Altec e-Klipsched

When reviewing speaker systems, it is helpful to have a high standard to measure them against. I have been using Klipsch's mighty THX-certified ProMedia speakers for over a year, and I was eager to measure Altec's new ATP5 system against these monsters. Did the ATP5 live up to the high standards of Klipsch's ProMedia? Read on and find out. The ATP5 is a 4.1 system, meaning it has four speakers and a subwoofer. While not optimized for movies that use Dolby Digital 5.1, Altec has made it clear that these are speakers built for four-point surround computer gaming. The ATP5's have 80 watts of total system power, which is much lower than the thundering 400 watts offered by the Klipsch ProMedia. The Altecs are less expensive at $199, however, compared to the $299 price tag of the Klipsch. Budget gamers take note, for the Altecs pack quite a punch for the price.

After removing the materials from the box, I set the ATP5 up alongside my Klipsch ProMedia. The ATP5 is a very easy system to setup, with clear directions and accurate labeling. The setup process only took a matter of minutes before I was ready to begin trying them out. The controls for the ATP5 are interesting and innovative. There are three modes for sound: Stereo, Stereo 2X (which mirrors the stereo on the two rear speakers) and Gaming. A single rotator knob adjusts volume, bass and treble, which are toggled by buttons above the knob. The level of sound is indicated by a half-circle of green lights. The ATP5 lacks a headphones jack, but the power switch is useful for putting the system to sleep when it is not used. The ATP5 speakers will require tweaking to sound their best, however.

First test: DVD movies. I fired up the bass-intensive lobby shootout scene from The Matrix. The ATP5's sound is clear and has deep, yet rumbling bass. The Klipsch ProMedia however, outperformed the ATP5 in all areas with more distinction among the highs, mids and lows than the ATP5. The ATP5 had strong performance in the midrange levels, but the bass and treble came up short in performance compared to the Klipsch. Next I tested the bank robbery scene from the movie Heat, which stresses the highs of a speaker system. The sound quality from the ATP5 was very good, but it lacked the crispness of the ProMedia. Turning up the treble fixed this problem, but the sound remained a little too mixed.

Up next came the acid test of computer gaming: Half-Life. The ATP5 works well as a gaming speaker system with clear separation of the four channels of sound. As I rotated the character inside of the tram, I could hear the sounds of the loudspeaker announcements spin around my head. The CD music on the Half-Life CD was rich and eerie as always, enhanced by the surround effect. After the intro sequence to Half-Life was finished, I started a single player game and armed my character with the MP5 submachine gun, which stresses the treble on a speaker. The ATP5's treble was disappointing compared to the razor-sharp treble offered by the Klipsch. The gunfire sounded muddy and mixed in with the rest of the sound. Once again, I adjusted the treble and seemed to fix this problem. The ATP5's sound quality was now almost on par with the Klipsch, albeit weaker in the bass and mixed.

Now came the real test of bass: Quake 3 Arena on a server running the Excessive mod. In Excessive the rocket launcher shoots blazing volleys of rockets like a machinegun and is the default weapon that players start out with. You can probably imagine that the game is complete insanity and never gives the subwoofer a chance to catch its breath. While the ATP5's subwoofer was able to keep up with the bass, it lacked the immense amount of punch that the Klipsch ProMedia's subwoofer generates and seemed to have more of a loud rumbling effect.

Does the ATP5 dethrone the Klipsch ProMedia? Not by a long shot. Is it a quality speaker system that offers a lot of bang for your buck? Yes. It is easy to set up and use, it produces fairly good quality sound and a fair share of bass, even if it is not enough to get you evicted from your apartment like the Klipsch ProMedia. Hardcore gamers and audio enthusiasts should look elsewhere, but if you are on a budget and enjoy playing the occasional game or movie and want good four-point surround sound, the ATP5 system is a safe bet.