Reviews for Altec Lansing GT5051 Surround Speaker System

5.1 For the save

Strengths: Price. Great for folks like myself that just wanted an entry level 5.1 system. Eliminating the hassle of setting up rear satellites is what did it for me.

Weakness: The surround isn't as strong as I'd like it to be. The bass can be strong if you get it in the right range, but that range is rather narrow making it seem weak.

I had a mediocre 2.0 set and just decided I wanted some more power out of my speakers. They are great for movies and gaming. The speakers themselves seem sturdy, and resilient.

100% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Altec Lansing 5.1 4-piece Vertical Stacking Speaker...

Strengths: Good Price

The sound quality for this speaker is very good. I replaced my old Yamaha YST-MS201 with the Altec Lansing GT5051 and their is a noticeable different in sound quality. The only drawback I can think of with this speaker is weak bass.

100% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

An Excellent System at a Fabulous Price!

Strengths: Compact and easy to set up, these speakers fill a room with balanced, full range sound that belies the price of the system.

Weakness: Not perfect surround due to system design using reflected sound.

I purchased these speakers for only $79 from Buy.com AND received a $40 rebate to boot-- an unbelievable price for a system of this quality. I believe that a key to properly setting up these speakers is a higher quality 5.1 sound card-- a very inexpensive upgrade to your computer system that allows these speakers to achieve their acoustic presence and surround qualities. Such a card can be had for as little as $12- $15 and makes an incredible difference in the quality of the sound you will experience.

I have had experience with sound systems running up to 1,800 watts driving the subs and another 400 watts driving the main speakers. Obviously, this system won't come close to blowing out the windows in the way a system like that will, but on the other hand, is that what you plan on doing with your home audio? Didn't think so. I am listening to my system right now, "smooth jazz", and the bass, mid-range and treble come through perfectly, with smooth transients and no "booming" from the relatively small 5 1/2" long-throw sub-woofer bass unit.

I suspect that some of the criticisms of this system relate to attempting to use these speakers without a decent sound card-- thereby defeating the purpose of the 5.1 surround features built into this very strong acoustical machine.

Buy the system, make sure you have a 5.1 sound card with sub-woofer, and connect and dial in this system to your individual sound preferences-- you will likely be amazed, as I was, by the terrefic sound quality, which includes full, deep bass and excellent mid and high ranges, not to mention the amazing cost for such a high quality system.

Buy, connect, enjoy!

100% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Great speakers for the price (around $100)

Strengths: *Cristal clear sound *Reasonably priced *Look cool

Weakness: *These speakers do not deliver "true" surround sound

This is a great set of speakers for under $100.
The sound quality is really good and the speakers are built very well.
The only drawback is that they are not "true" 5.1 speakers.

100% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Altec Lansing GT5051 Surround Speaker System

Strengths: The sound of this speaker is good. The sub woofer is not bad. The sound is very clear even at the highest volume. It is easy to be used for tv, pc, game etc.

Weakness: It needs another dual audio cable to be connceted to tv. The sub woofer seems to be not strong enough when reaches the highest volume. The surround of it is week.

The unique pair of "stacked" front and rear speakers make it simple. The multiple functions of this speaker is the main point that attracts me. The quality of the speaker is good, but I could hardly find the feeling of home theater on it. Anyway, it worths the price. I like it.

25% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Nice speaker syestem

Strengths: Compact, no endless miles of speaker cables. Beautiful sound.

Weakness: n/a

This is the 1st altec lansing system I've bought and I was very impressed with it. I have tried several speaker system made by Logitech, but this one is very good! The speakers are very clear and they do a very good job of filling up the room. The RCA audio inputs are convienent to use. The controls are on the right speaker and are easy to use. Anyway, a great syetem

0% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Altec Lansing 5.1 4-piece Vertical Stacking Speaker...

Strengths: The price is decent and the speaker sounds good. It is ompact and looks good.

Weakness: The sub woofer is not as expected. It's not strong especially at high volume. It also needs another cable to connect to TV which is added expense.

Overall this is a pretty good speaker for the price. If you are expecting a powerful sub woofer then check out others. Also, make sure you purchase the cable to connect to TV when you purchase this speaker system.

0% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

altec lansing 5.1 4-pc vertical stacking speaker...

Strengths: simulates surround sound to a large extent

Weakness: simulates surround sound to a large extent but only in a small room, wires, weak bass sound, no remote controls

i like these speakers but i don't like them that much. i just couldn't wait to get rid of these speakers and buy new and better ones real soon... hmmm, those wireless speakers seem nice!

Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

5.1 4-piece Vertical Stacking Speaker System

Strengths: novel design. compact. powered.

Weakness: none so far

It is the best speaker I have ever seen. It is cool in design and very compact. 6 pieces compacted into 4 pieces. the subwoofer is very powered. It is not as expensive as other speakers with the same quality.

Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

5.1 4-piece Vertical Stacking Speaker System

Strengths: powerful, save paces

Weakness: none so far

After seeing its quality, I know why it sells above 100$ everywhere. It is the best speaker for personal computer. It is cool in design and save much room for me. 5 pieces compacted into 3 pieces. The subwoof is very powerful.

Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

A great 5.1 Speaker System

Strengths: Sound quality is great and powerful

Weakness: surround sound is not good as expected

This is my first 5.1 computer speaker system, so I can not compare with other similar product. Of course, I don't expect it works as great as my home theater system. But the sound is great. The design saves space and you don't have to worry about the wire on the floor. But the surround depends on how well the speaker is positioned.

Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Not satisfied at all

Strengths: cheap surround solution

Weakness: music play is a pain

I regret I replaced my Z3 with this set of "junk".

1, no bass at all, I usually set my Z3's sub to 10%, but even that beats the full volume of this Altec.
2, hissing noise when the volume is high.
3, high pitch is so sharp, in a bad way...
4, midrange is a joke, not smooth at all...

I have no idea how can this item get almost 5 stars on Amazon.com, it seems I have to think seriously about reviews there.

I guess I'll sell this soon and try to get a pair of Promedia...

Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Great speakers for the price

Strengths: Great compact look, clear sound quality, great effect if you are not willing to spend a lot of money on surround sound. Works great with laptop/PC

Weakness: Subwoofer is not that powerful and need anohter set of cable to connect to tv.

This is an awesome speaker system for the price. I loved it the moment I connected it to my tv and can swithc back and forth also to my laptop.

Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Great Speaker

Strengths: Crips clear sound quality, powerful

Weakness: Weak bass, the center unit gets warm/hot with power on

Great value for this speaker, highly recommendate for everyone who is looking for 5.1 upgrade.

For the price of roughly $30 dollar after rebate, this is the deal that no one can beat.

Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Altec Lansing GT5051 5.1 Surround Sound Speakers...

Strengths: easy to set up; sound quality and clarity on the satallites are great;

Weakness: controls on the speaker is a little incovenient

EXCELLENT.. voice is very clear, no cracking and can adapt to almost any kind of music.. best when movies are played. Plus, the build of the speakers are heavy which means its more sturdy and less vibration that would have lost on sound.

Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

5.1 4-piece Vertical Stacking Speaker System

Strengths: Inexpensice, conpact and relatively good sound

Weakness: The subwoofer is not very powerfull and is a bit weak on bass.

I've had these speakers for about 2 Weeks and they do work very well.

It is very good response in smaller room and not quite satisfactory in a room bigger than 600 squre foot.

Generaly I am happy

Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Not bad PC speaker

Strengths: great sound quality as a inexpensive 5.1 speaker

Weakness: not so fancy

These speakers are easy to set up, the sound quality and clarity on the satallites are far superior. As for the down side, I can't really get the surround sound to work to my satisfaction. Either my sound card didn't work properly or because my desk is at the corner of the room which prevented the surround sound to reflect off the wall properly. So in my opinion if you have the room, get a true 5.1 speaker instead of these "simulated" surround speakers. The bass also seems to be extremely weak compared to my old Logitechs, even at maximum level.

Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

very good sound

Strengths: their satilite speakers produce very musical and clean sound

Weakness: sub is not enough

I used this speaker to replace the Altec Lansing 2100 , and the sound of this set is abvious better. I noticed the sub of GT5051 is smaller than 2100, and guess that this is why many are not satisfied with its sub. Personally, I do not like sub. and I just use about 15% of its sub volume, and it is enough for me.

If you need sub for rap, and like the sound of sub. This set is not good for you. other than SUB., their satilite speakers produce very musical and clean sound, and this system can be compared with klipsch 2.1 in certain parts.

Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Altec Lansing GT5051 5.1 Surround Sound Speaker...

Strengths: 1. They work well in 5.1 with crisp clear sound. 2. The fact that you do not need to place rear speakers and hide cords to get true 5.1

Weakness: drawback is that the all-important 2/4 speaker 6 speaker switch is located on the back of the sub instead of being positioned along with all the other controls. This could be a real pain if you frequently switch from listening to CDs to playing games on

Speakers well-packed in styrofoam. All speakers, especially the sub, have a good heft to them--doesn't feel like cheap plastic. Instructions and set up very simple and straightforward. Multiple ways to hook them up to PC's, games, etc.

Sound is not bad for the price. No piercing tweeters in the setup--just 3 inch midranges that deliver good highs, mids and lows. The sub seems a little weak. All asjustments and power on/off are on the right speaker--a nice touch.

A word on set up. I had them way over-EQ'd through windows media player. Overdriven and scratchy. Once I used the WMP presets (Jazz, Rock) the sound was very nice indeed. A great value.

Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Good Value for Money

Strengths: I tested this with the 2 channel mode. The sound is excellent at high frequencies. The subwoofer is good too. I found the clarity good at all volumes. Even a kid can set up the easy pin connections.

Weakness: Low frequencies are not prominent at loud volumes. Cant comment about surround since havent tested with 5.1 yet.

It is a good value for money purchase. Logitech has a 5.1 channel set in the $50 range but for people who cannot wire up 6 speakers in their room, this one is perfect.
Update: Works great on 5.1 channel sound card too. A worthy investment. Thank you Altec Lansing !!!!!

Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Great System, Excellent Quality

Strengths: good budget speaker

I've had these speakers for about 2 months and they do work in surround very well. Playing Doom 3 is a great test. In that game you are literally in the dark for a great portion of the gameplay and your surround setup better work or you have no idea where the enemy is coming from. These speakers will put monsters behind you or to your side or in front of you with ease. The sound clarity is very good. You can overdrive them if you set the EQ up too much. These speakers do not need to be overdriven to sound good. Alot of other brands require you to overdrive them to get the high end to be clear but this set does not require that. The sound is correct when you set the EQ flat (as it should be) and then you can make modest adjustments to suit your listening needs.

Overall they rate 5 stars in my book for two reasons

1. They work well in 5.1 with crisp clear sound.
2. The fact that you do not need to place rear speakers and hide cords to get true 5.1

For the money you'll not be disappointed. Just remember to start off with your EQ flat and go from there.

Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Altec Lansing 5.1 GT5051

Strengths: Compact Design. Solid construction. Does simulate a 5.1 effect.

Weakness: The subwoofer is not very powerfull and is a bit weak on bass.

First off I would like to say that I was impressed that these speakers actually simulate the effect of surround sound. Even though there are no speakers behind you -- the sound does seems to be all around you--very cool.
On the negative side--these speakers are not really all that powerful--and the will not give you that blown away theater experience. I would say that these speakers would be nice add on for a video game system--but if you are planning to use these speakers alone to create a home theater setup--you might be a little disappointed. Overall, not bad speakers if you get them for around $50 (after rebate). For $100--there are better speakers out there.

Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Good budget speakers

Strengths: Two front speakers that double as rear speakers.

Weakness: Subwoofer

This is my second set of speakers. For $35 shipped after rebates, you can't go wrong. I love the economical space-saving design. Also there are no two rear speaker wires sticking out which is such an eyesore.

Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Space saver but average sound

Strengths: Good speakers for PC; Saves space; great price

Weakness: Still only 3 speakers; No remote

I was hesitant in purchasing these speakers because can you really get 5.1 sound with only a center speaker and 2 front speakers? the answer is "it depends". if you have a small bedroom and you place the unit close to 2 walls, than the answer is a resounding "yes". however, my bedroom is not that small, it measures 12' by 12' and the surround sound effect is only average.

i played the dvd "behind enemy lines" and the speakers simulated the rockets and grenades to only satisfactory results.

i also played cds which sounded alright.

i don't want to mislead anyone and say these speakers are bad. it's not. it's just that altec lansing's new technology of these dipole speakers does not, in my opinion, render true 5.1 systems obsolete. i don't think people will hook their tvs to this system anytime soon.

overall, i got these speakers for $50 so pricewise you cannot beat it. i believe they retail for $150. and since it does retial for that much, it doesn't come with a remote.

Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Another good product by Altec!

Strengths: Nice and compact for those who do not have much room for an entire surround sound system. Puts out a good quality of crisp sound.

Weakness: Could use a better sub woofer, seems kind of week and won't operate well at high/deep volumes.

For those with not much money to shell out for an entire surround sound system for their home, and not much space, this is a nice alternative. It has some drawbacks, but the positives far outweigh the negatives. The side firing speakers are a good idea, but I didn't get the surround sound effect that I was hoping for. Overall it's worth the money.

Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?