Cool Yule rating: 3 stars $99.99 Altec Lansing’s SoundBar is a great product for your office or home computer if you are looking to get more out your PC’s sound system. It’s designed to remove the clutter around your PC while giving the listener “immersive sound.” The Soundbar is by no means a speaker that would fully satisfy a true audiophile, but it definitely raises the sound bar for desktop speaker systems.
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At 4.4-inches tall and 3.4-inches deep, the SoundBar is a compact, good-looking system. There’s no software to install and is a simple plug-and-play device. It also can be used for your laptop, iPod or CD player. The SoundBar simplifies your speaker connections and opens up your desktop experience.
The key feature is that it fits neatly under most flat-screen monitors. While I couldn’t neatly slip the SoundBar under the monitor I used to test it, it did fit fine slightly in front of it. The downside is that the SoundBar isn’t adjustable, hopefully something Altec Lansing will improve upon for the next model.
Sound quality is far superior to what your standard lame desktop speakers can provide. Altec Lansing states that its “proprietary SFX signal-processing immersion technology audibly widens the soundstage to a startling degree.” The SoundBar makes good on that claim and produces a fuller, richer sound compared with similar products in the same price range.
My favorite feature is the volume control knob. While this feature doesn’t scream high-tech user interface, it is a simple way to adjust your volume without having to click on any settings feature on your PC. You can quickly mute your music when your boss unexpectedly walks into your office or by your cubical. The power on/off and volume control knob is located on the front of the speaker system. Above the knob is a thin stripe that glows a blue-violet color when the system is on.
Altec Lansing claims that with the SoundBar, “music no longer seems to come through a speaker, but from an extended soundstage.” I wouldn’t go that far, but it will make your workday or home computing a more enjoyable experience.
