3DsoundSurge Reviews: Altec Lansing ADA880

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Important Info:

Speakers By : Altec Lansing
Price : $300
Power Output:
Subwoofer: 40 watts RMS
Satellites: 40 watts RMS , 10 watts RMS per satellite

Minimum/Recommended System Requirements

Sound card or other device with an anolog line level output or SPDIF output (COAX) . SPDIF required for Dolby Digital audio.

Reviewer PC:

-Mikael
- Win98
- Celeron 300a o/c 450
- 128MB PC100 ram
- Creative TNT
- 6.4 GB Quantum SE
- Creative Labs Sound Blaster Live! (EMU 10K1), Aureal's SQ2500(Vortex 2), Hoontech Sound Track YFM 744 Digital XG (Yamaha 744), Hoontech Sound Track Digital NX(4DWave-NX), Trident 4Dwave NX and Creative Lab's SoundBlast Live!MP3+

Features:

Frequency Response: 20Hz to 20kHz
Total Audio Output: 80 Watts RMS
Input Impedance: >10K Ohms
Analog Input Sensitivity: 300mV for full output
Digital Input: S/PDIF
Drivers (satellites): Four 3" full range
Two 1" tweeters
Drivers (subwoofer): One 8" voice coil
Satellite Power: 40 Watts RMS (10 watts per driver) at 0.1% THD
Subwoofer Power: 40 Watts at 0.1% THD
Signal-To-Ratio: >70dB
Power Requirements: USA/Canada model (120V/60Hz). UL/CUL (CSA)/CE Approved.

The first Dolby Digital 5.1 systems that were targeted to the Home Theater market were really expensive, way out of reach for the average consumer. However, it was not long after the introduction of DVDs in the spring of 97 that several inexpensive DD 5.1 system reached the market. With the introduction of Cambridge SoundWorks' Desktop Theater 5.1 the $300 price point was reached. There are now several other systems in the $300-400 range on the market and most of them with specs far more impressive than the now rather old Desktop Theater 5.1. These new and improved systems include the DTT2500 system, which was Cambridge SoundWorks replacement of the Desktop Theater 5.1. Altec Lansing decided that they should also enter this market and in this review we will take a look at their ADA880, a Dolby Digital system with a suggested retail price of $300 and a street price of just slightly more than $200, similar to the DTT2500 street price. Compared to the DTT2500, Altec Lansing choose to use a virtual center channel and instead put the money into a more powerful amplifier and better quality speakers. In specs, this means 40 Watts RMS for the satellites, all of which feature a 3" driver with the front satellites also featuring a 1" tweeter. For the subwoofer it means 40 Watts RMS powering an 8" driver. The DTT2500, in comparison, uses 2.5" drivers for the satellites, a 6.5" driver for the subwoofer and a combined power output of 69 Watts RMS. One other difference is that the ADA880 has no separate rear input so unlike the DTT2500, it can’t be used as 4-speaker gaming system. Can be worth knowing that the ADA880 is also sold under the ADA880R, ADA880U and ADA880E names. R is for the retail box, U is for the 240V UK plug and E is for the 220V European plug. The units are identical when it comes to sound quality and features.

From this brief overview of the specs, the obvious conclusion is that the ADA880 is targeted at listeners who want an inexpensive system to watch DVD movies and consider powerful and deep bass important. Its also important that the targeted users are willing to place the two front channels close enough to each other (like next to each side on the monitor or TV rather than in each corner of living room) to get a good virtual center channel. In this review we will take a close look what sound experience the ADA880 will deliver when watching DD 5.1 DVD movies, listening to music and playing games. We will also take a more in-depth look at the features and also briefly look at how it compares with WinDVD 4-speaker down-mixing, the Cambridge Soundworks DTT2500 system and VideoLogic Systems’ DigiTheatre when it comes to sound quality and the Dolby Digital decoding.