Altec Lansing MX5021 Speaker System

Music

The Altec Lansing MX5021 does a very good job with most kinds of music. It excels at high frequencies where the sound image is very sharp and vivid. This means that vocals are ‘closer’, more defined, and overall more immersive. Evanescence’s ‘Hello’ on Fallen and Cold Play’s ‘Don’t Panic’ on the Garden State Soundtrack are the best I’ve heard these particular songs. Any artist with strong vocals will show off extremely well on these speakers. However at times the highs are a bit too bright and come off sounding artificial and synthesized. This was really obvious in songs like U2’s ‘Walk On’ and some trance where the high-hats and guitars sounded artificial.

Cold Play – Don’t Panic (Sample)

U2 – Walk On (Sample)

The bass is mostly subtle and controlled, but with the right song, it really, REALLY thumps. Hip-hop and electronica are great triggers for the bass along with selections of alternative tunes (Nine Inch Nail’s ‘Closer’). If you set the bass a little higher than default it would yield the best results. For a 50W sub, it really rocks-out like a 200W at times.

Missy Elliott – Let it Thump (Sample)

The mid-range is often overpowered by the bright highs. This is applicable when the melody is being carried by mid-range instrument (like a guitar or piano) and having the drummer’s hi-hat drown it out. If your music has a lot of highs, you will want to adjust your equalizer on your player or treble on the controller. Just be careful not to tweak too much or you lose a lot of the definition the MX5021 does so well.

Not to leave out the THX certification, the Altec Lansing MX5021 can be cranked to near deafening levels and experience no noticeable distortion. This is an amazing feat considering these speakers are relatively small. It’s clear to me (and my ears) that these speakers can put out an impressive amount of sound for their relative size.