Altec Lansing VS4121 2.1 Computer Speaker System, 3 Piece

I was looking to upgrade my computer speakers from the 3 pc Yamahas I had. The Yamahas were good, much better than the 2 pc HK's that came with my Dell. But I wanted SIGNIFICANTLY more bass response. I narrowed my search to the Cyber Acoustic A3640, the Logitech Z2300 and these Altec's. My initial concern was the Altec VS4121 is only rated at 31 watts with a 19 watt sub. The others in my selection were significantly more powerful. The Logitech is powerful and has a great balanced sound, but to my ears it didn't sound as good or as "bassy" as the Altec. The Cyber Acoustic sounded good. Good bass, but I need something that will fit under my computer desk. I already have a Home Theartre system with a 150 watt sub. The Altec sub is compact enough to fit either under the desk(without constantly kicking it) or on the desk. The sound is great. The bass is unbelievably good, deep and loud. I don't know how this can be with only 31 watts, but it is totally excellent. At only 1/3 volume the desk is rumbling and the bass is pounding!! Highly recommended.

I researched these speakers EXTENSIVELY before purchasing them. As is the case here, the vast majority of the user reviews on the various online merchant web sites are all extremely positive. The professional reviews, however, are more accurate. Read on if you want to know why this system is getting RMA-ed.Most professional reviews that I located viewed this 2.1 speaker system quite favorably, but ALL mentioned one significant fact - the speakers have NO mid-range....and, in my experience, it's true. The idea of a down-firing mid-range on each satellite was sheer genius. The approach allows the speakers to be small and elegant with a stealth mid-range that also provides a low center of gravity so that the sats do not tip over (a common problem for tall and narrow sats). Yes, sheer genius...in the design phase. In practice, the down-firing mids do not work as advertised. The design leaves the mid-range completely empty and you are left with a WAY overly aggressive bass sub and bright, BRIGHT tweeters. No amount of fussing with the bass and treble controls will solve this problem. I constantly found myself reaching for the controls trying to tone down the aggressive bass and the PIERCING tweeters...all to no avail.Okay, I knew this was going to be a problem when I purchased them...these facts were clear in all the professional reviews. "So what?", I figured. These are not very expensive and they just look so darned good. So I gave them a shot.They arrived and I was incredibly impressed with their design. The wiring is ingenious (and unobtrusive) and the controls are within easy reach (and that's a good thing because of the aforementioned issues with the sound range)....and yes, they looked FANTASTIC next to my flat panel and small Shuttle cube. So, after I finished fiddling with the knobs, did I decide to keep them? Absolutely no way, and it had nothing to do with the mid-range.As another reviewer pointed out, the sub emits a constant low frequency signal whenever the speakers are turned on. This is not a defect in one or two pairs...it is a design defect. Altec would have you believe that it is normal and states as much in the user manual, but I have never heard another sub do the same. The noise is not just distracting, it is maddening. The actual problem is that the sub design did not adequately insulate the input power source from the input audio source...so you end up listening to a gut-penetrating version of your house's AC current when you are not putting an audio source through the system.I leave my speakers on all the time when I am using my computer...regardless of whether or not I am listening to music. In fact, they are on the same power strip and come on automatically. That way, I get to hear all the other windows feedback (beeps, new mail tones, etc.). I found myself constantly turning these speakers off lest I start to go insane from the hum.BTW, I am not an audiophile and these issues still stood out. The hum was noticed by others the moment that they walked into the room. "What the heck is that?" was a common response.Without the hum, these are 4 star speakers. No mid-range is an issue, but hey, they look great and are not very expensive. With the hum, however, they are one star at best.Now where is that UPS man? Today, I have a package for HIM. :)

I have used these speakers for over a month now and I have had no problems with them at all. The sound is perfect for computer use.I used to play Battlefield 2 a lot so they got quite a bit of usage. NOTE: If you are an audiophile, you will take issue with these speakers. They are not perfect and will not recreate the intricate details of the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York. They work fine for gaming, but will not come close to any higher end (and therefore, higher priced) speakers.

I think I threw these away

I read through some of the reviews - the speakers do emit a hum. However, I was ok with it. But one day I tripped over wire plugged into the back of the woofer and the cable plug broke off in the receptor. I tried to scrap it out but could not. I found to my dismay that the woofer is built in such a way that it cannot be repaired. I brought it back to Best Buy to see if they could scrap out the remains of the cable plug in the receptor but they could not. The back of the woofer says that the unit can not be serviced. It should not be too hard to build a woofer so that it is relatively modular. I gave it a star since it is decent for its price, but I can't use it now.

I wanted to buy a decent sounding 2.1 system for my computer, but I didn't want to spend more than $100. I narrowed my choice down to the Creative Labs I-Trigue 3300 2.1 System vs. the Altec Lansing VS4121 2.1 System. I went to a local Circuit City and a local Best Buy to listen to both systems side-by-side.After listening to the Creative Labs and Altec Lansing systems I decided that, despite the higher power rating of the Creative Labs system (and the fact that it can pump out more raw volume than the Altec Lansing system), the VS4121 sounded cleaner and and more balanced (probably because it includes larger mid-range speakers, and because its subwoofer is not so overpowering).As an added bonus, the price of the Altec Lansing system was about $20 less than the Creative Labs system.I've had the VS4121 system for a couple of weeks now. I'm very happy it's performance for the price. My only gripe is that the subwoofer that came with this apparently "new" and "factory-sealed" set of speakers, which I ordered from J&R Music and Computer World (via Amazon), was dented right out of the box. The system works fine, and the woofer is hidden under my desk anyway, but I was still a little disappointed.In any case, these are very good speakers for the price.