Altec Lansing MX5021 or 5.1?

Been looking to buy some MX5021's for some time now, but I've started to wonder if spending nigh-on £100 on 2.1 speakers is a bit daft?

No it is not daft - I have the MX5021 s and they are pretty good. They replaced a 5.1 system that cost twice that and some, (Philips) that were also pretty good and were very small and flat and good a low volumes. Unfortunatley the control unit went wrong after a couple of weeks and so they were returned... and I waited over 8 weeks and the supplier could not get any replacements so I got a refund.

However my space is small, and most 5.1 systems are more of a hassle with cabling plus most 5.1 systems have to be driven fairly hard to be any good - they don't like the volume turned down, and they are too loud for me (err read other members of the family.....).

What you have to bear in mind is that this is a competative market and you get what you pay for. If you spend £95 (inc vat & postage at LowestonWeb) for a 2.1 system and can get a 5.1 system for similar money then something has to give, and that is performance and sound quality - other suppliers simply cannot provide an additional 3 speakers and associated additional components for free, so they have to be poorer quality.

If you listen to music on them - stick with the Altec Lancing MX 5021's - and if you really want 5.1 - then be prepared to spend more money to match the quality. Just my 2p's worth!

Well how much do you spend on other components of your computer?

Also what are you using the computer for? Personally I have a hi-fi for music, so the computer is mostly for game related sound stuff - for that reason I got some MX5020's for 15 quid :p They're good enough for me, but if you spend a lot of time in front of the computer then it could be worth spending the money if you've got nothing better to spend it on :p

Cheers guys, you've both helped me come to the conclusion that I'll stick with the MX5021's.

I use my PC to watch films, listen to many MP3s and play games at the moment but I'm currently doing Media Tech at Uni so I'll be messing with audio and video in no time.

I'm working on the theory I could get a new graphics card for £200 that'll be out of date in 6 months, or spend £140 on a X-Fi card and those sexy speakers, both of which I'll be able to use for years to come. :D

I think you have made a wise choice.

I too have a 'proper' hi-fi for music in the living room and family room - and the speakers were north of £1000 (Monitor Audio, 2 pairs) - but I also like reasonable sound quality from the computer, and the MX2021 give that, and thay are not too bad looking, and can also wall mount....