The VS4221 is only a little more expensive than the VS2421, but it looks much more imposing with its funky satellites and beefy subwoofer. The conical satellite bases house mid-frequency speaker cones. Dual tweeters in the vertical sticks handle high frequencies and can be angled to face the listener.
A headphone-out and volume control are mounted on the right satellite, but these up and down volume buttons aren't as immediate as a knob. Pressing both simultaneously acts as a power switch, although the speakers draw 7W when off. The treble and bass controls are even less accessible, located on an infrared remote control. There are no direct controls to fall back on if the remote is lost.
The big subwoofer produced plenty of bass, but was imprecise and didn't blend well with the satellites' output. These suffered from an uneven frequency response, making music sound muddled. The sound wasn't disastrous, but it didn't fare well in comparative tests.
