Altec Lansing FX6021 2.1 Speakers

Altec Lansing seems to be one of the most underrated and under appreciated speaker manufacturers around (at least when it comes to computer speakers that is). Most sites seem to favor the http://reviews.cnet.com/Logitech_Z_2300/4505-3179_7-30993080.html
and don't even bother reviewing the Altec Lansing FX6021s.

I first discovered Altec Lansing decades ago. Their http://www.alteclansing.com/legacy/story.asp speakers were very common in commercial settings like theatres and nightclubs.

My first personal experience with their speakers was in 1999. I purchased a computer and was offered several choices of speakers. I settled on http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/acc/ada880/Eng/Index.htm and I was thrilled with the sound quality. They are a 4.1 setup, but not terribly attractive and the sattelites are rather lame (they also attach to the main speakers for a 2.1 setup, which is how I used them).

I finally gave them up in April 2006 (15 months after I bought my latest computer), mostly because their http://cgi.ebay.com/Altec-Lansing-ADA880-Dolby-Digital-System_W0QQitemZ8800560916QQcategoryZ41845QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem just didn't fit in with the rest of my computer and peripheral setup.

It was a hard decision because the old ones sounded so great. They also had a http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SPDIF jack which the FX6021s are lacking, but I never got around to using it anyway.

After a lot of research I wound up buying Altec Lansing again. If you're not a gamer that requires wall-crumbling bass, 5.1 or 7.1 speakers, these babies fill the bill.

That is pretty much me, hence the purchase.

The sound is incredible. The bass doesn't have quite the punch of my old speakers, but it still has enough to annoy the neighbors. That's all I need. I've never had the freedom of living somewhere that didn't't have neighbors on the other side of one of my walls.

Where these babies really shine, is in the highs. They are beautiful. Crisp and clean. And the design can immerse you in that sound if you have them close to where you're sitting. I have one standing on each side of my monitor and being that they each have 6 drivers and are over 12" tall, they do one heck of a job of surrounding you with sound (well as good as any 2.1 speakers can, that is). Get some DSP action going with you're sound card and you are really in for a treat.

I listen to a wide variety of music (R&B, Hip Hop, Light Rock, Jazz, Classical, Pop and Showtunes) and it all sound great on these speakers.

By the way, I can honestly say that the bass will drive the neighbors nuts if you crank the volume. The hip hop tunes I've played so far prove my point. :-)

And the icing on the cake is these speakers look as good as they sound. The aluminum look is very stylish. The speakers can be wall mounted but I think they look much better on the stands. It's a very unusual look.

I also have an http://www.coolermaster.com/index.php?LT=english&Language_s=2&url_place=product&p_serial=CAV-T01&other_title=CAV-T01Cavalier 1 on my computer and a silver front bezel on http://www.deacom.ru/content/img_cat_l/0038/380969.jpg and the speakers and wired remote look great alongside them.

The combination of looks an sound is unbeatable. I looked at top of the line 2.1 speakers from Bose, Creative, Klipsch and Logitech. The Logitech speakers got excellent reviews. These < href=" were all but ignored by many major review sites.

But I digress...

The bottom line is, I made the right decision.

5 stars!