Home > Consumer Reviews > Altec Lansing VS2621 2.1 Channel Speaker System

I'm sitting here listening to some seriously good jazz, and I'm really enjoying the sound coming from these little speakers. I wasn't expecting much of such small speakers, even with a subwoofer included. When the box first arrived, I was disappointed to see the text on the box saying the auxiliary jack lets you connect an MP3/CD player ***while linked to your computer.*** I wanted this to work independently of the computer. Guess what - it does! No computer hookup required, but you *can* listen to your MP3 while connected to the computer. (Note that the AUX adapter is not included.) This set was very easy to set up. Visual directions are on the flaps of the box, but I didn't need them.

I compared this speaker set against my current computer speakers, which were more expensive and include a bigger subwoofer. This set is definitely comparable to my current one and has the added advantage of the AUX jack. I also compared this set to a nice docking station I have that produces very good sound quality. Also comparable. I'm impressed!

The speakers cannot be spaced more than 4 feet apart and you need to be careful about the positioning of the subwoofer, or you'll lose most of your bass effect. You cannot turn the volume up very high. It will go to "loud" but not "louder." There is a tone knob that adjusts bass/treble, but too far toward the bass side produces muffled sound and too far toward the treble side produced tinny sound. I left it in the middle and am happy with the quality of the sound. This set will not please a serious audiophile - certainly not someone who likes a *lot* of bass - but they're pretty darned good! I'm very pleasantly surprised by the quality of these speakers.

These Altec Lansings are quite a bit of speaker for the money. Having previous experience with Creative, Logitech, and Altec Lansing, I initially wanted to give those a shot, but eliminated the Creatives due to price.

The Logitech system, the X-240, was an ok set. Decent looking, similar wattage, and the sub even had a bass volume knob. Speaking of the sub, it is a great little piece, delivering deep, loud bass when asked with minimal distortion.

However, I use my computer speakers mostly for music, and here is where the Altecs take the cake. Where the Logitechs sounded muddy and flat, the Altecs are crisp, clear and open. The mids and highs are great. The satellites are far superior to the Logitech. The Altecs sub is a heavy, well built and quite attractive. I found that where the Logitechs sub boomed, the Altec nicely integrated the bass with the mids/highs. The bass is nice and controlled, and can get loud without distortion. The only plus the logitech had, musically, over the Altec was that the sub on the Logitech would get louder and had a volume control, where the Altec does not. However, for musical purposes, the Altec sub definitely has more than enough kick.

My conclusion is that each set has its own merit. For games and movies, where clarity is less important and bass is, go for the Logitech. But if you want crisp, clear sound with well rounded but not super loud bass, Altec is the clear winner.

I have both this system and the Logitech Z313 Speaker System, so I will use this review to compare this system to the Logitech.

This system's PROS:

1. Loud and good low-end bass at high volumes. I was impressed with the sound of this system when I turn it up, especially compared to the Logitech. It sounded much better and much louder!

2. This is a Pro and Con...it has a TONE knob on the right speaker along with the VOLUME. This is a good, but not good enough. It is better than the Logitech with no equalization controls whatsoever, but it only seems to give me control of high frequencies. I would really like to have a BASS and TREBLE knob along with VOLUME.

This system's CONS:

1. I'm not very excited about the attractiveness of the speakers. The subwoofer is fine, but the speakers are just not all that exciting to display.

2. As I mentioned in PRO 2, the TONE knob is good, but there is no low frequency adjustment at all. At low volumes, I would like to increase the bass, and at high volumes have it not quite as high.

3. The power switch is on the back of the subwoofer! This is the worse strike against this system. I wish it was on the volume control knob or right speaker. If the subwoofer is under a computer desk or behind furniture, this is not good.

4. I cannot fit the headphone jack into my iPhone with it's case. I can fit the Logitech jack. This could be remedied with a trip to Radio Shack, but they should just adjust the design to make it fit more devices.

5. The system uses hard-to-fix wiring. The right speaker has three wires coming from it. One going to the left speaker, one to the headphone jack and one to the subwoofer. The subwoofer jack is like a PS/2 or S-Video jack. This would all be impossible to extend if the wires aren't long enough (except the headphone jack).

Overall, this is a nice sounding system, but the aesthetics and lack of bass controls would keep it from being my primary system.

Altec Lansing VS2621 3-Piece Computer Speaker System delivers a really good sound quality without blowing your budget. The size is compact enough to fit smaller tables or shelves. The subwoofer gives good bass for it's size (13 Watts). The 2 full range speakers are compact and deliver decent power (7.5 Watts each). There are many better 2.1 speaker systems out there but none of them are at this low price of Altec Lansing VS2621. And this system surely beats most 2.0 speaker systems in term of overall performance (as the subwoofer really make a difference). Perfect for PC/Laptop or MP3 player used in a small to medium size room.

Pros:
- Tone control adjustment dial (to customize to the type of music you are listening to)
- Secondary AUX input jack available which is very convenient (so you don't have to unlinked the primary jack)
- Quite portable (eventhough the subwoofer is not that small or light, but much more compact to many other subwoofer out there)
- Very affordable (best value 2.1 speaker systems in this price range)

Cons:
- Power button is on the subwoofer (and not on the satellite speakers)
- Secondary UX input jack cable not included
- The cable between the satellite speakers are not very long
- Sound quality degrade as you continue to increase the volume beyond a certain point (i.e. don't use it too loud)

Sidarta Tanu

This system is an upgrade from a previous version: the Altec Lansing VS2620 where you only get 2 satellite speakers. The VS2621 adds a subwoofer for some serious punch. Where the VS2620 only sounded adequately, with the addition of a subwoofer, this system now sounds serious enough to listen to serious music. Again, you would not expect large room-filling sound from such a small configuration. These speakers was only meant to supplement the weak-sounding speakers of your deskstop or laptop. Although small, it is desirable enough to fill a small room with decent music.

The controls are basically a carry-over from the VS2620 except for the power button which is located on the rear of the subwoofer. It has an AUX input if you want to use this with an external device or an MP3 player.

Overall a very good speaker, again from a company that makes quality, low priced computer audio peripherals. Highly recommended!