ALTEC LANSING VS 3151R - Review

Wizard · 01-06-2005, 01:28 PM

ALTEC LANSING VS 3151R

Got this last week for Rs 5900 and here goes my review

. Hope u like it.

Inside the Box

- User's manual
- Control pod
- Sub woofer
- Centre speaker
- Front left speaker
- Front right speaker
- Rear left speaker
- Rear right speaker
- Wireless IR remote
- Battery for remote

And The Speaker Box flap has the Connecting Manual.

Specifications:

Front Speakers: 5 Watts/channel @ 8 ohms @
10% THD @ 150 Hz - 20 kHz 2 Channels Loaded

Rear Speakers: 5 Watts/channel @ 8 ohms @
10% THD @ 150 Hz - 20 kHz 2 Channels Loaded

Center Speaker: 10 Watts @ 8 ohms @ 10%
THD @ 150 Hz - 20 kHz Single Channel Loaded

Subwoofer: 20 Watts @ 8 ohms @ 10% THD @
40 – 150 Hz Single Channel Loaded

Now, Getting Inside.

The Best thing I like is the Control pod, The Lights ( 9 Lights ) in it are awesome

This has the 2/4 or 6 Channel switcher, which says you can also use the speakers even if u have a normal soundcard ( which gives u only 1 output ).
Control Pod has these controls,

- Volume ( ofcourse )
- Surround
- Center
- Sub
- Headphone Jack
- IR Receiver
- Switch Off Button.

IR Remote is also good, Found it hard to put the battery inside. ( everyone will, coz there are no indications in the remote and no diagrams in the so called manual )
The Remote is not so big, little more than the CD Rom remote ( which used to come with Creative rom's )

Now the Connections are easy coz they got matching color cords ( with different shapes, so tht they fit xactly in the same slot ) so @ any cost U wont mess up with the connections.

And The Speakers, well they are Wall Mountable and the base in it can be removed. The wires for the rear are the 2 meteres and I hae placed the speakers the back with extension cords.

The Center Speaker looks best when it is placed on top of the monitor. No Probs, coz the speakers are shielded.

Testing:

My Prev Speaker was Creative 4.1, And now I could see lots of difference, especially the Crackling sound ( all minute sounds, which weren't vivid in creative 4.1 ).

Otherwise the sound Quality is much better than my 4.1 and the 3d Sound is also easily distinguishable.

The Bad thing here is the Bass , It is a kinda uneven; sometimes I hear tht booming effect. May be its bcoz of my settings in the control Pod or the soundcard setting. But since there are many things that can be tweaked in my Creative Software and the control pod I think this can be minimized.

Cant Write anything more, coz I havent experienced the exact 5.1 Sound Yet, coz of certain issues mentioned in QnA Section.

Conclusion

I wanted to get the Altec 251 Speakers ( Rs 4400 @ chennai ) but after looking at this piece my thgts of getting a AL 251 faded.

My Cost Price ( chennai ) = Rs 5900 ( may be i cud hav bargained more )
Model Number Altec Lansing VS 3151R ( remember there is another model 3151E, 500 Rs lesser )

Pros

Easy to setup
Great Looking Control Pod
Superb performance
Wireless Remote
Very attractive

Cons

Bass is a problem ( tweaking the settings may change it )
Costlier than Creative 5200 ( the speaker which is so easily available in my city )
Availability ( only few shops have it )

P.S

If u got any other queries, post it here.

Sourabh · 01-06-2005, 02:35 PM

Good review

Try to get a pic of the whole setup at your place and post it here

Rs 5900 seems a good price

Finally some first hand reviews from forum members

Keith Sebastian · 01-06-2005, 02:37 PM

GORGEOUS!

Any takers for my ATP3 ??

No, I'm seriously thinking of selling them off.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wizard

The Bad thing here is the Bass , It is a kinda uneven; sometimes I hear tht booming effect.

Try placing the sub within 52 cm from floor and both the walls in a corner of your room. This should strengthen the bass considerably. Now experiment with different distances. At around 74cm distance, the reflected waves have minimal to zero reinforcement effect. Greater distances will negate the amount of bass. Play around with the distance till you get the bass right. I guess booming is an inevitable feature of Altec's. I prefer Creative's slightly looser bass.

Keith

djmykey · 02-06-2005, 08:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Keith Sebastian

Any takers for my ATP3 ??

Same here dude

Sourabh · 02-06-2005, 01:32 PM

Are u guys serious abt ur ATP3's

i would love to buy them at a good price

But shipping of speakers would be a problem

quad master · 02-06-2005, 03:34 PM

Nice Review Wizard

mohit · 03-06-2005, 12:16 AM

thanx for the review man ... this set of my speakers is on my wishlist now ... my creative inspire 4.1 sux big time now after i have seen these speakers ..

Keith Sebastian · 03-06-2005, 12:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sourabh

Are u guys serious abt ur ATP3's

i would love to buy them at a good price

But shipping of speakers would be a problem

I am. Shipping will be via Blue Dart - Dart Apex. Next day delivery guaranteed. With accident insurance cover up to Rs 5000.

I just sold my PS2

. Used the above service.
http://www.thinkdigit.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=159848

If your quote matches/exceeds my secret reserve price, I'll ship for free. That's Rs 550/- shipping charges waived off.

keith.s@gmail.com

premrajeev · 03-06-2005, 02:35 PM

wow..

now that's what i'll call a review man..

well can someone do a serious comparison between this altec and creative inspire 5.1 ?

plasmafire · 03-06-2005, 02:38 PM

where did u buy these m8 tell me the shop address,ph.no

Wizard · 04-06-2005, 02:44 AM

Hai Guys

Thanks for those compliments.

Regd ur Queries/

@ Sourabh, The setup isnt all that different. Jus the same 5.1 Setup ( 2 front, 2 back and 1 @ top of my monitor and woofer @ floor )

@ Keith Sebastian, Yes I can try to change the position of the sub woofer, but again the wires connecting to the Control Pod and othter speakers will get disturbed.

And too bad u cant extend the wire to ur control pod @ any cost.

@ mohit, Yes My previous speakers was Creative 4.1 and I do find lots of difference btween the 2.
But the Ultimate Effect comes ONLY when u watch 5.1 Movies.

For Music u wont find a Big Difference.

@ premrajeev, Creative 5.1 speakers are 1500 Buks Cheaper than Altec 3151R, tats the main difference.

And u get remote and sexy control pod unlike creative 5.1

wht else, humm. May be the Sound Quality in Altec Speakers should be better.

@ plasmafire, Ritchie Street, Uniacces computers.
Buts it available in many shops. The Price you get is wht Matters.

=================

P.S
The Best ting about the speakers is the way it splits sound and gives it to the speakers. The Splitting of sound is better than wht my Creative Live 5.1 card does.

premrajeev · 06-06-2005, 12:22 PM

Dear Wizard,

Can u confirm this one sounds better than creative inspire 5.1...I wonder why this was not there in the last months digit speakers review.

Pls confirm > i am also planing to go for it, but a bit confused. My friend is having an ATP3, which sounds superb, but the bass is something unrealistic..It's somewhat boomy, HUGE though.

Pls advise.

suave_guy · 07-06-2005, 12:57 PM

A first look at these speakers suggest that they have been very cleanly designed but at the end ended up looking plain...

the speakers sports a slim design for sure which has been the altec's legacy rt from the start, but the fact that altec uses better technology for achieving this design is what is more important...

the control pod is a new concept from altec which was lacking in previous models....the design looks inspired from its creative counterpart but looks more cool....The remote is the best part and offers controls for everything, ranging from bass and treble to everything

Dont be fooled by the look of these speakers....they look huge but in actual they are not....the satellites of these speakers are tall and big and looks like sporting a min of 3" midrange speaker but thats not correct....instead all the satellites are using 2" middrivers....its just that the altec has used bigger cabinet to house these 2" drivers....but again as i said it doesnt means that they will sound degraded...on the contrary altec uses exceptional quality neodynium magnets which inspite of being small produces big sound for their sizes...and that is why altec is able to design these slim speakers...

One thing i wud like to mention here is that these speakers lack tweeters...so dont expect much from these speakers if u are classical or rock music fan....whats the use of using tall cabinets when u dont want to install tweeters...i wud say its a design flaw and a common sense flaw...these speakers are an upgrade to altec 251, and honestly i expected that they will be housing tweeters this time...

the other disdvantage with this model is its subwoofer....dont get me wrong, its capable of producing good bass but it lacks the response and power for handling exceptional low frequency sounds....sounds below 50Hz to be precise....also the fact that the subwoofer still houses a 5.5" driver instead of 6.5"....i mean if ur shelling out 6K odd then u deserve to get a 6.5" subwoofer...but again altec compensates that by pumping out good amount of bass which will definately satisfy casual listeners....but heavy bass lovers shud stay away....

the other issue with the subwoofer as mentioned by wizard is the booming of the subwoofer....now this is one thing which u can associate with every altec lansing model except MX-5021.....this booming has its own ups and downs....booming can be slightly irritating when listening to music and can be really pleasing while watching action movie dvds....

Conclusion:

To be real honest, these speakers are not meant for music lovers, u'll be dissapointed by its music performance mainly coz it lacks tweeters and also that the bass output is not uniform...

but now let me come to the part where these speakers really shine...try watching dvds on this set and u'll know that why u shud buy these speakers if ur a big movie lover....the speakers offers exceptional clarity while watching movies in dolby digital or DTS mode and the bass also gets really efficient here...its like dvds acts as a toner for these speakers

as far as gaming is concerned it offers an above average performance....the clarity and splitting of different sounds is very good but again the bass is a slight let down coz of its lack for handling low frequency sounds...the subwoofer will produce booming effect for sure but dont expect room shaking effects form a 5.5" subwoofer...

in the end i wud recommend these speakers to anyone who loves watching dvds and play games, but music lovers shud stay away from these speakers...

these speakers are a decent buy for 6K and are definately better then creative 5200 even though they are cheaper....

Pros:
1. Good for dvds and gaming.
2. Wall Mountable.
3. Slim Design, Good Aesthetics.
4. Color Coded wires for easy installation.
5. Control Pod/IR Remote.
6. Overall Good quality sound...good enough to please ur gfs

Cons:
1. Music performance not upto the mark.
2. Subwoofer shud have been 6.5".
3. Speakers looks huge but are not in actual.
4. Slightly overpriced...a price tag of 5.5K wud be great.
5. Bass is not uniform.

Overall i'll give 6/10 to these speakers....

ENjoy...

mohit · 07-06-2005, 01:33 PM

thanx for all the useful info suave , man u have very good knowledge on speakers and i have noticed this the very first day i joined this forum ... a gr8 review dude.

premrajeev · 08-06-2005, 01:05 PM

can anyone distiinguish clearly...which one should i go for..Creativ 5200 or altec ? I am intending to use it for gaming, music ( sparingly) and movies..preference is for movies nd games..

advises plz.

mohit · 08-06-2005, 02:13 PM

@premrajeev
go for the altec lansing vs 3151 r .... i bet it doesnt sound that bad in music also ... and as ur main purpose is for movies and games ... then this is definitely for u ... see what suave has written about the speakers perfomance in movies ... and plus u will get a remote man which is useful when watching movies.