| PRODUCT DETAILS | | Altec Lansing MX5020 2-piece PC Speaker System |  | |
Altec Lansing MX5020 2-piece PC Speaker System
Altec Lansing's MX-5020 MaxxBass Stereo Speakers offers superior sound, while saving space and removing the bulk of extra wires. This stylish pair of speakers add a touch of class and sophistication to your desktop. With its custom-built high-fidelity drivers and cutting-edge equalization, you'll enjoy every subtle note, bassline and power chord. Powerful woofers deliver responsive mid-range sound, while the horn-loaded tweeters give you wider, crystal-clear dispersion of higher sounds. Shielded satellites for use near video monitors Color-coded cables for easy installation Headphone jack for private listening Signal To Noise - >75dB @ 1KHz Sound Pressure Level - 95dB Dimensions(WxDxH) - 5.2 x 2.5 x 10.2 (132 x 63 x 260 mm)
Manufacturer: Altec Lansing
Price: $99.95
 Altec Lansing MX5020 2-piece PC Speaker System
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| User Reviews |  | Fantastic sound for the size and Great Price!
rating: 5
These speakers blew me away compared to the NEC Tower powered speakers I purchased about a decade ago. The bass doesn't have to be turned way up to hear it, and the fidelity is absolutely excellent for a 2-speaker system. I was really impressed by low trombone notes on some live performances that made me feel like I was hearing them live. The right speaker has all the controls behind a door that can fold under the unit. This is one of the few 2-speaker ensembles that has both bass & treble controls, unlike some that have none, or just one "tone" adjustment.
The only 2 negatives I can come up with (and over all they're minor) is that you have to turn the slightly hard-to-grasp volume/power knob to turn it off and that you must turn the speakers off before the computer otherwise there is a nasty "pop" that can make you cringe. Otherwise compared to all the other speakers I researched, this is tops by far.
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Ehhh, it's ok
rating: 3
I bought a set of these to replace my Klipsch Promedia 2.0 speakers which started cutting out on me after a year (seems like a common problem with those speakers). These MX5020 speakers are also designed as high quality 2.0 speakers for those who don't want to run a sub to avoid wire clutter and don't care about the extra bass (most if not all of those 2.1 setups don't sound very good anyway with boomy bass and nonexistant mids).
These speakers look nice with a wide monolithic look. They sit tall and wide on your desktop. Its shiny "piano look" plastic makes it look more expensive and they are cleanly styled. It even comes with a cloth so you can wipe your fingerprints off the shiny plastic. The drivers are clearly seen through the thin fabric material which covers the top 3/4 of the speaker. Once you pick them up, then you realize that they are still cheap plastic speakers as they don't weigh a lot. They do have a headphone and aux input in the back. The controls are available if you flip open the front panel which has a smooth damped door. You'll probably want to keep the door flipped open (it swings out wide and flips completely underneath the speaker). It comes with a large power brick adapter for power and there is no battery option. However, they still take up a bit footprint on your desk so they won't satisfy those who want a unobtrusive setup.
The Sound
Its Maxxbass technology allows these speakers to sound pretty full for its price from its small 3" bass/mid driver. However, for the most part, it works ok, these speakers aren't really putting out any clean bass below 100Hz, but they almost sound like they are reaching down to 80Hz. The bass sounds a bit thick and loose at times while just avoiding boominess. The bass and lower midrange sounds has a boxy nasal quality at times. So there "no free lunch". The vocals are pretty clear, but the treble is not very extended. String instruments sound a bit congested. I don't have the instruments to make the measurements but I suspect there is a lot of harmonic distortion in the bass. Overall, the sound is still an improvement over any sub/sat computer speakers I've heard in this price range, just barely.
To be fair, these are only $100 speakers, and they are still better than most stuff in this price range. They have a unique expensive look.
All in all, I prefer the sound of my previous Klipsch Promedia 2.0 speakers which had better mids, clearer highs, less bass but a cleaner sound through the tonal range.
I rate these a 3/5 for their price ($100). I got these on clearout at my local electronics chain for about $25 USD, so I'm satisfied with them until I can afford high end powered monitors like the NHT M-00. I would recommend you probably want to have some good headphones if you listen to music on your computer a lot.
If you can get these on sale for about $50, I'd say go for it, but for its price, I expected better given the hype about its "MaxxBass" design.
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Good "plastic" speakers
rating: 3
I bought MX5020 wanting to be able to listen to the music form portable CD out of my stereo system. I must admit that i do care about the sound quality, so my expectations were not high, however after reading several reviews i decided on Altecs MX5020.
Turning them on was a surprise: plenty of sound with quite apealing tone. Suspicious i took them home to compare with real sound from stereo. The moment of truth was somehow sad.
There is plenty of sound, but this sound has nothing to do with original!! One cannot expect much from small plastics, however for some kind of music it simply kills it.
I mean:
- guitar of Paco DeLucia does not sound like guitar, sounds like guitar imagined by engineers from Altec - terrible.
- female vocals of Particia Barber are acceptable, if one can accept distortions and basically lack of proper midrange.
- male vocals (Tom Waits) are distorted by maxbass, hardly acceptable.
- trumpet of Miles Davis sounds like in a jar.
- saxophone of Sony Rollins sounds like child toy
- rock (Pink Floyd, Sting etc.) is acceptable.
- piano of Keith Jarret is not a piano, especially in lower registers.
One can expect these kind of distortion form toy speakers, however bad think is the maxbass cannot be switche off! Turning down bass kills midrange, so one must accept permanent "bum bum" of so called bass.
I did compate Altecs to Bose, Logitech they were the same if not worse.
Overall i can recomen them to those wanting to listen "bum bum" music, jazz or clasics lovers would be disapointed, but what one can expect from small toy? Other brands and models does not seem to be better, unlike you go for expensive real stereo.
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Unbelievable Value For The Money!!! Clear Full Sound!
rating: 5
I never knew that computer speakers could have such full and rich sound! They crank pretty loud as well with seperate bass & treble control! All Your Music, Movies & Spoken Word will come alive in Clean, Warm and Crisp Sound! I Highly Recommend!
Calvin
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Good if you're on a rally tight budget or space-constrained, otherwise consider the MX5021 3-piece instead
rating: 3
Purchased MX5020 & MX5021WHT systems at the same time, planning to deploy the '021 in our family room and the '020 in the office. Prior to installion I ran both in our great room using a Roku M500 source and performed back-to-back listening tests. The '021 can truly fill the room with a very good sound (and at significant volume) and is a great deal for the money, whereas the '020, being slightly less bass-able and with a rather confined stereo image, rates as satisfactory-to-good. Used in the application they were designed for & marketed into, they'll be fine. Personally I'll be buying '021's to use in both the kitchen and master bedroom.
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Altec Lansing MX5020 2-piece PC Speaker System
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