For under $20, amazing sound. I read the many reviews here before buying, and a few people complained of low volume, not enough adjustability, static and/or distortion. I just hooked mine up and am blown away by how good these sound. Listening to chamber music at good volume, the strings and piano come through with nice clear treble and mid-range, and with more bass than I would have expected from speakers the size of soda cans. I don't have any of the problems that some reviewers mentioned. Even at full volume, which is considerable, there is almost no distortion. No, they may not be "audiophile" quality, but if you're an audiophile, why are you buying $20 speakers? For the rest of us non-audiophiles who just want decent sound, you can't beat these with a stick. I'm going to buy a few more for Christmas giving. Altec Lansing BXR1220 2.0 Speaker System
I'm a small/travel speaker nut of sorts owning many systems from the only available in China Edifier systems, to small disc speakers, to the Bose MusicMonitors. My current travel speaker of choice is the Bose MusicMonitor which is overpriced at the retail of $400 but it is the best small speakers bar none.
However, these deserve 5 stars for two simple reasons.
1. They are by far, the best of the breed for USB powered speakers. There're no batteries or AC adapter required. It is absolutely UNFAIR to rate these speakers in comparison to other AC powered speakers since they are in different categories. I ran it off at full volume off my tiny 2 lbs laptop on battery power. Nothing else is quite like it terms of sound quality and volume.
Music is quite listenable, though not high fidelity. (Even the Bose MusicMonitor at $400 are not high fidelity.)
2. They are $20. Even AC powered $20 speakers would be hard pressed to be a whole lot better.
Other than the slightly large size, these are perfect laptop presentation speakers - more than adequate to fill a small room for a dozen people
Given what they are, definitely deserve 5 stars.
These inexpensive speakers have really impressed me, and I think they're a great buy for anyone who's not a sound expert and is just looking for a set of nice speakers. I'm using these with my MacBook, running on Snow Leopard (OS 10.6).
THE GOOD
-- Installation is easy. Plug and play; took only a few seconds on my Mac.
-- Sound is clear and crisp. Music sounds rich when played. Speech is clear when playing movies. No complaints here.
-- Design is sleek and modern compared to boxy speaker sets.
-- Don't take up too much space
-- Speakers seem well-made and durable.
THE MEDIOCRE
-- Not a big fan of the volume control dial. Seems like it's hard to find the perfect setting using the speaker's control. Instead, I put the speakers on max and manually tweak my computer's sound settings depending on if I'm listening to music/watching a movie, etc.
-- For me, the USB power is actually a negative. The speakers occupy one of only two USB ports on my MacBook, which means I have to use a USB hub sometimes just for the speakers.
-- The red light that let's you know the speakers are on is INSANELY bright, which bothered my eyes, which in turn made me cover the light with black electrical tape.
-- The "Power On" dial is at the back of the speaker, which is kind of inconvenient.
For the price I can't complain much, though. Overall, I'm very pleased with these speakers.
I bought these speakers because I wanted mini laptop speakers that were powered by a USB connection. Well these babies cost me 15 bucks so I figured they would be OK. When I hooked them up I was blown away by the quality of the sound. The highs are very impressive and the bass of course does not rattle the room but it does put out a full sound that makes these speakers a no-brainer if you want mini speakers. They are not the smallest of the pack but the reason is that Altec Lansing maxed the bass by making the box in the shape of a Bazooka type sub-woofer and even has port holes on the back, this design was very well thought out. I covered the holes on the back to compare the sound and it was a very noticeable difference. The only con i see is that they are to big to carry in your PC case but if you can deal with that I highly recommend them, especially for the price.
These speakers are just amazing.I hooked them up to my HP Pavillion desktop in less than 2 minutes. I wanted to test them so I logged onto my netflix and put on a movie. All I can say is "WOW" Do not let their size deceive you, for little speskers they pack a BIG punch. My wife was in our bedroom watching TV she ask me to turn the volume down and that's about 30 feet away for our desktop. Very stylish & unique design. Well worth the cost and them some. These were perfect for me. I have a very good 23" monitor, It would be a great monitor, but has weak speakers. I'm not a Gamer & I don't listen to music, but I watch movies, utube & all the news stations. This was a perfect solution. Thanks Altec Lansing for a beautifully design product. - Desktop Speakers - Laptop Speakers - Computer Speakers - Altec Lansing'
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