Altec Lansing VS4221 2.1 Speaker System Music & Gaming System with Remote

by Altec Lansing

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 17 x 17 x 13 inches ; 13 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 16 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000A7NRPI
• Item model number: VS4221
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (61 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: July 7, 2004

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Forget modesty, we really did it this time. The new Altec Lansing VS4221 speaker system is a stunner. Judge it by its specially engineered micro drivers that deliver crisp, clear highs. A down-firing 3-inch driver for a warm, uniform sound around the room. And, of course, the long-throw subwoofer that packs enough bass to register on the Richter scale.The result is a rich, robust sound that very few systems can match at any price. And just look at it! The Altec Lansing VS4221 system is sleek and beautiful. A pivoting stand allows you to orient the micro drivers so they direct sound straight to your ears. And a convenient wireless remote and caddy put the controls right at your finger tips. High performance. High class looks. The new Altec Lansing VS4221 system is the perfect package.

• Powerful sound: Experience what great performance is all about!
• Exceptional sound dispersion: Our uniquely concealed midrange driver fills the room with richly diffused, accurate sound--you’ll enjoy clean mids anywhere in the room.
• Crisp high end: Specially engineered Micro Drivers on pivoting stand reproduce highs with thrilling clarity and deliver sounds straight to your ears.
• Impressive Bass: Feel shakes and quakes from the front-firing, long-throw subwoofer housed in a solid-wood cabinet.
• Wireless Control: Stand-by, master volume, bass, treble, and loudness are at your fingertips with a wireless remote. Just sit back and enjoy!
• Other features: Built-in controls with power on/off and volume, a headphone jack, built-in RCA inputs for your TV or video gaming system, shielded satellites for use near PC monitors, and color-coded cables for easy installation.

Product Description

Forget modesty, we really did it this time. The new Altec Lansing VS4221 speaker system is a stunner. Judge it by its specially engineered micro drivers that deliver crisp, clear highs. A down-firing 3 driver for a warm, uniform sound around the room. And, of course, the long-throw subwoofer that packs enough bass to register on the Richter scale.The result is a rich, robust sound that very few systems can match at any price. And just look at it The Altec Lansing VS4221 system is sleek and beautiful. A pivoting stand allows you to orient the micro drivers so they direct sound straight to your ears. And a convenient wireless remote and caddy put the controls right at your finger tips. High performance. High class looks. The new Altec Lansing VS4221 system is the perfect package.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Cool looks, so-so sound, fair price..., November 29, 2006

By 

Eduardo Nietzsche (Houston) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Altec Lansing VS4221 2.1 Speaker System Music & Gaming System with Remote (Personal Computers)

If you're mainly looking to play games, watch DVDs, and maybe have casual background music while working at your computer, you could do far worse than this system. Like most computer speakers, the sound is mainly treble and bass and weak midrange, which is fine for most rock and rap music.

The sats do look really cool, though it's hard to hear why Altec Lansing bothered to include downward firing (alleged) mid-woofers on the sats since they seemed almost imperceptible.

And of course the wireless remote is an awesome feature...unless you lose it of course, in which case you might as well throw the whole system out the window.

Not sure why they give you treble and bass controls since most people use the software equalizer on Winamp or Windows Media Player, etc. I would've preferred to see them take that cost and put it into the actual drivers, especially the subwoofer driver which as one would expect from any computer speaker system, is mediocre at best.

Still, for eighty bucks this isn't bad. Certainly beats the living daylights out of those ridiculous two hundred fifty dollar Bose 2.1 systems!

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Sound For The Money!, April 30, 2006

By 

Jeffrey D. Joseph (Leesburg, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Altec Lansing VS4221 2.1 Speaker System Music & Gaming System with Remote (Personal Computers)

I bought these to use with an inexpensive DVD player and TV in our bedroom. I was pleasantly surprised at the high quality sound for the money. Being the lazy sort, I wanted remote control and this system has this convenience. I am use to visual feedback with a remote, so I have to pay attention to perceive the differences as I push the remote buttons.

With the concert DVD's I have viewed, the sound has been really good.

The range of treble and bass adjustment seem limited. Loudness also requires a few pushes to make changes noticeable. But at the end of the movie, when I want to turn out the lights and go to sleep, a push of the button and the little blue LED goes out, telling me it is off. All-in-all a good system and suitable for a number of uses.

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Sound, Poor Controls, March 6, 2007

By 

P. Scott Pope "Scott Pope" (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Altec Lansing VS4221 2.1 Speaker System Music & Gaming System with Remote (Personal Computers)

Currently, I have these speakers connected to both my computer and my DVR/cable box via an A/B switch. As such, they are my primary home entertainment speakers. While the sound is great, I am somewhat disappointed with the controls and the remote as they are far from being user friendly.

Like most modern-day electronics, the VS4221 uses soft switches that leave the unit in standby mode. The problem with this is the unit is continuously using electricity. My Kill-a-watt (see review) indicates that the speakers use 6 watts in standby mode. This is quite a bit considering there are 8760 hours per year, yielding 53 annual kwh or about $6.20 in wasted electricity annually.

Another problem with soft switches is that is never clear what their current status is. It would have been to have a simple LED readout for volume so there wouldn't be any startling explosions of sound. This scenario leads to the gravest problem of all with the speakers. When disconnecting and reconnecting the power, the speakers turn on automatically. As I have them connected to a DVR/cable box that is often left on, blaring sound can come on after a power outage or circuit breaker trip.

The last gripe I have with these speakers is the diminutive remote. It is appropriately sized for an infant. This wouldn't be an issue if the speakers were only being used with a computer. However, my DVR has the volume control disabled. This means I must rely entirely on the speaker volume. This turns out to be a hassle as the remote can easily be lost and is just too small to grip.

Despite my complaints about the user interface, the speakers' sound quality is quite good for the money. The bass is enough for any rock music fan or movie buff. As I use the same set of speakers for music, movies and TV, I have never been dissatisfied with the sound quality. And, in the end, that is what really counts.