5. Altec Lansing 5100

The Altec Lansing 5100 uses the same very successful design of the 2100 and 4100. Each satellite speaker stands on a small gray metallic foot, to which an oblong black shell is fitted. These are the two 1" neodynium microdrives whose job it is to reproduce the trebles and medium-range sounds. The central channel has the same characteristics, with a horizontal design and increased power. The wooden woofer is slightly less impressive than that of the 4100. It doesn't fit too well with the rest of the classy design and looks like a large, rectangular, black-and-gray monolith. It consists of two 4" loudspeakers on the front that take care of the bass; all the connections are grouped together at the back. These are complete, in that there are three stereo inputs in minijack format, five outputs for each satellite speaker, an auxiliary input, and a connector for a wired remote control. The latter includes a headphone output as well as various controls for volume, an on/ off button, and choice of mode between stereo x2, 4.1 and 5.1. The Altec Lansing supplies an AACI minijack adapter with the 5100 for use with RCA so that it can be connected to a games console.