 Size matters. |
| Date Of Review: February 28, 2009 |
| Reviewed by: Jim, |
Where stereo speakers are concerned, size matters. The size of the speakers matters, and so does the size or gauge of the cable that connects the speakers to each other and to the audio source. For decent bass one must have a speaker surface or speaker surfaces large enough to move a certain amount of air.
The Altec Lansing FX3022 Expressionist Bass speakers produce the best sounding bass I have heard on 2-way speakers designed for PCs and MP3 players in their price range. The bass speakers, or subwoofer drivers as Altec Lansing refers to them, are large enough (ALs specs say 4" each; the visible surface measures about 3 1/2" across) to push enough air volume to produce a satisfyingly deep bass sound, and to cause whatever desktop or tabletop they are set on to vibrate. The unique down-firing design of the subwoofer drivers amplifies the bass (as long as the speakers are on a flat, hard surface as opposed to, say, a thick carpet; even a thin tablecloth would absorb rather than reflect some of the sound). And the 1.5" "full-range speaker drivers," as AL describes them, that are near the top of each cone-shaped speaker really do put out a full range of sound, meaning good midrange as well as good treble.
As I write this I have these speakers connected to my laptop and I am listening to a live broadcast of an opera from the Metropolitan Opera House, and the sound quality is excellent and full. The orchestra and the soprano, mezzo, baritone, and bass singers all sound clear, full, and undistorted.
I have also used these speakers connected to an MP3 player set to play a selection of rock tunes during workouts, and the bass and overall sound is most impressive. The driving bass inspires a vigorous exercise session.
I don't know the gauge of the cable that connects the speakers, but it is considerably fatter than cables I've seen on any other PC and MP3 player speakers. I imagine that AL designed it that way because thicker speaker cable results in better quality sound. The lower the gauge, the thicker the cable, and as Amanda Moore writes on Crutchfield dot com's page on choosing and installing speaker wire, "the lower the gauge is...the better its capacity to pass the amplified audio signal."
As other reviewers have noted, the speakers are hardwired to each other, which means that they have to be moved together. Because the bass speakers or subwoofer drivers are exposed, this means that one must be extra careful when moving these speakers.
These speakers are almost the size of small bookshelf speakers, but because of their tapered cone-like shape they occupy less space than they would were they rectangular. They are just a bit shorter than the height of a roll of paper towels, and have a footprint almost as wide as a new roll of "giant" paper towels (or just a tad less wide than a new roll of Scott 1000 sheet per roll bathroom tissue).
Some time last year I purchased a pair of Creative Labs T20 speakers from Amazon and I have reviewed them here, and I remain mightily impressed and pleased with them. But since coming into possession of the Altec Lansing FX3022s I am beginning to wonder which speakers I prefer to listen to. Sometimes the ALs have too much bass, e.g., when I am listening to spoken audio or am watching online news clips and the like. But sometimes the CL T20s don't have enough bass and oomph compared to the ALs (which makes sense considering that the CL speakers simply aren't built to push as much air as the ALs are capable of pushing).
I love bass and I think one must be a bass lover to appreciate the Expressionist Bass speakers. But I don't love bass so much that I would want a car with a trunk that has been turned into a huge subwoofer, and I don't like it when I hear cars and vans, etc., that have that kind of overpowering bass emanating from them. I don't find the bass on these speakers overwhelming, but I do imagine that someone who cannot say that they love bass might find these speakers not to their taste. One negative about these speakers that I will note is that there is no way to adjust the bass on the speakers themselves; only the volume can be adjusted.
Follow up written on March 12, 2009: I wrote above that I was beginning to wonder which pair of speakers I preferred listening to, the Altec Lansing FX3022s or the Creative Labs T20s. Since then I've decided that I prefer the Creative Labs because to my ears, while the Altecs have what I describe above as a good midrange, comparison tells me that the Creatives have a very good midrange (in the sense of having greater subtlety, depth, and overall clarity; on a 1 -5 scale I give the Creatives a 5 for midrange and a 4 for bass, and the Altecs a 4 for midrange and a 5 for bass). I'm considering upgrading to a pair of Creative Labs T40s. |
Great Speakers For Any Occasion
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| Date Of Review: January 31, 2009 |
| Reviewed by: Michael R. Nicholls, Jamestown, Ca. USA |
For speakers that size, they have a great range of sound and they are great for parties and campouts. I really like the way they are powered
with an AC to DC cord. That way, you can buy a 12 volt jumper battery
from any auto parts store and power the speakers with a "cigarette" plug and a DC adapter for notebook computers. You can listen to the speakers
at locations where there is no electricity. They are pricey for computer
speakers, but they are amazing. Yet, they won't compare with home hi fi speakers. |
Great for the price - but you have to configure and set them up to get the best sound
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| Date Of Review: January 19, 2010 |
| Reviewed by: D. Hart, Costa Mesa, CA |
It will be worth your effort, though, to spend the time getting them set up and configured. I've had these Altec FX-3022 PC speakers for nearly a year now. Bought at Fry's on sale for about $80.00. Like some other reviewers, I agree that $100 or more is probably a bit steep for these. I tried several sets of PC speakers, including 3-ways with dedicated subwoofers in this price range and had to return them, but I'm keeping these Altecs. There's a catch to the complaints about too much bass. It's true they are too bassy out of the box. But the computer I have comes with a 10-band software equalizer or you can download one, sometimes for free. Check out the web site for your PC's audio controller and see if you can download an equalizer for it. Once you taper off the two bottom two or thee bands you'll find these speakers to be simply outstanding - among the best of 2-way, paired speakers. You can set the equalization permanently so you'll only have to do this 2-minute chore one time. The treble part of the speaker is definitely directional so you'll want to aim them right at your head. That makes these mostly "personal" speakers but multiple people can enjoy them if they get further away to allow the treble to fan out. Because the bass comes out the bottom, it can make a difference what they are sitting on. Mine are sitting on thick, sturdy shelves right at ear level behind my monitor and that may also help get the best quality sound, too.
Yes, the cords are permanenly attached and may not be long enough for a few people and there should be a grill over the bottom speaker for protection so be careful. There could be more controls on the speakers too. But these are still much better than most speakers in this price range.
These speakers listed for over $100.00 not long ago so now is the time to buy. The volume is far more than I need. Maybe those complaining about volume didn't have all the PC volume controls all the way up. One PC I have has software volume controls in 3 places and they aren't all easy to find. If even one of these is low, then the volume can't max out. Additionally there's the volume controls on top of the speakers themselves.
There's probably a small number of people who won't like them for one reason or another but when correctly set up, these speakers are really, really good - as PC speakers go. I won't be looking any further. And, by the way, no matter how good your speakers are, any music lover should take some time setting up, adjusting and testing their speakers if they really want the best sound. I thought about giving them only 4 stars because Altec should have thrown in a free equalizer on a CD and some info on proper setup and then there would be a lot more 5-star reviews. However you can make them shine, and it's worth the effort for the money. |
Very sweet pair of speakers for your home/office
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| Date Of Review: January 30, 2009 |
| Reviewed by: L. Goren, |
I'll start by saying I got these for my office. In no way is this meant to be a review of anything other than home/office speakers, and as such - they are terrific ! All-around pretty crisp sound with good strong and punctual bass delivered right where you want it - the speakers themselves. Quite a piece of design ingenuity - these are pricey but deliver on their price. Well done !
So if you're willing to shell out the necessary $$ - you will not be disappointed.
The only thing I miss about the speakers is an integrated headphone jack. But since I work of a desk-situated laptop, it is not an issue for me, since I have the headphone jack right next to me. |
An Excellent Speaker System
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| Date Of Review: January 6, 2010 |
| Reviewed by: KAC453, Thomasville, NC USA |
My Klipsch ProMedia Ultra 2.0 speakers lost the right channel due to failure of the volume control. They sounded incredible for their size, but are no longer made. I have 4 CPUs on a KVM switch, so I needed a 2.0 replacement and could not use a 2.1 system. I purchased the Creative GigaWorks T40 Series II, but found them "tinny" in the midrange and sorely lacking bass that adversely effected opera and symphonic music. After a day of reading reviews, I purchased a set of Altec Expressionist Bass speakers and tried them out side by side with the Creative T40 speakers with music ranging from Beethoven and Verdi opera to Enya and Sarah McLachlan. My wife listened with me.
There was no comparison between the two. The Altecs were markedly better sounding with richer instruments particularly the strings, markedly better vocals, and more presence. The speakers midrange and treble frequencies were excellent. The only weakness I detected in the Altecs were some high frequency distortion in the left channel noticeable at very loud volumes (not noticeable at moderate to loud listening volumes) when sopranos were doing arias or when Enya was singing the high notes. When listening to music with exaggerated bass, I needed to turn the bass down a bit on my sound cards as the bass could become "boomy". All an all, the Altec Expressionist Bass speakers are excellent well balanced speakers with good bass, rich midranges, decent high frequencies, and excellent presence.
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Great speakers with phenomenal bass
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| Date Of Review: April 18, 2009 |
| Reviewed by: Jerry Saperstein, Evanston, IL USA |
These are simply wonderful speakers if you love bass. The design is techie-cool: kind of conical. There are 4" downward firing bass speakers in the bottoms and 1.5" speakers above for highs and mid range tones.
The bass is overpowering and there are no onboard controls to moderate it as you would find on a sub-woofer. However, use these speakers with an equalizer and you'll love them. If you don't like the default settings for your equalizer, make your own profiles. Right now, I have these hooked up to a laptop, listening to Pandora and I am in audio heaven. The bass speakers radiate 360 degrees while there appears to be a tiny bit of directionality to the 1.5" speakers.
Overall, the sound is brilliantly crisp. (Patsy Cline streamed has rarely sounded this good.) Amplification is more than sufficient to fill a large room and beyond.
Construction quality is very high, though some questionable design decisions were made. The biggest design deficiency is that the bass speaker cones on the bottom are exposed. Be careful or you'll put your thumb right through them. There should be a shield to prevent this.
The two speakers are permanently attached with what appears to be a six foot cord. It is thick, which is probably a plus, but also means that some installations could be a bit more complex than necessary.
The power switch and volume controls are located on the top of the right-hand speaker unit. The volume controls are extremely responsive, so holding them down for a moment slides through almost the entire range.
There are audio inputs for your computer and an AUX input for your iPod or other music player.
Overall, these are great speakers, even though may strike many as somewhat overpriced. For the load 'n g school, the bass may be overpowering and unacceptable. Take the time to set an equalizer to your preferences and these speakers are extremely sweet and far more compact than those with a separate sub-woofer.
Great sound in a very compact and innovative package.
Jerry |
Fantastic. Choose this.
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| Date Of Review: December 30, 2009 |
| Reviewed by: Trench, |
Great stuff. Looks great, sounds great. I think I know what I'm talking about -- I care a lot about this, and I had the vaunted Creative GigaWorks T20 (series 1) for two years. Was satisfied...until after two years the left speaker developed a loud hiss/buzz. I think a product should last longer than two years, so I didn't want to give Creative money again.
Went with these...what a good choice. After a lot of online research -- couldn't find these in a store to audition -- the Altec Expressionist sounds better, and no more desktop space than the T20. As for audition, I went to an Apple store and heard the Harmon Kardon Soundsticks II. Not good. And they are $150 there; $120 online.
No need to go w/ subwoofer, not w/ these as option. Two sats + sub = a silly box that you have to put somewhere that "pumps" bass that doesn't match the satellites anyway. In home theater, matching the subwoofer to the bass is paramount. Sound signals cross and frequencies are canceled out and other crap I don't understand...
Go 2.0 is my recommendation, and these fit that bill. Keep it simple -- forget the subwoofer box and attendant cables, space required, etc.
On games, I'm hearing some bass and other sounds I've not heard so clearly before, and playing a couple of music tracks...these are only computer speakers, but they sound way close to a full-fledged small separate speaker in a home system. In a smaller way.
As many have said, if the bass is too much, dial it down in your computer's EQ.
p.s. If these don't last ten years, as they should, forget everything I said.
Only one suggestion: Altec should make a deluxe model with some metal/aluminum body parts -- a little less on the plastic. Having said, it still is a good-looking unit.
I write this because I made my decision on previous Amazon reviews, and I'd like to give back.
$50? Go for it. |
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The Altec Lansing Expressionist Bass FX3022 speakers provide crystal-clear sound in an attractive design that fits comfortably anywhere in today's digital home. Thanks to subwoofers built right into the desktop speakers, you'll enjoy powerful and deep bass from a compact package that doesn't take up your limited space. The FX3022 was optimized for computers, MP3 players, and other digital sources, bringing your music, movies, and games to life.  | The Altec Lansing Expressionist Bass FX3022: - Builds the subwoofer into the desktop speakers for a compact design.
- Features 25 watts RMS of total power for large volume capacity.
- Has an auxiliary input jack to connect additional sources.
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Downward firing subwoofers are built into the speakers. View larger. | 
The Expressionist Bass combines a compact design with a large, full-range sound. View larger. | 
Controls are conveniently located on the speakers themselves. View larger. | Elegant Design for the Modern Home
The Expressionist Bass FX3022 was designed with today's digital home in mind. With a glossy black high-tech look, the speakers are just as much at home on your computer desk as they are out in your living room with your furniture. And at just 5.25 x 10 x 5.25 inches (WxHxD) and without a subwoofer to lug, you can easily move the system around wherever you need them, be it the living room, computer room, den, or porch. High Performance and Great Versatility
Whether you are watching a video clip on the web or using your notebook computer to DJ your latest party, the FX3022 provides a great multimedia platform for all your digital media needs. Featuring 25 watts RMS of total continuous power, the system can easily fill your room with satisfying sound. With an auxiliary input jack and controls built right into the speaker, you can easily connect and adjust a source other than your computer, such as a CD player, DVD player, or iPod. Bass Built Into the Base
Instead of the subwoofer that most other speaker systems rely on, the Expressionist Bass system builds a four-inch long-throw subwoofer right into the base of each speaker. The system has a downward firing orientation, causing the bass to reflect off the desktop and create a radiating 360-degree sound field for convincing slam in the lower registers. And thanks to psycho-acoustic algorithms from the system's integrated Maxx Bass technology, you get close to an extra octave of lower bass. The end result is that you get twice the bass in half the space. Two 40mm Drivers for Full-Range Sound
Specially engineered 40mm drivers provide the mids and highs with great clarity. The two drivers are compartmentalized in a sealed chamber, ensuring that the pressure of the subwoofer doesn't mix and muddle the sound. The internal chamber features a rounded architecture that decreases harsh diffractions (sound waves that bounce around in otherwise square corners) and standing waves (which get stuck in otherwise square corners) that can "color" the audio that you hear. What this means to you is a cleaner, more natural sound. The Expressionist Bass FX3022 is backed by a one-year warranty. What's in the Box
Speaker system, 3.5mm audio cable, power adapter, user's guide, quick connect guide.
Bring your laptop and speakers out to DJ your next party. |
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