Customer Reviews

Altec Lansing BXR1221 2.1 Speaker System (Black)

5 star:		(50)
4 star:		(56)
3 star:		(19)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

My laptop has XP Media Edition software, but really bad speakers. If I want to listen to anything, I need external speakers or headphones. For the price, this Altec Lansing Three-Piece Speaker System does a good job. The bottom line is good, well balanced sound for a low price.

Now the caveats:

On speakers that require an external power source, I would have expected to be able to crank up the volume a bit more. When listening to modern CDs or MP3s on my PC I can turn up the sound high enough to fill a large room without distortion, but when watching an old movie (say 1930s vintage) I can turn up the volume all the way and the dialog is barely audible. Other speakers I've used don't seem to have that issue, but they were more expensive.

This system may be compact for a shelf or desk, but it's not tiny and don't expect it to be portable. The set up is lightweight but rather bulky. The subwoofer is roughly the size of an elongated Kleenex Boutique tissue box; the satellites are approximately the size of Campbell's soup cans.

There are lots of wires, too. The right satellite, the one with the on/off and volume control knobs, has four separate wires: 1) hardwire to the other satellite, 2) hardwire to the jack that goes to the audio source (computer or MP3 player), 3) a jack to connect to the hardwire coming from the subwoofer, and 4) a jack for the wire to the AC adapter. That's a lot of wire coming out of the back of one soup can size speaker!

The wall plug is on the AC adapter. Something to consider if you are already using outlets for the PC, monitor, printer, and whatever other peripherals you need - a power strip may have multiple outlets, but this can easily use one and cover up another.

If none of these observations is a deal breaker for you, then the low price and good sound are a good value.

After spending big $ on Bose speakers for my computer only to have the unit die in 2 years and Bose charging so much for out of warranty repair, I'd be better off buying new ones - I vowed to never spend that kind of money again. Good thing - because I no longer have that kind of dispensable income! Enter these Altec Lansing speakers.

I like having the manual control right on the speaker if I need to suddenly turn down to hear if a phone is ringing or what the dog is barking about.

I hear no rattle when the volume is up - something you typically experience in cheap speakers. The cheap ones typically are a "you get what you pay for" experience... adequate for a small cube at work, but not much else. Not so with these little power-houses. Am I comparing these to Bose? No. These do not attempt to be in the same class as luxury end speakers. I've used a number of low-cost speakers before, however, and these are among the best I've used. I find these perform better than my JBL Duets, which tend to rattle if the volume is cranked up. The subwoofer lets you feel what you can't hear... the base that is too much for most satellite speakers is faithfully transmitted where you can feel it as much as you hear it.

For low-cost computer speakers (or even for an iPod!), the landscape is FULL of competitors - but the cheap ones are typically just that - cheap. Altec Lansing did a good job in making a set-up that's attractive, uses a small desktop footprint and has good sound that's affordable.

I picked these up as a temporary solution to get some sound for my PC. My decision to purchase these was primarily because of my prior experience with an Altec Lansing ASC 495 system. Not yet available at Amazon, the BX1221 speakers were purchased at Walmart for $24.95.

When I first installed these I was horrified by the muffled, muted sound that came out of them. After fiddling with the equalizer software that came with my sound card I finally hit on a setting which provided much more crispness and ok bass. Then I went to work on the equalizer and WOW settings in Windows Media player. Once all the twiddling was finsihed I was really surprised by the good sound from this little budget system.

Altec Lansing says they are compact for a crowded desktop. Small, Yes. Compact, No. Due to the long design of the desktop units they actually take up more desk space than any previous speaker I've owned. They're about six inches long so take that into account before you purchase them.

Pros:
-Darn good sound once you adjust them to your preference
-Low Price
-Adequate power

Cons:
-Volume control is a thumbwheel on top of the right speaker
-On/Off switch is a rotory dial on the back of the right speaker
-Left Speaker is connected to the right via a short speaker cord, roughly 42", not allowing for a great deal of seperation
-No seperate volume control or adjustment available for the sub-woofer

Would I buy them again under the same circumstances? Probably. If you're short on cash they're a good value. They're far from a premium system but the installation is simple; they're just plug and play right out of the box. If all you want is an upgrade from 2.0 speakers that came with your computer, you will most likely be happy with the BX1221. Once I get moved I'll be going back to my old 5.1 surround system but until then I can still listen to my tunes without cringing at the sound quality.

I had the opportunity to evaluate both these speakers and the Altec Lansing Speakers for Computers/MP3 Players with Crystal-Clear Sound (Black) side-by-side. Both speaker sets are in approximately the same price range and are about the same quality but with different styling. This set has 2 tubular satellite speakers with fixed stands and a small subwoofer. I tested this set with my laptop, tv, and iPod.

Generally, this speaker set is OK if you just want a basic upgrade from your little laptop speakers, or want some inexpensive speakers for your iPod. The sound is fair and will distort if cranked up too much. Interestingly enough, these speakers don't benefit much from the addition of the tiny subwoofer since the speaker in it is facing downwards; it's really like a regular speaker turned upside-down. Placed on a carpeted floor, the low-end (what there is of it) is lost completely. There's also an on/off rotary switch mounted on the rear of one of the satellites, and the volume control is on the top of one of the units.

The other set I evaluated,Altec Lansing Speakers for Computers/MP3 Players with Crystal-Clear Sound (Black)has a bit better sound quality, especially at low volume levels which I found to be quite useful in a workplace setting. It has a combination on/off volume control on the front of one of one its speaker units (there's no subwoofer with that set), and it also has a separate tone control.

Here's a list of the features of both speaker sets and which set I preferred for each category(I refer to them as "3-speaker" and "2-speaker"):

| Price: Both speakers are within $5 of each other at this writing = DRAW
| Controls: 2-speaker set
| Styling: I prefer the 2-speaker set, but I realize that this is very subjective and others may like the 3-speaker set. If you're looking for compactness, consider that fact that the subwoofer in the 3-speaker is pretty ineffective and thus takes up unnecessary space.

I rate these 3-1/2 stars; they're a decent inexpensive set of speakers, but they just lack a couple of features that the 2-speaker set had.

I preferred the 2-speaker set, but I encourage you to check out the other set that I evaluated and see what others have written about them and make the choice for yourself.

Hi!
I got this speakers just a few hours ago and instantly after I installed them and turned computer on I noticed the difference from my older
Logitech R-20 2.1 speakers. The sound quality is way better. Top notch and crystal clear sound. I can tell when drummer is hitting the cymbal or the crash or the china. I can completely tell the bass or double bass.

Great sound for a minor price if you want a basic 2.1 with a top notch sound.
The only thing that I wish it has more power was the bass. But dont get me wrong, is great. But I personally would have liked a bit more power in the subwoofer.

Coming from someone who've had 3 pair of stereo speakers, believe me, this is the best one so far.
Totally worth every penny.

These speakers are pretty small and are an inexpensive 2.1 speaker system.

At high volume, the stereo speakers vibrate a little, so you might consider placing them on a little pad or something as the tiny pads they have don't help much at high volume. What is good is a separate on-off switch from the volume control, so that you can leave it set the way you want and just turn them off and on when needed. I have tried them with various kinds of music on various equalization setting and they produce good bass while keeping the highs clear and sharp. You can crank it up to fill a small room with good sound. I do have the woofer part (I would not call it a sub-woofer!) on a hardwood floor so that may make it sound better than if it were on a carpeted floor. It is a very good speaker system for the price. it is comparable to some more expensive speakers I have evaluated. I have also had some experience working with and price-shopping for public address speaker systems for speech and music so I have a little more experience with this kind of product than the average consumer. The box has packaging that is very nearly 100% recyclable.

A good choice for an Mp3 player or a PC, for CDs or other recordings or even streaming audio.

I admit I'm spoiled. For my desktop PC, I've been using a three-box (small speakers plus subwoofer) set from Cambridge Soundworks (RIP) that I purchased more than ten years ago. The small speakers are about the same weight as those in the Altec Lansing set, but are short cubes rather than long tubes, and the subwoofer weighs at least 10 pounds. The sound quality is excellent. The set also cost far more than the Altec Lansings!

So what did I expect? Not room-filling bass and crystal-clear highs, to be sure. But what I did get from the Altec Lansings was disappointing in the extreme. I connected these to my iPhone and played a variety of music from my collection. The midrange was pretty good, but the upper end was weak and the bass was non-existent.

The "subwoofer" contains a cheap-looking paper cone driver that faces down from the bottom of the box. The box looks impressive, but when you pick it up you find that it weighs almost nothing. It DOES contribute to the "low end" in that if you disconnect the subwoofer the sound becomes even more anemic, but I would never consider this "bass".

I do like the "space saving design" - too many current models have tall desktop speakers, and that may not work for everyone. The volume control is handy on the top front of one of the satellites but the on-off switch, a rotary knob, is inconveniently placed on the back. There is a bright amber power LED on the front that I find distracting. The "wall-wart" power adapter is the old, inefficient transformer style, not the newer "switching supply" type.

The Altec Lansing set is attractive, but the sound is too thin for me to recommend it in general. Given its modest price, however, it makes a reasonable speaker set for a PC if you're not too fussy about sound quality. I could not imagine listening to music through these.

These work great as a low cost substitute for the poor quality speakers in the new LED HDTVs. Just plug in the jack to the TVs aux audio jack and plug into wall and you're ready to go. Sound quality is about the same as in a thicker TV, and you can control volume with remote from TV. This is not for those who want suround sound or anything, just makes up for thin poor quality LED speakers.

I agree with reviewer F. Gillett that Altec Lansing's BXR1221 speaker system is not bad for a budget speaker system, and in fact I would say it's very good for a system with a manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) of a few cents under thirty dollars.

I tested these speakers with musical selections played from two sources: a Sony Vaio laptop Windows Media Player and a Sony MP3 player.

I tested the system with pop songs such as Debbie Gibson's "Only In My Dreams" and Hoku's "Perfect Day" (theme song for the movie Legally Blonde); rock songs by The Rolling Stones, Lady GaGa, Soft Cell, The Mekons, Pere Ubu, etc.; and classical selections from compositions by Mozart, Handel, Stravinksy, Osvaldo Golijov, and a few more composers. I also listened to a CNN video. Everything sounded good to very good with the exception of the two punk selections I played, those being "Never Been in a Riot" by The Mekons, and Snuff's cover of "I Think We're Alone Now." To my ears, these selections sounded tinny and had flat midranges.

The sound quality of the system when playing a live classical BBC radio broadcast was very good (I'm thinking in terms of a scale ranging from poor to excellent with very good being just below excellent - one must spend more than thirty dollars to get excellent fidelity from a PC/MP3 player speaker system).

I tested this speaker system at low, medium, and high volume levels and found the sound to be pleasingly good at all levels. I also found this system to be comfortable to listen to for hours on end. I'm not sure I can articulate why, but my experience is that some speaker systems are less than pleasant to listen to for long stretches of time. I find this system very easy on the ears when played at low and medium volume levels.

The satellites are 5 inches long, 3 inches wide (at the widest point), and 3 3/4 inches high. This makes them relatively small for PC speakers, which means that they are relatively unobstrusive on a desk or work station. Unlike many tall PC speakers, the satellites for this system cannot fall over if the desk, work station, or table on which they sit is bumped.

The volume control is conveniently located atop and toward the front of the right satellite, but the on/off knob is less conveniently located on the rear of the same speaker. I consider this less convenient because, depending on the dimensions of your desk or work station, this can require you to stretch or stand to reach it. My desk is about 34 inches deep and I have the satellites as far back on the desk as they can go, so I have to stretch and nearly stand to reach the on/off knob.

The subwoofer can be placed out of the way on the floor, though the down-firing woofer - which is unprotected by a grill of any sort, so one must be careful when handling the subwoofer - sounds considerably better when the subwoofer is on a flat, hard surface as opposed to a carpeted surface, or sound-absorbing surface. (One could always place the subwoofer atop a piece of wood, glass, tile, or any other hard surface.)

All in all, I rate this 4 out of 5 stars and consider it a very good system for the MSRP. I recommend it to anyone who is in the market for a budget PC/MP3 player speaker system (as long as their primary use for it won't be to play punk rock, based on my experience at least).

I purchased these speakers about three years ago and what I really like is their sturdiness and sound. They are perfect for a small to large room and are loud and clear. The subwoofer fires downward on the floor and delivers great and tight bass. Sitting the two satellites on your table or work area don't take up too much space. I would like the wire connecting the two to be a little longer but they are designed for desk or tables and sit nicely in the rear. The sound quality is comparable to more expensive speakers and are loud enough for music, games, video, instruments, ect., whatever you want to use them for. I use them most for music/laptop and they deliver quite nicely. I paid almost double what they are going for now, (3) three years ago and am still quite satisfied. Sitting the subwoofer on your floor and the satellites on the table you can control the volume and power. (power supplied by included AC adapter) On a tiled or carpeted floor the bass is tight, strong and loud without being boomy, the satellites deliver sharp detail. I would recommend them.