Playing a sine tone sweep from 20Hz to 20kHz (the typical human hearing range) revealed a bumpy ride, with some frequencies reproduced much louder than others and a notable thinness in high frequency reproduction. Sound quality was disappointing, with a murky tone and a distinct lack of presence. We’re not so enamoured with the design on the Hercules XPS 2.160, but at least the volume control, headphone out and auxiliary input are neatly incorporated into the right satellite. An internal power supply would have been better too the chunky adapter risks obscuring neighbouring power sockets. A wired remote provides a big volume knob, headphone socket and subwoofer level control, although we’d prefer to have these features built into one of the satellite speakers to keep things tidy.
The Creative i-Trigue 3330 has no shortage of bass, and its futuristic design livens up the desk while just stopping short of looking tacky. The lack of bass means the VS2320 can’t compete for sound quality, but for situations where there’s no room for a subwoofer they are, at least, a low-cost option. We’d also prefer the cable that joins the two speakers to be a little longer. However, the single tone control doesn’t do anything to overcome the sonic shortcomings. The design is plain but well conceived, with a headphone output and auxiliary input on the right speaker. The rest of the frequency spectrum is much better, with more high-frequency detail than we’d expect at this price. Without the aid of a subwoofer, the compact speaker design means there’s barely any bass below about 100Hz, while the low frequencies it does manage to emit are vague and slightly distorted. Choosing stereo speakers can certainly save you money, but the Altec Lansing VS2320 is a false economy.
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