Altec Lansing PT6021

[PAGETITLE=Introduction] The history of the Altec Lansing name goes backâ€”way backâ€”to the late 1930s. The â€&oelig;Lansingâ€ in the companyâ€™s name is James B. Lansing, an early audio pioneer whose initials also serve as the name for another landmark audio company: JBL. Altec-Lansingâ€™s claim to fame in the loudspeaker world was their enormous A7 â€&oelig;Voice of the Theatreâ€ loudspeaker, which was developed to satisfy the motion picture industryâ€™s desire for greater fidelity and output from theater loudspeakers. The Altec Lansing brand changed hands and produced a wide array of home audio products through the 1980s, eventually settling upon the personal computer audio market under its new name, Altec Lansing Technologies, Incorporated. Itâ€™s clear, however, that Altec Lansing seeks to reclaim brandâ€™s former reputation as the â€&oelig;Voice of the Theatre.â€ Theyâ€™ve acquired the rights to the former Altec Lansing professional audio products, and re-released the massive A7 in limited quantity, with a few tweaks to bring the gentle giant up-to-date. Altec Lansing Technologies, Inc. is now owned by Plantronics, known for their high-quality headsets. The focus of this review is the new Altec Lansing PT6021 audio system. Itâ€™s a powered 2.1 speaker system that incorporates the same loudspeaker technology used in their FX6021 model, but with two obvious differences at first glance. First of all, itâ€™s black, where the FX6021 is silver in color. Secondly, the system includes a universal remote. Huh? A PC speaker system with a universal remote? Upon further investigation, it turns out that PT stands for â€&oelig;Powered Theaterâ€. Altec is positioning the PT6021 to be more than just a speaker system for your computer. The mounting brackets included with the system are intended to allow easy mounting of the satellites to the frame of a flat-screen television, hinting that Altec Lansing has home theater applications in mind. The slim profiles of todayâ€™s plasma and LCD televisions donâ€™t leave much room for decent speakers, and the PT6021 is primarily envisioned as a replacement for the internal speakers, offering crisper sound with improved low-frequency response. The PT6021â€™s tall, slim satellite speakers certainly make a bold aesthetic statement in any application, whether standing tall on your desk or hugging the wall next to your prized plasma screen TV. A thoughtful inclusion is the universal remote, which you can use to operate a range of audio-video gear, as well as the speaker system itself. This speaker system could be especially attractive for Media Center PC users who seek improved audio quality without investing in a stack of components and separate loudspeakers. However, the inclusion of the universal remote suggests that this speaker system might be used in audio-visual systems without any PC at all. Needless to say, this is not your typical computer audio system, and for that reason, this will not be your typical computer audio review. Iâ€™ll be testing the PT6021 both as a typical PC speaker system, and also in a home theater setting. Home theater use will be a new kind of challenge for the system, its audio components originally conceived for a high-quality PC audio system. The home theater testing of this system will be torturous. And rest assured â€“ even the bundled universal remote will be put to the test. This is one product that will need to work hard to earn its keep. Weighing in at just under $350, its price puts it within spitting range of several excellent 5.1-channel speaker systems. Can the Altec Lansing PT6021 handle the extreme challenges of home theater performance while delivering the clarity and balance that high-end customers demand? [PAGEBREAK] [PAGETITLE=Out of the Box; Specifications] My PT6021 review sample arrived in a plain cardboard box, with minimal exterior markings. It is sometimes the case that manufacturers order their products from China in plain cardboard boxes, and then repackage them into the consumer cartons, featuring the productâ€™s image, features, and other pertinent information. I suspect that my review sample was simply sent directly to me without being repackaged. Upon opening the box, I was greeted by the instruction manual, and the top of the subwoofer module. The other system components were securely packed in the side of one of the Styrofoam blocks. The carton contained the subwoofer with attached power cable, the instruction manual, the satellite speakers with attached cables, weighted bases for the satellite speakers, the universal remote, a smaller credit-card remote, the control pod with attached cable, a stereo RCA signal cable, two eight-foot speaker cable extensions, and brackets for mounting the satellite speakers to the frame of a flat-panel television, with an additional packet of hardware for assembling the brackets. I unpacked all of the cartonâ€™s contents and laid them out for a photo. Batteries for the universal remote are packed with the instruction manual, and the button-cell battery for the smaller credit-card remote is also included. The inclusion of two eight-foot extensions for the satellite speaker cables is thoughtful, but I was disturbed by the omission of a 3.5mm cable, even though the 3.5mm jack is present on the rear of the subwoofer. Those who seek to use these speakers with a home theater PC (or a PC of any sort, or a portable music player, etc.) will find themselves making a run to the local RadioShack for the appropriate cable. I see no reason why a 3.5mm audio cable should not have been included with this set, and I think that Altec Lansing would do well to revise the package to include one. Altec Lansing PT6021 Specifications Specification Comment Frequency Response 32Hz-18kHz (-10dB) This system is capable of covering most of the audible range. The 32Hz low frequency point might be a tad optimistic. Maximum Output 101dB SPL 75-80dB is about as loudly as I personally care to listen. Extra headroom is always appreciated, though. System Power 58W RMS @ 1%THD This is a continuous rating, instead of a peak power rating, as some manufacturers will sometimes advertise. Subwoofer Power 44W RMS @ 1%THD This isnâ€™t bad, but it isnâ€™t as powerful as some of the competitionâ€™s subwoofers. Satellite Power 7W RMS @ 1%THD Both satellites combine for a total of 14 watts. The low end is where the real amplifier punch is needed. Satellite Drivers (Per Satellite) Six 1â€ Micro Drivers These drivers have the combined piston area of a single 2.5â€ cone, though the smaller cones should offer greater clarity and wider horizontal dispersion. Subwoofer Driver One 6.5â€ Long-Throw Woofer This is a smaller driver than some of the competition uses, though itâ€™s not just about the driver. The enclosure design also plays a major role in a subwooferâ€™s bass output. Controls Wired Control Pod; Infrared Wireless Remotes Many high-end systems use external control pods, allowing for greater placement flexibility of the satellite speakers while ensuring that the controls are within easy reach. Input Connections Stereo RCA Inputs; 3.5mm stereo input on subwoofer, 3.5mm auxiliary input on control pod This system accepts stereo inputs from a variety of sources, and the auxiliary jack on the control pod is a nice touch. Satellite Dimensions 2.5â€ (W) x 1â€ (D) x 14.4â€ (H) These satellites are slim, but they are tall. Theyâ€™ll look great next to your flat panel displayâ€¦or attached directly to it. Subwoofer Dimensions 8.5â€ (W) x 7.9â€ (D) x 16â€ (H) This subwoofer features a taller, slimmer design as well, with a smaller footprint than the competition. (The full list of specifications can be found in the PT6021 brochure. The specs listed here are the ones youâ€™re most likely to use in comparing this system to others.) [PAGEBREAK] [PAGETITLE=PT6021 Features Overview] The satellite speakers of the PT6021 each employ six 1â€-diameter â€&oelig;microâ€ drivers, which use neodymium magnet assemblies. By weight, Neodymium magnets possess nearly ten times the strength of ordinary ceramic magnets. The primary advantage of these micro drivers is their ability to perform like a conventional driver of larger diameter, moving plenty of air while preserving treble detail. The satellite speakers arenâ€™t heavy, but they do have a feel of quality to them. A perforated metal grille covers the tiny drivers. Overall, while the design concept is evocative of the Harman/Kardon SoundSticks, its execution in this system is much more aesthetically appealing, in my opinion. At fourteen inches tall yet only two inches wide, stability of the satellites is a concern, but the weighted bases are sufficiently stable to eliminate that concern. The stands allow for the satellite speakers to be angled up to 15 degrees rearward, or 5 degrees forward. Assembly of the satellites to the weighted bases is straightforward and simple. However, inserting the wire into the channel in the base tears up the insulation, and removing the wire again tears it up even more. To save the cable, assemble and disassemble these speakers as infrequently as possible. The six tiny micro-drivers in each satellite speaker are arranged in a proprietary configuration which, in combination with special processing, comprise what Altec Lansing calls InConcert technology. The aim of InConcert is to create a focused beam of sound, directed straight at the listener for maximum purity and definition. The six tiny micro-drivers in each satellite speaker are arranged vertically in symmetric pairs, each pair located at an increasing distance away from the center of the driver array to produce a predictable vertical dispersion pattern. Altec also claims that this â€&oelig;line arrayâ€ configuration exhibits less drop in output as the listener moves further away when compared to typical point-source speakers. This is why the line array concept has achieved such broad appeal in live sound â€“ it allows exceptional...

Altec Lansing PT6021

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