A good buy and an ideal gift.
Written: Dec 05 '02 (Updated Dec 09 '02)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Relatively inexpensive; easy setup; small satellites.
Cons: Some distortion at higher volume.
The Bottom Line: I recommend this system. It gives great performance for the price. It's a good introduction into the world of surround sound.
|
|
|
| roybird's Full Review: Altec Lansing ACS 54 4 Speakers |
Installation of this system is simple - the cables on the individual sats are color coded to match the inputs on the subwoofer. However, two of the colors are orange and gold, which they make look very similar - I was able to tell the difference between the two cables, but it was a little difficult to tell which went in which input (labeled with a small rectangle of a corresponding color), since Altec did not label each speaker with actual words. Of course, you'll know once you play a file with surround sound - if a sound should be coming from one side but is coming from the other, then you can tell. The surround satellites have notches in the back if you want to mount them on walls - I did this in my original configuration, but they are not mounted now.
No software was included - nothing, not even a test disc with an surround audio file. This would be useful to ensure that you have installed and placed everything correctly (remember those orange and gold cables?). Altec Lansing should at least give you a link to an audio test file - maybe they do so now on their newer or nicer systems.
I can only say so much on sound quality. YOU are the best judge. If possible, go to your local CompUSA or audio retailer to hear for yourself. That being said, I think that the sound quality is not bad at all for a sub-$100 system. Movies, Games, Music - this system handles all well. As others have said, you will hear distortion at very high volumes, but it is usually not a big problem. The range is not bad either. I feel that the sound is always fairly accurate. The subwoofer is not very powerful at 20 watts, but it does the job well unless you are in absolute need of powerful bass. If you are, you'll probably have to spend more or sacrifice quality to get a similar system with significantly greater bass.
One nice thing about this system is that it is small. The sats are only about 3 inches in height and width (the front sats are a little taller). The sub is less than a foot wide and about seven or eight inches tall.
This system is a good buy if you want quality surround sound on your computer for under 100 dollars.
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
roybird
|
|
Reviews written: 1
Trusted by: 0 members
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.