Altec Lansing MX6021 2.1 Expressionist Ultra Speaker System (Black)
From Altec Lansing Technologies
The Expressionist Ultra puts you in the heart of a sonic tsunami. Exhilarating waves of sound flow at you from five digital amplifiers powering five separate drivers. The long-throw 6-1/2-inch subwoofer pumps out seismic bass and the precisionmatched mid-range and high-frequency neodymium speaker drivers deliver exceptionally accurate, full-spectrum sound. This uniquely designed 3-piece, 200 Watt powerhouse is one serious audio system that will take your music, movies and games to a whole new listening level. Enjoy earth shaking sound from your MP3 player, TV, game console, DVD player or other audio device.
Color: Black Brand: Altec Lansing Model: MX6021 Dimensions: 15.50" h x 14.80" w x 17.30" l, 24.00 pounds
With 200 watts of power that breathes earth-shaking life into your games, music, and soundtracks, the Altec Lansing Expressionist Ultra speaker system has what it takes to put you right in the middle of the action. The speakers deliver exceptionally accurate, full-spectrum sound and the 6-1/2-inch subwoofer fills your room with high-impact bass. Thanks to Altec Lansing's Audio Alignment technology, the system's drivers, enclosure, and electronics are perfectly balanced, giving you the full, high-quality stereo sound your digital life demands. The 3-inch driver for the midrange and the 1-inch tweeter provide outstanding full-spectrum sound. View larger. The Expressionist Ultra works great with game consoles such as the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. View larger. MX6021 Expressionist Ultra Speaker System offers: 200 watts of power to bring your games, music, and soundtracks to life 6-1/2-inch subwoofer for high-impact bass Audio Alignment technology for precision-matched sound Auxiliary input jack and RCA adapter for connecting additional devices The handy control pod gives you fingertip control of volume and tone. View larger. High Power Makes For Better Sound The Expressionist Ultra benefits from the 200 watts of continuous power that push sound through the speakers. Its boom comes from five digital amplifiers powering five separate drivers for an authentically tuned sonic explosion. Each speaker driver - the 3" midranges, the 1" neodymium tweeters and the 6 1/2" long-throw subwoofer -- is individually fired and powered precisely as the source demands it. The result is crisp audio detail and dramatic bass that you can genuinely feel, an audio sensation that takes music, movies and games to a whole new listening level. Fingertip Control Over Tone and Accessories All adjustments for treble, bass, and volume are housed in one convenient satellite pod, so you can place the controls precisely where you need them. An integrated auxiliary input on the pod makes it quick and easy to connect your MP3 player or plug into your headphone jack for privacy. The included RCA adapter gives you the ability to connect the Expressionist Ultra to your TV, DVD player, or game console, -- at the same time your computer is connected -- giving you the option of a compact speaker system that enhances any entertainment setup. Designed for the Way Enthusiasts Play Their Music Today Computers are becoming the new home stereo for many people. The computer is where digital consumers organize and archive their music, movies, and TV shows. They want an audio system that sounds great and plays loud without distorting their favorite artist, movie scene or video game. The Expressionist Ultra is designed to be a true music speaker that happens to work with computers - good enough to replace the traditional home stereo system. Further, the showcase design of the Expressionist Ultra is designed to look good in the main living space where the computer "entertainment center" is becoming more common. The contemporary industrial design of the satellites celebrates the audio components by emphasizing visible acoustic components set into a translucent bezel. This angled design carries over to the trapezoid-shaped subwoofer, which is functionally engineered to break up troublesome standing waves to draw out every note of high fidelity and uncolored sound. About Audio Alignment Whether it's the tiniest of ear buds or the most imposing of subwoofers, Altec Lansing has refined every detail of its speakers to provide you with the most accurate sound reproduction and quality. Audio Alignment ensures that the key audio components work together to deliver your music the way it is meant to be heard, offering the perfect balance of your speaker system's drivers, enclosure, and electronics. For 70 years Altec Lansing has been refining this process, bringing your speakers to life with advanced technologies that make them sing. What's in the Box Altec Lansing Expressionist Ultra speaker system (two satellite speakers and one subwoofer), 3.5mm audio cable, RCA adapter, user's guide, and quick connect guide. With 200 watts of power, the Expressionist Ultra plays loud and clear for parties and other occasions!
They Havn't Gotten It Right... I have to say that this product was a love-hate relationship but ended up being boxed back up and returned. I've been spending quite some time researching a good speaker system for my office and this model came up. It's a new model (Sep'09ish) and was purchased in October and very few places have reviews out for this let alone pictures (thanks to the person who submitted photos on Amazon!). The looks of this system along with the touted quality side of this is what sold me. I come from an audiophile up-bringing so I will say that my ear is a bit more tuned and I have certain expectations on sound. My first computer speakers were Altec Lansings and by far the best speakers on the market at the time let alone I got a lot of "wow" out of them. I've owned most brands of computer speakers (Logitech's top of the line, Creative's, Klipsch) and saw these and thought they'd be perfect for the style of my office (very modern). I opened them up, set them up accordingly, plugged them in and powered them up and immediately hear the familiar hiss that my first Altec's had had (their only fault) in '98. I kept thinking "there's no way a model this expensive and new would be like this" and changed everything from the inputs (removed the 3.5mm jack all together) to the placement of the speakers (shielding issues, etc) and still the same hiss all the way until you turn the volume down to zero. At max volume there is an electrical hum that, yes, you definitely will not hear this is you have music playing, but it's noise, and noise in my books is a no-no. I wanted to love these speakers but looks cannot out weigh their performance. With this, I'll be moving on to a much more expensive option, reference monitors and balanced audio, yes a little bit more money but worth it. For a cheaper solution then this, i would recommend the M-Audio AV40's. The Pros: - Beautiful Modern Look - Simple Hook Up - Easy-to-use Volume Controller - Sound Quality is "Ok" to the casual listener The Cons: - Consistent Hiss even at near-off levels - Electrical High-Pitch Hum at near max levels (no sound playing) - Proprietary PS/2 Style Speaker Plugs Making it Difficult to Do Extensions if Need-be A really good 2.1 desktop speaker system I needed to replace my old 2.1 desktop speaker system with something new and improved. After searching and reading reviews I got Altec Lansing's MX6021. Here's my thoughts after having played around with it for a few weeks. Placing my order online the box arrived a few days later. I opened up the original box and noticed that the system was packaged really well. The sub-woofer's driver was covered over with a heavy piece of plastic. Then the entire sub was covered in plastic. The satellites were packaged the same way. The wired remote control, RCA adapter and audio cable were wrapped too. The entire system is then housed in heavy styrofoam. There's also a complete setup diagram located on the box. It's nice that Altec Lansing went to that much trouble with the packaging. What you get... 1 - sub-woofer with a 6.5" driver with a paper cone, foam surround and a forward firing vent hole. 2 - Satellites have a 1" aluminum horn tweeter driver. A 3" midrange driver with a paper cone and a foam surround. 1 - Wired remote that controls power, treble, bass and volume. It also accomodates 1 headphone and 1 auxiliary input. 1 - 3.5mm audio cable to connect your computer or audio device to the sub-woofer. 1 - RCA adapter to connect to a TV. 1 - Safety instructions and warranty card The sub-woofer is made of particle board and feels very solid. The midrange on the satellites are housed in plastic tube canisters. The tweeters are housed in plastic too. Each driver has it's own protective cover to keep your fingers out. Inspecting a little closer I noticed that the sub-woofer and satellites have rubber feet. The sub-woofer has four large ones in each corner and the satellites have three. Two up front and one large one in the rear. Even the wired remote has four small ones. The satellites and wired remote are all hard-wired. The sub-woofer has the AC cord hard-wired also. The plugs themselves are a proprietary ps/2 type mini-din except for the 3.5mm audio cable. You plug in the satellites, wired remote and 3.5mm audio cable into the back of the sub-woofer. Plug the other end of the 3.5mm audio cable into your computer or audio device. Then plug the sub-woofer into the AC outlet. Hit the wired remote to turn the system on and your done. Btw, all of the connections are good and tight. This includes those leading to the back of the sub-woofer, headphone and auxiliary inputs. It's nice to have a 2.1 system with a small foot print and a wired remote. However, that doesn't make for a good sounding system. I tested the MX6021 while playing games, listening to music and watching movies. Gaming with this system is simply awesome! You've got the highs from the tweeters for those high cracking sounds. The mids from the midrange when tweeters and a sub just ain't enough. The low lows from the sub-woofer for the boom boom effects. I really like the fact that the sub-woofer's speaker and vent are front firing. You can put it in any corner or tuck it away and still have the speaker and vent facing forward. Music is pretty good and better than average. I mainly play DTS and FLAC files and I like what I hear. The system is not reference monitor quality costing hundreds more, but adequate for what this system is and how much it costs. Movies pretty much fall into the same category as gaming. Great for a 2.1 arrangement, but certainly not equal to a 5.1 system or greater for ambiance. With a signal to noise ratio of 75db the system can pull a maximum of 200watts. You have the ability to get alot of sound out of these. However, you can get a great deal of clarity too. Having seperate amplifiers for seperate drivers helps. This means you can send different frequencies to different drivers at the same time. At higher volume the drivers won't drown each other out. Tuning in the bass is no problem either. You can have a little or alot. When I say alot I mean alot! These speakers have the ability to shake walls and windows if given a chance. For a desktop system I was really impressed. The wired remote is very interesting. You can control the entire system from here. This includes the power, treble, bass and volume. The treble and bass buttons act as toggle switches. Hit one or the other to activate then adjust accordingly. You can fine tune or rapidly adjust all three functions depending on how long you hold down the adjuster. There's also audio, visual and sense feedback for all three functions. The remote makes a slight clicking sound that you can actually feel when you make fine adjustments. Located at the base are these very tiny amber led lights. About the diameter of a sewing needle. They visually tell you what the treble, bass and volume are set at. The lights range from one to seven. Seven being the highest setting for these three functions. If you want to fine-tune then you can place the led's at half points. Lets say three and a half or six and a half or whatever. The led's will actually dim at the half point letting you know. During inactivity the led's loop through a five pattern led dance. Now I don't care much for large or bright led indicators on hardware. Luckily, the leds are neither large or bright. As long as the remote isn't sitting right in your face you won't notice them. There is also one headphone and one auxiliary jack located near the base. Overall, I found the remote very convenient and very easy to use. Warranty is one year parts/labor not including return shipping. You can get a free additional one year warranty if you register within thirty days. This can be done at Altec Lansings website. The MX6021 is a really good 2.1 desktop speaker system. Nothing about this system feels cheap or poorly made. It produces good sound with a quality build and excellent functionality. Better than expected I still have an old Dell computer that I'd bought in 2002-2003. The speakers that came with it were made by Altec Lansing, and even today, they sound better than most of what you'll hear in the
