Alienvibes 140W 2.1 Channel Subwoofer PC Speaker System with Remote (W402)

EDIT July 23, 2013: First set, my original set, of the W402's turned out to be defective. Variety of mid and bass frequencies suddenly dropped out and overall volume and quality took a nose-dive; only used for a month. So I returned em' and got my replacement set today (no charge, not even shipping). Hopefully it really was just THAT set that was defective. If it happens again I'll probably have to take a star off.I received this set of fine-ass looking speakers about a month ago in the mail and have been using them pretty much everyday ever since, and saying WOW isn't quite enough. Other than just looking uber sexy right out of the box they have a truly high-end sound quality, something highly desired in expensive Klipsch or Logitech speakers (which cost a lot more too). To make this review simpler, I'll make a list of the things I don't like about these speakers and the things I LOVE about them (it will also explain why I didn't give it the full 5 stars).The Ugly Side of Things: - Most notable and stand-out flaw of these speakers is the bass-to-treble ratio in the lower power range of the subwoofer. Even with bass maxed out on the head unit's equalizer, at lower volumes, the bass doesn't have quite enough presence. Don't get me wrong, once you crank this thing to about quarter, third total volume, you begin to FEEL the bass kicks and the sustains move the hair on your skin, you'll definitely get that physical aspect of music you may or may not be looking for (can turn the bass down if your not), but it's not on the level of THX approved subs you'll find in a Kilpsch set, the kind with overwhelming bass that really carries. It's probably because the sub in this set has no external driver and just the air intake/exhaust hole. Then again, these are meant to be desktop speakers, not a home theater system, so they're great for the situation they're meant for.- The cables are so damn short. This seems to be a problem with many desktop systems but unless your putting the speakers right next to the monitor with the sub close by, these stock cables won't be long enough. I put mine on each side of my desk and needed to buy an extension cable to make it reach the subwoofer on one of my bottom shelves.- The cables are non-removable (except the input cable). So if your like me and need the extension cables (most likely will) you CAN'T REMOVE THE STOCK ONES. You'll have to buy a female-to-male extension cable of the desired length.- The equalizer isn't very customizable. It is split into bass and treble frequencies so you can adjust either one to your desired level but you can't adjust any specific frequencies which some might want to have access to.- While the display is very awesome looking and a neat feature (especially in the dark), it isn't very functional and serves little purpose. The main thing it is lacking is a visual feedback to adjustments of volume and equalizer levels. You would think that when adjusting treble and bass levels one of the two bars in the display would represent the increase or decrease of bass and one for treble, but it doesn't. The only purpose that it serves is to raise in accordance to the intensity of the bass, which is cool! But it should also adjust to show where the volume level is so one may know when something is maxed out. It also doesn't show when the system is 'off' or 'on' except for when the main power switch is flipped in which case the display turns off.- The remote has a weak signal. While having the remote is a very nice touch, the key commands usually take a few presses to work, and it usually only work at eye-level with the head unit (attached to the sub) which usually is on the floor.- While it may advertise 140W of power, that is total power. You'll actually only be able to push out about 80-90W and still have acceptable clarity. RMS power for the sub is about 40W and for each speaker a bit over 15W. Still a very loud system though.The 'Wow!' Factors- Starting from top to bottom, each speaker features a very beautiful matte black, wood encasing with a piano black gloss finish on the front panel, very well constructed, no grill, and 2 drivers paired with 1 tweeter. What this kind of setup means is that, atypical of most desktop speaker systems even the high-end ones, one driver plays only the mid frequencies while the other plays the mid-lows which are those hard to reach frequencies right inbetween mid-level and bass-level on the frequency spectrum. This allows for a more accurate and efficient production of sound through each component of the system. This allows each driver to play the frequencies it is designed for as opposed to the usual setup of one driver, one tweeter, one sub which forces the sub to play mid-lows, frequencies most subs can't physically produce. And trust me the quality of the sound is AMAZING, the crossover bands in the systems amp does a amazing job of separating the frequencies into their designated driver and in effect making the bass punchy and precise with the speakers producing crisp and accurate mids. Oh yeh and did I mention how sexy the speakers look?- I can't emphasize enough how beautiful the design is, even if they didn't work, these things are worth just looking at for while.- The display. While I explained how it doesn't have a lot of functionality, it does have some. It shows which input your currently set too, the level of the sub, and also which band (volume, treble, or bass) you have selected. When it's flashing at high levels in the dark, it looks sick. Be great for a mini rave in your house.- While I did have some dislikes about the bass, the quality and accuracy at typical listening volumes is pretty awesome and definitely satisfying. And that's just rock, jazz, blues etc. put some techno or dub step on and...hah DAYUM!- The NUMBER of inputs. This is the first desktop speaker system I have come across with as many inputs as it has. You have the typical auxiliary input, in both RCA and 3.5mm flavors, a USB input, and an SD card slot. I usually only need the aux inputs but for those who use this for a house speaker set or other similar purposes and don't have a computer or phone to plug in with, you have the ability to place your desire songs on a USB or SD card and pop that in. With these options you can also use the remote's other buttons to control playback, volume, EQ, etc.- A freaking remote, wireless too! This was probably the most useful feature the system came with. All my other speaker sets have wired remotes but this one is wireless and it has every command you'd need. While it doesn't always work right away it is still such a nice thing to have. It even features a power button. It's more like a standby button though because it only turns the amp off. To completely power down the system you'd need to reach around back and flip the master power switch.All in all, one of the best sets you will find nowadays and a lot of great useful features. Because of some of the flaws I didn't give it 5 stars but don't let that hold you back, these are great speakers to have, and I know this is a cliche, but ESPECIALLY FOR THE PRICE! And unless you need fill a room bigger than a typical living room with great sound, these should be the fit for you.

Great set of speakers. The sound quality is very good. You can hear the full range of your music with these speakers, and they get loud enough to annoy the other people in my house.The only draw back is the remote control. It's hit or miss, mostly miss, on the remote working. I had to press the button's several times in order to put the speakers in mute, or to raise or lower the volume. This was with the receiver of the remote on a shelf in line of sight. Since the remote receiver is on the subwoofer most people would have it under their desks. Where the remote would be even more useless.In conclusion, since I had already planned on getting a Media Center Remote for my computer. The bad remote isn't really an issue in my circumstances. I like the sound quality very much. But if the remote is important to you I wouldn't recommend this set of speakers.

If the remote worked when I received this speaker system I'd probably give a better rating. It did take me quite a while to figure out how to adjust the bass, treble, loudness as well as overall volume manually. However, my vision isn't that good so if you and I are in the same boat, break out the magnifying glass and it will be a semi moderate picnic. The system does sound very good and compliments my Eagle Tech's nicely in 7.1 Surround sound. I suppose you could say I now have 14.2 SS, 15 speakers total. I'm a Geek.

Speakers sound nice and are powerful but as some other reviews have suggested the sub-woofer portion of the system needs to be placed in a corner to feel the bass. Remote control did not work from day 1 and replacing battery did not fix the problem either. This in turn forces the user to use the buttons on the speaker panel which will eventually wear out the buttons from over use. Placement of USB port on panel prevents EQ button from being easily accessible when flash drive is plugged in.

Very big, bigger than it looks on the pictures. the control buttons get on my nerves. I will only buy things with dials. Dials are easier to use than pushing these buttons.If I had to do over, I would not buy this.

the remote ..... well how can I explain it? It works almost. You have to stand in front of the dam thing, and lay on the button to get it to work. When it switches from bass to volume, it waits a min before it changes, dumbest thing I've ever experienced. !40 watts? I don't think so, my 12 year old raged out speakers are as loud. just don't sound as good. and get this, turn them off, you have to bring up the volume and set the bass all over again, with a stupid remote, you really feel stupid fooling around with these speakers. They sound good ,but not worth the trouble, and they ant no 140 watts.

I bought these speakers used for $60. instead of the 35W Eagle speaker system I was replacing thinking they would be much stronger and louder but they're not. There's not a volume level, Bass level, or treble indicator that bugs me.....Plus you have to reset everything every time. It's prettier than the Eagle systems but I'm glad I didn't pay full price.Update: The more I use these the more I wish I had bought something else.

Coupling an insanely easy setup with an excellent look and sound the speakers are well worth the cost.The only issue I had was that when hooked up incorrectly(user error) the front buttons become strangely unresponsive which can make it hard to check what is going on. Mine were plugged into the wrong socket on the sound card on my computer.Sound:Excellent. I mix music and though these are not monitor style speakers they did offer an excellent platform for listening regardless of what music/media I threw at them. In fact they have the sound of far more expensive speakers. As these are the first Alienvibes I have owned OR even heard about, this was a VERY pleasant surprise.Appearance: If you like modern looking speakers these are beautiful.Love them and could not be happier.