Games and movies

Games, games, games

Looking at these speaker systems in a gaming environment, the DigiTheatre LC dominates the ADA-880R purely for 3D sound considerations; the Altec Lansing doesn't even have rear speaker inputs! In terms of overall sound quality, the speaker systems are fairly well matched. Since gaming isn't the most demanding medium for sound reproduction, the difference in quality between the speakers is fairly difficult to detect. However, the ADA-880R's strong subwoofer is much better than the DigiTheatre LC's bass, which was often too weak. The ADA-880R does a great job of making you feel each explosion and shotgun blast. Neither system is ideal for gaming, but of the two, the DigiTheatre LC's 5.1 speaker configuration is the winner because it offers better positioning and higher sound quality.

DVDs

Both the DigiTheatre LC and the ADA-880R were primarily designed for home cinema use. With each having some form of support for Dolby output, one would expect them to perform well in DVD playback. In fact, both systems do fair very well. The ADA-880R's satellites actually work decently in creating a surround environment during movie playback. Furthermore, the system's strong bass is a great benefit for action movies.

As with other testing, the DigiTheatre LC's subwoofer leaves something to be desired in DVD playback. The system generates overbalanced highs and doesn't produce the solid punch one would expect from a good 5.1 speaker system. Nonetheless, the DigiTheatre LC does fare very well in positioning 3D sounds, creating an excellent sound environment for movie viewing.

Obviously the greatest asset of the ADA-880R is its hardware Dolby Digital decoder. To get 5.1 channels of audio on the DigiTheatre LC, you need a 5.1 sound card. With the ADA-880R, all it takes is a coaxial SPDIF output -it doesn't matter if your soundcard only has outputs for 2 speakers!

Volume

In terms of overall volume potential, the ADA-880R nudges out the DigiTheatre LC. The Altec Lansing's overall highs and distortion-less volume highs top those of the DigiTheatre LC system. Furthermore, the ADA-880R's treble and bass tweaking allow users to extend the system's volume potential before distortion occurs.

Maximum volume isn't the only volume concern, however. The ability to reproduce sound well at all volumes: soft, medium, and loud, is a trademark of a good speaker system. In this respect, the DigiTheatre LC is slightly better than the ADA-880R, with its ability to produce a good sound at miniscule volume levels as well as medium and loud levels.