Altec Lansing 220 2.0 Computer Speakers (2-Speaker, Black & Silver)

by Altec Lansing

Product Details

Product Manual [202kb PDF]

• Shipping Weight: 4.2 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000068IGP
• Item model number: 220
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: May 14, 2003

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Your new PC rocks. Unfortunately, the tinny-sounding speakers that came with it are pretty uninspiring. It’s time for a powered audio upgrade. Time to let your PC, CD, DVD and MP3 player blast your favorite music in full-stereo sound. For great sound at a great price, check out the Altec Lansing 220 system. The versatile speakers fit easily on your desktop and fire the sound directly toward you for a more vivid listening experience. Get the good sound you deserve with this affordable and compact powered audio system.

What's in the box

Speakers, manual, cords

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Value/Great Looks, October 31, 2002

By 

Charles Chen "Keyboard Jockey" (East Windsor, NJ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Altec Lansing 220 2.0 Computer Speakers (2-Speaker, Black & Silver) (Personal Computers)

Who are these speakers for?
Well, these speakers are not for people who are going to be listening to a lot of rap or club music (weak bass). These speakers are not for the audiophile. These speakers are, in my opinion, perfect for budget gamers (the bass is weak, but the mids and highs are excellent, very clean and crisp), the stylish college student who doesn't have a lot of space, notebook users who want a cheap way to augment their built in speakers, and people who listen to classical or jazz music casually.

Why not 5 stars?
Don't be fooled by the pics, these speakers are pretty big. They're about 3/4 the size of a carton of OJ. All the cables are also permanently connected, meaning that it's a pain to transport and a pain if one of the wires gets damaged. There is no control for bass or treble, which is kinda annoying. They're also kinda heavy, but I guess this is a sign of quality.

What about the good stuff?
Like I said, the sound quality is excellent. Mids and highs are crisp and clean. Classical, jazz, and ambient music lovers will love these speakers for their excellent clarity and spatial seperation (at this very low price of course). Static and distortion at high volume levels are acceptable. The speakers themselves are rather STYLISH in person...I like em :). Setup is a breeze, even for non-technical persons since everything is basically connected for you to begin with. One big plus in my book is that the power brick is built into the speakers, meaning no BULKY adapter (I hate bulky adapters). The construction is definitely very solid and of high quality. Oh and there is a headphone plug located very conveniently on the side of the right speaker, a very useful feature...

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars You Get What You Pay For: Average 2-speaker System, March 27, 2003

By 

D. Morseburg (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Altec Lansing 220 2.0 Computer Speakers (2-Speaker, Black & Silver) (Personal Computers)

For the price, these speakers are a fair deal. Power rating is 5 watts per speaker.

I bought these speakers to monitor output from a sound editing program. I would not recommend these if you intend to monitor sound quality. It's easy to overdrive these speakers and get fuzzy, distorted output, when there is no fuzziness in your sound file. For low-volume monitoring, these speakers are a great value. You get what you pay for with these speakers.

Pros:
-Compact size and stable, metal base

-Adequate for the average sound application
-Headphone input

Cons:
- Input is a hard-wired male stereo mini-plug connection. If the output of your sound card is other than a female stereo plug, you will need to buy an adapter. My sound card output was two RCA plugs, and I had to string together two adapters: RCA to male mini stereo, and female-to-female mini stereo.
-Left and Right speaker hard-wired to each other. Thus, both speakers must be moved together, and the left speaker is not replaceable.
-No bass and treble controls

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars amazing sound! great looks!, July 19, 2003

By 

J. Hancock "bonzaigraphics" (Dayton, OH USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Altec Lansing 220 2.0 Computer Speakers (2-Speaker, Black & Silver) (Personal Computers)

I have these speakers plugged into both a mac and a pc that sit in different parts of the room -- they are perfectly compatible with both. The sound is rich and clear without any hiss or background noise. I was very impressed with the sound quality.
They are very attractive sitting next to my black monitor, and the large volume button is handy. In fact, these are the best looking speakers I researched, regardless of price, and they look even better in person.
The only thing is there are little rubber feet to attach to the bottom stand, but they only give you three for a square stand without instructions for their best placement. Also, if you have a headphone plug that turns a right angle, It might not fit very well in the deep plugwell on the speaker side.
Those are very, very minor nitpicks and the ONLY things I can think of to detract from how much I enjoy these speakers. I used to have speakers that cost about as much but these are an excellent value, easily being 5 times better speakers but only being 5 dollars more.