Altec Lansing 221 - Altec Lansing 221's Cont'd
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Design gripes
If you have not noticed already, the Altec Lansing 221s are missing out on a few worthy features which any good speaker system usually has; I will briefly lay out the initial cons here:
There is no way to separate the left and right satellites without severing the pre-built wire connection and risking potential damage
There is a lack of pre-drilled holes for wall mounting
The subwoofer is not magnetically shielded
There is NO BASS CONTROL!
There is NO TREBLE CONTROL!
In most cases people complain about having bass and and treble control on the subwoofer, forcing them to bend below their desk when any "tweaking" is necessary. But in this case, bass and treble are not an option at all. No doubt this can usually be remedied from the software side in Windows, so it may not be as big of an issue to some as it may be to others, but keep in mind the people using these speakers with their Playstation 2 or who are just to damn lazy to open up sound properties every time they feel a need to change the bass and treble.
Performance
I put the Altec Lansing 221s through what I like to call a grueling gauntlet of sound tests. All tests were run on a P4 1.8GHz machine with onboard SoundMAX digital sound. Results are qualitative.
Movies:
The 221s played movies with acceptable quality. Overall, at lower listening levels, bass does not exceed the limits of the subwoofer and accompanies sound from the satellites well. The Altecs have good definition in the higher frequency ranges, allowing audio to be respectable. But as soon as the volume is turned up, the 221s ability to play movies loud and give a proper cinematic feel is heavily handicapped by the subwoofer. Throughout testing, the strain put on the sub was very evident from a strange, vibrating-type sound emitted from the woofer on every beat.
Music:
Liszt - Transcendental Etude no. 10 (piano) - A live recorded piano piece containing a large spectrum of high, low, loud and soft notes at a very rapid rhythm; tests clarity, or the ability to reproduce clear, distinctive notes.
Dvorak - Finale from the New World Symphony #9 (orchestra) - By the Bohemian composer Dvorak, this piece incorporates a whole host of string instruments majestically and tests both percussive transients and overall instrument reproduction.
Chopin - Etude no. 5 op. 10 in E (piano) - Similar to the first piece by Liszt, this short 1:30 etude is a fast piano piece good for testing clarity.
Yanni - Quiet Man (new age) - A soothing mixture of electric keyboard with percussion instruments, this piece demands accurate reproduction of bass from the subwoofer; it reveals flaws in cheaper subs which often flood sound with too much bass.
50 Cent - In Da Club (rap) - Now my kind of music! This is the perfect song to test the LOUDNESS of a set of speakers; the louder this piece is played the better it makes any stereo sound.
Fabulous - Not Give A Fu*k (rap) - Although very similar to In Da Club with the loudness factor, this song requires better quality bass production in order to be enjoyable; otherwise it will simply sound like crap.
Linkin Park - Don't Stay (rock) - A combination of modern instruments and vocals, Linkin Park combines sampling elements with heavy rock riffs; mainly stressing a speakers ability to keep sounds clean and clear; a poorer quality set of speakers will produce a muffled-type sound.
Evanescence - Bring Me To Life (rock) - Similar to Linkin Park but stresses more on vocals, taxing more the satellites rather than the subwoofer.
Of the three areas tested, the 221s excelled the greatest with music playback. This is certainly however, nothing to celebrate for as soon as the volume is turned past a specific point, the same problems experienced during movie playback with bass reoccur. Generally though, solid, "listenable" sound is produced from the above selections, and given that the 221s are value speakers, there is not much to say.
Games:
As a competitive Counter-Strike player, I know the importance of sound when it comes to games. Especially when it puts you in a life-or-death situation (virtually, of course). It is vital that volume is turned up high when seriously gaming and that whisper-light to loud sounds are accurately produced, as it enhances an entire human sense and truly makes a difference in one's fragging success. As a long-time user of some of the best quality yet cheapest headphones, the Plantronics Audio .90s, the Altec Lansing 221s failed to impress me much on the gaming front. Every explosion was crippled by the subwoofer's lackluster performance. Some of the gunshots simply came off as "popping" noises, no doubt rescinding my enthusiasm for the games I played.
Conclusion
In the end, the Altec Lansing 221s failed to be the "Klipsch-killer" I had hoped for. But with overall solid sound, reasonable power (but rather weak bass), and certain affable features like the easily accessible headphone jack, the 221s get the job done for under $50. With these speakers, be prepared to make compromises in terms of performance and little things like bass control.
Bottom line: If you are looking to purchase a new set of value speakers, I recommend spending an extra $10-20 for a cheap 5.1 system (i.e. Logitech Z-640s) or something from Altec's PC gaming line. The 221s are not necessarily a BAD speaker system, but for the average customer, there are definitely a wiser choices.
Special thanks goes out to Altec Lansing for providing the unit for review. We'd like to thank you for joining us here today. If you would like to discuss this review or others, please head into the DevH forums for a chat. See you there!
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