Review: Altec Lansing FX3022 Expressionist BASS - is 2.2 the new 2.0?

Conclusion

We started by asking ourselves, at the lofty price-tag of £99.99, can the Expressionist Bass deliver the required bang-for-buck?

The simple answer would have to be yes. There's ample amounts of bang - Altec Lansing's FX3022 provide more bass than just about any two-unit desktop solution that we've seen, and it's accompanied by clear mids and highs thanks to the dedicated full-range drivers.

The idea of dedicated subwoofers in a two-unit 2.2 solution is a good one, and we applaud Altec Lansing for attempting to raise the stakes in the tidy-but-powerful speaker market.

Unfortunately, without a means to easily control the output of the impressive 4in down-firing subwoofers, the bass is overpowering and dampens the overall experience.

If you happen to be addicted to bass, you'll thoroughly enjoy the FX3022. If on the other hand you prefer to enjoy the whole range of human hearing - you may find better overall results with an existing, and cheaper, 2.0 solution.

The good

Huge amounts of bass for a two-unit system
Clutter-free solution
Ideal if you don't have space for a dedicated subwoofer

The not so good

No bass/treble controls
Bass can be overpowering
Aesthetics are an acquired taste

HEXUS Rating

HEXUS scores products out of a possible 10. A score for an average-rated product, therefore, is a meaningful ‘5’, and not ‘9/10’, which is common practice for a great many other publications.

We consider any product score above '5' as a safe buy. The higher the score, the higher the recommendation from HEXUS to buy. Simple, straightforward buying advice.

Altec Lansing FX3022 Expressionist BASS

HEXUS Where2Buy

The Altec Lansing FX3022 Expressionist BASS can be purchased from Play.com for £83.99 and After Hours Computers for £99.99.

HEXUS Right2Reply

At HEXUS, we invite the companies whose products we test to comment on our articles. If any company representatives for the products reviewed choose to respond, we'll publish their commentary here verbatim.

External Links

Official Altec Lansing FX3022 Expressionist BASS product page

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Aside for the fact that these are pretty darned hideous, the entire design is flawed. Why would prefer two small subs to one big one?
Low frequency sounds will always sound better being created by a large driver, smaller driven subs have a tendancy to cut off at a higher point than they should making the mid frequencies quite boomy and ruining your music.
Having 2 subwoofers on your desk? Most desktop speakers have the subwoofer separate from the satellites for a reason, desks are a terrible place for acoustics!

But if you read the review they say it's at least as good as a floor sub, and perhaps better. So it can't be completely flawed or it wouldn't sound good (sub-wise).

kalniel
But if you read the review they say it's at least as good as a floor sub, and perhaps better. So it can't be completely flawed or it wouldn't sound good (sub-wise).

No offense to the hexus boys cuz i love em but their idea of what sounds good might be very different to mine. I prefer very a flat, even and accurate sound which is something that is never produced by computer speakers but ones with the affor mentioned flaws dont stand a chance. The opinion that was passed over to me from the article was that they produced more bass which isn't necessarily good, especially considering that there is no control for the bass levels (as they quite rightly pointed out). If the levels of the LF woofers are not balanced to the levels of the mid and/or treble woofers then the product is a failure.

First off, if you want an audio solution that'll give you crisp, accurate sounds through the full range, while being readily customisable (i.e. bass/treble controls), this isn't the sound system for you. However, if you detest trying to listen to your music without any bass, but don't have space for a dedicated subwoofer, this is exactly what these speakers are designed for. They're not for audiophiles, but at under £100, what do you expect? And according to the review, they do what they do well - provide decent sound for mainstream buyers with limited space - bar dedicated equaliser settings.

miniyazz
First off, if you want an audio solution that'll give you crisp, accurate sounds through the full range, while being readily customisable (i.e. bass/treble controls), this isn't the sound system for you. However, if you detest trying to listen to your music without any bass, but don't have space for a dedicated subwoofer, this is exactly what these speakers are designed for. They're not for audiophiles, but at under £100, what do you expect? And according to the review, they do what they do well - provide decent sound for mainstream buyers with limited space - bar dedicated equaliser settings.

I think that is a very good statement. :)