With all the hype surrounding PC peripherals such as memory, video cards, motherboards, and processors, sometimes we forget a very crucial upgrade, that being our speakers. Many might still be gaming with the standard 2.0 speaker setup that came with their system, and they may be missing out. Let’s take a gander at the first step in an upgrade; the Altec Lansing VS2421, a two speaker system with the addition of a subwoofer.



About Altec Lansing:

Altec Lansing's early technological developments in acoustical and electronic components have earned a place of prominence in sound reproduction few companies can match. The predominance of Altec's name over the years in sports stadiums, arenas, theatres, airports, auditoriums, churches, amusement parks and more recently on desktops within homes and at the workplace attest to this fact.

Altec Lansing speaker systems have formed the backbone of the sound systems in such world renowned places as The United Nations Building, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Disneyland and Disneyworld, New York's Lincoln Philharmonic Center and the Schubert Theatre, MGM's Grand Hotel, The Singapore National Stadium, and The Sydney Opera House, to name a few.

Today Altec Lansing speakers appear in myriad environments, addressing the wide array of needs for quality audio among diverse professional business people, musicians, families, students, music connoisseurs and gaming aficionados within their respective milieus.

Let's start off by checking out some published data on the Altec Lansing VS2421 computer speaker system as taken from the product page at Xoxide.com (the sponsor of this review).

Features:

» High Quality Stereo
» Custom-Engineered 2.5” Ported Speakers - Delivers clean, full-spectrum sound
» Compact Subwoofer - Delivers a Huge Amount of Sound from a Slim 5.25” Speaker
» Built-in Mic - Allows Talk-Back Capabilities for Internet (VoIP) and Gaming
» Features Automatic Feedback Cancellation
» Convenient Controls - Offers Easy Fingertip Control of Audio Functions
» Wall-Mountable Design - Simply Remove Base & Use Keyhole on Each Speaker
» iPod / MP3 Player Jack - Simultaneously connects iPods, MP3 & CD players to your PC
» Headphone Jack - For Private Listening
» User Manual - Provides Detailed Info About Set-Up, Operation, Safety & Features

Specifications:

» Sound pressure level (SPL): 98 dB
» Total continuous power: 28 Watts RMS
» Peak power: 56 Watts
» Front Speakers: 7 Watts/channel @ 8 ohms
» @ 10% THD @ 180 Hz - 20 kHz (2 Channels Loaded)
» Subwoofer: 14 Watts @ 8 ohms @ 10 %
» THD @ 35 - 180 Hz Single Channel Loaded
» System Response: 35 Hz - 20 kHz (-10 dB)
» Signal to Noise Ratio @ 1 KHZ INPUT: > 80 dB
» Satellite Speakers:
   » Drivers (per Satellite): 1 x 2.5” Full Range Driver
   » Dimensions: 3.5” x 3.6” x 8.8” (89mm x 92mm x 222mm)
» SUBWOOFER:
   » Driver: 1 x 5.25” Woofer
   » Dimensions: 11.7” x 5.6” x 9.3” (298mm x 143mm x 237mm)