Home > Consumer Reviews > Altec Lansing FX4021 2.1 Powered Audio Speaker System

This is my second Altec subwoofer system, [...]Setup took five minutes, making this a cool system right out of the box. The satellites look and sound great, and can even be wall-mounted. The subwoofer isn't overly big; it tucked neatly under my desk. The control pod is a super nice feature; it enables me to get just the sound I want with a fingertip - deep, throaty bass, good midrange, treble that isn't too "bright". The remote comes in handy for controlling everything from across the room. One setting I especially like is the room-filling SFX.

All in all, this is a real step up from my old Altecs, well worth the price.

I really like Altec Lansing. I have their inMotion iM7 and have been really happy with that product. Altec Lansing inMotion iM7 Portable Audio System for iPod 3G, 4G, 5G, mini, and nano (1G) It was my satisfaction with that product that drove me to this purchase. I purchased the FX4021 as an alternative to the iM7 which has been serving as a simple stereo setup in our family room. I wanted something small that I could hook up to our iPod for decent sounding music source. Occasionally we like to dance with our young children in the family room so I wanted a little bass!

This system really delivers all of my primary goals (small, easy to use, and good bass). The control pod is very handy and lets you adjust sound (up to a point). The subwoofer is smaller than it looks (which I appreciated) and kicks out some very good thump for your rump. The satellites, however, are not good sounding. If you have a discernable ear, I think you are going to miss the midrange which the tiny satellites just can't produce.

In the end, I found I couldn't stay with the satellites. Some music sounded OK, but most sounded way too tinny. So, I replaced the satellites with some small bookshelf speakers which I find very balanced (Sony SS-B1000). Sony SS-B1000 5.25" Bookshelf Speakers (Pair). The resulting sound is very nice. The bookshelf speakers are bigger but the sound is just so much more natural. (By the way, if you want to do this yourself, go to radio shack and buy some speaker wire with RCA plug and plug your speakers directly into subwoofer). With the better Sony's in place, I can really adjust sound with the control pod and get a great sound and the system is plenty loud to kick out the jams.

We have been using these speakers for the past month. They are excellent. Great sound! The subwoofer delivers all of the bass you would ever need. The handy control panel is truly convenient for powering on the system, adjusting the volume and other sound settings, or just plugging in accessories like mp3 players. Excellent overall value.

I have never written a review for a piece of equipment before so this should be a hint. I bought these speakers today because my old Altec Lansing speakers finally died after 4 years of pounding. I read many reviews on these FX4021's and most of them were good. I decided to buy them from Best Buy (because I can take them back if I didn't like them) and try them out. I will not be returning these because they sound GREAT. The High's, Mid's and Low's are outstanding and the Bass.......Let me tell you about the Bass, it's out of this world. I have not heard a speaker set like this EVER for a computer. I thought I was back in the early 90's with a couple of 15" woofers in my trunk. They sound that good. I would definitely recommend these to anyone that wants to hear music the way that it is intended.

I bought my first set of Altec Lansing speakers about 6 years ago. I started with the ACS-340's. They had very deep base for such a small and simple subwoofer. The satelittes had awsome frequency range as well. The maximum volume before distortion was pretty good. Due to a bad placement under the desk, my lovely wife finally kicked a short in the connecting wire. So with apprehension, I tossed them out and was looking for an upgrade. In comes the FX4021. I listened to them at a retail chain first. There demo was laughable but I decided to make the plunge anyway. The bass from the isobaric subwoofer is house shaking deep. I watched a movie trailer with low tones and "Dang!". The satelittes seem a little bright (too much treble) but after listening to several different forms of music including Mr. Oizo-Flat Beat, Thin Lizzy-Jailbreak, and David Bowie-Little Wonder and playing with the settings, all three speakers worked well together. They are overall what I would expect from Altec lansing. Great, just not fantastic. But they are also known for being a great bargain, and that IS fantastic.