6. Altec Lansing 5100, Continued

The 5100s consist of four 7-watt RMS satellite speakers, a central RMS 22.5-watt channel, and a 22.5-watt woofer. This explains the small size of the cabinet in comparison to the 4100 that offered 35 watts RMS for the cabinet. The bandwidth claimed is 20 Hz through 22 KHz with a crossover at 85 Hz, which is fairly low, especially if you consider the quality of the other components.

As regards the speakers, they have a futuristic look and use microdrives to reproduce both trebles and medium-range sounds. This might generally sound like fairly bad news for the reproduction sound quality. But this is where the 5100 model is most surprising, because the sound it produces is much better than that of the classic systems in its clarity and fidelity. The treble is very accurate and very clear. But be advised that playing it at the maximum 5100 volume is not recommended because the trebles soon reach saturation point. The quality of the mediums is a nice surprise, as one might have expected them to actually be missing, or at least atrophied, in a system of this type. In fact, they are honorably present and quite percussive. The bass, as is so often the case with Altec Lansing, is well done, quite deep though perhaps slightly hypertrophied. So, careful adjustment, with a reduction in the bass, is essential if you want to get the best out of the system, especially when listening to classical music, for instance. The maximum volume of the 5100 is adequate for use with a PC and even in the living room if the listening position is not too far away from the speakers. Of course, they don't produce massive sound like the MegaWorks 550 5.1, but could be perfectly adequate in many cases, especially as the very attractive design will not clash with your home décor. As far as games are concerned, the 5100s have shown themselves to be satisfactorily effective, especially thanks to their presence and the quality of the distribution of frequencies. If you are willing to invest almost $180 in 5.1 speakers ($179.95US or €219, to be precise), the 5100 is sure to make you happy.