost of $49.95 won’t cost you an arm and a leg.

A few nitpicks keep the VS2621 from receiving higher marks. I would have loved to see a subwoofer bass control built into the bass module, I don’t like the fact that the aux input and the main 3.5mm input can’t be used in parallel and the cable between the two satellite speakers is too short. But all in all, this set is a worthy consideration for a computer speaker system upgrade.

Pros: Good sound quality, low price tag for a 2.1 speaker set, aux input for use with an MP3 player.

Cons: Short cable between the side speakers, aux input must be unplugged to use the main input, no bass control in the subwoofer module.

Rating: 4.0 out of 5

www.alteclansing.com