Altec Lansing VS2221 Speaker Review

Altec Lansing's latest offering is a 2.1 setup for only $50 called VS2221. The satellites are short and a slim (though not that slim) and have a removable base unit to allow for either mounting on a wall or placing on a flat surface. The subwoofer is also a nice black color and is tall and a bit slim. The sub is actually a little compact and not too tall. The controls are on the right satellite along with the headphone jack (1). The power led is next to the controls and it a cool blue color. Overall, they have a nice look to them.

Connecting the bases to the satellites is relatively easy. They even have slots on the bottom to slide the wires of the sats through. Speaking of the wiring (cables), as usual they are a bit short. Getting that right satellite into the position I wanted wasn't going to happen so I had to move it in a bit. In fact, the right sat is where everything is connected to. For some reason the sub connector is pretty short even though it is not magnetically shielded. That's the one that really should've had the longest cable.

At a price of only $50 and with small satellites, were they going to provide good enough sound? These speakers are capable of getting loud. In fact, I found that I never had to go past half-way. Next to the volume control there is a button for sfx. This expands the sound field wider. I would notice a change after pushing it in but really didn't notice much difference after listening to it for a while when pushed than while not. The subwoofer is able to produce some nice bass. The sub itself has a knob to control the bass to your liking.

I would have preferred a controller of some sort, even wired, rather than have the controls on the satellite. For $50, however, I can't complain much about these 2.1 speakers. If you are on a tight budget but still want some nice sound with your speakers, the VS2221 are an easy choice for purchase.