Altec Lansing VS4121 Speakers: Good Speakers For Any User

I purchased the Altec Lansing VS4121 Computer Speakers as a replacement for my Altec Lansing VS2121 Computer Speakers, when they stopped working properly, one month ago. I had been very pleased with my old speakers, and felt it would be smart to stay with the same brand and product line. The regular price for the VS4121 was $89.99, but I purchased the, at a clearance price of $39.99 from Best Buy.

My VS4121’s are very heavily used. I play music loudly, and frequently play video games that require sound. They are also in use when I watch DVDs or just surf the internet.

The subwoofer connects to your sound card using a standard audio cable; which is color coded for easy hook up. Plug-n-play compatibility makes software unnecessary. The speakers connect to the subwoofer with small, unobtrusive wires. This has been improved from the VS2121, which had very long, cumbersome wires.

The speakers are larger than the previous model, but still very stylish. Silver and black in color, the speakers reach about 9 inches high. The controls have been significantly improved on this model. Located on the right speaker, a small button controls power to the speakers with a green light above the volume knob as an indicator. Two knobs control the treble and bass. I was very pleased to see these controls added, since my biggest complaint about my previous speakers was that the bass couldn’t be turned down without using the controls in a media player (which didn’t help with games). The subwoofer is much larger than that of my previous speakers, but still around average size (8 in”x9.9” Dx13.6” H).

Sound quality for music was well above average, but I was a bit disappointed that they weren’t as good as the previous model. I suspect that this is due to the removal of the SFX setting, which made every song I played sound as if I was in the room while it was being recorded. The bass is very powerful, and easily turned up or down with the controls. Playing games with sound is no longer an annoyance for me, since I can properly balance the sound on the speakers themselves. The maximum volume of the VS4121 speakers is more than sufficient for my usage, easily drowning out my two barking dogs and any other noises. The volume is still good at the highest volume.

In an attempt to be as thorough as possible, the following information is for the audio-tech geeks out there. My love (and knowledge) of technology is mostly limited to digital cameras so this review will probably be best appreciated by the layman who just wants a good set of computer speakers. For those of you who know what these mean…
Nominal Output Power: 31 Watts
Response Bandwidth: 25 Hz to 15 kHz
Signal-to-noise ratio: 73 dB

With impressive sound quality and well thought-out controls, the VS4121 Speakers to anyone looking for very good speakers at an even better price.