Altec Lansing VS2621 2.1 Channel Speaker System

We actually run our flatscreen through these speakers because the tv's built in speakers are so mediocre. The subwoofer gives great bass and as small as the mains are, they give great, clear sound. We've never run into volume issues - we keep the speakers maxed out and adjust the volume from the tv.THese are unfortunately not ideal for a tv (not the fault of the speakers, of course) because it can still be difficult to hear the dialog in DVD movies.I'd give 4.5 stars if I could, and here's why: the two main speakers are hardwired together. I'd at least like an RCA connection, or something that would allow them to be placed farther apart. As it is you're limited to maybe 5 feet of separation because that's how long the wire is. I understand that these are meant to be computer speakers, but still - hardwired speakers are not something I prefer. The mains hook to the subwoofer with a multi-pin cable.Overall - great sound at a great price with some minor annoyances.EDIT 10/24/13: so we upgraded - or at least changed - the speakers connected to our tv to an old stereo system we inherited, so I got to take the Altec Lansing setup for our kitchen computer where most of my music is stored, and which I listen to while cooking or doing other projects. I'd had a generic pair of powered speakers hooked up for years and they were generally "good enough", but not great.Now, with the Altec Lansings - WOW. A HUGE improvement! Great bass and much more clarity in the mids and highs. It's like the Christmas present I never knew I wanted. Also, these speakers have power to spare in this application. I generally run them at about 1/4 power and it's plenty loud enough for me to hear my music without disturbing others in the house. When no one else is home I'll crank it a bit more.Here's the one big caveat for these speakers, and it's not something that was noticeable when we were running the tv through it: the sound you get will greatly benefit from some sort of EQ. These speakers only have a "tone" knob and generally I crank that all the way up because the sound is way too dark and bass-heavy. But I have a couple of different options for EQing the music or sound on my computer and that helps immeasurably. If you have these hooked to a computer there are plenty of free EQ options out there. I primarily use VLC media player for my music and that has an optional EQ built in. I also have DFX Sound Enhancer which I downloaded from Cnet and frankly it makes the sound coming from the computer absolutely fantastic. I don't use both EQs at once, just the DFX.Without a separate EQ I'm not sure how I'd rate these speakers, it depends so much on what you're running through them. It's too bad that they don't have better built-in EQ, but they also sound great once you have that sorted out, and there are plenty of easy, free options for computers these days. For my purposes I give them a 5 because I think they're absolutely killer, especially for the price.

I was considering these speakers, along with similar sets by Logitech and Cyber Acoustics, all of which were well-rated and on the first 2 pages of most-popular items. The CA set was/is the #1 most popular in the category, but they just don't look very nice to me, and I've never owned any of their speakers before, whereas I've had Altec Lansing sets and Logitech sets. And I didn't choose the Logitechs because, even though I think they are the nicest-looking ones, the combination of higher prices, and a few reviews stating that they sound good for movies/games but not for music, made me apprehensive.These Altec Lansings on the other hand have reviews that specifically state that they're good for music -- perhaps not super bassy, but bassy enough. After listing to them for a week now, I have to say, that's right on: they're PLENTY bassy -- and I'm someone who likes bass -- they're just not crazy, muddy bassy, which is a good thing. I'm actually quite (pleasantly) surprised at just how bassy they are, especially considering that the "subwoofer" driver is less than 4" in diameter.Here are all the cons I can think of; they're pretty minor:1. Subwoofer driver is unprotected. It's on the side of the sub box, and it has no grille or covering whatsoever. Hasn't been a problem so far, but if the cats decide to take an interest in it, or if we had kids, etc, it might get damaged. On the other hand, it would be fairly easy to just position the box so that the driver is facing a wall or something else which would protect it.2. Cable connecting the satellite speakers to the sub is proprietary, and short (about 4 feet long). It appears to be a custom version of a mini-DIN 9-pin connector, which is something I haven't been able to find an extension cable for. I have a tall desk & chair (so I can work either standing or sitting), and this cable is just barely long enough.3. No knob to adjust bass level. There is a tone knob, but this seems to only affect the satellite speakers, not the sub. But as I said, I'm really happy with the bass level as it is, so this isn't a big deal.4. Appearance could be better. The satellites and the sub aren't bad looking, but nor are they great looking, whereas some of the Logitech sets just look really cool.5. The volume knob on the satellite speaker is just volume, not volume + power as is often the case, and not "separate front-mounted knobs for power, volume, and tone" as this amazon page erroneously states. The power switch is instead on the back of the subwoofer. This is not a problem if you leave your PC and your speakers on 24/7 as many people do. The only way I could see this really being a problem is if the speakers eventually develop a hissing/buzzing sound, which cheap speakers sometimes do as they get older, in which case you'd want to keep them turned off except when you have something you want to listen to. And even then, you could always use a switched extension cord to work around the problem.None of those issues are deal-breakers for me, and all in all I'm very happy with these speakers.