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Altec Lansing FX6021 2.1 Speakers
Page 2 of 4 Well, right off the line Altec Lansing is twitching to go. The FX6021s packaging is subtle while at the same time almost daring you to deny their greatness. Exclaiming and commanding you to "Feel it! Live it! Turn it up!" while gracefully displaying barely there graphics and product shots. Turn the box around and you're greeted with a complete list of features and specs, in 4 languages no less.   Opening the box reveals the standard foam tomb in which most audio components travel. Smartly packed inside you will find your speakers (a woofer and two lanky satellites), satellite stands, copious amounts of high quality cabling, as well as wired AND wireless remotes. A simple user's manual with few pictures is also stashed inside, again written in 4 languages. The standard list of warnings adorns the first page, warning you that electricity and water don't mix.   First Looks Once again, the FX6021s aren't fooling around. These are not your typical 2.1 computer speakers. The narrow satellite speakers are thin and shallow, and yet they house six 1" drivers each. These puppies win immediate style points in my book for the far from standard layout, as well as the basic silver theme. Another nice touch that few people may appreciate is the lack of obvious logo display. Altec Lansing could have emblazoned their corporate logo in bold black lettering, but rather embossed it shallowly into the plastic speaker housings. Nice touch.  The slim-line satellites can be place on your desk with the included stands. Or, if you are trying to conserve space, the heavy bases can be removed and the speakers may be attached to a wall. I liked the tall, narrow design and had plenty of room for them on my average sized computer desk. The speaker grills are made of silver colored metal and can't be easily removed, nor should they need to be. The tiny 1" drivers have nifty silver cones but are mostly hidden behind the grill.      The Subwoofer isn't nearly as fit and trim as the satellites, nor can it be. Encasing a 6.5" driver as well as a power unit simply won't allow for it! The speaker is stylish nonetheless. As the subwoofer will in all likelihood need to be placed on the floor, it need not be as fashionable as functional. Just don't expect the whole speaker unit, sub and all, to fit nicely on your desktop.    Inside the woofer, should you feel like taking it apart, you will find...well, not much really. Of course the driver is hiding in there somewhere, but by removing the plastic access panel which houses the bass port and input jacks, all you'll really get a good look at is...well, the back side of the bass port and input jacks and maybe some PCB and a capacitor or 2. The rear of the speaker box does warn against removing the panel and mentions that there are no user-serviceable parts back in there. But I bet with a little recklessness and disregard for your own safety you could find something to solder and/or melt. Don't remove the panel. There's a reason 12 little screws are holding it in place.  As this speaker system is attempting to cater to the above average computer user, more features abound. A wired volume and sound controller is included sporting an easy to use knob-adjust for sound levels as well as bass and treble response. Also included is a wafer thin wireless remote that does essentially the same thing as its wired counterpart. Although, the infrared receiver port for the wireless remote is located on the front edge of the controller. Proper placement is essential to the wireless remote's successful operation. At times I had problems getting the remote to work if the little port was blocked by a mouse or at an extreme angle.    I mentioned early the high-quality cables that accompany the speakers. As thick as most keyboard connection cables and plenty lengthy (about 8 feet), it is obvious that Altec Lansing is stepping up to offer audiophiles something worthwhile. Now, let's be honest, 90% of the time, connecting computer speakers to a machine is a relatively easy task. Altec Lansing makes it utterly foolproof with color-coded speaker-wire ends and input ports. If you hook these up wrong, well, frankly you don't deserve to listen to them. Around the back of the subwoofer you will find your input jacks for left and right satellites as well as auxiliary RCA jacks meant as inputs for gaming consoles such as the PS2 and XBOX. And as a very thoughtful and useful extra, Altec Lansing includes 2 speaker cable extensions (another 8 feet of cord). A very classy idea in my opinion as you won't be left with miles of extra cord if you don't need it, yet won't be left wanting for more should you require. 
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