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ALTEC LANSING ACS-45.1 Speakers
Reviewed by Vijay Anand (20/05/99)

Sound System Specifications

No. of Drivers (Satellites) 2
Each Driver(Satellite) 1 x 3" Shielded Full Range
Drivers(Subwoofer) 1 x 6 1/2 ", Long Throw Sub-Woofer
Frequency Response 35Hz - 20kHz
Cabinet Resonance 42Hz
Satellite Power 12 watts (6 watts peer satellite at Less than 0.8% THD)
Subwoofer Power 20 watts at less than 0.4% THD
Input Impedance Larger than 10k ohms (inputs 1 and 2)
S/N Ratio 65db

[Introduction] [The Good] [The Bad] [Conclusion] [Rating]

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Introduction

3 weeks ago, CPU-Zilla and I had an SLS-outing and we had a nice chat while shopping. One of the topics we touched on was on speakers and during the conversation, I asked what PC-speaker-set he had and he told me that he owned a Cambridge PC-Works. I then asked why he hadn't considered the Altec's equivalent, ACS-44. Then came the most unusual reason I've heard to date! He replied that Altec Lansing sounded as if it was made in China and bought the PC-Works instead! I didn't know that some people had such different opinions about Altec Lansing, which is one of the leading brands for PC speakers just like how Diamond is for the video-card business. They have large partners such as Dell where they sell large quantities of OEM speaker-sets and even make a few tailored models for them. I'm sure that most of you at some point of time have come across Altec Lansing speakers in action. Some of us may argue that the Midiland (Diamond), Cambridge or Boss offerings are better. To say the truth, it all depends on the listener and I would put them all in the same league as they all sound terrific but have their own up's and down's.

According to Altec, this set, ACS45.1, is the mid-pack of Altec's whole range of speakers. This set was introduced somewhere in Oct/Nov 98 period. Prior to it's release, the ACS45/44 went head on head with Creative's Cambridge PC-Works model and was held in a tie-position. People who went for the PC-Works are mainly those who liked to listen to Audio-CD and MP3 with more clarity and less Bass. Mainly gamers bought the ACS44/45 for it's loudness and strong Bass at an affordable price. At that period, the Soundworks and ACS48 were like the best speakers you can get but they cost 2 to 3 times more than the PC-Works and ACS44/45. Now that the ACS45.1 is here, it bridges the gap between these entry level and the higher-end models very well.

The Speaker-set was tested with many games, mainly NFS3, X-Wing Alliance, XvT and Q2. Not to forget are Audio CD's, mainly, Mega Best 99, Madonna:The Immaculate Collection, MJ-Thriller, MJ-Bad, MJ-Dangerous, MJ-History and MJ-Blood on the Dance Floor. I know, I know... please don't complain for my taste of songs! I know they are outdated but I really like them the most. Besides I find that Madonna's and MJ's songs are great to test a wide rang of sounds from low hums in the song to their high pitched voices + lots of bass to test the subwoofer! All was tested using an AOpen 40x CD-Rom drive & the humble Creative Sound Blaster 16pnp + 3D.

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The Good

The first encounter was when I bought an ACS45.1 along with an Asus-M5R casing (the rounded one) for my lecturer. After paying the bill, I lifted them both and was surprised/shocked to find that the Speakers were heavier than that Asus-M5 casing!! You guys should know that the Asus casings are heavier than most casings but the ACS45.1 is worse! Well, to be fare, M5 isn't as heavy as the T5 or T10 as the M5 uses more plastic, therefore the ACS45.1 should be equal in weight to an empty T5. There is a saying that the heavier your speakers are, the higher the sound quality is and the more stable the sound output is. In this case, the heavy weight of the speakers are due to the wooden sub-woofer. Yes! It's made of wood just like it's costlier brother, the ACS48. I think it's timber. A wooden subwoofer is superior to a plastic subwoofer anytime as wood doesn't resonate like plastic. They tend to absorb vibration better, thus the output we hear is mostly from the speakers itself and not the casing. Plastic on the other hand, resonates like crazy at low frequency, thus giving it un-realastic/weird/boomy bass. This and a few other reasons apply to why musical instruments like classical guitars or violins and others are made of wood. Those are just my views.

Both the satellites are magnetically shielded, so it's safe to place them near monitors, whose screen images get distorted due to the magnetic fields of the speaker's magnets if not for the shielding. Even Telephones, modems, radios and anything that use magnets to operate will affect your monitor's output. But as with all speakers, they do cause some very minor flicker/jumping of the screen when placed next to a Trinitron monitor, so beware. You will not see the jumping if you place the speakers some distance away from the Trinitron monitor. If you insist on placing them close, you can always switch off the main power outlet for the speakers and switch them on when needed only. In my own setup, I've got a Sony speaker set, SRS-PC51 that is made to be hooked on to a Sony monitor and the ACS45.1 whose satellites are sitting just to the sides of the monitor, an external Hayes modem that sits write in front of the monitor and a telephone to the right of my Sony-200ES monitor. I don't see even the slightest flicker or jumping of the screen but each monitor is not a clone of one another, so yours would vary. But so far, the shielding seems to be well done for this set. Unfortunately, the subwoofer is not shielded and should not be placed near the monitor at all (refer to the Bad section).

The setup is fairly simple and is aided by a thin manual which has large, easy to understand diagrams. Altec has also provided all necessary cables to get started. Basically, the power cord connects to the subwoofer and the sound-input cable (from the sound-card) connects to the subwoofer as well. And another cable, which connects the subwoofer to the satellites provides power and sound output (it is very thick and of a high quality). One of the satellites has the electronic controls just like the old ACS45. It's only 2 buttons, volume-up and volume down. When you press them together, you can toggle the speakers on or off. For some who have noticed the hiss-sounds and the automatic power-down of the old ACS45 speakers, it's all fixed in this newer ACS45.1 set! The Bass control is at the back of the subwoofer which is a bit small and far away for liking.

And now comes the part where most of you are waiting for: The Sound Quality! In one word, I would say it's superb or it rocks! For just $110, your getting a real bargain! The sound is very clear, feels alive and has a fairly powerful Bass output. I cranked up the speaker's volume to it's highest and found it to be a bit too 'loud' and has slight distortion. Setting the sound to 90% sounds like the highest volume that you'll be happy with. At that volume, I stood back 5.5m and it sounded wonder and felt powerful. It's capable of serving a distance of up to 10m adequately ( my PC is in the dinning hall, and the dinning hall and hall is 1 whole stretch, combined diemention = 11m x 5m x 3.3m ). And if your thinking of cranking up the volume and moving back like me, a rough guideline would be spacing the satellites at least 3 to 4 feet away, basically to allow the output to sound like stereo. If you remember your high school physics, two point sources would act like one if you place them close enough, the waves will converge and the stereo effect would be lost. If your sitting right in front of your system, spacing the satellites by the monitor only should sound fine, so a long as you keep the volume to a comfortable level.

I don't know how to really convey the sound quality but you must really hear it for yourself! But don't get ideas of going to a shop and asking them for a demo. It's rubbish! The sounds you hear there and at home are totally different. You should not compare them there unless there is a room dedicated to trying out the speakers and sound quality. Your better off going to a friend's place (even my own!) to get a feel of the quality.

I played "Stranger in Moscow" and "Who is it", both by MJ (original and not the remixed versions) for testing the Bass effect. These 2 songs have the most Bass that I've heard before in a song. Hitting the play button, I could really feel the Bass through my floor, nearby furniture & doors rumbling(and I really do mean it) and my heart really thumping. The Bass is very powerful considering it's only a 20W subwoofer and all this comes from a $110 set. Of course I've met many who feel the Bass from Altec Lansing is too much. Well, tone it down in the subwoofer then! My mom (an audiophile) and myself spent a few hours playing Audio-CD's to get the right settings. Don't think I'm over-doing it or something but it really pays off (recommended for any set)! My Bass at the subwoofer is set to about 40%, in volume control properties, I've set both Bass and Treble to one notch more than the default center positions. CPU-Zilla said that his PC-Works subwoofer really distorts anything more than the 30% Bass level. Now that's really bad compared to the ACS45.1's which is tight and nice up till the maximum Bass volume. Also according to Aaron (Haonan16) and myself, we feel that the costlier ACS48's sound quality doesn't differ much or not at all. But it's strong point is that it can output sound louder and throw further due to it's more powerful satellites and Subwoofer with double the power rating.

Mind you, this is just running on the SB16, just think if it was running on a newer sound cards like the SB-Live or Diamond MX-300!

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The Bad

The major let down here is that you can't have a true 4-speaker setup. The subwoofer has 2 line-inputs but only 1 output to the 2 satellites. If your sound-card has another line-out, you can hook another set of speakers but it'll never equal a true 4-speaker setup like the current champion, the Creative Cambridge FPS2000. That set has 4 identical satellites just a bit more powerful and smaller than the ACS45.1's satellites + a more powerful 25W subwoofer that can kick more bass and is a bit better tuned the ACS45.1's subwoofer. FPS2000 also has special controls such as a front/rear fader for a truely configurable 4-speaker surround experience according to the user's preference. Seems like Altec has a great set for 2-speakers but Creative has more sensational 4-speaker sets.

Another moot item is the location and bad in-accessibility of the subwoofer's Bass controls, which is placed at the back of the set. The subwoofer is not magnetically shielded and can really show adverse effects to your monitor when placed next to one. My lecturer didn't know that and had placed the ACS45.1'a subwoofer next to his Sony-200ES. After a few days, bottom corners of the monitor were tinted. No matter how much he tried degaussing the tube, the tinted patch remained. So the monitor needs some fine-tuning at Sony's service center as the technician said it can't be done on-site, Bummer!

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Conclusion

These are the best sounding speakers $110 will buy you and you'll never regret it, unless you've been wanting true 4 speaker surround sound. But that costs much more. What's more, the price of the speaker set is dropping as every few weeks go by. The Midiland speakers have some nice touches and are impressive but they retail for much more but this is altogether in a different class by itself. It's price can get you an FPS2000 for just a bit more. So the Altec wins hands-down in the value-for-money category!

(PS: Please don't compare this rating to the ACS400's rating as it's only a 2 speaker setup unlike the ACS45.1! )


Sound System RATING

Overall Rating (Out of a maximum of 5 Star)

Installation *****
Sound Quality ****1/2
Price *****
Appearance / Style ****1/2
Useability / Style ****1/2
Overall Rating ****1/2

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