10. Altec Lansing 4100

The Altec Lansing 4100 looks completely different and, incidentally, quite in line with the current fashion in flat screens. Each speaker has a little rounded metallic gray foot on which is set a black shell containing the two neodynium tweeters for the high and medium frequencies. The wooden subwoofer, much bigger than on the 2100, does not clash with this sleekness, and it looks like a rectangular monolith in gray and black. It has two loudspeakers on the front for the low frequencies and all the connections at the back. There is a full set of these - two mini-jack stereo inputs, four outputs for the speakers, an auxiliary input and a connector for the wired remote control which has settings for volume, on/off and choice of mode - stereoX2 or gaming. Altec Lansing also supplies a mini-jack AACI adapter to connect a game console.

The Altec Lansing 4100 speakers are not actually flat, but rather "minimum space." Whereas proper flat speakers use a thin sheet as a membrane, these speakers use real Microdrive tweeters with 7 watts each and a quality true to their design. The high frequencies are clear and true and only saturate when the volume exceeds 75%. The medium frequencies are very discernible and percussive, maybe a bit too much, but that is probably due to the nature of the tweeters, which are more at home in the high frequencies. The 35-watt subwoofer is incredibly efficient, so if you believe in proper balance you should lower its volume in relation to the speakers. The low frequencies are deep and quite up to the standard you'd expect of such a system. The 30 Hz claimed for the threshold is a bit optimistic, and only sounds above 35 Hz come out really true. In Gaming mode, each speaker is independent and the two front and surround stereo inputs are used. In stereoX2 mode, which is designed more for music, the surround speakers combine with the front ones and return exactly the same sound. This is called stereo panning. There is a small defect in the stereoX2 mode: however the speakers are arranged, you notice the sound positioned in the center. This slightly reduces the stereo effect in the listening position. It's not completely distracting but it does lessen the stereo image.