Rating: 
Summary: Good!
Review: It's a good audio system for a room or an apartment. I live in the dorms and I have hard time turning the bass on coz it's really loud. It could shiver my whole floor. Watching DVD's are good with this system too. The remote control [is not great], I thought it was a cordless one but NO!! and moreover it only has the volume control so whenever I have to change the BASS, I have to get ... up! :o(
The 4100 has a good remote control system with bass, treble and volume control (I think). Overall experience +positive!
Cheers
Rating: 
Summary: A new low for A.L.
Review: Its not so much that these are low quality speakers--the sats have survived many drop tests. And they're actually pretty loud. The problem lies in the use of multiple small drivers in the sats rather than a 2-way high/mid configuration. Also, the subwoofer, while powerful, has horrible clarity. The result is lacking midrange and muddy bass--acceptable for games, but certainly not for music.Also, the 1/8" inputs kept giving me trouble. They'd come loose at random. I suspect they were defective. In any case, I replaced them with 1/4" jacks. Problem solved. If you're a gamer, don't plan to listen to music, and you can find a really good deal on these, they might be an okay choice. I got mine free, and given that, I'm happy enough with them. But, they're certainly not worth the retail price. Do yourself a favor and buy some quality speakers from Klipsch or Telex.
Rating:
Summary: Took Some Tinkering but Worth it....
Review: My 4 yr. old Cabridge Soundworks went kaput in the middle of a video project, so i got the 2100 as there were no other high end speakers available in my immediate area (got them from Target of all places..). Many reviews criticize its midrange capabilites, and they do have a point: there's a slight thinness compared to my Cambridge. BUT, I found a culprit in my Windows Media Player software which emphasizes this thinness and hallower sound when it is set to playback audio DIGITALLY (under Options menu), which is its default setting. After tinkering with the EQ forever, i found out about the default, switched it to analog and now the sound is MUCH MUCH fuller (OK COMPUTER is my reference cd), and NO there is not a noticeable degradation in sound (your regular boombox plays this way after all). PC speakers tend to play to the high end so using the digital setting just exacerbates their weakness being lack of a full midrange. So NOW i definitely have to say I am impressed. I am picking up sounds I missed from my Cambridge, it plays loud and clear and the sub is WAY better and is never boomy. Can you get a much better sound from other speakers? yes, but probably not at this price (for 2.1's). It will take time to love these as my Cambridge's were with me for so long and kicked ..., but I highly recommend the 2100, just test the software you use for playback to make sure your getting the most out of it.
Rating:
Summary: Tim Robertson MyMac.com Review
Review: My first impression upon seeing the 2100 series speaker from Altec Lansing was "sweet!" Yes, I like the look of these speakers, but looks are but one of the many important factors into making your decision on what speakers to buy. Sounds quality, I hope, is the number one factor. In that regard, the 2100's sound great. While not as loud as the ... Monsoon PlanarMedia 9 speakers, they do have about the same clarity of sound. That is to say, very good in both audio reproduction and imaging. The 2100 series are a three-piece speaker system, consisting of two satellite speakers, and one powered sub-woofer. Like most other computer speaker systems, this one also has a remote control (wired) that has a Mute button, as well as two volume controls. Nice, but what I especially enjoyed was the metal stand the remote control rests on. This may seem a small thing, but not after you have had to deal with the remotes on most other computer speakers, which usually lay on the desk. The remote stand shows forethought on Altec Lansing's part. The satellite speakers are very small, half the size of the Monsoon speakers reviewed a few weeks ago. If you have a cluttered desk, and a pair of large flat-panel speakers would have a hard time finding a home on your desk, take a look at these. Each speaker is set into a metal stand, making them harder to accidentally move. Even with the metal stand, the speakers are still tiny. They say good things come in small packages. This is proven true here, as I was really impressed with the sound quality of the two desktop speakers. The sub-woofer is equally great sounding, but is anything but small. The sub-woofer sports not one, but two 4" speakers, which do a respectable job of reproducing low base sounds. The sub is made from sturdy, well-crafted wood. They are also ported, meaning better bass response. Obviously, ... speakers are not going to rival a home entertainment system in pure volume, clarity or base, but the sound level the average computer user will listen to the 2100's at will not be disappointed. Specs:
Power: 35W RMS ‹ 50 WATTS total peek power. (Look for distortion when pushing anything close to their peek.)
Front Speakers: 5.5W/Channel at 4 ohms.
Subwoofer: 17.5W at 4 ohms. Overall impression: I like these speakers! If I were doing a head-to-head comparison with the aforementioned Monsoon's, I would have to give the Monsoon speakers a slight edge in sound quality. In workmanship, the winner would be the Altec Lansing 2100. A good value speaker that sounds more expensive than they are. A true audiophile will want to look elsewhere, and spend more money. For the average computer user who wants better sound than the built-in speakers on your computer, these will make you smile. MacMice Rating: 4 out of 5 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Tim Robertson
Rating:
Summary: Not Designed With Me In Mind
Review: So, first, let me get this out of the way: These speakers sound great. The bass is powerful and punchy while the small and very attractive speakers deliver a crisp high end. Mid-range does suffer a bit in larger spaces, but probably only to the very discerning listener. I replaced my clunky Yamaha YST-MS50 system with this one and, as far as the sound goes, I find the 2100's to be very comparable.
OK, so why give it 2 stars? Well, it has everything to do with the design of these things. Altec Lansing has successfully taken a potentially great product and ruined it with terrible controls. The remote, in my opinion, is completely useless. It features a power button and two volume buttons. Now, assuming you have the speakers plugged into the same outlet strip as your computer, most users will shut the speaker system down with the computer system. This makes sense to me. The problem is that whenever you bring power back to the system, you must manually turn on the power button on the remote and re-adjust the volume to a normal level. The default for this system is for it to be OFF and at VERY low volume. The only workaround to this is to keep the speakers powered on all the time. But this, to me, makes very little sense. When I turn my computer on, I expect to hear sound. Well, you don't with the 2100's. My second gripe has to do with the fact that this system has no headphone jack. This is a major inconvenience when using the computer late at night. My third gripe has to do with the fact that you have no idea what volume you are listening to. The remote, as I said, features two volume buttons but with no visual display telling you where you are at. This just goes against my natural tendency to want to know what volume I am listening to relative to the system's capabilities. My last gripe has to do with the design of the speakers. I have no complaint with the subwoofer as it is very slim, compact, and well protected. However, the satellites have fully exposed speaker cones that are barely protected by only a thin vertical strip of metal. I had to move these speakers well above ear-level in order to keep them away from the stray hands of my young child. So, overall, the system is great sounding, attractive, and completely user-unfriendly. Just not enough, in my opinion.....
Rating:
Summary: very nice. Volume control is annoying
Review: The 2100's replaced an old set of Altec Lansing speakers I've had for years. These new ones are much nicer to look at, and provide plenty of clean sound for gaming and music. The tweeters have almost zero mid-range though, and the subwoofer doesn't provide much either, so you end up with a lot of highs and lows. The tweeters are very lightweight, and I find myself knocking them down now and then as I move things around on my desk--no big deal. On the downside, the speakers come with a clunky wired remote for power and volume control. This adds extra wires coming from your desktop, and the volume control is NOT rotary, which I dislike. The rotary control is the most intuitive for volume, and you can tell at a glance what your volume setting is. Instead, we get two buttons for the volume, which provide NO visual feedback as to what the current volume is, nor what the min/max volume is. Additionally, if you turn the power off to the speakers, they RESET themselves to the minimum volume. Every time I turn the computer on, I have to crank the volume up 15 notches or so. If you leave the power on to the speakers at all times, you won't find this to be a problem. One final gripe is about the bass control--it is located on the back of the subwoofer, quite out of reach. If you are in the habit of leaving the power on regularly, you will have no problem with these speakers and you'll enjoy the cool look and pretty sound. Otherwise, if you are as picky as I am, and are willing to settle with some less "cool" looking speakers, you might think about heading toward something else.
Rating:
Summary: Good Speakers with Limitations
Review: These are excellent computer speakers for the money. Many of the reviews that talk about bad midtones are, for the most part, true. With standard settings, the speakers do sound flat and leave much to be desired. However, with the use of a program with an equilizer, they can be adjusted to sound very, very good. I am using the Windows Media Player, with equilizer, and have them sounding great now. I had to give up my MusicMatch Jukebox for lack of adequate adjustments. These are very small speakers and will not "fill" up a large room or project all ranges over a large distance. Therefore, I am not sure why they have a double subwoofer - it seems like overkill. However, within shorter distances (20-30 Feet) these speakers can really be adjusted to provide great quality sounds. For general computer speakers, I would rate this as excellent in both (adjusted) sound quality and size. For a home entertainment system, I would look for much higher end speakers. With a little bit of tweaking, I am now very pleased and have a sleek set of speakers that can pack a surprising punch.
Rating: 
Summary: GREAT SPEAKERS
Review: These speakers work amazingly if you know a fair amount about a computer if you are to use them with a computer. Get the newest drivers for your computer, use windows media player (or any player with an equalizer). Have your system volume level all the way up, and control the sound with the remote included with the speakers. Turn the treble way up, and you can decide how you like the bass, whether loud and deep, or low and quieter. Make sure you put the subwoofer in a place next to a wall, corner, or any solid object to help reflect the sound back towards you. Xbox utilizes these speakers quite effectively also.
Rating:
Summary: Wow!!!
Review: This set of speakers is yet another reason to buy from Altec Lansing. These are very small and have a powerful punch. They deliver extrememly crisp highs and punching lows from the dual subwoofer. Play your favorite song and hear it totally differently than you have ever heard it. You don't know what you are missing until you hear anything on these! The corded remote is a nice feature as well.
Rating:
Summary: Very good set of speakers...
Review: To begin with, this review is for the 4100 series speaker. I say that because reading some of the reviews, it seems that some people were a little confused when they made their comments. First off, set-up was a breeze; the wires are color coded for ease of assembly and they give you a fairly generous length for both the rear and front speakers (didn't measure, but would seem to be around 12 feet for the rears, and 6 feet for the front) as well as a good length for the remote. Speaking of the remote, it does have a rotary volume control, as well as control of the bass and treble. You can also switch the system from gaming to stereoX2 with a push of the button. Also, the remote has a nice added feature: a built in head-phone jack.
Regarding sound quality, I'm no audiophile (and if I was, I would not be using my computer to listen to music) but they sound terrific. The sub has ample power, and the speakers are very well tuned. The four tiny speakers (only 2x3x7 inches each) are able to fill a nice-sized room without any perceived distortion. ...
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