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Altec Lansing has been one of the original multimedia speaker giants, around since almost the dawn of the multimedia speaker age. Throughout their existence, they have come to be trusted by many casual audio enthusiasts and gamers alike. Not so long ago, they introduced their ATP3 set of speakers, a stereo speaker set featuring a unique design flare. Today, we take a look at the ATP5, the 4.1 surround version of the very same series.

The most striking thing about the ATP5 is undoubtedly the unique design of the satellites. At first glance they appear so thin as to be nearly flatpanel in likeness. Upon closer inspection, you will find that the thin upper portion of each satellite houses two 28mm drivers, while the lower hemispherical base actually hides a 3” down-firing midrange driver. This fresh approach to speaker design makes for a high-tech look that immediately stands out on your desktop. By deviating from a standard front firing design for their midrange driver, however, Altec Lansing has delved into a design that also presents several challenges for quality of audio reproduction.

Installation of the speakers is extremely easy thanks to the color-coded cables and the etchings on each satellite identifying where they should go. The front right speaker doubles as the digital control center for the entire set, so it connects to the sub via a heavy DIN cable. All the other speakers connect using hardwired high-gauge wiring terminated by hardwired 1/8” stereo plugs.

The ATP5 is a digital/analog speaker set, so you can either connect it to your sound card using the 1/8” analog connectors. Or you can use the standard RCA connectors that plug into the separate coaxial digital inputs. Altec Lansing includes RCA to 1/8” adapters with the set in case the digital outputs on your source are not the RCA type (as is the case with most soundcards, which use 1/8” outputs).

The controls on these speakers are superb. Everything is digitally controlled – main volume, bass and treble adjustments, play mode, rear/front fade, and power. As you digitally control the settings, a set of 5 green LED’s indicate the relative position of your volume or treble/bass settings. It’s an elegant and aesthetically pleasing setup that works wonders. The only missing is a mute button, but because there is no lag time for turning the speakers on and off, you can use the power button just as easily as a mute.

I paired the ATP5 with a Turtle Beach Santa Cruz for my testing using a regular analog connection. As usual, my testing took place in multiple phases to cover music, movies, and gaming.