 |
 |
 |
|
 |
Altec Lansing 5100 5.1 Speaker System Review
Author: Jakester
Date Posted: August 28th, 2003
| SLRating: |
 |
|
|
Bottom Line: To get the most from any gaming experience you need a decent sound system, we reviewed the futuristic looking Altec Lansing 5100 Speaker System, it was crisp and even, how did it cope when we put it to the test, read on to find out in our official review....
|
Pages: 1 2 3 4 5
>> Discuss This Article |
|
|
 |
|
 |
Performance:
Is the picture above an accurate depiction of how you will feel
when you crank up the volume? Well, not quite. In terms of blasting power, the
5100's are lacking. With a total of only 73 watts, they don't quite
pack as big of a punch as some other audio systems out there. Let's be realistic
though; in real life situations having ear piercing sound isn't a must, and unless you're using the system for a gigantic party you don't need it
to be that loud. The 5100's are designed for exceptional crystal-clear sound,
the kind of sound that you like to experience when watching movies, listening to
music, or playing video games. On the loudest setting, I didn't notice any
distortion in sound at all. I feel this may be due to the fact that the loudest
setting isn't ear-piercingly loud so the sound is more controllable. Before I move on, I just
want to make it clear that although it might seem that I indicate that the
5100's are underpowered, they are infact very loud, and I have zero complaints with the
system having only 73 watts. I usually have the volume setting at 1 or 2 out of 5 simply
because they are loud enough for any type of use at that setting.
Aside from testing for distortion at high volumes, I also checked for that
annoying hissing sound when the volume is up on the speakers but no
audio is playing. Bottom line: there is none except at the very loudest volume
setting (5 out of 5). There is hissing at the 4 out of 5 volume level, but it can
only be heard if you stick your ear up to one of the satellites.
I have a Sound Blaster Live 5.1 sound card, that comes with full support
for all of the sound modes that the 5100's are capable of. The first thing I
tested out was the 4.1 gaming mode. I used Tactical Ops, an Unreal Tournament
MOD, for testing. I must say I was impressed by the clarity of the sounds. The
singularity of each gun shot burst was quite nice to see and hear at the same
time. With my past speakers, I have grown accustomed to seeing 4 or 5 gun shots
but only being able to hear 2 or 3 because of such grogginess with the sound.
The surround sound worked great, and when I had the volume turned up to about
the 3 out of 5 setting, allowed me to hear my opponents footsteps. This was a
sound I was not used to hearing, and it actually gave me an edge in the game.
When I was done playing games, I decided to test out the sound
while watching a DVD. I popped in "The Matrix", changed the sound to 5.1 mode
from the 4.1 gaming mode and turned up the volume. Once again I was
very impressed with the sound. I have a minor complaint about the subwoofer.
While it sounds very good when being used to play subtle sounds, such as a bass guitar
in a song, it is somewhat lacking in boom for louder sounds, such as a grenade
going off. You can definitely hear it, but it just doesn't quite pack enough bang
to get your heart pumping.
Hardware
Reviews, Articles, News, All Reviews...
|
Gaming
Reviews, Articles, News...
|
|
|
|
Regular Sections
A Guru's World, CPU/Memory Watch, SLDeals...
|
|
SLBoards
Forums, Register(Free), Todays Discussions...
|
Site Info
Search, About Us, Advertise...
|
|
|
