Rating: 
Summary: Start ripping at higher bit rates...
Review: Just got these speakers from Amazon and I have to say, "Wow!" I'm a music lover/stereophile who is picky about sound quality. These speakers replaced an aging set of Altec Lansing ACS53 speakers from the mid 90's. I used to be a snob, doubting that a set of computer speakers could measure up to the sound I got out of my high-end home system. Boy, was I wrong. I base this review on how it sounds with music, everything from classical, piano, vocals to rap and techno. I didn't try it with movies or games... they're not my thing on my computer.The difference between the old and the new speakers is night and day. The highs and the mids are crystal clear without harshness, buzziness or coloration. The lows are powerful, punchy and tight, not boomy or muddled. Amazing 2.1 sound quality. Not nearly up to par with the high end rig that I have in the living room. But for a small fraction of the price, to even be mentioned in the same sentence is truly amazing. Plus, I can enjoy them while working on my computer instead of having to take time out to enjoy the home rig. I was debating between these and the the Klipsch ProMedia GMX A-2.1. Though I can't comment about the Klipsch speakers, I have to say that, if you value music, for the price you can't go wrong with these Altec Lansings. Great for the computer/music lover or iPod user. Three warnings:
1. The satellites are tippy and may fall forward if not secured.
2. You will want to start ripping songs at higher bit rates. Lower bit rates won't do them justice. You'll be able to hear the difference. Crappy recordings will sound like crap. High quality will sound like high quality.
3. Your neighbors will hate you from all the loud music coming from your place. Good luck and enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: Start ripping at higher bit rates...
Review: Just got these speakers from Amazon and I have to say, "Wow!" I'm a music lover/stereophile who is picky about sound quality. These speakers replaced an aging set of Altec Lansing ACS53 speakers from the mid 90's. I used to be a snob, doubting that a set of computer speakers could measure up to the sound I got out of my high-end home system. Boy, was I wrong. I base this review on how it sounds with music, everything from classical, piano, vocals to rap and techno. I didn't try it with movies or games... they're not my thing on my computer. The difference between the old and the new speakers is night and day. The highs and the mids are crystal clear without harshness, buzziness or coloration. The lows are powerful, punchy and tight, not boomy or muddled. Amazing 2.1 sound quality. Not nearly up to par with the high end rig that I have in the living room. But for a small fraction of the price, to even be mentioned in the same sentence is truly amazing. Plus, I can enjoy them while working on my computer instead of having to take time out to enjoy the home rig. I was debating between these and the the Klipsch ProMedia GMX A-2.1. Though I can't comment about the Klipsch speakers, I have to say that, if you value music, for the price you can't go wrong with these Altec Lansings. Great for the computer/music lover or iPod user. Three warnings:
1. The satellites are tippy and may fall forward if not secured.
2. You will want to start ripping songs at higher bit rates. Lower bit rates won't do them justice. You'll be able to hear the difference. Crappy recordings will sound like crap. High quality will sound like high quality.
3. Your neighbors will hate you from all the loud music coming from your place. Good luck and enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: Very nice!
Review: My search for quality computer speakers for my Mac seems to be over! These guys decently handle anything I throw at them, from Rock to Jazz, Hip-Hop to New Age. With the equalizer in iTunes (or your jukebox program of choice), I can tweak the sound even more beyond the included control box if I want to achieve truly ear-pleasing results. There's some hiss, of course, but it is not really noticeable when playing music and the control pod allows you to easily turn off the speakers when you desire absolute silence. The speakers look fantastic and the control pod is really well designed. Of note is that these speakers are WALL MOUNTABLE (not noted in the specs above), and come with the brackets to do so, in addition to some standard screw threads on back that look like they can be used with your own backets or stands if you so desire :) Before buying these speakers, I have a pair of Harman-Kardon SoundSticks, which sounded great but failed far too quickly. I then bought some JBL Creature II's, but was dissatisfied with the amount of hissing they produced and the overall sound quality. I'd been looking at all of Klipsch's speakers before buying these, but I was simply not happy with value for the money or their lack of design. For the money, these speakers struck a great compromise between all the features I was looking for. Perhaps the best news for me was that the speaker connections use standard speaker wire (bare wire, no connectors), which allows for custom placement if you wish. About the only complaint I have is that there's no Mute button; you have to turn the speakers off temporarily instead. Also, not really a complaint, but the Auxiliary input on the control pod mixes any audio input with the sound from the computer input, rather than cutting off the computer sound.
Rating:
Summary: Dude, get these!
Review: Ok, I never thought I would write this about computer speakers.. If you dont have a woop (...) set of computer speakers, then buy these.. if you have to wonder if you do.. then you dont. If you have these Altecs you will understand that... Now down to the details, amazon.com got these to me ASAP and for free.. thanks amazon. Next, let me tell you that my first pair came from circuit city but i paid about fifty clams more:( but i have now purchased 5 yes 5 more pair from amazon. I gave them to a few emplyees as a gift. and another pair for my home computer. Dont sit too close to these and crank them as hard as they will go. They can play clean and undistorted to a higher level than your ears can bear. I first opened them, disappointed to see MADE IN CHINA after about 3 minutes of listening I have changed my opinion of MADE IN CHINA. Stop reading this and buy a pair. (...) gosh my ears are ringing..
Rating:
Summary: Dude, get these!
Review: Ok, I never thought I would write this about computer speakers.. If you dont have a woop (...) set of computer speakers, then buy these.. if you have to wonder if you do.. then you dont. If you have these Altecs you will understand that... Now down to the details, amazon.com got these to me ASAP and for free.. thanks amazon. Next, let me tell you that my first pair came from circuit city but i paid about fifty clams more:( but i have now purchased 5 yes 5 more pair from amazon. I gave them to a few emplyees as a gift. and another pair for my home computer. Dont sit too close to these and crank them as hard as they will go. They can play clean and undistorted to a higher level than your ears can bear. I first opened them, disappointed to see MADE IN CHINA after about 3 minutes of listening I have changed my opinion of MADE IN CHINA. Stop reading this and buy a pair. (...) gosh my ears are ringing..
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent sound quality, but unbearable hiss
Review: The sound reproduction which these speakers offer is no doubt impressive. For reference, i'm running off a Chaintech AV-710 soundcard, which has exceptional sound reproduction itself, and lacks discernible noise - I know it lacks noise, because in the course of my ordeal, I tested out various other equipment with the Chaintech as the source. I'll return to the hiss issue in a moment. Now, in regards to the sound...clarity is outstanding, bass reproduction is refined and not boomy, highs are accurate and non-fatiguing... the only issue I have with the sound reproduction, and it's not a major complaint, is that the mids are a bit "honky", or plastic-sounding. This isn't a major issue, and in my experience this isn't uncommon in PC speakers - I'm a borderline audiophile, and I'd imagine that, if it doesn't bother me very much, most people may not even notice it.
Now, on to the hiss... Unless I can rectify this issue, these speakers are going back. That saddens me a fair bit, because I do love them outside of this problem. An important point, however - these speakers, though I paid for them as new, were apparently used beforehand. They were not purchased from amazon, but they came without accessories and the box was in very poor condition. So, with the possibility in mind that I have a defective pair of speakers (though, from reviews and speaking to other individuals with these speakers, a fair degree of hiss should be expected), I will continue on to describe this issue. When room noise is minimized (including, especially, computer noise) the hiss becomes, at least on softer music, an instrument in itself. It is certainly noticeable to all listeners at low to medium volumes on softer music or passages - i'd also imagine this would be a huge problem with DVDs.
So, in conclusion: If you're willing to risk a significant hiss, or can put up with one, then these are a great deal. Otherwise, you may want to do some research first to ensure you don't run into the same problem I have.
Rating:
Summary: Surprising sound can't be beat!
Review: These speakers are tremendous.I have been away from home on buisness. I will be away from my precious hi-fi system for about a year. I needed some kind of good speakers to connect to a portable music system. I decided to hook it up to a SIRIUS tuner and listen to both an AUX portable CD player and also sat radio. I
honestly was not hoping too much for the kind of high quality sound my paradigm speakers gave me at home. WOW! what a surprise! These speakers sound very natural, have tremendous range, deep tight base and produce CLEAR sounding mid-range and highs. Could not be happier with AlTEC LANSING sound.
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