Altec Lansing VS3251 Review

It was only a couple of weeks back I bought an Altec Lansing VS3251 5.1 channel speaker system and a week back I complimented the same with a creative audigy value (7.1). All that cost me less than 5.5 k (in INR ok..may be a 100 dollars).A decent system I should say especially at that price. And the best part is that it comes with a wireless remote so that I can now stay on my bed while listening to music.

It also has an auxiliary input port on the front pannel so that u can easily plugin ur mp3 player or iPod into it and u can switch between aux and main from the remote. U have seperate volume controls for the rear, center and subwoofer channels but the front channel is controlled by the master volume itself. You can also switch to a stereo mode when only the subwoofer and front channel works,exactly like a 2.1 system.

If you are trying to show off with the looks, then surely its not ur element.The looks are just average. The rear of the woofer is pretty clean. There arent too many ports to confuse you. Well u can take a look at it :

That made it pretty easy to install. There is also a detailed setup manual. But the main power button is kept on the rear making it pretty inaccessible but we would hardly ever need it.

The problem with the speakers is that all the controls are in the remote. So if u ever lose it, its all gone.

Now the other issue with the remote is that u have no way to find out at what level the volumes and reading are fixed now. There is no display of values.So its pretty hard for u to set the volume to ur comfort.Its always trial and error.

The sound quality is good.Its clear,there are no screaching sounds. But the speakers cut the lower band of the sound, so that u are gonna lose some of those small sounds. The bass is caught pretty well especially with a good sound card. All these features makes it perfect for gaming. For a gamer its the best choice in its segment. It works pretty fine for movies as well. You can feel the bullets flying right next to ur ears.But if you are into music alone, I wudnt recommend this box to you.Its better you go for a creative. But defenitely I didnt mean that its bad for music, but i was just telling there are better options for music. For me it was worth the money I spent.

The technical specifications are as follows:

• General Features:

• Sound Pressure Level (SPL): TBD dB
• Total Continuous Power: 70 Watts RMS

• Front Speakers:
• 9 Watts/channel @ 4 ohms @ 10% THD @ 120 Hz – 17 kHz 2
• Channels Loaded

• Rear Speakers:
• 9 Watts/channel @ 4 ohms @ 10% THD @ 120 Hz – 17 kHz 2
• Channels Loaded

• Center Speaker:
• 9 Watts @ 4 ohms @
• 10% THD @ 120 Hz – 17 kHz Single
• Channel Loaded

• Subwoofer:
• 25 Watts @ 4 ohms @ 10%
• THD @ 40 – 120 Hz Single Channel Loaded
• System Response: 40 Hz – 17 kHz (-10 dB)
• Signal to Noise Ratio @ 1 kHz input: > 70 dB
• One 5.25-inch long-throw woofer

So all the best for a purchase..