Customer Reviews

Altec Lansing ACS22 Computer Speakers (2-Piece)

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I have had seven different computer speaker systems, including numerous four and five piece systems, and I will honestly say, I've never heard a better set of speakers than the Altec Lansing ACS48. They are incredibly clear and vibrant, the all wood subwoofer cabinet ensures that bass is clear and responsive, the main speakers are equipped with midrange speakers and tweeters, and treble is outstanding. Pros: Excellent sound quality, low cost, easy to set up Cons: large bass module, no treble adjustment, bass adjustment knob not easily accessible (on the module itself)

Certainly not the best speakers you could ever have for your computer, the ACS33 nevertheless fills an important niche in the market. If you're looking for subwoofered sound on the cheap, this is probably your best bet. They're competent performers, without taking price into consideration. Look at how much they cost, and you'll think there aren't better speakers made on the planet. They have the potential to work, as do most speakers, on both Macintosh and Windows machines.

Interestingly, they also have a secondary use. Because they don't need a computer to work at all, they can be plugged directly into any stereo system that has the ability to output its sound (that is, one which has an AUDIO OUT jack). They can thus give resonant stereo sound--even to lowly portables. You'll think twice about whether you really need to upgrade to a whole new system after hearing these speakers. (Before buying for this purpose, however, I'd recommend you go to altec-lansing.com and grab the manual for this product, just to make sure that it's compatible with your stereo.)

Inasmuch as there are drawbacks to the speakers, they are ones you would expect from a product so inexpensive. As another reviewer has rightly pointed out, there's no volume control on the woofer. There's also no bass, treble, or speaker-independent volume control. And the speakers are rated at only 10 watts, with a relatively indelicate frequency response.

But, big deal.

If, like most people, you've got your computer jammed into a corner in a busy room, you don't have the soundspace to set up a truly extraordinary auditory experience. If you've got a lot of people living with you, anything more than 10 watts is discourteous, anyway. Unless you have a room that you can dedicate to the computer, and that's relatively isolated from others, it's extremely unlikely you would actually be able to use more than this system offers.

I bought a set of these for a co-worker because they were inexpensive, but I was very impressed at how nice they sounded for the money. They have 3 other features I really like: 1, a simple volume control that controls both speakers. 2, the voltage adapter is built it, so there's no external AC adapter to use up 3 spaces on a power strip (it has a standard AC plug). 3, an external headphone jack that makes it easy to disable the speakers and listen quietly. I was so impressed, that I bought a set for myself.

I bought these for my college dorm. They're excellent - an extraordinary deal and a lotta bang for the buck. Everything always sounds in great balance, as compared to some speakers I've heard, where it's all bass and no sensitivity. Don't get me wrong; the bass is enormous on these, but coming from a music major, these speakers sound NICE. Lots and lots of power with no distortion. Another plus is the dual input, which I used to give my little boom box some power, and plugged my VCR into for some really nice cinema sound. Go for it!

I just recieved my set Altec Lansing ACS 48's after about three days. I just have to say first off that these speakers are totally worth the money. Before I bought these speakers, I used a pair of 30 dollar no name speakers. I truly did not think that there would be that much of a difference, but it has become quite obvious that there definitely is. This unit provides so much bass that my room shakes with each thump. Also, the mid and high range is excellence, since I hear things in songs I never heard before.

By the way, the technical information provided by Amazon is erroneous. The sub has 40 watts of power, and each satellite has 20 watts, totaling to 80 watts of pure power. If you have the extra money, you just have to buy these speakers.

The only bad thing is that there is no treble control, and the bass control is on the back of the sub, which may be inconvenient for you. Oh yeah, and the subwoofer is quite large, so make sure you have enough room first.

These speakers do not sound bad, don't get me wrong. If the company had actually used a tad more thought when designing the cabling they would have a winner. However, even the sound quality on these is not up to par with the set of Cambridge Soundworks/Creative Labs computer speakers I have that cost about the same price.

The sub-woofer seems fine, but the satellites seem to have a much cheaper tinnier sound than the Creative Labs Speakers. For gaming they sound fine, but music clearly sounds better on the Creative Labs speakers to me.

But where these speakers truly fail the end user is in the wiring. Unlike the Creative Labs set that is configured more like a standard set of stereo speakers, allowing you to position your satellites anywhere in the room to achieve optimal separation, the Altec Lansing set has very short cables. The left speaker has to be within four feet of the subwoofer. Then the right speaker has to be within six feet of the left. Then to add insult to injury, the five foot wire from the computer to the speaker system has to plug into the left speaker.

Worst of all, they hard-wire everything. On the Creative labs system, the computer connects to the subwoofer which connects via standard speaker cable to the satellites. Wonderful and simple design!! The Altec Lansings have wires of non-standard configuration hard-wired into the left speaker and chincy speaker wire that is hard-wired between the speakers (Maybe if you rip them apart and splice wires you could expand it, but do you want to?).

The easy configuration of your computer speaker system is a large percentage of its sound and convenience. Dump these babies for the better sounding Creative Labs setup.

after use it for about a month , i'll say this product is good , it has a nice double speaker and real kick bass system , but for 50 dollars , it ain't that good , if u want to buy this thing , buy the ACS-66 , it has more bass , and more clear sound , and it only ten dollars more

I went through about 7 different 3-piece speaker systems before I decided to give this one a try. Once I plugged these babies in the search was over! I can't believe how Clear and loud the speakers are! The huge, wooden sub can put out bass at a amazing sound level yet retain perfect bass reproduction, not only thumps of noise like other sub woofers on the market. The satellites are just incredible! The music that comes out of these satellites sound absolutely crisp and clear without any distortion at even the highest sound level. This whole system is also very quality built. I love the 2 digital buttons located on the right satellite that controls power and volume to both the satellites and subwoofer. The sub woofer also has it's own bass level control. You only have to bend down once to set it where you want and then the satellite's buttons control the volume and power from then on. I'll tell you, I look for the quality of music reproduction not just the loudness it pumps out and this system meets and exceeds both requirements! Listening to these babies is pure enjoyment :) Just remember, you always get what you pay for. You might buy a cheaper 3-piece speaker system but you'll pay for it in the long run with lousy sound and you'll just end up buying these any way. You will be extremely happy with these!

I had never had any speakers on my computer other than the ones that came prepackaged with it. After they died a slow, horrible, crackling death, I started to shop around. I finally chose the ACS33, both for the terrific price and the good reviews here.

The speakers were very easy to install - just plug the subwoofer into the wall, tuck it under the desk, and then plug the smaller speakers into the subwoofer and computer sound jack. When I first put in a CD to see what they sounded like, I was amazed. I literally never knew that speakers could sound like this. The sound really does seem to surround you. I have never even had a stereo sound this good. The subwoofer really makes a huge difference! We spent the evening dancing around the room to beautiful music and romantic monitor light! :)

The only drawback that annoys me about these speakers is that they must be turned on and off independently of the computer by turning a stiff horizontal dial (which doubles as the volume control) on one of the satellite speakers. The satellites are light, so you must hold it down with one hand while concentrating on turning the dial with the other. This sounds like a small thing, but after a few weeks of on-off-on-off, it can try your patience. If they must be powered independently, a simple on/off pushbutton in addition to the volume dial would be vastly preferable. This situation poses no problem, however, if you simply choose to leave the unit on.

I think the ACS33 is a great buy, and I probably would rate it 4 1/2 if I could. The sound is terrific, light years ahead of what I had before. You can't beat the price, either.

The Altec Lansing ACS33 Power Cube speaker system is a very nice solution to anyone's computer audio needs. I am a Flash developer and your common everyday music enthusiest so sound is very important to me in my work. These sleak sattelite speakers and sub-woofer deliver crisp, powerful, and LOUD sound. I can also say that they surprised me with the quality of sound they give while set on the lowest volume setting, while barely audible. I only have two minor gripes, however, that keep this product from 5-stars. Music highs sound a bit weak and syntehtic from the desktop speakers, while the sub-woofer is also a bit weak and has no level control of its own (which, in my eyes, is a major problem with most sub-woofers). While these short comings can be contained with a equalizer program, they really shouldn't have appeared at all. But aside from these very minor problems, this system shines as a lost cost system with a lot of power!