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Altec Lansing 621 2.1 Computer Speakers (3-Speaker, Black)

Altec Lansing 621 2.1 Computer Speakers (3-Speaker, Black)

List Price: $149.99
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: what means have it:
Review: As all the reviews says you can asume the sound its great, but here its the true:

THE GOOD:
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*It has two audio in plugs, so you could conect for example youre MD and youre PS2 with out changing connections.
*The controler comes with a heavy allum stand thats feels great(same for the 4 speakers) also good look for it.
*Easy installation.
*The wired control its like thtat because it comes with an audio output for headphones so its easy to plug a headphone with out more cables.
*The sound its really great, the bass its amazing.
*Its Altec Lansing brand so dont worry, you are in good hands. good deal.
*You will never use more than half of its volume power(good enough to be kicked out of youre neighborhood), and if increased it adds so little noise, really great quality eaven using analog cables.

THE BAD:
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*just include 2 wall braquets, so just 2 speakers could be hanged.
*It doesnt come with an optical audio in so forget to conneect your ps2 for dolby, it just have 2 stereo audio in miniplugs one for front left and right channels, and another for the rear left and right channels. so you need a lot of wires to connect youre dvd to it(and youre dvd needs to have that kind of audio out), so I think its just great for PC audio.
*the bass makes a big electromagnetic field, so needs a lot of space to work worryless.

***Dont worry about this bad things, they are insignificant compared to the great deal.***

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: ROCKS MY SOCKS
Review: I recently purchased these speakers from circuit city for 130 dollars, with 20 dollar mail in rebate. When I first took them out of the box all I could say is, yowzers! They were great looking speakers, a bit larger than other Altec models, but still plenty compact enough to fit on my computer desk. The subwoofer is about the size of a mid-tower computer.. and it's a beautiful 6.5 inch longthrow woofer.

As far as speaker performance in computer speakers go, these are the best sounding speakers that I have EVER heard. I sampled about 10 different kinds, including klipsh, promedia, and the monsoon systems. Some of them had pretty rich bass and could pump out a lot of volume, but none had the clarity or the sonic tonalities that the 621's can produce. For an msrp price of 150 dollars, you are getting 2 bookshelf speakers which in my opinion, could almost pass as audiophile speakers. The subwoofer is extremely powerful for a computer system, it can fill an entire room.. and a large one at that. It is also accurate.

A major problem with many computer speakers these days is distortion and cheap plastic contruction. You won't find this with the 621's, the have metal stands and the subwoofer is a nice wooden cabinet. I love to play my music LOUD, raning from jazz, to rap, and plenty of rock and roll. Even on the "gangsta rap" tracks (in which the bass usually pops and distorts on other speakers systems) had loud, punching, and undistorted bass. Now certainly it's nothing like the 2 12" subs I have in a bandpass box in my car, but for a home system, this sub gets almost as loud as the MTX 10" home subwoofer, as well as the JBL PB10. It's a beautiful thing when you can get that kind of bass, and two beautiful sattelites, for well under 200 dollars!

Now as far as the music i've played on these, MP3's sound quite good, and CD's sound quite a bit better. The CD's i've played so far range from reggae to country.. and the tweeters greatly reproduce the sweet sound of a country violin, and the subwoofer busts out the beats in the reggae music. You can optimize these speakers using an EQ on your computer sound card, or using a program like winamp.

What really, really impressed me was the DVD playback. My eric clapton live DVD sounded absolutley stunning, every single note the bass player hit was reproduced accuratley, and eric's acoustic guitar was crip his electric was growling.. just like it should be. Movie playback should be a treat as well! BUY THE ALTEC LANSING 621's, DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT GETTING ANOTHER SPEAKER! email me with questions..

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Bogus stuff
Review: Have had this speakers for a yr and the sub-woofer is blown. Before i bought this speakers, i read a couple of review that says the speaker does not last long.. but i did not listen.
No doubt the speaker has a good sound but what use could it be if the sub blows just like that? The annoying part is the sub-woofer is gone but the cube speakers are still working. To Lansing, I dont need the cubes if the sub is gone. Called Lansing Tech and they suggested to take it to a nearby technician for diagonosis. Hell No! Please, save your money and look for something else.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: IMPORTANT NOTE REGARDING THESE SPEAKERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: I spoke to an Altec Lansing tech today and he told me a very important thing about them.

The speakers had a flaw in powering down the system that made the subs die in about an 8 month periond.

If you used ONLY the remote to turn off the system and left the power switch located on the back of the subs on, the subs will still be powered thus shortening their life.

In order to keep the subwoofer life you have to:

1.) Turn off the power using the remote first.

2.) THEN then turn off the power switch on the back the subs.

If you do that simple thing, these awesome speakers will last you forever. I hope this helps out everyone!

-Chris

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Sounds like Heaven
Review: Great Set, very Hefty and Heavy, but worth every pound. After using them almost continuosly for 2 years, the sub died on me. If I unplug it for a while, the woofer comes back, but after a few minutes it dies gain. Satelite speakers are in excellent condition, I always take care of my stuff and I am really sad to have to get a new set. This 641 has the most exquisite sound I have ever heard from a speaker set ever. I would recommend this above any other set, but if you do get them, please unplug or manually power off from the rear of the sub, and not only from the corded remote. I hope AL comes back with a set that compares or beats this one, not like the crappy ones they have in the market now.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: awesome speakers
Review: These speakers truly rock. They have a great all around sound, and they are pretty heavy duty. The casing is well built. The sub always shakes my floor!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Great speakers, until the sub died!
Review: I just wanted to confirm Steven G Neubeck's review. I am on my second set of 641s, after having returned the first set under warranty. I am now told by Altec that the 641 is discontinued, so if I turned my second set, I would receive a lesser quality set of speakers. If memory serves, I believe they said I would receive 5100s.

Here's the beef. The speakers are great, but in my case, the subwoofer on both sets has died after about 5-6 months use. Since I do not plan to return my second set, I decided to see if I could fix the sub, and discovered the source of the problem.

First, I noticed that if I left the speakers unplugged for an extended period of time - not just turned off but unplugged - the subwoofer would start to work again after I turned it back on. A light bulb lit up somewhere over my head, and I suspected there was a heat issue. After plugging it back in it would work for a while, then quickly begin to stutter, until finally it stopped producing bass again.

The satellites have never been a problem.

So I took the sub apart. Disclaimer: I do not recommend this to anyone, as there is nothing inside that can be removed, as the box is actually very well made with everything sealed in place with very strong heat-glue. To remove any of the internal components would involve melting the glue, which is quite impractical. It will not unstick just by prying either, as that will simply break the plastic part that the glue is holding. Trust me.

After failing to extricate anything from the sub, I peered inside with my flashlight to see what I could see. There are two visible circuit boards one on top of the other, and one heatsink mounted perpindicular to the top board. At the far end of the bottom board, I noticed some molex style plugs. They were very inaccessble being at the very center of the sub, behind the speaker inputs, and various other circuitry. But I could plainly see that the plugs were MELTED. So, I did what any experienced computer builder would do, and left the rear panel off. Apparently, the sub was not getting enough cooling, and as long as it stays cool, it works, melted plugs and all. I now have it plugged into a switched outlet, so I can completely disconnect the power after I am done using it.

Warning: Should you attempt the same remedy, be concious of the power connector leads on the inside bottom of the rear panel. They are exposed, potentially creating an electrocution/fire hazard.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Very Satisfied Music Listener
Review: I purchased these speakers a week ago and they sound better each day. This a great complement considering that from the first day I was unable to imagine how they could possibly sound any better. These speakers replaced a set of four of top of the line Boston Accoustics. I thought they sounded good until I heard these speakers. I prefer rock & roll played loud and this set of speakers deliver magnificently. I blew 2 sets of the Boston speakers that fortunately were replaced by the computer manufacturer. No problem with the Altecs'. They are superb at any range. I don't play games so am unable to comment in that area. Can't go wrong with these speakers if you enjoy listening to good music.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: An indispensable addition to your computing
Review: Wow! WOW!! These speakers are just simply beyond belief. They make listening to your computer and watching DVD's an other worldly experience. I've had many different types of speakers in my computing life and these are simply by far the best. ...

Rating: 0 stars
Summary: A lot of fun and then it died
Review: This speaker system sounded so good I coudn't believe how at such a low price. Not only that, the name Altec Lansing goes way back, at least 20 years when I was a young one. But one night, after a few, I was ready for great toons and the speakers left me crying. For the price, I am willing to buy two, except they are out of stock. It seems you can no longer count on Altec, it makes me cry, look else where.


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