Shootouts

2.1 Speaker Systems Face-off - Altec Lansing vs. Sony

By Kenny Yeo - 24 Nov 2009

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We began testing the two sets of speakers with our collection of CD tracks. The tracks ranged from sound effects to orchestral pieces and gave us a good initial feel for the speakers.

Perhaps due to the additional tweeter, the Altec Lansing Expressionist Ultra sounded more detailed in the higher frequency ranges. Cymbals and snare drums generally sounded more bright and crisp on the Expressionist Ultra. However, this brilliance on the highs also translated to a slight problem with sibilance, which was apparent during the dialogue sections on the Pod Race Scene track. That aside, we also felt that the Expressionist Ultra had a narrow sound stage, causing it too sound too direct and in-your-face.

On the other hand, the Sony SRS-DB500 sounded a little flat and veiled. On the T-Rex sound effects track, the noises of the jungle prior to the arrival of the T-Rex sounded blanketed, and didn't sound convincing. Fortunately, bass response was good, which ensured a satisfying T-Rex roar.

Moving on to our MP3 test tracks, we noticed the slight issue with exaggerated sibilant sounds on the Altec Lansing Expressionist Ultra again. This manifested itself when listening to Don Henley's vocals on Hotel California. Elsewhere however, the Expressionist Ultra was wonderful. Guitar picks on Hotel California and Buckethead's Sail on Soothsayer was wonderfully detailed and textured, something that was lacking on the Sony system. 'Bassheads' will be pleased too as the Expressionist Ultra handled Tiesto's Elements of Life with precision and gusto, and gave us a thumping good time.

We found the Sony SRS-DB500 to be a great set of speakers for 'bassheads' too, as it managed the drums on Hotel California brilliantly, showing great control and precision. However, the Sony system's single mid-range driver did not handle the rest of audio spectrum as well as the tweeter and driver combo on the Altec Lansing Expressionist Ultra, as mids and highs sound muted and lacked sharpness. Guitar plucks on Sail on Soothsayer, in particular, was missing the kind of texture and detail that made the set of Altec Lansing speakers sound so good on the same track.

Playing Swordfish and Lord of the Rings, we found the two speaker systems to be almost equal. Thanks to their high power ratings, the two pair of speakers delivered the kind of big cinematic sound that we love. The explosion that occurs towards the end of the opening sequence of Swordfish was absolutely wonderful on both sets of speakers. However, dialogue proved to be tricky for the pair of Altec Lansing, no thanks to its inability to adequately handle sibilant sounds, leading dialogue to sound somewhat sizzly and artificial. In that respect, the Sony is a tad better because it sounded more natural, allowing it to edge ahead in this segment of testing.

Gaming-wise, both systems were excellent. Their large subwoofers provided sufficient oomph; explosions sounded satisfying and gun shots had just the right amount of zing to them. The jungle noises from Far Cry 2 were also nicely reproduced. Only our gripe is the lack of soundstage from both set of speakers, so while the sound effects do sound natural enough, we were painfully reminded that they were in fact coming from the pair of speakers in front of us.

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Speaker Model / Test Tracks Altec Lansing Expressionist Ultra MX6021 Sony SRS-DB500
CD Testing
Pod Race Scene from The Phantom Menace 4 4
T-Rex SFX 5 4
Theme from Jurassic Park 4 3.5
Apollo 13 SFX 4 4
Theme from Cutthroat Island 4 4
Fanfare for Louis 4 4
MP3 Testing
Hotel California - The Eagles 4.5 4
Sail on Soothsayer - Buckethead 4.5 3.5
Melt My Heart to Stone - Adele 4.5 4
Elements of Life - Tiesto 4.5 3.5
Movies Testing
Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (battle scene in Moria) 4 4.5
Swordfish (opening sequence) 4 4
Games Testing
Far Cry 2 4.5 4.5

 

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