"List Price: ","$79.99""Price: ","$61.82 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details "
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Product Description
A small system that takes on any challenge, the Octane 7 punches heavy sound. A lot more than meets the eye, this versatile system is packing seven custom-designed drivers. Unique down-firing midrange drivers hidden inside each satellite speaker blast waves which reflect from a hard surface, sending sound rocketing in all directions. A sharp, compact design lets this astonishing system fit in easily with your style. With the monster subwoofer pushing serious bass and the midrange drivers flooding the room with warm sound, this is a small system that delivers enormous sound. Plug in your computer or device and get serious audio in any situation
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Product Details
Color: Black
Brand: Altec Lansing
Model: VS4621
Original language:
English
Number of items: 1
Dimensions: 13.00" h x
14.00" w x
15.00" l,
14.40 pounds
Features
Crisp high end Specially engineered micro drivers reproduce crystal-clear highs
Exceptional sound dispersion Down-firing midrange drivers fire sound in all directions, delivering warm, enveloping sound in a small footprint
Thunderous bass Formidable lows from a tough, compact 6.5? woofer. Shakes the room without eating up space
Audio Alignment Drivers, enclosure and electronics are balanced for optimum sound.
Built-in controls Volume, bass and treble controls at your fingertips
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Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
20 of 22 people found the following review helpful.
OK set of compact mid-range PC Speakers; BUT bass lacks clarity and speakers sound muffled.
By Senor Zoidbergo
The Altec Lansing Octane 7 bills itself as a small compact unit with thunderous bass; it's small and compact, but the bass leaves a bit to be desired.
PACKAGING: The system comes in a lightweight ~ 27.5-lb box, with a subwoofer, left and right speaker towers, a warranty booklet, and all cables necessary for setup. Minus the box and packaging, the speakers weigh just 12.5 lbs. There is no instruction manual; the instructions are printed directly on the box flap, so don't throw that box away! (although speaker setup is self-explanatory). Setup took all of 30 seconds to finish.
OVERALL DESIGN: I was immediately impressed by the slender design of the left and right speakers. The speakers each have a vertical tower upper portion, which flares downwards into a circular conical shaped bottom which houses various speaker drivers. It's a clean, compact design, which fits well on my small desk. The left speaker is the main control unit, which houses a sub-woofer cable connection, a main volume control button with power on/off light, separate treble/bass control knobs, and an auxiliary input. The volume/treble/bass knobs have a small, almost invisible ridge indicating dial position. The subwoofer itself also has a power button; the two power buttons seem redundant, but it's convenient to have an extra power button within easy reach on the left speaker. The left/right speakers are made of a solid matte plastic that does not retain fingerprints, and the conical shape gives them a steady base that is unlikely to tip over. The speaker grille is a hard mesh that allows 180 degree output. The overall build quality seems excellent.
SOUND: How does it sound? Bear in mind, this is a small system. The wattage is measured at just 28 watts RMS; for comparison, I used to own a set of Klipsch ProMedia v.2-400 4.1 speakers, and those had 400 watts RMS! The Altec Lansing speakers do an excellent job of immersing you in a surround sound environment. The tower speaker design contributes towards this aspect. At the same time, the significant drawback of the tower speaker design with drivers stored in the flared base is that the sound emanating from the speakers is muffled and muddy sounding. Moreover, I was disappointed by the bass, considering that this is a fairly pricey mid-range speaker set ($75). It also sounded muddy, and wasn't as clear and as crisp as I was hoping. I ran several test media files, including the lobby scene from The Matrix, various DVDs, and MP3s.
For general music playback, the speakers are fine. The speakers sound best with the treble turned mid-way, and the bass turned to about 30-40%. When the bass is turned past 50%, there is an increased amount of distortion. On the bright side, I suppose the benefit of a less powerful subwoofer is that you won't get complaints from the neighbors.
For gaming, the speakers are terrible. I tested these with Bad Company 2, and everything sounds extremely muffled. Any surround sound advantages are diminished by the muffled sounds emanating from the unit. The bass is wooden and heavy. The performance is so bad, that I always unplug these speakers and switch to my headphones before playing any games.
CONCLUSION: It's an ok, but not great computer speaker system. I like the slender compact design, surround sound, as well as the auxiliary input on the left speaker unit. The price is reasonable, and for such a small package it is certainly impressive. However, the tower speaker design with hidden drivers creates a dampened sound, as if the speakers are always being muffled. Additionally, the bass response could be improved.
If you wish to use these for general music playback and need a compact system, then they're ok. If you want to use them for movies/gaming, then I suggest you look at a competing model.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful.
Solid performer
By Dan Casselman
If you're looking for a relatively portable, easy to set up system for your computer or iPhone, this is a strong contender. Set up is a snap and it's a smaller, light-weight system. Nice treble and very strong bass. The down reason this is not a 5 star system is that the base tends to over power everything, particularly if you place the sub-woofer in any sort of confined space. You MUST keep the sub in an open area or it will be much to strong. It could also really use a mid-range control. But hey, this is cheap, so for the price, It's a 4 star system.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful.
Great sound, no rattle
By Shelley Gammon
This attractive speaker set takes up little room for a set with a subwoofer. While I tried this with my computer (with excellent results), I ultimately connected this to my 36" television and this is far superior to the speakers built-in to the TV. Having the over all volume, bass and treble controls easily accessible right on the speaker itself is very convenient. Even when the room is dark, just by feel, you know what knob you're turning.
When we watch movies, especially those with explosions or sci-fi foley effects, the subwoofer does not disappoint - you can feel the bass like you would in movie theater - but it doesn't rattle your rib cage and there is no annoying buzz from any of the components like there typically is in inexpensive speakers.
The set-up was about as easy as can be with 2 satellite speakers and a subwoofer.
I have never had a bad experience with Altec Lansing and this Octane 7 speaker system is another feather in their cap. For desktop computer use, the subwoofer stores easily under your desk without taking up all your foot room - and the satellite speakers take up little desk real estate. Instead of spreading out, the designers gained sound momentum by going vertical. The speaker set is elegant and almost has a space-age appearance.
These speakers are great, with just about anything you can think of to plug them into. I tried them with my iPhone playing music and they still sounded awesome - as well as with an iPod Nano and my husband's off-brand .mp3 player.
For the price, you cannot beat this performance. This is a fantastic bargain and it comes with superb sound.
See all 52 customer reviews...
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