I don't think Altec Lansing needs any
introduction when it comes to PC Multimedia Speakers. Altec Lansing has
been around for quite a long time, and have always been known to make good
speaker sets that are way above the level of those 10 dollar cheapies that most
people get when they buy a new computer. In fact, Altec Lansing specializes in PC multimedia
speakers and home audio, so you can be sure they're pretty
good at what they do.
In this review, we'll be taking a look at Altec
Lansing's Digital PowerCube ADA 305 3-piece speaker set. This speaker set
boasts quite an interesting feature set. Check it out below and then we'll
discuss them in more detail below:
- Drivers (per satellite): Two 3
inch full range drivers
- Driver (subwoofer): One 6 inch dual voice coil
- Frequency Response: 20 Hz - 20 kHz
- Satellite Power: 20 Watts (5 watts per driver) at
<0.8% THD
- Subwoofer Power: 20 Watts at <0.8% THD
- Input Impedance: >10K ohms
- Signal-to-Noise Ratio: 70 dB
- Crossover Frequency: 150Hz
- Single Port USB Node
- USB 1.0 Specification Compliant
- UL/CUL/CE Approved
- True Digital Audio through USB connection
- Mutilchannel Surround Sound (Dolby Pro Logic)
- Audio Management Software
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** Update ** The
ADA-305's do in fact require a sound card to operate. The USB connection
is simply for the on screen controls ... which begs the question, what is there
basis for calling this system True Digital Audio? I wish I knew. Here's
the story: The speakers were at our lab when I did my listening test to
write the review. I did not personally hook them up nor did I have them at
my home, so I did not know if the USB was connected without a sound card or
not. I visited Altec's site while writing the review and saw that the
ADA-70's work without a sound card and Windows 98 provides the pure digital
stream to the speakers, hence the term "True Digital Audio."
When I went to the ADA-305 page, I saw the same "True Digital Audio"
and assumed they worked in the same way, especially since they have a higher
model number. Nowhere on Altec's
page does it explicitly say that the speakers require a sound card. So
I like others who emailed me were caught by Altec's little marketing
scheme. Thankfully someone who bought these speakers a while ago under the
same assumption as me (that they worked without a sound card) emailed me to let
me know about this. Like I said, how Altec Lansing figures they can call
it True Digital Audio is beyond me. In fact I'm still waiting for their
response on this issue, so I'll post their response as soon as I get it.
So there you have it, the speakers do require a sound card and are not really
True Digital Audio (until I'm proven wrong), but they are still great sound
speakers. ** end of update **
The most interesting feature is what Altec Lansing calls True
Digital Audio. When you use the provided USB connection, the speakers will
be completely controlled by the USB bus and Windows 9X. The funny thing
is, you don't even need a sound card to use these speakers. That is why
its called true digital audio. When digital audio is passed to a sound
card, it is always converted to an analog signal using a DAC. This is done
so that the card can process the sound, add effects, adjust amplification, etc.
The signal is then sent to your speakers
and because its in an analog form, it can pick up electronic interference on the
way which translates into hissing and static which we've all heard before.
With the USB connection, the digital audio signal bypasses the sound card and is
sent straight to the speakers, thereby eliminating all noise that can enter the
signal. There is only one problem when using the USB connection, you don't
get any 3D sound from API's like DirectSound3D, A3D 1.x./2.x or EAX. Since
the speakers completely bypass your sound card (and its processor), there is no
way to enjoy 3D audio. So for gamers with sound cards like the MX300 or
SBLive! you'll want to spend the money on a set that doesn't have the USB
connection or you can use the regular sound card method of hooking the ADA-305's
up. If you know for sure that you won't use the USB connection, then you
may be able to get a higher quality set for the same price because features cost
money, so eliminating the USB will cut the cost a bit.
When you use the USB connection, the controls
provided on the speakers are not functional. Instead, you have to use the
included Audio Management Software provided in the package. This little
piece of software is actually quite good and has an easy to use interface.
The Audio Management Software gives you control of almost every aspect of the
audio environment. The on-screen controls allow you to individually adjust each
audio channel. There are also preset audio settings which includes Music,
Movies, Games, Action and Sport. Like any good piece of software, the ability to
customize these settings has been added. Since not everyone has the same
ears, listening preferences can vary dramatically so when it comes to sound,
customization means a heck of a lot. This software also allows you to adjust
volume and switch between Dolby Pro Logic and regular Stereo mode.
This is where the "multichannel"
feature comes
into play. When you have it on stereo mode, the satellites on each speaker
play the same signal and therefore act as one with a little more dimension since
the top satellites are angled. When you switch to Dolby Pro Logic, the
build in decoder, processes the given stereo channel and creates 4 separate
channels from it. If the Dolby Pro Logic was implemented in its standard
way, there can only be 3 separate channels, since the surround channels in Dolby
Pro Logic are actually a single channel played over both speakers with a much
lower dynamic range then the main two channels. It would have been nice if
it had a Dolby Digital decoder, but hey Pro Logic is better than nothing and
isn't all that bad.
Other than that, the speakers have a decent
frequency response and enough power (5 watts per channel and 20 for the sub) to
fill a small sized room. So lets move on and see how the installation
went.
If you're going to be
using the True Digital Audio (USB) feature, you absolutely have to
have at least Windows 95B (OSR2). Even with Win95b, you might
have a few problems getting the USB to work properly. We
recommend that you be running Windows 98 or Windows 98 SE to get the
best experience from the USB connection. With our Windows 98
and SE test systems we had absolutely no problem getting them to
work with the USB connection. After we installed the software,
all controls worked properly and we quickly tested an MP3 to see if
it worked.
The connections were all
color coded and the wires were long enough for decent
placement. What I particularly like about the setup is that
unlike the BA635's the left and right speakers have a single wire
coming from them which then plugs into the sub. The BA635's
have 3 wires coming from the right satellite which makes the setup
look a little less clean. However, the setup is not quite perfect, at
least in my view. For instance, the volume control on the
right satellite is not what I would call ideal. It's a tad
awkward to use and it spins and spins endlessly, I really hate
that. I like to know exactly how high the volume
is instead of having a merry-go-round! Here is a picture of
what the setup looks like:
