This new Altec Lansing product reminds me of two things: one, Altec Lansing’s resurrected “The Voice of the Theatre” one-liner that was used by the company back in the 1940’s – 50’s, and KITT’s red running light-bar.  But instead of LEDs lighting up one after the other and a muted “whom-woom” sound, this bar speaker gets much, much louder. And looks cooler too.

                                             Altec Lansing is rightly proud of its longevity and continued success. 

“Voice of the Theatre” was originally used for Altec products used in the big screen (the really big screens) of yore. Movie theatres then (1930-1940) were known primarily for their poor sound systems, which Altec aimed to remedy. In this day and age, this one-liner is hugely appropriate due to the number of “big-screens” populating most consumer’s homes, whether it be plasma, LCD, or older rear-projection types ranging from 40 up to 100”.

                                             There are only two main components to the PT8051 system: front and rear.

Now most of these “big-screens” come with or are optionally available with multi-speaker systems, receivers, amplifiers and the like, and most if not all are complicated, has lots of wires and expensive to boot. Altec Lansing once again sees this as a problem that can be remedied, and thus introduced the Altec Lansing PT7031 / PT8051 Wireless Theatre Speaker Systems just this March 18, 2008 at the Rennaisance Hotel in Makati . Altec Lansing is best known here in the Philippines for its nearly ubiquitous ATP3 2.1 speaker system and its other mainstream speaker systems, and it came as a surprise to find them releasing a home theatre – based product here, even if I had known before of its release in other countries.

                                             I guess it was only a matter of time after the first diamond studded iPhone came out...

With the increasing number of wide and large screen TVs here in the Philippines (perhaps occurring later than say, the US or Europe – thus explaining the late entry of these products), it has become viable for Altec Lansing to offer these products, seeing that the shape and the form of the PT7031 and PT8051 fits perfectly below a flat screen, since it is also wide to accommodate the three compact drivers made with NXT Digital technology behind the grille, plus an additional two channels at a rear for the PT8051  – left, right and center channels and the rear left and right channels, like a traditional 5-piece satellite system. The system on display during the event achieved exactly what they were meant to do – I didn’t even notice them at first and thought the protrusion below the flatscreen was part of the TV system. Only afterwards were we able to realize that the “protrusion” was actually the PT 8051 system, neatly integrated but still sleek and well-designed enough for the critical high-tech guru. So it achieves one of its purposes as a part of a home-entertainment system: it looks good.

                                             A model holding the Orbit portable speakers.

Aside from making possible a slim profile and compact dimensions, the Altec’s NXT drivers made surround-sound possible without resorting to multiple, strategically-placed speakers. I understand that the term “surround-sound” has been bandied around quite a bit, but with at least the PT8051 system, it was a convincing experience to sit right in front of it and hear distinct channels from the same device – as far as you stood far enough away from the unit that is. This is not an all-out replacement for dedicated, multi-speaker systems, but for the purpose of compromise (in between wife, girlfriend, cost and space, and your desire for a full-fledged home entertainment system) – this is a very good solution for the music or home theatre enthusiast.

                                             The rest of the cast.

The system consists of (in the PT8051 setup) two main driver housings, 2.4 GHz wireless technology to link up the front to the rear speakers, 125 watts of total power, and is ready to accept inputs using 2 optical and one coaxial digital inputs, three analog stereo inputs. A video out is available for OSD setup purposes, plus a subwoofer out for enhancing the merely adequate bass response of the unit. The whole unit can be mounted using included brackets. Front mounted controls in addition to the included universal remote add to the livability factor.

                                             Altec products out in force to bolster the 70th Anniversary atmosphere.

The event was also a dealer appreciation night, with most of the other existing products in the local Altec Lansing line on display and availably for testing. Of special note were the nobi and MUZX lines, and the Orbit ultra-portable speaker system. The MUZX line concentrates on stylish sound aimed especially at the stylish woman, with pretty designs on the Swarovski-bejeweled Crystalized sets, and an innovative “Buddies” feature that lets someone else plug in another set of earphones. The nobi is designed for the Nokia XpressMusic phone, and is nearly as small as the said phone – making it practical to bring it along – it will last for a claimed 18 hours on three fresh AAA batteries. Another sensation of the event was the Orbit speaker. Shaped like an inverted flying saucer with the top portion of the cone cut off, the Orbit is a rugged companion for the music lover, capable of accepting 3.5 or 2.5mm jacks from PMPs, MP3 players or music-enabled cellphones.

                                             A closer look at the Orbit.

All in all, the event was chock-full of entertainment appliances and underlines once again how far Altec has come from the 1940s and how appropriate it is to bring back the revered “Voice of the Theatre” moniker – a voice for the current generation of high tech devices.