Customer Reviews

Altec Lansing FX3022 Expressionist Bass Desktop Speakers

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I needed a replacement for my JBL "Creature" 2.1 speaker system -for my desktop computer- as they were 7 years old and developed tears in the satellite speakers. It was a good sounding system for its size(the satellites only took up 3 square inches of space). Anyways, I started my search on Amazon -as usual- and was a little overwhelmed by the choices now, compared to 7 years ago (where has the time gone?). I first looked at replacing the JBL's with another "Creature" system but was a little skeptical about the $70 price tag, as I had paid about $100 for mine. As it turns out, by reading some others' reviews, the quality has diminished. So, onto the next prospect...

I looked at the M-Audio AV-40, Creative Gigaworks T-20 and T40, as well as a Logitech. It was pretty much between the Creative Labs T-20 or T-40 and the Altec Lansing FX3022 Expressionist Bass Desktop Speakers, as I read quite a few reviewers saying that they had trouble with the M-Audio speakers dying on them. I had never heard a Creative Labs speaker before and had a good experience with Altec Lansing before (I have a great sounding Altec Lansing InMotion IM-7), so I decided on the FX3022. I also kinda liked the way they looked, and felt that the incorporated "sub" would provide a fuller sound, as I had planned on using the JBL "Creature" sub along with the AL's.

My first reaction (like a few other reviewers') upon taking these speakers out of the box was, "these are huge!" The base of the speaker is 5" in diameter, tapers up to about 2.75" in diameter at the top and stands 10" tall. Compared to the "Creature's" miniscule footprint, these are humongous. My first listen to these speakers was splashed with a little disappointment. The bass is decent; doesn't really reach down low like a full-size "subwoofer", but is adequate considering it's size. The disappointing part was the tweeter's output. For songs with vocals, it sounded as though the singer was a step or two away from the microphone at times, and in parts where the band came into the song, the singer was diluted in the music. However, after a few hours of listening to them, the sound was a lot clearer and fuller (I'm not sure if they got "broken in" or I just got used to the way it sounded.) But, as other reviewers have said, the midrange is not outstanding. The JBL sub doesn't make a huge difference but does round out the lows and creates a fuller sound. I had to use a 3.5mm headphone splitter to connect both.

I listen to mostly rock music, like metal, alternative/hard/classic rock, and jazz. But I also listen to other genres except for modern pop, country, and hip-hop/R&B. These speakers sound great with techno/electronica type music. I listened to some Blaqk Audio and Depeche Mode and it sounded really good. Other genres sound pretty good, but doesn't blow me away. So, if you're considering these AL FX3022, to me, if you can get them for $50-60USD they'd be worth it. I paid $75+$16ship=$91, and leaves me to wonder if the Creative GigaWorks T40 Series II 2.0 Multimedia Speaker System with BasXPort Technolgy would have been a better choice being at the same price point.

I bought these speakers about 2 years ago, and I'm still happy with them. No technical problems to report and the quality is good considering their size. Altec Lansing FX3022 Expressionist BASS 2-Way Speaker for PC and MP4 (White)

I really liked it. Being a bass fan, I totally liked the bass for such a small size. If you are a sound quality fan(ups and down and all that), then look for something else. Remember these speakers are made for bass.