How to choose the right computer speakers for you

[DAlexeiK]

I understand you work for Altec, but what other companies are known for Audio excellence? My main interest in buying speakers is for gaming/music. However, I'm a musician myself, I take it pretty seriously, so I do really want something that will give me QUALITY. I'm thinking of a 2.1 system. (By the way, great video!)

[cking435]

@DAlexeiK Thank you for your kind comment. Honestly, I'm pretty out of that industry. I worked for Altec for 10 years so I got to know their product line really well but I'm not as familiar with competitive products. Altec Lansing's MX6021 (Expressionist Ultra) is a good bet. It's what I use and I love them.

[aylera]

@cking435 I just put the MX6021 on order. However, all I seem to hear about them is a bad hiss, and a lack of mid range. Does yours hiss or hum? Are the woofers under the tweeter considered a mid?

[cking435]

@aylera No hiss on my end. The speakers work great. Altec Lansing's website describes the amplifier connected to the speaker beneath the twitter as a mid-range. Sorry to hear yours is not working properly. I no longer work for Altec and cannot help you directly.

[aylera]

@cking435 oh no i haven't got mine yet. i just ordered them. thanks though. glad to hear not everyone has the hiss

[GamerDude197]

so if i want speakers for gaming and music, which speakers do i get

?

[cking435]

@GamerDude197 I would say it depends on your priority. If gaming is your priority and you can deal with rear wires, look for a surround sound system. I'd recommend an Altec Lansing one but they don't currently make a 5.1. If your priority is music and you can live without surround sound on your games, I recommend the Expressionist Ultra from Altec Lansing (MX6021). It's got a killer sub (great for gaming) and clear definition with separate amps for highs, mids, and bass (great for music).

[WantedAssault]

Perfectly Explained . . 

[cking435]

@WantedAssault Thanks!

[FcCoolDK]

1:53.. NICE.. PLAYING RACING GAME.. WITH A FLIGHT-CONTROLLER!.. By the way.. I think they recommend Altec speakers.. Which I don't

[cking435]

@FcCoolDK That's my bad. I set up the shot for Altec a few years ago. Just goes to show how little I've gamed lately. I used to be a Marathon addict but I always used a keyboard and mouse.

[cking435]

@FcCoolDK Come to think of it, we dropped the racing image in post production. When I set up the actual shot, the screen was blank.

[3N3RGY9999]

logitech speakers are good quality speakers?

[cking435]

@3N3RGY9999 Honestly, I haven't listened to one in a long time. I really wouldn't know. If you can find a store with a sound bar for their speakers, you can hear for yourself. That's probably the best way to figure this out.

[JonnMcNally]

Subliminal message: BUY ALTEC LENSING BRANDED SPEAKERS

[cking435]

@JonnMcNally Was I that obvious? :-)

[cking435]

@EpikFaile I respect your point of view and Bose is a great company but search for this A-B comparison test I did by putting this in your search box "Altec Lansing ($299) picked over Bose ($399) on blind test"

[cking435]

@EpikFaile Bose and Klipsch are both excellent brands. I haven't done an A-B comparison between any PC speakers, but I had five musicians blind-test a Bose docking speaker against the Altec Lansing Mix docking speaker. Even though the Bose cost $100 more, everyone picked the Altec Lansing system.

[michaelomo1998]

0:10 what brand is this?

pls reply

[kawasakininjaja]

@michaelomo1998 Altec Lansing...most of the speakers in this video are altec lansing...gonna get myself one later today! :D

[michaelomo1998]

@kawasakininjaja nice

[cking435]

@kawasakininjaja Check this out:

Bose and Klipsch are both excellent brands. I haven't done an A-B comparison between any PC speakers, but I had five musicians blind-test a Bose docking speaker against the Altec Lansing Mix docking speaker. Even though the Bose cost $100 more, everyone picked the Altec Lansing system.

[cking435]

@michaelomo1998 Most of the speakers in this video are Altec Lansing (worked for Altec Lansing at the time). The speakers at 0:10 are the Altec Lansing Expressionist Plus (FX3021).

[cking435]

@michaelomo1998 Most of the systems in this video are Altec Lansing. I worked for Altec Lansing at the time. The video is not meant to be an ad for Altec. It is meant to provide good information on the choosing process. With that said, Altec Lansing does produce some great speakers. Search for this A-B comparison test I did by putting this in your search box "Altec Lansing ($299) picked over Bose ($399) on blind test"

[cking435]

@themanwins, if you get traditional (also known as passive) speakers, you'll also need a AV receiver, that's correct. Computer speakers, on the other hand, are called active speakers or powered speakers because the amplification is built into the speaker (or subwoofer), which means you don't need to buy an AV receiver. If you need speakers for your computer, MP3 player, or CD player, definitely get computer speakers. You'll get much more bang for your buck.

[themanwins]

Hey I'm looking at replacing my current system which is quite old. I was looking at getting 2 bookshelf speakers, what would your advice be? Is this even a good idea or should I look at conventional computer speakers? And I would need to run these through an AV Receiver yes?

Is you could help me out that would be greatly appreciated! I don't know who to turn to!

[cking435]

@themanwins. Part two of my response... If on the other hand you're looking for speakers for your home theater system, while you could use computer speakers, that would not be my recommendation. I think you would be happier with an AV receiver that lets you connect multiple devices (DVD player, BlueRay, stereo, whatever) and you would therefore need passive speakers. I'm not an expert on AV receivers and passive speakers so I wouldn't presume to try to guide you on this. It will cost you more.

[themanwins]

@cking435 Thanks, appreciate your response!

[86STALKER666]

there's nice logitech z2300 at 1:13 that I have

[cking435]

@86STALKER666 Thanks for the comment. Looks like a good one!

[ALEXANDERCRETA]

what about logitech Z-5450 wireless ?

[cking435]

@zulrivers Hi there. Thanks for the comment. Most computer speakers are made of plastic with some wood and metal.

[AmFilms123]

Informative video. Thanks. Altec speakers sound incredible!

[klarkolofsson]

I like "the gamer guy" in the video.

[muffa08]

can someone pls tell me what the best speakers are (for bass... just overall techno)

[cking435]

I use the Expressionist Ultra (MX6021) (see 0:47 in my video), but then again, I do work for Altec Lansing. That said, they're unbelievably good.

[rashaud352]

@muffa08  Altec Lansing VS2621 Speakers

[glianx]

@muffa08 try the altec mx5021 thx certified, if you have much money, try the bose or klipse

[86STALKER666]

@muffa08 um...logitech z2300:)

[armoguy94]

all the altec lansing 2.0/2.1 speakers i've heard were complete junk...

[recepesek]

LOL: I have logitech x-530 5.1 SUROUND SOUND....

[ToRoNtOGuYY]

He sounds like Ben Stiller from Zoolander, Lolzzzz

[cking435]

Must be the accent but I do look better when I suck in my cheeks. :-)

[ALEXANDERCRETA]

@ToRoNtOGuYY

Ha! Ha! HA!

[gamerboy249]

Great! I'm also gonna buy the MX6021, but in the next month due to my annual school exams going on right now.

[gamerboy249]

It will be good in music too, isn't it?

[AltecLansingSpeakers]

Absolutely. While the MX5021 is primarily suited to movies the MX6021 is perfectly suited to music and games, especially if you love strong bass. Let me know what you think if you decide to get one. I'm taking one home in the next couple of days.

[gamerboy249]

I am looking for both music and gaming speakers, but thanks for your help.

[AltecLansingSpeakers]

Then your best bet is the MX6021: more bass, more power, more volume, our best gaming speaker, unless you're looking for 5.1 surround sound.

[gamerboy249]

Hey, I'm looking to buy the MX6021 but I was wondering if it's any better than the MX5021 (in terms of sound quality and bass) ??

[cking435]

Good question. Both systems have same size subwoofers (6.5") but the MX6021 has a better woofer driver, twice the power (200 Watts total system power, vs 90 Watts on the MX5021) and puts out more volume. On the other hand, the MX5021 has two 3" drivers instead of just one in each driver, but as our lead acoustics engineer was just explaining to me (that's Kirk, the guy who pranked the New York Public Library with our Orbit speakers, see my other videos), ...

[cking435]

... the second driver in each sat was added to meet THX requirements for volume, which goes to the core difference between the two systems: the THX-certified MX5021 is ideal for movies, while the MX6021 is probably better for music. Either way, both systems are unbelievably good and our top of the line when it comes to powered speakers for computers. I use the MX5021 at home but I do plan on trading up at some point.

[cking435]

Since you're into gaming, I'd go with the MX6021 which has more bass, more power, more volume.

[hemal67]

sweeeeet

[cking435]

What's the verdict?

[capdasejb]

hey i need some help!

i have the Logitech Z2300speaker system. and ill admit the logitech 2300's dont sound very well. the bass is amazing but it needs more highs. i had altecs before and they sounded amazing but i was considering buying the Altech FX2020 2.0 speakers. i was wondering if theres a way i can use those WITH my 2300's. the only port on my computer is the one where u put the green ended cable. is it possible? if i use like a dual adapter? do they even make those? thanks!

[cking435]

Hi capdasejb, what you need is a 3.5mm Stereo Male to Dual 3.5mm Stereo Female Adapter (Amazon carries one; just type in this description: Cables To Go - 40641).

[NIkeAir26]

altec sucks

[cking435]

Did we sell you a bad speaker? Send me an email and let me see how I can help you.

[NIkeAir26]

no, no, i just dont like the sound of it. and just one thing, the altec orbit, mini speaker costs here 300kr. ( for comparison an ice cream costs between 10-25kr.) and the wierd thing is in the shop right beside they sold a mini speaker that was smaller, louder, clearer and more "filled" sound. for the half price. i just think youre speakers are bad, but thats just my opinion

[cking435]

I see the Xmini you mention on your page. Is that the one? I'll have to do an A-B comparison. Mange tak!

[NIkeAir26]

ehm thats not an xmini im sorry, it looks like it but it isnt. its an "xquisit" speaker, not very known. and btw dont take that hard but the orbit distorts at high volume, and thats bad especially because it doesnt play loud. and it uses aa batteries while mine recharges

velbekomme;D

[cking435]

Xqisit looks cool. Not sure it's available in the US. I'd love to compare it. Thanks for sharing.

[NIkeAir26]

do you work at altec lansing?

[cking435]

I do. In the marketing department.

[NIkeAir26]

i just bought a portable speaker, again;D it costs 360kr. but is much better. its bigger, but sounds amazing. its wireless, and runs 8hours on rechareble batteryies. check it out, its PARROT PARTY.

[kamaldarkkey1234]

my vs4121 the bass is to loud ...is this normal? im using that for music most of the time i use it for my ps3

[cking435]

There's a bass control knob on the right satellite. Try turning it down and see if that works better for you.

[faraon2012]

GOOD PRODUCTS@ALTEC

[TheZentaxio]

Thanks :D!

[Jack4Speed2]

good video

[cking435]

Thanks!

[Canadianhell]

most of those altec's had really good designs

[tpaper12]

is that HUGE woofer really an altec woofer? i really doubt so.

[cking435]

All the products in this video are by Altec Lansing. Let me know which one you're referring (minutes:seconds) and I'll check the model name and number for you.

[tpaper12]

1 min 27 seconds.