Tascam VLS21 Compact Monitoring System with Subwoofer

Powered System. 25W total power. Designed for accurate response.

Overall User Ratings

Overall:
* * * * * * . . . . 6 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * . . . . 6 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * . . . . . 5 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * . . . . . 5 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * . . . . . . 4 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * . . . . . 5 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Support:
* * * * * * . . . . 6 out of 10

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"sound quality/price ratio : very good"

Overall:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * . . . . . 5 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Support:
* * * * * . . . . . 5 out of 10
 
 
 
Feature:
Well, again, these are just plain speakers for "studio monitoring", not your average PC speakers so there is no headphone jack and no volume knob, just like many "real" (read more, way more expensive) studio monitors. Of course, it would be nice to have them if you are using it as PC speakers... There is a power button though :-\.

Quality:
Everything seems well designed and assembled (again, for $99.95...).

Value:
At this price point, I will buy the VL-S21 over any PC speakers, I use them for music, movies, games ... They beat Altec Lansing, Creative and anything else I've owned or tried.

Desirability:
Yes, I will buy another "pair" (+sub) if I need affordable speakers.

Sound:
OK, these things are not "real" monitors and are certainly not good enough for any serious monitoring duties but ... hey... we are taking about $99.95 here... And compared to any $100 speakers (the amp is included here..) I believe you'll have a hard time finding something better. Sound is fairly accurate, nothing exaggerated, mids are not bad at all. The sub is doing a good job but wont do much below 50-60 Hz..

Ease of Use:
Since they are simple as they can get (assuming that pressing the power button is "simple") they are quite easy to use : plug the power cable, plug the input RCA cables and press the power button AFTER you've turned your source down.

Support:
never used

Overall:
Im very pleased with what I've got for what I've paid. I think the sound quality/price ratio is hard to beat. I recommend it over any PC speakers for listening music from your computer, CD player, TV set or mp3 player .... as long as you can live with the fact that there is no headphone jack/volume/eq ...

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"eh...maybe."

Overall:
* * * * * * * . . . 7 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * . . . 7 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * . . . . . 5 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * . . . . 6 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * . . . . . 5 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * . . . 7 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
 
 
 
zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us.
Feature:
a headphone jack would be nice but that's about all it's lacking. then again, they're speakers so...a volume knob is pretty much the standard 'feature' here.

Quality:
ok they -sound- fine. but they haven't really held up for me. i'm about to have to call them and have the satellites replaced because they've started to buzz a bit. if these are going to be marketed as monitors, they need to be able to handle a fair amount of constant loud signal. so far, they haven't. i haven't used them very much and as i said, they've already got a bit of a rattle in them that comes with sounds like clean guitars, rhodes pianos, and resonant pads, which are sadly all of the sounds that i like the most.

Value:
if they send me a replacement and those don't break, they're totally worth buying if you need monitors and can't drop any more than a hundred bucks. if you can, i'd buy something better. but they're ok.

Desirability:
i'm glad i have them around, but i'll be buying something better as soon as the opportunity presents itself.

Sound:
pretty much in line with other entry-level monitors i've heard. the sub is nice and punchy and the highs are very clear.

Ease of Use:
speakers aren't hard to use...

Support:
this remains to be seen...

Overall:
if they were any more expensive than they are, i'd have scored them a lot lower than this. but for the money, they aren't bad. they do sound nice, which is really what counts here. but if they can't hold up at 75% volume then i really can't be bothered with them

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"Do Not Buy. Please read my review."

Overall:
* * * * . . . . . . 4 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * . . . 7 out of 10
Value:
* * * * . . . . . . 4 out of 10
I Want It:
* . . . . . . . . . 1 out of 10
Sound:
* * . . . . . . . . 2 out of 10
Support:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
 
 
 
zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us.
Feature:
Might be better if it had tone control built in.

Quality:
As mentioned, the subwoofer quits working after 5 min. May only be a fluke on mine but it was free.

Value:
There are other subwoofers with satelite speakers that sound much better, like my Altec lancing 95 watt 5 satelite speakers.

Desirability:
The worst for the money but great as I will use it for only cosmetic looks in my home studio.

Sound:
Got this free for buying the TASCAM 2488 so review is very honest. The thinline speakers are very heavy midrange driven, no high frequency quality at all. I used it for monitoring mixes on my Tascam 2488 and will not/cannot use them due to poor sound quality. The subwoofer does sound okay but it quits working after 5 min of use. (currently in for free repair). I will only use it for cosmetic looks in my home studio.

Support:
Took it to local Tascam authorized repair shop and they currently have it. No problems turning it in without contacting TASCAM.

Overall:
If the midrange was cut quite a bit and high frequencies noticable then this would make a good set of monitors. It does not meet standards for home studio monitoring recordings.

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"Who would buy this?"

Overall:
* * * * * . . . . . 5 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * . . . 7 out of 10
Quality:
* * . . . . . . . . 2 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * . . . . . 5 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * . . . . . 5 out of 10
Sound:
* * * . . . . . . . 3 out of 10
Support:
* * * * * . . . . . 5 out of 10
 
 
 
zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us.
Feature:
Simple "turn it up" knob on the back. Features are in line with standard active monitors.

Quality:
Not studio quality...This may be a decent product for a dorm room radio/computer or to enhance the sound of a small TV...I wouldn't use it in any other situation.

Value:
My were free. Going price was around $100 online. If your looking to find studio monitors, look elsewhere...these speakers are not worth the money.

Desirability:
I don't like products that "glow" in the dark. These speakers have a blue light that illuminates...get rid of it and invest more of your engineering time into actually making the speakers sound good.

Sound:
Sounds like a tin can in stereo with a bottom end. All the other frequencies are missing. Sound is definitely not home studio quality.

Support:
Don't know...Product isn't worth my attention.

Overall:
I attached the monitors to a small TV to enhance the sound of the TV...I'm not going to cry when the monitors stop working. Buy some nice studio headphones ($100-$200) instead if your looking for a cheap audio solution for your home studio.

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"Fostex name slapped on something their engineers have never seen."

Overall:
* * . . . . . . . . 2 out of 10
Features:
* * * . . . . . . . 3 out of 10
Quality:
* * * . . . . . . . 3 out of 10
Value:
* * * . . . . . . . 3 out of 10
I Want It:
* . . . . . . . . . 1 out of 10
Sound:
* * * . . . . . . . 3 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * * * . . . . . 5 out of 10
Support:
* * * * * . . . . . 5 out of 10
 
 
 
Feature:
no headphone out, no volume control on the satellites... meh instead I get an annoying glow from them.. Hey Fostex, you selling audio gear or desk lighting now? Some of your executives seem to need a swift kick out the door.

Quality:
if you walk the floors of a computer trade show, you'll see loads of no-name chinese computer speakers that all look like these and are made of the same cheap plastics.

Value:
as stated above, you can find better sounding speakers for less just about anywhere.

Desirability:
no comment

Sound:
Fostex is selling out! I don't see why they would slap their brandname on something from China or Taiwan that none of their engineers have ever touched! Logitech and Creative sell computer speakers for gamers that sound better than these for less cash.

Support:
have not had any contact with them, can't rate this.

Overall:
I'm just glad these aren't mine, and I in 2 weeks, I'll be back home where I have some real speakers.

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