Altec Lansing Speaker Cables

[pat]

Archived from groups: rec.audio.tech (More info?)

RE: ALTEC LANSING MX5021


QUESTION: Is it worth getting better speaker connect wire than the pairs
that were shipped with the unit? For example, Monster Cable that is
shielded.


SPEAKER CONNECTIONS: http://www.atruereview.com/alteclansing/14.jpg

FULL REVIEW: http://www.atruereview.com/alteclansing/index.php





SPECS:

a.. Sound Pressure Level (SPL): 103dB
b.. Total continuous power: 100 Watts RMS
c.. System response: 30 Hz – 22 kHz (-10dB)
d.. Signal to noise ratio @ 1hHz input: > 80dB
SATELLITE SPEAKERS:

a.. Drivers (per satellite): one 1" horn-loaded tweeter and two 3"
full-range drivers
a.. Power: 25 Watts per channel @ 5.8 ohms @ 10% THD @ 150 – 18000 Hz 2
channels loaded
a.. Dimensions: 5.2" (132mm) (W) x 2.5" (63mm) (D) x 10.2" (260mm) (H)

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.audio.tech (More info?)

"Pat" wrote ...
> RE: ALTEC LANSING MX5021
> QUESTION: Is it worth getting better speaker connect
> wire than the pairs that were shipped with the unit? For
> example, Monster Cable that is shielded.

No.

"Name-brand" (aka. "boutique" or "snake-oil") speaker cables
are a marketing gimick and are designed for maximum sales price.

Shielded cables are not only irrelevant to speaker levels, but in
some cases even harmful as they present additional capacitive
load to the amplifier. This causes some amplifiers to become
unstable and even damaged.

> a.. Drivers (per satellite): one 1" horn-loaded tweeter

The dimensions of the enclosure prevent the "horn" from
being effective at most audible freqencies.

> and two 3" full-range drivers

A "3 inch driver" is not "full-range" by any conventional
definition. Maybe a high mid-range at best.

> a.. Power: 25 Watts per channel @ 5.8 ohms @ 10% THD

Most modest-priced conventional audio equipment has distortion
figures 100 to 1000 times less than that. You have to wonder why
anyone would even publish such damning numbers.

> @ 150 - 18000 Hz 2 channels loaded
> a.. Dimensions: 5.2" (132mm) (W) x 2.5" (63mm) (D) x
> 10.2" (260mm) (H)

These are plastic toy speakers. Nothing wrong with that if
it is all you need or can afford or can fit next to your computer
monitor. I have a few pair of them in places (on computers,
etc), but they are not even close to being accurate in any
sense of the concept.

Trying to "dude up" such speaker systems with fancy cable is
pointless and evokes the term "polishing a turd".

If you are using them to play MP3s or sound effects from your
computer game, they are likely just fine. But don't try to do
any critical listening (or mixing, etc.) with them.

The name "Altec Lansing" was purchased by a far-east trading
company for marketing purposes. It has no relationship to the
former respected US audio products company.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.audio.tech (More info?)

On Tue, 21 Sep 2004 21:10:49 GMT, "Pat" <hotpatpar@hotmail.com> wrote:

>RE: ALTEC LANSING MX5021
>
>
>QUESTION: Is it worth getting better speaker connect wire than the pairs
>that were shipped with the unit? For example, Monster Cable that is
>shielded.

Not really, unless you're considering long cable runs. Which, as
presumably you will be listening while seated at your computer, you
won't

Certainly you don't need shielded cable. A heavier cable might make
a TINY difference. Use what you would buy as a mains power
extension, no need for overpriced "audiophile" rubbish.

 

[pat]

Archived from groups: rec.audio.tech (More info?)

Hi Richard,

These are PC speakers.




"Richard Crowley" <rcrowley7@xprt.net> wrote in message
news:10l2jl4qnaqt043@corp.supernews.com...
> "Pat" wrote ...
> > RE: ALTEC LANSING MX5021
> > QUESTION: Is it worth getting better speaker connect
> > wire than the pairs that were shipped with the unit? For
> > example, Monster Cable that is shielded.
>
> No.
>
> "Name-brand" (aka. "boutique" or "snake-oil") speaker cables
> are a marketing gimick and are designed for maximum sales price.
>
> Shielded cables are not only irrelevant to speaker levels, but in
> some cases even harmful as they present additional capacitive
> load to the amplifier. This causes some amplifiers to become
> unstable and even damaged.
>
> > a.. Drivers (per satellite): one 1" horn-loaded tweeter
>
> The dimensions of the enclosure prevent the "horn" from
> being effective at most audible freqencies.
>
> > and two 3" full-range drivers
>
> A "3 inch driver" is not "full-range" by any conventional
> definition. Maybe a high mid-range at best.
>
> > a.. Power: 25 Watts per channel @ 5.8 ohms @ 10% THD
>
> Most modest-priced conventional audio equipment has distortion
> figures 100 to 1000 times less than that. You have to wonder why
> anyone would even publish such damning numbers.
>
> > @ 150 - 18000 Hz 2 channels loaded
> > a.. Dimensions: 5.2" (132mm) (W) x 2.5" (63mm) (D) x
> > 10.2" (260mm) (H)
>
> These are plastic toy speakers. Nothing wrong with that if
> it is all you need or can afford or can fit next to your computer
> monitor. I have a few pair of them in places (on computers,
> etc), but they are not even close to being accurate in any
> sense of the concept.
>
> Trying to "dude up" such speaker systems with fancy cable is
> pointless and evokes the term "polishing a turd".
>
> If you are using them to play MP3s or sound effects from your
> computer game, they are likely just fine. But don't try to do
> any critical listening (or mixing, etc.) with them.
>
> The name "Altec Lansing" was purchased by a far-east trading
> company for marketing purposes. It has no relationship to the
> former respected US audio products company.
>
>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.audio.tech (More info?)

"Pat" wrote ...
> Hi Richard,
> These are PC speakers.

Yes they are. And all the more reason that wiring them with
boutique cable is futile and wasteful.

We seem to have come to accept that "PC speakers" are supposed
to be plastic, high-distortion, narrow bandwidth little toys.
Oh well. Some of us still remember what good speakers are.
And some of us actually hook up "real" speakers to our PCs. It
really works! Try it! You might be amazed!

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.audio.tech (More info?)

"Pat" wrote ...
> I will not deny that I could use better PC speakers. I have
> several thousand dollars in Stereo equipment in my living
> room and I use that for listening to music.

Then it amazes me that you can even stand to listen to anything
marketed as a "computer speaker".

> I just wanted something better than your basic el cheapo PC
> speakers so I narrowed things down to these $150 Altec Lansings
> and the $150 Klipsch 2.1. The Altec sounded damn good for the
> money.

How about a pair of "real" powered near-field monitors? At
least they ATTEMPT to have some sort of audio integrity.

I have yet to hear anything labeled "computer speaker" that
sounded much better than a cheap plastic radio. (Or a Bose
"wave radio" with an artificial hump to make you think it has
a real low end.)

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.audio.tech (More info?)

I agree with the spirit of your message. However, if you have powered
computer speakers with particularly high gain, and speaker wires
routed very close to data cables, there could be some pickup with
badly shielded stuff.


"Richard Crowley" <rcrowley7@xprt.net> wrote in message news:<10l85001r34l0a0@corp.supernews.com>...

>
> Unbelievable. There is no technical basis for this theory.
> I dare you to actually try it in a double-blind test and see
> if you hear any differernce whatsoever. There is absolutely
> nothing that speaker cable can do for "hiss".

 

[pat]

Archived from groups: rec.audio.tech (More info?)

"Laurence Payne" <l@laurenceDELETEpayne.freeserve.co.uk> wrote in message
news:foo6l05ihva76nrgji6tm5p8pcst2shkg7@4ax.com...
> "Speaker wire" would normally be understood as the wire carrying a
> speaker-level signal to a passive speaker. Are you talking about a
> wire carrying a line-level signal to an amplifier (maybe within a
> speaker box)?


(1) The Audio Card puts out a line level output using a cable with mini
connectors. For example, what you would find for a connector on the Audigy 2
or SB Line. It provides line level input to your speaker. You can buy cheap
ones (e.g. Radio Shack) or go Monster Cable.

(2) The speaker wire is what the name implies. Wire from the amp to
speakers. For example, I could buy a spool of Monster Cable speaker XP wire
and terminate it with their mini pin plugs that press into the satellite
speakers.

 

[pat]

Archived from groups: rec.audio.tech (More info?)

"Richard Crowley" <rcrowley7@xprt.net> wrote in message
news:10l85001r34l0a0@corp.supernews.com...

> > (2) Better speaker wire
>
> Unbelievable. There is no technical basis for this theory.
> I dare you to actually try it in a double-blind test and see
> if you hear any differernce whatsoever. There is absolutely
> nothing that speaker cable can do for "hiss".


How about lamp cord? <g>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.audio.tech (More info?)

"Pat" <hotpatpar@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:qhE5d.3506$r%4.1137@trndny05...
>
> "Richard Crowley" <rcrowley7@xprt.net> wrote in message
> news:10l85001r34l0a0@corp.supernews.com...
>
>> > (2) Better speaker wire
>>
>> Unbelievable. There is no technical basis for this theory.
>> I dare you to actually try it in a double-blind test and see
>> if you hear any differernce whatsoever. There is absolutely
>> nothing that speaker cable can do for "hiss".
>
>
> How about lamp cord? <g>

There is nothing that "ANY* kind of wire can do for "hiss"

OTOH, lamp cord is commonly used for speaker cabling.

But for a "1-inch horn and two 3-inch midrange speakers",
the miniature lamp/zip cord that came with it is likely
sufficient to cary the very modest power without detectable
loss.

 

[pat]

Archived from groups: rec.audio.tech (More info?)

"Richard Crowley" <rcrowley7@xprt.net> wrote in message
news:10l85g5d3f0qvad@corp.supernews.com...

> How about a pair of "real" powered near-field monitors? At
> least they ATTEMPT to have some sort of audio integrity.
>
> I have yet to hear anything labeled "computer speaker" that
> sounded much better than a cheap plastic radio. (Or a Bose
> "wave radio" with an artificial hump to make you think it has
> a real low end.)


Richard,

I guess it comes down to money and where you want to spend it.

I would these for critical listening in my living room, but not to hear:
YOU'VE GOT MAIL on my PC.

http://www.wilsonaudio.com/products/wattpuppy/index.html

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.audio.tech (More info?)

"Pat" <hotpatpar@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:FkE5d.6665$XC.1502@trndny08...
>
> "Richard Crowley" <rcrowley7@xprt.net> wrote in message
> news:10l85g5d3f0qvad@corp.supernews.com...
>
>> How about a pair of "real" powered near-field monitors? At
>> least they ATTEMPT to have some sort of audio integrity.
>>
>> I have yet to hear anything labeled "computer speaker" that
>> sounded much better than a cheap plastic radio. (Or a Bose
>> "wave radio" with an artificial hump to make you think it has
>> a real low end.)
>
>
> Richard,
>
> I guess it comes down to money and where you want to spend it.

Agreed. But i still think you can put a pair of "real" speakers
on a computer for what those ~$150 plastic toys cost.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.audio.tech (More info?)

"Earl R. Satz" wrote ...
>I agree with the spirit of your message. However, if you have powered
> computer speakers with particularly high gain, and speaker wires
> routed very close to data cables, there could be some pickup with
> badly shielded stuff.

We already established (at least for the purposes of this discussion)
that "speaker cable" refers to the low-impedance, unshielded wiring
between the output of the power amplifier and the speaker drivers.

I have not heard of any "speaker level" signal that was susceptible
to picking up any kind of external interference. Some have reported
picking up radio/TV broadcast signals when they live very close to
the transmitting antenna(s). But even this is frequently RFI leaking
into the line-level wiring, and not the speaker cables.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.audio.tech (More info?)

Richard Crowley wrote:

> "Pat" <hotpatpar@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:FkE5d.6665$XC.1502@trndny08...
> >
> > "Richard Crowley" <rcrowley7@xprt.net> wrote in message
> > news:10l85g5d3f0qvad@corp.supernews.com...
> >
> >> How about a pair of "real" powered near-field monitors? At
> >> least they ATTEMPT to have some sort of audio integrity.
> >>
> >> I have yet to hear anything labeled "computer speaker" that
> >> sounded much better than a cheap plastic radio. (Or a Bose
> >> "wave radio" with an artificial hump to make you think it has
> >> a real low end.)
> >
> >
> > Richard,
> >
> > I guess it comes down to money and where you want to spend it.
>
> Agreed. But i still think you can put a pair of "real" speakers
> on a computer for what those ~$150 plastic toys cost.

If you bought 'end of line stock' from richersounds.co.uk here, you
would likely get something pretty fantastic in comparison.


Graham

 

[pat]

Archived from groups: rec.audio.tech (More info?)

"Pooh Bear" <rabbitsfriendsandrelations@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:415764AD.2B77521F@hotmail.com...

> Cables don't hiss. Anyone suggesting that cables will improve hiss to you
is a
> plain idiot with zero knowledge of the facts..


What are the facts? That cables can not affect sound, hiss or otherwise.

 

[pat]

Archived from groups: rec.audio.tech (More info?)

"Richard Crowley" <rcrowley7@xprt.net> wrote in message
news:10lebf8nl1de59@corp.supernews.com...

> > Richard,
> >
> > I guess it comes down to money and where you want to spend it.
>
> Agreed. But i still think you can put a pair of "real" speakers
> on a computer for what those ~$150 plastic toys cost.


Just fine for job!

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.audio.tech (More info?)

Perhaps, Richard, you have not established all you think you have.
The original poster cites, "computer speakers," and may well be
referring to powered speakers? I'm not sure that anyone here, in
their rush to debunk things well worth debunking, has taken the
original poster's true situation into consideration. Of course, I
could be wrong. I could even be,

E. R. Satz


"Richard Crowley" <rcrowley7@xprt.net> wrote in message news:<10letopcjfmev36@corp.supernews.com>...

> We already established (at least for the purposes of this discussion)
> that "speaker cable" refers to the low-impedance, unshielded wiring
> between the output of the power amplifier and the speaker drivers.
>
> I have not heard of any "speaker level" signal that was susceptible
> to picking up any kind of external interference. Some have reported
> picking up radio/TV broadcast signals when they live very close to
> the transmitting antenna(s). But even this is frequently RFI leaking
> into the line-level wiring, and not the speaker cables.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.audio.tech (More info?)

Pat wrote:

> "Pooh Bear" <rabbitsfriendsandrelations@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:415764AD.2B77521F@hotmail.com...
>
> > Cables don't hiss. Anyone suggesting that cables will improve hiss to you
> is a
> > plain idiot with zero knowledge of the facts..
>
> What are the facts? That cables can not affect sound, hiss or otherwise.

I said they don't hiss. Inappropriate use of certain cable types can influence
the sound in some situations ( various possibilities according to application
).

*Hiss* is noise introduced by amplification stages for the most part ( where it
wasn't originally there on the recording ). Since cable doesn't have gain it
doesn't hiss. That's the simple explanation. If you need the full one - a
degree course in electronics is advised.


Graham

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.audio.tech (More info?)

"Earl R. Satz" wrote ...
> Perhaps, Richard, you have not established all you think you have.
> The original poster cites, "computer speakers," and may well be
> referring to powered speakers? I'm not sure that anyone here, in
> their rush to debunk things well worth debunking, has taken the
> original poster's true situation into consideration. Of course, I
> could be wrong. I could even be,

Go back and read the entire thread. It speaks for itself. We are
*not* talking about the shielded line-level wiring (where everyone
agrees that interference is a threat). We are talking about the
low-impedance, high-level, unshileded speaker wiring. We
already established that care must be taken with line level wiring.
But I have never seen credible evidence of speaker-level interference.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.audio.tech (More info?)

"Pat" wrote ...
> What are the facts? That cables can not affect sound, hiss or otherwise.

Hiss is a product of active circuitry (tubes, transistors). Passive wiring
cannot cause hiss (or reduce it). Anyone who claims otherwise is more
insterested in tricking you into giving them money.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.audio.tech (More info?)

I did go back and read the thread. It seems to me that "Pat" is
posting about Altec powered computer speakers, which connect to the
sound card at line level. Please show me if I missed something.

Also, just FYI, Altec is fully US owned. Altec OWNS a large factory
outside of Hong Kong, where PCB's and some of their drivers are made,
and final assembly is done. All engineering development remains in
Milford, PA. There was a refinancing transaction with the Company
earlier this year, but no substantive change in ownership.

E. R. Satz.

***There are 10 kinds of people in the world: those that understand
binary, and those that don't.***


"Richard Crowley" <rcrowley7@xprt.net> wrote in message news:<10lg7c7b08lkr6b@corp.supernews.com>...

>
> Go back and read the entire thread. It speaks for itself. We are
> *not* talking about the shielded line-level wiring (where everyone
> agrees that interference is a threat). We are talking about the
> low-impedance, high-level, unshileded speaker wiring. We
> already established that care must be taken with line level wiring.
> But I have never seen credible evidence of speaker-level interference.