ModSynergy.com – Review 25 – Altec Lansing 2100 (2.1) Speaker Review
Altec
Lansing 2100 (2.1) Speaker Review
MSRP:
$99.95 U.S.
Let
me first off thank Andrea from Altec Lansing for sending over the
speaker set to review.
Altec
Lansing has been in the audio industry for a very long time. They
have constantly brought great products to the forefront of PC audio.
Ranging from every area such as 2.1, 4.1 and 5.1 speaker sets. Throughout
time, I’ve been a very happy Altec Lansing user, using the Altec
Lansing ACS54 gaming speakers. I’ve constantly followed up on
their offerings and I can honestly say Altec Lansing is an excellent
company to look for in a speaker company.
Today
we are happy to introduce our Altec Lansing 2100 speaker review. Will
the Altec Lansing 2100 continue the trend of being a great speaker
system for it’s segment as the ACS54 did for it’s segment
in the past? Let’s find out!
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.
First
Impressions
The
speakers arrived in a big Altec Lansing box with Styrofoam inside
for protection. I was very anxious to unpack everything to get the
review started. The box itself was attractive and presentation was
excellent.
The
unit features 2 satellites, 1 subwoofer and 1-wired remote. What is
included with the Altec Lansing is:
–
The Subwoofer
– 2 Satellite speakers
– 1 wired remote
– 1 AAC1 Y-Adaptor Cable
– The manual
The
subwoofer is constructed out of wood and was very well made.
The front
looks like plastic because the grill gives off that plastic look.
Nonetheless, it was very attractive to say the least. The subwoofer
has rubber feet’s at the bottom so they do not slide.
That
also holds true with the satellites. They are very small and weigh
not too much. The stands for the satellites are constructed out of
cast alloy. This is where the majority of the weight of the speakers
actually comes from. They also can fit in tight spaces, which is a
big plus.
Comparison
of my Altec ACS54 Sub and the 2100 sub
One
thing I would like to mention are that the subwoofer unit is not magnetically
shielded, meaning you should not put them near your monitor or T.
V. I have chose to put the subwoofer underneath my computer table
for PC audio testing.
I would suggest at least putting them 3 feet
away from a display. Altec Lansing should have made these magnetically
shielded, regardless of pricing.
The
remote is a handy tool for controlling the volume levels. However,
I found them to be too simple. More options would have been better.
I
liked the fact that the package was well protected and organized.
The units all have long wires, which is a definite plus. You
just need to hide away the wires, or you will have a wire fest!
Specs
The
specs are very good for a 2.1 speaker system. It’s 50 watts
maximum power. With 35 watts of total continuous power, this is the
spec that holds true for normal use. 50 watts maximum are when you
blast the speakers up full blast. Continuous power is normal use of
the speakers.
The
signal-to-noise ratio is rated at >65dBA’s. To test this
spec out, I turned on the speakers cranking up the volume without
any audio source and listened to find any hissing sound. There was
small hissing sounds/background noise present. This will not be a
problem because I assume most of us buy speakers to listen to music…Don’t
we?
Installation
has always been a trend of Altec Lansing’s and they hold true
yet again. Color-coded connectors of satellites and the remote will
connect to the back of the subwoofer. The back of the subwoofer has
those same colors. All you need to do is connect the colors. Anyone
can connect it because Altec Lansing just makes it plain easy for
you.
Enough
about specs! Talk about how it performs!
During
testing, I put the speakers through various testing.
From music, DVD’s
and Xbox/games.
Music
Testing: Source from iRock CD/MP3 Player
Installation
went easy as usual. All I needed to do is use the green, 2 headphone
jack (INPUT) and connect one to LINE OUT of the CD/MP3 Player and
the other to the required connection at the back of the subwoofer.
CD
used: Bryan Adams – Waking up the neighbours
Track:
2: Hey Honey – I’m putting you in – This song was used
to test the clarity of the vocals. The speakers performed really well
with excellent sound reproduction of Bryan Adams voice. His vocals
were crisp and clear and easy to understand. Highs were also good
as well. This was with the subwoofer levels adjusted to maximum and
the iRock player equalizer set to FLAT.
Track
5: Not Guilty – I used this song to test out the sound reproduction
of the guitar that is playing in this song.
The 2100’s were
yet again clear and performed really well.
Track
10: All I want is you – This song uses lots of bass and with
the subwoofer levels on max, the 2100’s were literally shaking
the floor! The bass reproduction was excellent. I was impressed. However,
I did notice that the subwoofer was outperforming the satellites.
The satellites were underpowered and were getting little unclear.
This is with the volume really high. With more power to the satellites,
I felt it could perform much better.
XBOX
testing
The installation goes as follows. You have to use the Y-Adaptor cable
for this to work. As always, plug the video cable of the Xbox into
the T. V. Connect the red and yellow audio connectors in the red and
yellow connectors in the Y-Adaptor cable.
Now connect green cable
with 2 audio jacks into the Y-Adaptor end (green).
Halo
– I played Halo and the Altec’s performed well. The gunning
sounds from the automatic had a little too much bass for my liking.
There was too little treble. I had to reach back behind the subwoofer
to turn down the woofer levels. This brings me to my point. If the
remote had had bass and treble options, it would have faired much
better. Overall, the bass was excellent and the satellites were a
little unclear (to much bass).
NFL
Fever 2002 – The speakers faired better than Halo. The announcers
voice was clear and the speakers overall produced good sound. The
bass was good also.
DVD:
Joy Ride – Watching the DVD through the 2100’s were much
better than the Sony TV speakers.
The satellites were very clear and
the bass was very good also. An excellent balance between bass and
treble.
Computer
Audio – I connected the 2100’s up to my computer via
nforce sound, and set the audio options to 2 speakers. While listening
to various audio and music, the sound was very clear. This time I
could control the bass and treble options through the nforce sound
mixer. The subwoofer was strong and solid providing a floor shaking
experience. Playing UT 2003 faired well to with clear sound reproductions
of bombs and weapons.
Conclusion:
Overall,
I came away with a very good impression. Altec Lansing has done it
yet again providing a very good 2.1 speaker set. The sound was very
good with good highs and good lows.
Depending on what the Altec’s
were connected to, it did well. Some minor sound quality issues were
experienced depending on what it was hooked up with. The highs were
relatively good with some occasions where it was unclear and needed
more power. The lows were good to and were not distorted most of the
time during my tests.
The
problems I felt are was a couple of things. First off, the remote.
I would like to see more options on the remote such as bass and treble
options to turn them up or down. Playing Halo, I wanted more treble
because the sound had too much bass. Therefore, I had to reach behind
the sub and adjust them.
Second
of all, the option of going behind the subwoofer to turn the levels
up or down was a pain to say the least. I didn’t really enjoy
having to do that when there was a remote in front of me.
It also
holds true when you have the subwoofer in tight places. You would
have to take the sub out and adjust the bass.
With
good sound, great packaging, long wires, easy connectivity, and a
included AAC1 Y-Adaptor Cable, the Altec Lansing 2100 is a solid 2.1
speaker set performer for it’s segment. Also, with it’s
MSRP of $99.95 U.S. you can easily find it for a cheaper price. A
good value.
Altec
Lansing has set the bar for things to come, and I will be using this
for future references on future reviews.
I
rate the Altec Lansing 2100’s a…
8/10!
Pros
& Cons
+ Good sound for segment
+ Included Y-Adaptor
+ Easy installation
+ Multiple connectivity and uses
+ Construction
– Subwoofer not magnetically shielded
– Satellites need a bit more power
– Subwoofer level knob behind subwoofer
– Remote lacks bass and treble options
– Depending on what connected to, may not be clear enough
Let
me again thank Andrea for taking her time for sending these to review.
The review couldn’t have been done without her help. The Altec
2100 go for $99.95U.S. but can be found for much less. If your
in the brink of buying 2.1 speakers, make sure to check the Altec
2100’s out.
Tweets by @modsynergy
Altec Lansing Life Jacket (iMW575) Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker Review
I remember spending long days at my parents’ cabin in Wisconsin and listening to music all day long. Well maybe not all day long since back then we had a “boom box” radio with a cassette player that took anywhere from 6 to 8 D-size batteries. We would leave the boom box on the dock and constantly remind people not to get it wet.
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A lot has changed since that time. Yes, myself included but I was referring more to the change in technology.
Today, I can carry around a waterproof Bluetooth speaker that connects to my smartphone or tablet and plays continuous music for up to 16 hours. And I don’t need a hundred batteries either. It’s rechargeable.
I’m referring to the Altec Lansing Life Jacket Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker. It functions similar to other Bluetooth wireless speakers I have tested but it goes one step further by being IP67 waterproof, dustproof and shockproof. It also floats but I didn’t have the guts to test that out since the unit I tested wasn’t mine to keep.
Decent sound quality
Just because the Life Jacket speaker is waterproof doesn’t mean it has to sound bad. I found the sound quality on par with most of the wireless Bluetooth speakers in the $50 – $100 range although the Life Jacket will set you back around $150 presumably because of the waterproof, dustproof and shockproof features.
SEE ALSO: JBL Flip 2 Review: Portable wireless speaker
Setup
Setting up the Life Jacket to work with your Bluetooth-enabled smartphone or tablet is easy.
Just pair your device to the speaker one time and you’re set. If you’re lucky enough to have a device that supports Near Field Communication (NFC), the Life Jacket can be set up using this as well.
I also like that you get voice confirmations with the Life Jacket. For instance, if you are already paired with the speaker, it reminds you of this when you turn it on with a nice “Powering on, you are now paired, enjoy!” greeting.
Other features
The Life Jacket can also double as a giant waterproof speaker phone if you pair it with your smartphone. And c’mon, who doesn’t want to answer a phone call while floating in a pool or on a lake just to make their friends jealous?
In a pinch, the Life Jacket can also serve as a power bank for your other devices. So if your smartphone starts running low on battery, you can plug it into the Life Jacket to juice it back up.
Finally, the Life Jacket comes with a carrying case just in case you want to protect it before floating it in water.
Yes, I was making a joke. But it really does come with a carrying case.
Note: The Altec Lansing Life Jacket Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker in this review was provided to me by Verizon Wireless and can be purchased at your local Verizon Wireless store or at www.verizonwireless.com.
Altec Lansing Life Jacket – Portable equipment and accessories
-
Published: 25 February 2015
stereo
recharging devices
Speakerphone
impact-resistant housing
NFC
waterproof case
Altec Lansing’s
Life Jacket Bluetooth speaker is IPX67 rated for water, dust and shock resistance. In addition, it does not sink in water. The Life Jacket has two speakers and a passive bass radiator, and one full charge of the battery lasts up to 16 hours of continuous operation. Life Jacket is equipped with a speakerphone, and the presence of a built-in battery and USB port allows you to use it to recharge other devices. In addition to the speaker itself, the kit includes a power adapter plug, a short audio cable and a micro-USB cable.
The design of the Life Jacket slightly resembles another Braven speaker, the BRV-X, but is smaller: 19.05 cm x 5.8 cm x 7.94 cm. on the side, next to the bass radiator, there is a micro-USB port hidden under a sealed cover for recharging the speaker, an AUX 3.5 mm audio jack and a USB port for recharging other devices. The 900 gram Life Jacket with rubber protection gives the impression of durability.
Connecting the Life Jacket via Bluetooth is – like the vast majority of other speakers – almost instantaneous. According to Altec Lansing, it takes four hours to fully charge the speaker, after which it can work up to 16 hours. Considering the Life Jacket’s solid feature set and endurance, after recharging, you can safely toss it into your backpack and go with it anywhere for the whole day.
True, this requires the desire to take the Life Jacket with you anywhere: but it can be lost due to its far from perfect sound. It is, to say the least, fickle and changes depending on the song.
Vocals are transmitted normally, but many songs “do not reveal themselves fully”, some notes are lost due to a slightly “dirty” sound. Compared to other speakers with similar price tags, the Life Jacket’s shortcomings are obvious: the lack of clarity in the mids and poor bass reproduction spoils the overall positive impression of the speaker. Musical compositions on the Life Jacket just don’t sound as full and colorful as on other similar speakers.
As for the volume, the Life Jacket has enough volume for most cases, but it is again a little lower than other similar speakers. The characteristics of the speakerphone are also quite mediocre. At first glance, the Life Jacket is reassuring with its durability, 16-hour battery life and other features. But the sound quality of a speaker with such a price tag should be much better, so it is rather difficult to recommend it for purchase.
Author: PHIL DZIKIY
Original article: http://www.ilounge.com/index.
php/reviews/entry/altec-lansing-life-jacket-bluetooth-speaker
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Altec Lansing Baby Boom XL Portable Bluetooth Speaker…
Big, clear sound in a small package.
Duy D. Desperado
United Kingdom, Belfast
Level 1
636 Review
53 Karma
Ideal for bathroom and kitchen. That’s why it was bought. Podcasts and music sound clear and loud enough. This is excellent value for money. I’ve trusted Altec Lansing since 2000 when they had a set of 3 PC flex speakers for computers. Very durable products.
Read full review
Pros and cons of Altec Lansing Baby Boom XL Portable Bluetooth Speaker
Not holding a charge
Chris L. Ledet
Switzerland, Bern
Level 1
90 005 662 Review
69 Karma
Nice girl, but I will return it because that it does not hold a charge.
I have fully charged it. I used it for 15 minutes once a day. Another day for 20 minutes. All this happened within three to four days after receiving. I was about to use it again and it didn’t hold a charge, it was dead, I think it should hold a charge for over 1520 minutes of playing time, which if I want to take it to the beach, not great.
View full review
Pros and cons Altec Lansing Baby Boom XL Portable Bluetooth Speaker
Small but powerful Suitable for portable AV devices
90 052 Shalom G. Germann
1 Level
1240 Review
40 Karma
Recently our nephew had a birthday and he wanted a Bluetooth speaker for a long time. I wanted to find something of good quality, but it was not enough. He shares a room with his brother, and each of them has only a small area for personal belongings. This small speaker measures 6 x 3 x 2 inches.
It comes with a lanyard so it can be worn around your wrist, but it’s small enough to fit in your pocket. It is waterproof, protected from snow, mud, etc. It even floats in water. It can be recharged. One charge is enough for about 5.5-6 hours of playback. Bluetooth can be connected up to 100 feet away. The sound is much better than I expected. It has volume, bass and clarity. It was the right speaker size for it and I’m glad my husband found it.
View full review
Pros and cons Altec Lansing Baby Boom XL Portable Bluetooth Speaker
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Well done
-
Seniors
Dale T. Toth
1 Level
801 Review
29 Karma
Do you want to stop listening to music from your phone and sound only through your phone’s speakers or headphones? Want it to have a little punch, crisp highs, and be able to carry it in your pocket? Do you want it to be waterproof enough to play underwater? Want strong but lightweight? You’ve found a great option in this small, portable Bluetooth speaker that doesn’t need to be charged.
That’s all and more. Will you be amazed by the concert sound quality? no Would it be a great addition to hang it on a shelf so the team can play tunes while the product is being built, or spend time working somewhere along the production chain? No. But if you want a speaker that can easily play any sound from your phone anywhere, anytime and still be satisfied, then this speaker is for you. Fantastic purchase for the price.
View full review
Pros and cons Altec Lansing Baby Boom XL Portable Bluetooth Speaker
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Highly rated by testers for support and durability
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Unused features
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USB BATTERY: Our small Bluetooth speaker with built-in battery provides up to 6 hours of music intermittent listening! It can be charged from any USB outlet, including laptops, wall outlets, power adapters, etc.
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Some Cons
9004 0
Partially disappointed
Allen W. Wagner
South Africa
1 Level
633 Review
101 Karma
I was disappointed that the device did not have a port to connect to an external source. This will add several hours to the speaker’s playback time compared to using a Bluetooth connection.
I have bought other Altec portable speakers that have this feature. It would be helpful if the ad mentioned this or had a picture of the connection points. The speaker is compact, lightweight, the sound is very good. So if you don’t need a wired source connection, I highly recommend this speaker.
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Pros and cons Altec Lansing Baby Boom XL Portable Bluetooth Speaker
Small but powerful portable Bluetooth speakers
Sean L. Liu
Poland, Warsaw
1 Level
640 Review
6 2 Karma
One of our nephews recently had a birthday and he I’ve wanted a bluetooth speaker for a long time.
I wanted to find something of good quality, but it was not enough. He shares a room with his brother, and each of them has only a small area for personal belongings. This small speaker measures 6 x 3 x 2 inches. It comes with a lanyard so it can be worn around your wrist, but it’s small enough to fit in your pocket. It is waterproof, protected from snow, mud, etc. It even floats in water. It can be recharged. One charge is enough for about 5.5-6 hours of playback. Bluetooth can be connected up to 100 feet away. The sound is much better than I expected. It has volume, bass and clarity. It was the right speaker size for it and I’m glad my husband found it.
View full review
Versatile mini speaker that you can take anywhere with a small handle
Eric M. Montgomery
New Zealand, Wellington
Level 1
659 Reviewed
42 Karma
Do you want to stop listening to music and sound on your phone only through your phone speakers or headphones? Want it to have a little punch, crisp highs, and be able to carry it in your pocket? Do you want it to be waterproof enough to play underwater? Want strong but lightweight? You’ve found a great option in this small, portable Bluetooth speaker that doesn’t need to be charged.