July 6, 2009

Stylish Speakers for the Room
By Billy Joe I. Allardo
Published in the May 2009 print edition of PC World Philippines

Altec Lansing FX2020
www.alteclansing.com

The Altec Lansing FX2020 kit comes in the form of two cylindrical speakers garbed in shiny black hard plastic casing. Black cloth meshing provides immediate protection to both three-inch drivers with a silvery ring accentuating the two.

Meanwhile, the translucent front plates serve to not only doll up the speakers, but also act as their stands. Rubber footings are present on both plates to provide traction and indicate, alongside with the brand name, how the speakers should stand up.

Since both look the same, you can interchange which speaker goes to what side. Yet this decision can boil down on the proximity of the controls and the connectivity jacks to the user, which are all located on one satellite, as well as the power jack to the nearest power socket. The volume keys are on top with the power LED between them. At the back, the power button sits atop of the unit, auxiliary and power jacks.

The cable that connects the speakers is long enough to suit one’s positional preference. Each speaker has a 7.5W output nd produces crisp audio. However, since it lacks a separate subwoofer, don’t expect a powerful low-end bass from this desktop set.  It does offer a good amount of balance though, which should be good enough for a small room or desktop use.

Although the Altech Lansing FX2020 is somewhat a desktop space-eater with its size and unconventional shape, having a bulky bass boomer defeats the purpose of having it. The kit figures best inside a confined area, such as a bedroom or home office space, where bass is not much of a requirement for obvious reasons.

With its appearance, the Altec Lansing FX2020 is clearly a superior two-piece speaker kit when compared to the looks of other brands. The sound output is still a-ok, clear and subtle, something you expect from the maker. People looking for a powerful low-end might want something with a woofer, but it shouldn’t be a surprise if Altec Lansing comes up with an FX2020 kit with a subwoofer.