News
Buyer's Guide: The Best Monitors 
Altec Lansing expressionist PLUS (FX 3021)
| Caractéristiques | |||
| Power supply | External | ||
| Sound-To-Noise ratio | 72 dB | ||
| Bandwidth | 50 Hz - 20 kHz | ||
| of subwoofer | 4 W / 28 W | ||
| Nominal output power | NA | ||
 Show all specifications
|
|||
| Remote | NA |
| Connectivity | auxiliary in (minijack) |
 Hide specifications | |
Tristan François
Test date: October 30, 2009
Test date: October 30, 2009
The woofer on a table?!
On the expressionist PLUS packaging the subwoofer is placed beside the tweeters on a desk.
Sure, it isn't very big or powerful, but all the same. Naturally, we tried it out. No need for you to do the same!
No great surprise, the woofer vibrates and makes your desk vibrate (if you like a bit of FPS gaming, aiming can be compromised...). And if the floor of your room isn't completely flat, it slides off the desk. A piece of advice: put it on the floor, it'll be fine down there.
Sure, it isn't very big or powerful, but all the same. Naturally, we tried it out. No need for you to do the same!
No great surprise, the woofer vibrates and makes your desk vibrate (if you like a bit of FPS gaming, aiming can be compromised...). And if the floor of your room isn't completely flat, it slides off the desk. A piece of advice: put it on the floor, it'll be fine down there.
Altec has thrown itself into a frenzy of activity after a long radio silence. The expressionist PLUS is the third set of "premium" speakers announced in the space of a few months.
Industrial and conal - something a bit different
One thing's sure, you won't mix up your Altec Lansing speakers with products by other makes. Altec is continuing down the path it started with the expressionist BASS speakers and is bringing us a set made up of both tweeters and subwoofer in the shape of cones. They certainly don't look common and they're a welcome change from the usual black cubes and rectangles.
They may not seem very practical but they're actually nice and compact. You might have a few doubts on the wisdom of having the on/off switch on the top of the subwoofer, especially as you won't want to place it on your desk (see inset). The tweeters are well designed and use a metal support to help you angle them in the direction you desire. They really are practical and because they're not too tall they can be placed in front of a screen without getting in the way.
The volume command buttons, the same as on the expressionist CLASSICs, are at the back of the casing on the right tweeter: easy to access and discrete (as much as that's possible on this kit!).
Wide bandwidth, but not high quality
As you'd expect with such small satellites, the sound isn't exceptional. These tweeters are wide bandwidth which means that they've been designed to cover a wide section of the spectrum. This makes the sound a bit like it would be if it were coming out of a megaphone.
The subwoofer doesn't make up any ground either. It also has fairly small speakers. Here the problem isn't so much the quality as the presence: no bass. It does however do good work on the mid-range sounds. Although it serves as an accompaniment to the tweeters, you can't say it gives a "premium" sound.
Once again, we have a nicely-designed product that doesn't really do it when it comes to the sound. This is a shame as Altec does know how to make good speakers: we'd like to see them making them again!
Industrial and conal - something a bit different
One thing's sure, you won't mix up your Altec Lansing speakers with products by other makes. Altec is continuing down the path it started with the expressionist BASS speakers and is bringing us a set made up of both tweeters and subwoofer in the shape of cones. They certainly don't look common and they're a welcome change from the usual black cubes and rectangles.They may not seem very practical but they're actually nice and compact. You might have a few doubts on the wisdom of having the on/off switch on the top of the subwoofer, especially as you won't want to place it on your desk (see inset). The tweeters are well designed and use a metal support to help you angle them in the direction you desire. They really are practical and because they're not too tall they can be placed in front of a screen without getting in the way.
The volume command buttons, the same as on the expressionist CLASSICs, are at the back of the casing on the right tweeter: easy to access and discrete (as much as that's possible on this kit!).
Wide bandwidth, but not high quality
As you'd expect with such small satellites, the sound isn't exceptional. These tweeters are wide bandwidth which means that they've been designed to cover a wide section of the spectrum. This makes the sound a bit like it would be if it were coming out of a megaphone.The subwoofer doesn't make up any ground either. It also has fairly small speakers. Here the problem isn't so much the quality as the presence: no bass. It does however do good work on the mid-range sounds. Although it serves as an accompaniment to the tweeters, you can't say it gives a "premium" sound.
Once again, we have a nicely-designed product that doesn't really do it when it comes to the sound. This is a shame as Altec does know how to make good speakers: we'd like to see them making them again!
Pluses
-
Original design
-
Very compact
-
Original looking subwoofer
Minuses
-
Sketchy, tube-like sound
-
On/Off button on the subwoofer
-
Woofer is better on the low mid-range than the bass sounds
The Altec expressionist PLUS speakers are daringly designed. The sound however leaves a lot to be desired.
