From the Manufacturer
Enjoy your digital music and media to the fullest extent possible with the Altec Lansing BXR1220 Two-Piece Stereo Speaker System. Ideal for desktops and laptops alike, this compact speaker system delivers clear highs and lows while helping to keep your workspace free from clutter. The speakers connect easily to any computer — just plug them into a USB port and you’re ready to go. Thanks to Altec Lansing’s Audio Alignment technology, the system’s drivers, enclosure, and electronics are perfectly balanced, giving you the full, high-quality stereo sound your digital life demands. Audio Alignment technology ensures optimal sound. View larger. Volume control is conveniently located on the top of the speaker. View larger. One-Cord Connection for Added Convenience The BXR1220 speakers draw power from your computer via its USB port, so you don’t need to free up an outlet. The speakers are a perfect way to improve the sound quality of your laptop’s speake
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Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What’s this?)
Altec Lansing is a good name, I’ve owned a pair of their home audio speakers previously and they were crisp and clear. These little computer speakers are surprising for their size and the sound that they deliver. Not much in the way of bass, but the mids and highs are very clear. I found Jazz and other live instrument/vocal music to be especially nice to listen to on these, while R&B/Hip-Hop was not as good since the bass response is sometimes a little distorted at higher volumes, but perfectly acceptable at normal to low volumes. Being powered by USB is great, but it also means I lose 1 out of 2 USB ports on my MacBook Pro. I’m not a fan of having to unplug my printer or another device to hear music. I also don’t like the fact that you can’t use these for iPod/iPhone playback since they are USB powered. The standard iPhone USB charging plug DOES power these speakers! But. . . the stereo jack and USB jack that comes out of these speakers are wired together and only split about 3 inches from the end – so you’d have to let your iPod/iPhone dangle from the outlet to make it work. If you have the USB port to spare, you simply can NOT lose on these for $20. 00!
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great little speakers!
I have an older Mac G4 Powerbook, and I have had some trouble running newer devices from the USB ports due to the age of my computer.
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What’s this?)
Over the years, I have owned many a desktop – PC and Mac – and various speakers to go with them. Some were part of a monitor, others self-contained. This is the first one that I have used that gets power only from the USB jack. Like most people I have a number of USB hubs connected to my computer and just plugged it into an open jack. Of course, the headset plug I had to use an extension (which I already was using for my desktop set-up – I use my laptop at the office and hook right up when I get there) so I was good to go. Now, I usually read the instruction book before I do anything, but not this time. So, of course, this was the time I got stuck. Not really. . . . it just took me a few minutes to realize the on and off control was at the back of the speaker. Once I turned it on and played with the volume switch was I amazed. I mean, really, for this selling price, I was impressed with the sound. I even cranked it up to maximum to see. Only then did I get distortion. I tried various songs, even a downloaded TV show. I must say I was totally impressed. Of course, these don’t compare to my more expensive speakers I have hooked up at the office, but they sure come pretty close for most needs. I also just hooked them up to the laptop and again it was a simple operation. And the sound was obviously no different. I don’t know if I would travel with these. I travel a lot and these would take up too much space. That being said, though, if I were going by car and was on vacation for a while I might consider it. All in all, a great speaker for a really great price by a top name company.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Budget speakers for travel, students, limited space: works with both Macs and PCs (4- stars)
These portable, USB-powered speakers are about the size and shape of soda pop cans laid on their sides–convenient, yes, but how do they sound?
5.0 out of 5 stars
USB for power is fantastic – 4.5 stars really.
These are actually great little speakers. About the size of soda can, they look pretty stylish and are rather well constructed given the price point.
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What’s this?)
Design: I have a laptop desk, that’s maybe, 2 laptops in width (a big Dell 15″ laptop, that is). So this seemed like a nice addition. These speakers are quite small, professionaly designed, and literally the size of a 16oz soda pop can, no bigger, no smaller, maybe just a tad wider at the audio end, but that’s it. Hence, they fit perfectly on my small laptop desk! Also, a great feature is that there’s no need to plug into an outlet!!! Saves a few tangles, not bad, and you can take them wherever your computer is, as long as it has a good battery life! Finally, the speakers sit very steadily and comfortably on my desk, the chances of them falling over without being knocked on purposes are virtually nill. Sound: I also, at first, have had only my laptop speakers to rely on (which, as you could imagine, are terrible since I have the most basic soundcard and speakers on it). So, a couple years ago I bought a nice $70 headset from Logitech. The headphones were/are amazing, producing rich, clear, deep sounds that my computer speakers wouldn’t even come close to reproducing! They are really great headphones! It was nice to get these speakers and avoid the inevitable matted hair I get with headphones. So, how do these speakers compare? As I’m writing this, I’m listening to The Stamps Quartet. Those of you familiar with them will know that many songs have counter-tenor notes being sung, and JD Sumner provides a rich basso profondo. Hence, a whole range of notes are being hit. While the sound is obviously not like those of $70 headsets, there’s a nice ambience to them, and they handle the high and low notes very well. For $20 ladies and gentlemen, this is a really nice buy. Those that like listening to more punk/rock, I listened to some Gogoll Bordello, and the speakers once again handled the very rich nature of instruments and vocals very well. Summary: If you need cost effective, quality, space saving, and easily portable speakers, then get this! Only time will tell how well they do in the long run. P. S. Unlike a pair of speakers I had on my desktop, these have strong shielding that makes sure there is ZERO feedback due to electromagnetic mingeling. Nice and crisp sound. Again, for $20, these are good enough.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very good speakers…
I just received these speakers yesterday and have been having a blast trying them out! Here’s some of the benefits of this product:
1) The sound quality is awesome…