Virgin Electronics 2100 2 Speakers

Introduction
As a former professional musician (bass guitar) and sound designer for several rock bands, I consider myself somewhat versed in judging speaker sound quality. Please note that I am not nor do I profess to be sound engineer or sound theory expert. I also do NOT play video games. My opinions are based on hard won performing and listening experiences gained over the past 38 years.

I would like to touch on some basics first as I lay the foundation for my review and conclusions. While these may be obvious please excuse the digression as I include them so we can all be on the same page.

1) Any amplifier/speaker combination NO MATTER HOW MUCH WAS PAID, when played at full volume will distort and probably be damaged if done for an extended period of time.

2) All systems have limitations and the user must not only become aware of a system's limitations but work to pinpoint them so that they can be minimized.

3) The louder a system is played, the more noticeable the limitations (distortion/hiss) become.

4) The softer/louder a system is played, the limitations of our brain/ears come into play. That's why the bass needs to be boosted when the volume is reduced.

5) The quality of the sound card will affect the apparent quality of the sound.

6) The quality of the component that produces the most distortion will limit the quality of the entire system no matter how good the other components are.

7) The type of input (video, music, DVD, voice, instrument, etc) will affect the apparent sound quality.

8) The quality of the recording and how it was mixed will affect the apparent sound quality.

9) High quality subwoofer/bass amplification is the most difficult to achieve and control.

10) Adjusting the equalization of one frequency range affects the near frequencies as well.

11) 40 watts are 40 watts (not 100 watts)

12) During any listening session, your ears become "fatigued" and what seems to very loud to begin with seems not so loud later leading the user to turn up the volume leading to more fatigue.

13) Exposure to extremely loud sounds will damage your hearing (duh).

14) I do not play video games (yeah, I said that already).

15) Unless you have sound meter measurements, loudness is somewhat subjective.

16) High quality sound is less tiresome and can be listened to longer because less distortion is being transmitted to your brain.

17) When judging an amp/speaker combination, one is judging the amplifier as well.

As other reviewers have covered installation, setup, and basic description, I suggest that you read those to gain a different perspective. I have owned the Altecs for about 4 weeks as of 11/22/02.


My Setup
My computer system has a Creative Sound Blaster Live! Platinum 5.1 sound card installed in a Windows ME, AMD 1.4Ghz system with 512MB RAM, two 60 Gig 7200 RPM drives, a Samsung 191t 19" LCD monitor (great monitor, see my review), a DVD and CD/CDRW player. It has high quality components that produce excellent sound and video. I purchased these speakers as an interim system until I have time to investigate 5.1 home theater systems. The speakers are hooked to the analog RCA plug on the sound card. Windows Media Player (WMP) software is used to control playback and EQ adjustments along with the standard Windows volume control and advanced settings. WMP also has a SRS function that does some digital sound processing (DSP) enhancements that give the sound a bigger, fuller range and dispersement. Sometimes I use it and sometimes I don't depending on the music. It definitely increases the volume.

My comparison systems for this review are:

1) My home stereo consisting of Bose 501's (3 piece), 901's (2 piece), fairly good quality JVC components with digital sound processing (DSP), external amps with several hundred watts of power, a CD jukebox, EQ, etc. installed in a 15x30 living room. Note: A powered subwoofer is not installed.

2) A small 20 watt portable stereo in my home office with CD/tape/radio and two KLH speakers and an 8-inch unpowered Dynaco subwoofer replacing the cheap original speakers.

3) A JVC stereo television installed in a 12x12 room. The television has small internal amplifiers and speakers.

The Altecs are installed in my home office (10x15) with the subwoofer under my computer table about 2 feet to my left and about 5" from the wall placed facing into the room. I originally had it placed parallel right next to the wall but this placement seems to allow better dispersion. The tweeters were originally placed about 3" away from my monitor on each side but the sound did not integrate well with the subwoofer. I then placed the tweeters about 3 feet away from my monitor on each side and it worked like magic. They are also about 2 feet away from the wall. For music I face the tweeters directly at me. For DVD's I turn them around so as to mimic surround sound by bouncing the highs off of the walls and ceiling.

The wired remote is placed to the left of my monitor within easy reach. I use the power button as a mute switch. The remote's volume control (1 up and 1 down) uses a step function and pressing either one causes the music to increase/decrease a set amount. If either button is held down the volume will increase/decrease automatically but since there is no volume level display it's difficult to determine exactly at what level the system is set.

Testing Music CDs
I gathered many CD's from the 40's though today covering all genres. In addition, several classical CD's of Mozart and Bach were played as well. The pop CD's consisted of Big Band, Chuck Berry, Marvin Gaye, Jimi Hendrix, 1978 Hits, George Strait, The Notorious B.I.G., Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Jack Johnson, Pink Floyd, Luis Miguel, U2, etc.

At low to medium-high volume everything sounds excellent without making too much fuss over the tone adjustments. The adjustment on the subwoofer is excellent for dialing just the right amount of bass for your room size. Mine is set to about 50 percent. The tweeters produce clear highs with great instrumental and vocal separation. The subwoofer adjustment through the 10 band EQ in the WMP allows the bass to be enhanced at the frequency needed to produce good, clean tight bass at a volume that complements the entire system.

As far as the remote is concerned, Altec would be much better off to have installed a volume dial with a continuous function and some kind of display so the user could observe the set level. Several times I have turned on the speakers and was greeted by too high a volume because I forgot to turn it down before I shut the system down. That's how I learned to use the Altec power switch as a mute button.

To get around the step function of the volume control I usually set the volume on the Altec remote 2 or 3 clicks from maximum and use the more flexible continuous volume control in the WMP. When I want closer to the maximum volume I set the Altec remote to 1 click before maximum.

The standard Windows volume control is set to one step before maximum. The bass level in the advanced Windows volume control screen is set to 1 step before maximum and the treble is set to maximum. Also, the settings on the WMP EQ and SRS function affect the volume level (increase). I listen to this system at low to medium volume sometimes 10-15 hours a day with no problems when I'm busy with my work.

When attempting to coax great sound out this 40-watt system at closer to the maximum level, the user requires more work. As the volume is increased the adjustment of the bass frequencies, especially in the lower 4 bands of the WMP are more critical. This is especially true when listening to recordings from different time periods. More current pop recordings output much more bass than older recordings. I can set the Altecs to maximum (remember, more distortion/hiss will occur) or 1 volume control click away from maximum and then nudge the WMP volume control up to achieve a very satisfying volume with excellent sonic results. If the volume goes too high the highs begin to sizzle and the bass will begin to pop (remember, 40 watts is 40 watts).

My technique is to lower all 4 low end bands to the minimum and then bring up each band separately to hear how each one affects the sound. I then bring up each one and set it to where it appears to enhance the sound. After setting each one at what appears to be the appropriate level I then tweak each one because as I said earlier, the adjustment of one band affects the near bands. If you are not careful the bass can start to rumble but it will definitely give you a good thump when adjusted properly and the music requires it.

So, at nearly ear splitting levels tweaking the EQ is extremely important, as is the volume control because a minor adjustment creates a major change. In this manner the system can sound extremely good, nearing the quality of my home stereo. Listening at maximum volume cannot be sustained because this system will definitely make your ears ring.

I did discover (as did other reviewers) that one of the tweeters vibrated at higher volume levels. At first I thought the speaker was defective. The vibration, in my case, was transmitted to what the speaker was placed on. I put a cork coaster under each speaker and guess what? Problem solved. No big deal. See, you have to work at overcoming each system's limitations.

Testing DVDs
I used Mission Impossible 2 and Brother, Where Art Thou? to test DVD sound. Both DVDs sounded great through these speakers at a very satisfying volume level. MI2 has great sound effects that are reproduced very well and Brother, Where Art Thou and some great folk music that sounds wonderful.

Since the EQ (at least I haven't seen one) isn't available in the WinFast DVD software I use as a DVD player, the bass level can be adjusted through the advanced setting in the Windows volume control or the subwoofer volume control. The subwoofer can start to rumble at very high volume settings but overall the sound quality is excellent at reasonable listening levels.

Since there is no center channel I use the volume control to increase the volume during dialog scenes. Otherwise, it sounds like you are at the movies and when I black out my office and grab some popcorn it's like having a private movie screening. I had a friend who owns a 61 inch big screen stop by and give a view/listen and he was totally impressed with the Samsung 191t monitor and the sound of the Altecs. He thought I had surround sound.

Comparisons
While my other 20-watt office system has a decent high end at low to medium volumes, even with the unpowered subwoofer, it just doesn't compete with the Altecs. What is does do better than WMP is that it has CD replay features, an AM/FM radio and a tape player (yes, I still have a bunch of those).

For my television viewing, while not surround sound, for the money, the Altecs add a great deal of presence and fullness to the listening experience. The installed television amplifiers/speakers are low powered and narrow in frequency range.

Comparing the Altecs to my home stereo (which has no powered subwoofer) is not really fair but the Altecs hold their own for a small space. At higher volumes the highs in the Altecs can sizzle somewhat but that can be attenuated somewhat by the treble controls.

One thing that I have to do is add to my home system is a powered subwoofer because being able to control the bass levels apart from the rest of the system is really the way to go. My previous home system had an 18 inch powered subwoofer in a huge cabinet with 2 Bose 301s for the top end and was, at the minimum, awesome to hear. With a move to a new house the subwoofer had to go and now, with the newer technology, it seems that great bass can be found in much smaller packages. It seems that the Altecs do have an advantage over my home system.

Conclusion
So there you go. Whether Logitech or some other system sounds better, that will be up to you. If you buy a 100 or 150 watt system it definitely will be louder but it may not sound better. Take a CD with great sound range that you are very familiar with to check the variation in sound quality in different systems, especially the subwoofer.

For what I expect from speakers of this price and wattage, the speakers perform excellently and will compare to any others. When I expand my system these will probably end up attached to the television in my bedroom. When I install my home theater system, the higher end Altecs will definitely be given consideration.

Well, anyway, that's it for now. Gotta go. Hope this helps. See you on the bright side.