Altec
Lansing ACS56
Performance
The ACS56s have been known to
climb as high as 106 decibels, which is very loud, and can, in fact, damage
your ears over a period of time. In comparison, the FPS2000s have, to my
knowledge, only reached 101db. As these speakers were intended for gaming,
it is most logical that they are rated in this category. I will put it
plainly; I have never heard computer speakers excel this well in gaming.
(That is, of course, because I have never had the pleasure of hearing the
Klipsch Promedias.) At the lower end of the sound spectrum, the burly 35
watt sub produced very deep and powerful tones, which noticeably shook the
floor a couple of feet away. The sats were very satisfactory in the
mid-range, but lacked a bit at very high frequencies because of the absence
of specialized tweeters. The sound was of very good quality, accurately
reproducing the stunning explosions as well as alien grunts and marine
broadcasts in Half-Life. The deafening scream and roar of naval gunfire in
Fighting Steel also played very well. And believe me, I will never forget
the sound of the Corvette's V8 in NFS3, as played on these speakers. Over
all, the ACS56s preformed very satisfactorily, and above expectation,
showing up the least little sounds in the background of various games that I
had missed with other setups.
Although it is primarily a
gaming setup, the ACS56s also did very well playing music. Because of their
fundamental weakness at high frequencies, these speakers did better at rock
or pop music than classical, with the entry song on NFS3 rocking the
curtains and sending the neighbors running for cover (just kidding :))
However, I tried out a Strauss CD, and they preformed very well this,
especially due to the predominant bass. You could do better for music
speakers, but not for this kind of money. As I have no DVD setup, I could
not test the speakers in this field.
Conclusion
Simply put, the
Altec Lansing ACS56 Power Cube speakers are the best value for the money,
out performing all of its competitors. In fact, there is no system
available for less than twice the price that will beat it in any field.
Altec Lansing has provided solid sub and satellite designs, and further
enhanced them with numerous controls and features. If you want to shell
out up to $150 for a quality digital surround sound speaker system, you
will not go wrong with this setup.
Pros:
Cons:
Excellent
performance
No digital sound for rear sats
Great performance for the
price
Flimsy satellite cables
Very well done
controls
Somewhat lacking at high frequencies
Attractive appearance
Rating
How we rate it: 9
Performance: 9
Quality: 9
Price:
8.5
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