- Stylish multimedia speakers with auxiliary input
- Add a CD or MP3 player without disconnecting from your computer
- Two speakers per enclosure for added bass response
- Audio Alignment technology for balance and accuracy
- Each speaker measures 5.3 x 8.4 x 4.7 inches (WxHxD)
Product Description
The versatile VS2620 stereo speaker system boldly breaks the mold with striking contemporary design and crystal-clear sound for music, movies and games. The unique angled shape directs the full-spectrum audio toward you for improved sound imaging and their compact size is ideal for desktop use. All the controls are right at hand. As an added convenience, the handy secondary input jack lets you connect your MP3 or CD player while still linked to your computer…. More >>
#1 by fxscout on January 2nd, 2010
Really there is nothing good I can say about these speakers. They have no base and the sound quality is terrible.
Save the money. Spend a little more for something better.
I didn’t expect much but this didn’t even meet those expectations.
Rating: 1 / 5
#2 by Timur Tabi on January 2nd, 2010
These computer speakers are relatively decent, but they’re not going to win any awards. Each speaker has two cones in it, so that’s an improvement over most low-budget speakers. For their size, they sound okay.
As other reviewers have mentioned, the power switch is awkward. It’s a dial like the volume switch, but it can only be turned a few degrees (left is off, right is on), so that’s kinda weird. I don’t mind having the power switch distinct from the volume control, I just wish the power switch were a button instead of a dial.
The style is a bit dated. They look good, but they remind me of speakers my uncles had back in the 70s. They are stable, though. You won’t have to worry about the speakers falling over.
On drawback is that the audio cable that connects to the computer is too short. It’s only six feet long, and since it comes from the right speaker, it barely reaches my computer on the left side of my desk.
Rating: 3 / 5
#3 by P. Breakfield IV on January 3rd, 2010
I chose the Altec Lansings over the Logitech and other offerings based on my outstanding experience with AL’s iphone/ipod docking station. The iphone docking station plays my music from my iphone and it sounds like a seriously good sound system and costs very little – around $120. So I thought that perhaps AL would get the same incredible sound out of these computer speakers.
Nope. Not even CLOSE. I can’t even believe they are made by the same company. The sound is muddy and generally poor. I have a friend with the Logitech speakers and they sound crisp and punchy. I should have gone with them, but I really thought AL was going to be good because of the way my iphone station sounds.
I highly recommend avoiding these if you care at all about your sound. And if you don’t, save $20 and get a $10 pair of speakers!
Rating: 1 / 5
#4 by P. Colin McGraw on January 3rd, 2010
I tend to be skeptical of just how well $30 speakers can perform, but these impressed me! Altec Lansing markets these as “Crystal-Clear” and I found the claim to be more or less true at the volume you’d typically listen to sound, though quality diminishes at higher volume.
Out of the box, these have well-adjusted sound that was of much better quality than I’d expect of speakers at this price point. I thought they’d be more in the range of the dinky USB-powered speakers that came with my old computer, but these speakers’ external power provides enough juice to bring the music up a notch.
I also liked the style! You get a sense for their shape in the photographs, but what you can’t tell is that these speakers are nearly a foot tall so they have a noticeable presence on your computer desk.
The downside beyond diminished quality at higher volume is simply that the speakers aren’t very adjustable. There’s a knob that lets you tilt the sound toward more treble or more bass, but I found that my music lost its “crystal-clear” quality if you tried to adjust the sound much at all. so the control isn’t very useful.
Overall, I’d say these speakers are a great buy at $30 and I wouldn’t hesitate to use them as a fairly capable set of computer speakers. The quality loss at higher volume limits their ability to fill a whole room with “crystal-clear” sound, but I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at what you get for so little money.
Rating: 4 / 5
#5 by M. J. Walters on January 3rd, 2010
I was initially surprised when I unpacked these speakers because they were a lot larger than I’d expected. In fact, I think they’re rather large for laptop speakers unless your laptop doesn’t travel the way mine does, around the house or outside of it. You’re not going to be carting these speakers along with you. They’ll probably end up as speakers for my desktop.
Portability issues aside, they do provide good sound for their size and price point. Tone is crisp and clear, and while you can’t do much more than play with the volume and brighten or darken the sound, you can still do some reasonable fine-tuning here. I’m sure there are audiophiles out there who will disagree with me, but then I don’t really think that listening to music or watching DVDs on your computer provides optimal enjoyment no matter how good your speakers. It’s a convenience, not worth selling your firstborn for.
Apart from the size, my only other quibble is that here is yet another piece of equipment that I have to find a plug for, and a plug that will accommodate yet another bulky transformer. I realize that external speakers which operate on juice from the computer are probably pretty sad little things, and that it’s a trade-off, but I really am getting tired of all those black blocks.
But the bottom line is this: I’m sitting here listening to Pandora Radio and it sounds good to me for a change. The sort of good that would get me back to listening on a regular basis. And that, my friends, is the real test of these speakers and their relationship to my laptop. They may not end up attached to the desktop after all.
Rating: 4 / 5