LAS VEGAS -- Hoping to attract LCD owners, Altec Lansing has rolled out a new series of thin-profile PC speakers, ranging in price from $30 to $100. The company also demonstrated two high-end power speaker sets at the Consumer Electronics Show here this week.
Thin Is In
After spending the money to upgrade to a new, elegant LCD monitor for their desktop, many PC users want a set of slim speakers to match, says Pamela Roccabruna, senior marketing manager at Altec Lansing.
The entire VS series of powered speakers has a brushed-aluminum finish, and they're all video-shielded so you can set them up next to any monitor without causing image problems. Each also uses Altec Lansing's Powered Audio technology so you don't need an external amplifier. The VS2120, VS2121, and VS3121 begin shipping later in January; the VS3151 will ship in February, she says.
The VS2120 is an entry-level two-speaker setup that will be priced at $30. The speakers offer a 5-watt, 3-inch driver and on-speaker power, volume, and tone controls as well as an integrated headphone jack.
The VS2121, a $50 package, includes two speakers and a wooden, lunch-box-size subwoofer. The wall-mountable speakers include a single 6-watt, 2-inch driver, onboard controls, and a headphone jack. The subwoofer has a 4-inch woofer and 16 watts of continuous power.
The VS3121 package costs $80 and includes two speakers and a larger subwoofer. The 6-watt speakers include two 2-inch drivers and a subwoofer with an 18-watt 5.25-inch woofer, all controlled by a separate control pod. The pod includes power, volume, and treble controls as well as a headphone jack and built-in RCA inputs. The package also includes Sound Field Xpander (XFS) technology designed to offer a wider stereo image.
The VS3151 package is priced at $100. It includes four speakers for surround sound, a center speaker, a subwoofer, and a separate control pod.
Higher High End
Altec Lansing also announced new high-end products.
Geared specifically for music, the new CS21 Concert Stage Series includes two shielded speakers and a subwoofer. The wood-cabinet two-way ported speakers include custom circuitry designed to re-create a live concert experience, Roccabruna says.
Each speaker has a single 30-watt driver. The subwoofer includes a 50-watt, 6.5-inch woofer. The $250 package recently began shipping internationally, but Altec has not yet made plans for release in the U.S.
Finally, the company's newest high-end package is the FX6021, which begins shipping in January and is priced at $300. The setup includes two slim 12.5-watt speakers and a 50-watt subwoofer with a 6.5-inch woofer. Each speaker includes six 1-inch full-range microdrivers arranged at precisely calculated distances. Three different incorporated amplifiers drive one pair of drivers per speaker. Filtering technology directs specific frequencies to the correct driver pairs, ensuring more precise sound, according to Altec Lansing representatives.
The entire setup is run through a separate control pod and an included wireless remote control. The pod also includes a headphone jack and two input jacks that let you connect two input sources, such as a PC and an MP3 player, at once.
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