Altec Lansing Expressionist-PLUS FX3021 2.1 Speaker System | 
| Brand: Altec Lansing
Category: CE
List Price: $84.99
Buy New: $57.00
as of 9/4/2010 20:07 CDT details
You Save: $27.99 (33%)
New (18) Used (1) from $57.00
Seller: Express Rate USA
Rating:  28 reviews
Format: CD
Color: Black
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Operating System: N/A
Shipping Weight (lbs): 7
Dimensions (in): 12 x 11.6 x 12
MPN: FX3021
Model: FX3021
UPC: 002198680873
EAN: 0002198680873
ASIN: B002BA596W
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | Crystal-clear Sound Precision-engineered 2? (50 mm) speaker drivers delivers pure, distinct full-spectrum audio | | • | Convenient design Adjustable base lets you direct the sound straight to your ears. | | • | Desktop Subwoofer Feel exceptional bass from a down-firing, long-throw 5.25? (135 mm) woofer. | | • | Built-in controls Power and volume are at your fingertips. | | • | Audio Alignment Drivers, enclosure and electronics are balanced for optimum sound. |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Tuck the Altec FX3021 compact subwoofer under your desk or on your desktop. Set-up is a snap, so enjoy terrific sound from your computer, CD, DVD, or MP3 player right out of the box.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 28
 Even My Wife Exclaimed "Wow!" July 17, 2009
Lawrence H. Bulk (New Jersey USA)
13 out of 15 found this review helpful
I have to say that these are really superior amplified speakers. The full range they produce, including LOTS of bass should that be desired, is all for which one could ask. They are in fact far better in sound reproduction than the Altec Lansing Expressionist CLASSIC FX2020 amplified speakers which I had gotten from Amazon previously and which themselves are no slouches in overall sound quality.
The majority of the music I play is classical music and I am a fan of good sound. I do not use such superior speakers as these for computer sound, preferring to use them with much better sound sources. Of course, others may enjoy using them with their computers and MP3 players and they will be assured of top-notch sound, as good as can be gotten from those sources.
However I myself will use these with the best possible sound sources; they are that good.
I started the music and my cat walked in to hear what was going on followed by my wife who was astounded. Normally she is not interested at all in my hi-fi equipment but, on hearing these, she expressed her astonishment that such "big" sound was coming from such small speakers.
I think that anyone who buys these speakers will be pleasantly astounded as well.
Is there a fly in the ointment? Well yes, a small one; the two satellite speakers are hard-wired together. Now I am no fan of any electronic equipment being hard-wired but I suppose that this is Altec-Lansing's design philosophy.
In view of the absolutely amazing sound this small system produces, I can forgive this small lapse.
If you're reading this review, you're interested in these speakers. Buy them. You'll never regret the purchase - and, as you all know, Amazon stands in back of its offerings and better than that you cannot get!
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Update: July 18, 2009
I have continued to use these speakers today and the more I use them the more impressed I am.
I recommend that users set the bass volume control to about one o'clock - no higher - for best overall reproduction. Too much bass will overwhelm the midrange. Note too that these speakers can play VERY loudly but, if one attempts to play them at very high levels, some distortion will be heard. Playing them at "sane" levels produces superior, very smooth, sound quality which will fill any normal room in one's home.
I really do wish that the satellite speakers were not hard-wired; I would have liked to separate them even more as their imaging appears to be very good.
Several favorite recordings (see my review of the Altec Lansing FX2020 Expressionist Classic Speakers for PC and MP3 Players (Black) for a list of them) confirm, to my ears, that these speakers are absolutely excellent in performance, design, and quality. If one were somewhat cash-strapped (not uncommon in these times!), one could purchase these amplified speakers and a small switcher box (with appropriate cables) and, after adding sound sources (CD player, cassette deck, phonograph [incorporating a phono preamp section], or computer), that person would have one terrific audio system which would cost very little and whose sound quality would definitely belie its small price tag.
I did try it with my computer (after all, they ARE marketed as computer speakers); as expected, the sound quality was first-rate.
I REALLY recommend this item to all.
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Update: August 11, 2009
I bought a SilverLake 22 inch multi-pocket duffel bag #F6022 ($15.99 at Marshall's) in which to store/carry these speakers. They are odd-shaped overall and I like to use them in various rooms about the house. This bag is perfect - it holds the speakers and other accessories perfectly and makes it easy to carry everything around. I find myself using these speakers more and more, sometimes even in preference to my "regular" speakers (Klipschorns and Mordaunt-Short Pageant Series II) and systems because it is so easy to set these up anyplace. An advantage is that a system such as this (portable CD player or portable cassette tape player along with these speakers) draws much less electric current than my main systems. What is really most important, however, is the overall sound quality - and, as I have stated, in my opinion, the sound quality these speakers provide is positively first-class.
I see that Amazon has lowered its price to a level which should make these irresistible. I believe that anyone desiring good portable speakers at a good price can do no better than these.
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Update: October 6, 2009
Today I hooked up these speakers to a spare turntable - a Technics Quartz Direct Drive Automatic Turntable System SL-Q200 and this Behringer Ultra-Compact Phono Preamp PP400. (And by the way, you can safely disregard any comments that this preamp causes hum; it does not. I believe that the people so commenting in their reviews do not have their connections correct or it is even possible that their home wiring is not properly grounded. In any case this unit produces absolutely NO hum whatsoever in my system.)
Last night I had tried this turntable/phono preamp combination with my Logitech Speaker System Z320 (Black); if you are interested, I recommend that you read my review of that product, which is an excellent one.
But playing a turntable and vinyl LP records through this Altec-Lansing speaker system -- well, all I can do is repeat: WOW!
As I'm writing this, I am listening to ELGAR & WALTON MARCHES with Sir Adrian Boult conducting the London Philharmonic Orchestra [Angel S-37436]. I think that if you were in my room listening to this with me, you'd exclaim "WOW!" too!
These speakers are somewhat large and a bit clumsy; nonetheless, the sound they produce is positively first-rate. In my opinion, they are almost wasted as computer speakers. They deserve MUCH better sound sources, such as CD or, and most especially, a good turntable along with a good phono preamp. Really they do!
These speakers can form the nucleus of a really excellent and really inexpensive sound system. While on the large side, you CAN travel with them and they can be carried about the house with ease. In my opinion, and especially at their low price, these represent an astonishingly good value for money and I positively continue to highly recommend them.
Love it July 23, 2009
Jason (NC, USA)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Got this to use with my ipod in my bedroom, and it works great, I love the low profile, the ability to turn the bass up (during the day) and down at night (you just turn the knob to adjust the bass!)
Looks amazing Sounds even better.
Can't believe it is so powerful 5 stars easy.
PROS:
Sleek Design
Small speakers (with a great booming clear robust sound)
Easy to setup
Turn the knob to turn up or down the bass
Looks amazing (did I already say that?)
The best sounding set of speakers I've owned in a long time (including my very large set of floor speakers, they just can't do what this small little set can)
CONS:
No headphone jack (not really needed (for my purpose) but speakers without one kinda stinks, even if the jack is on the sub).
The cable provided with the sub to connect to your audio device is very short (great if you're hooking it up to a computer, bad if you're doing what the picture in the description shows (sharing your audio with a date))
That picture is impossible, you don't get this really long cable so you can wrap your arm around your date while "picking out a song" instead you get a really small cable (not THAT small, but not really large either) so you would have to shove your date out of the way (face plants work nice btw) to select your song (maybe even getting up (OH NO)).
Bottom Line?: Definitely worth buying. The solutions to "my problems" are simple, buy a nice black felt cloth, put the speakers on it, and put some plush over the wires, then, search somewhere for a bigger line in cable so I can connect my iphone from a distance a bit further away.
Do buy this set, I'm not kidding, you have no idea how impressed I am over this set of speakers. I played a game (Crash Kart Racing) on my iphone and wow, so blown away, I could not believe the game sounded that good, it's just unbelievable, this is a phone game, and it sounds better than a hollywood movie does! (I also played some of my other games, all of which have equally amazing sound through this small but awesome speakers).
Just thinking about them brings a big smile to my face (PS, these are awesome for dates, throw on some lounge music in your playlist (Buddha Bar is good, so is some cafe del mar) set it to shuffle and kick back and relax).
OH, if you're listening to an audio book, that sounds great too, especially one with special effects and pretty good voice acting. (I just really love these speakers, I have no real complaints, do not be put off with the small size, these guys just rock (and rock hard ;) ).)
Very good speaker system July 18, 2009
D. Hentze (United States)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This latest Altec Lansing Speaker System is pretty impressive. Right out of the box I was impressed with its design. The satellite speakers are very small and take up little space on my desk. They also adjust up/down. Volume control is on the top of the right speaker, not the back, making volume easy to adjust. I'd prefer they weren't hard wired to each other, but it's not a big deal. The sub-woofer is very cool looking. Not your usual box design. Power and separate volume for the sub-woofer are easily controlled by a knob on top of it. There are separate hookups on it for the computer and aux input. I tested the system with my computer's digital music collection, and was very pleased. The satellite speakers produced tremendous highs, and the sub-woofer produced decent bass. It could use a little more power, but it works well if you don't turn its volume up too high. Doing so creates a lot of bass distortion. Leaving the sub-woofer's volume at about 50% worked well. The system as a whole lacked a little in mid-range. Nothing major, and it didn't bother me since I'm a "bass and treble" person anyway. I listened to several types of music and the results were all good. For a low wattage 2.1 system, the sound is about as good as you're going to get in this price range.
CRISP SOUND IN A TOTALLY UNIQUE DESIGN July 23, 2009
Iron Man
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is another quality product from Altec Lansing. I cannot help but be impressed with this "EXPRESSIONIST" speakers---crisp & crystal clear sound in a totally new and unique design configuration. After unpacking, I immediately hooked it up with my laptop to test-run the speakers in a variety of sound settings in my laptop's equalizer. Totally blown away by what this speaker can do. Although average as far as sound strength is concerned, the clarity is very impressive. The little tweeters produces the distinct highs and the subwoofers are ample enough to reproduce bass in its desirable form. The small configuration of these speakers will not overwhelm a large room but for casual listening in near distances (i.e. small rooms), sound reproduction is more than what you may expect.
Hook-up was a breeze, everything is pretty self-explanatory, no need to consult the manual. Their small size means they can be tucked away unobstrusively in your desk or working space. I love to have a clear desk free of clutter and this speakers can be placed in places where it will not hamper your work space. Can also be hooked up with your MP3 player.
Overall another worthy product from a company who specializes in audio peripherals. Highly recommended!
Great thumping sound July 28, 2009
Shelley Gammon (Kaufman, Texas USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Whether using for my iMac, my iPhone, my iPod or my Airport Express using AirTunes, these affordable computer speakers supply a hearty punch. The shielded subwoofer supplies the bass sound that you can FEEL, without rattling your jawbone or making you think your skeleton is going to turn to powder. No need to dissolve the cilia in your ears - great sound you can hear, with no rattle. The rubber feet work great in keeping vibration at bay and preventing the satellite speakers from 'walking' around your desk. Whether you decide to put the subwoofer on the ground or on your desk, the sound is still awesome and the subwoofer is attractive enough to be on your desk... not the typical 'black box' many choose to hide in the bottom or back of their desk, which results in muting some sounds. Altec Lansing always does a great job at making great sounding speakers, in attractive, affordable packages that are much more competitively priced than those they compete with in the same class. I highly recommend these speakers.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 28
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