Altec Lansing has a past of making exceptional products at a reasonable price. This hasn't changed with the Ultimate 641 gaming speakers. This comes in a very large and heavy box. Inside, you will find four bookshelf-sized speakers, two wall mounts, a wired remote, manuals, and a very large subwoofer.

Design

The speakers are about 5.0" (W) x 5.4" (D) x 8.5" (H). The subwoofer is as big as a mid tower PC and is probably heavier. Its dimensions are about 8.3" (W) x 18.5" (D) x 18.0" (H). The satellite speakers come with a sleek looking face plate which can be taken off for cleaning. All four of the speakers have hard, metal stands, and feel solid to the touch. If you don't have anywhere to put the rear speakers, you can always mount them on the wall using the included wall brackets.
The subwoofer is simply HUGE. It bests my mid-tower case by a little. This needs to be placed somewhere with lots of room. Mine is under my desk and gets a couple kicks from time to time, but other than that, it's safe. It, too, comes with a large, detachable face plate which. Altec has given lots of style to them, making them look clean and solid from every angle. I'm very satisfied with how they look.
A remote is also included in the package. It's not wireless but it has a long enough cable so as not to have you reaching for it. The remote has 4 silver buttons and one turn dial. One is labeled mode, bass, treble, and power. The mode button switches from stereo, stereo x2, and gaming. Bass controls the bass level and so on. In the stereo mode, only the front two speakers are heard, stereo x2 gives you the use of all four channels. Gaming mode uses all four speakers but during gaming, such as first person shooters, you can hear people coming from their respective directions. The remote comes with a solid aluminum cradle which you can put in when it's not in use.

Installation

The set comes with a detailed instructions manual which guides you step by step through installation. The speakers connect to the back of the subwoofer using stripped wires. These are "clipped" into their own designated slots. The subwoofer connects to the sound card of you computer. I had absolutely no trouble with installation except for the fact that the cables for the rear speakers were a little too short.

Sound

The sound coming from these speakers is generally LOUD and clear. The speakers have a real crisp treble and sounds very sharp. The bass is what I bought these babies for. When pumped up just halfway, it gives you a nice, smooth rumble. When fully pumped, it can really give you a good kick in the ***. When I first received these speakers, I turned the bass all the way up and I could feel the pounding within every inch of my house (my house isn't all that small either). Beware because you might annoy your neighbors. The bass can shake up cheap windows like they're instruments.
Watching movies on the 641's is a real treat. When there's an explosion, believe it, because it sounds like your speakers just blew up. The speakers give you a near-theater experience with its loud and rich sound.
What bothered me was the constant hissing when the speakers were on. Even when the treble isn't turned up all the way, you can hear a loud shushing sound. I looked up the problem in the manual and it told me to put the volume only half way in the control panel, but this didn't make a big difference in the hissing sound.

Conclusion

Altec Lansing has done a satisfactory job in producing another masterpiece at a not-so-high price. With a price tag of around $132, anyone can pick these up. The design is very stylish. The sound is nice, crisp, and loud. Setup's very easy. The bass is excellent. Other than the hissing, I didn't find anything bad about these set of speakers. They almost pass for home theater speakers.

Design: A
Sound: B
Setup: A
Overall (not an average): B