Customer Reviews

Altec Lansing M604 Powered Audio System for Zune

5 star:		(85)
4 star:		(32)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

The Altec Lansing M604 Speaker System is a quality set - especially for the price. The sound quality from the speakers is excellent and I loved that they were more reasonably priced than the only other speakers available now for Zunes - the VAF set. However, I have to put in the disclaimer here - I love music, and listen to it all the time, but I am by no means an audiophile. I do find the quality of the sound though rich enough for my taste and for where I use them (in the kitchen).

That being said, let me start with my complaints with the system. First of all, they are the most finicky piece of electronic equipment I own. You have to place your Zune on the dock first (and it MUST BE TURNED OFF), you have to insure that your Zune stayed turned off (if not, you have to turn it off again), then you are supposed to plug in the power cord to the back of the speakers and THEN plug the speakers to an outlet. Otherwise, the speakers will NOT make the connection with the Zune and you will hear nothing. Now, they sell a wall mounting kit for the speakers, so based on that, I personally leave the power cord plugged into the back of the speakers all the time. But I do find that I have to follow all the other steps (Zune off, place on dock, Zune still off, then plug into outlet) religiously for the system to work. I have contacted Altec Lansing about all this - if it all really necessary, but I was given a very vague, non-helpful answer. Now, I am not new to MP3 players, but my Zune did replace a rather old Rio. And I never attempted to use my Rio for anything but working out (thus only headphones). My daughter has a Disney Mix Stick with the speaker stand and it seems to be just as finicky. Perhaps all speaker stands for MP3 players are this way - I can't say. But I definitely felt it was something people should know - it almost caused me to return the speakers.

My last complaint is the remote. The speaker system comes with a very basic remote. There is a power button, volume control, play/pause, reverse, forward and bass and treble. So first of all, there is no way to manipulate the menus on your Zune with this remote. Perhaps I need to look at the Zune remote for that. But it doesn't bother me. Second, I find that ONLY the volume controls and the power button work. I haven't really messed with the bass/treble - I prefer those set on center because I listen to a wide variety of music and hate to reset every time. But the play/pause, reverse and forward have NOT worked for me. Still not a big deal - the player and speakers are only about 5-10 feet away from me at any given time and I am usually standing, so it's not a big deal to walk over and push the buttons on the Zune. I have another gripe about the power button though. It turns on and off the speaker system but NOT the Zune. I don't see the point there. If I have to walk over to turn on the Zune, why not turn on the speakers then too. I could have a defective remote - but I noticed the other reviewer mentioned his didn't work either, so I'm thinking it's a issue with the product.

Despite my complaints, you can still see I gave the speakers four stars. They completely serve my purpose - listening to my Zune while I work in the kitchen. The sound quality is great. Plus now that I have figured out the "ritual" for getting it all to connect and work, it's relatively simple to use. I am surprised at the issues I have had, but I am satisfied with the speaker system.

Length:: 8:35 Mins

I made a video review of the Zune dock I just bought. I also did a demo of the Zune's wireless sync.

Enjoy


Wireless Fm Transmitter Black for MP3 iPod Zune CarZune 80 GB Digital Media Player Black (2nd Generation)Zune 30 GB Digital Media Player (Black)Zune 4 GB Digital Media Player Black (2nd Generation)Zune 4 GB Digital Media Player Pink (2nd Generation)

I purchased this Altec Lansing Audio System for my Zune and was very pleased with its performance. The sound is plenty loud enough to fill a room and the Bass and Treble sound levels are customizable to your personal taste. My Zune plugged into it without a problem and began charging, which was nice when I was on vacation and could use it as a charging station as well. The Speakers are not small, so I would not say they are ideal for travel; however, I was happy using them as a travel accessory.
I recommend this product to any Zune user.

After being rather disappointed with the other Zune accessories offered by Microsoft (especially the terrible FM transmitter), I was a little hesitant about buying anything else for my Zune. But I have to say I am very glad I ended up with the Altec Lansing M604. The sound is fantastic out of these unassuming speakers. The Zune hooks up nicely to the front cradle, but I have to admit sticking it on there somewhat blindly made me nervous.

The remote is a great addition as well. Upon receiving this set-up, I was a little confused as to why people are complaining that you cannot navigate the Zune menus using the remote. If you were using the remote, I'd assume that you are far away from the player-- so if you COULD navigate the menus, how would you see what you are doing? Seems kind of pointless to me. If you are going to be that close to be able to read what you are doing, you may as well extend your arm and use the Zune's navigation buttons.

The one thing that would improve the product is a battery pack of some kind, so you could use the speakers without having to plug them in.

Overall this is a fantastic accessory for any Zune user.

I got these speakers for thirty five dollars from w00t with a coupon and they are fantastic! Some of the other, even positive, reviews suggest that you have to unplug the speakers to get it to connect with the zune. Not true! You do have to power off (not just standby) your zune first before turning on the speakers to make the connection. Here are the steps:

1) Turn off speakers using power button on the remote or the speakers.
2) Disconnect zune. Turn zune off by pressing *both* the down button on the circle and the back button (<--). This turns it off instead of merely standby.
3) Plug in zune into speakers.
4) BEFORE the zune is fully loaded (it has that progress line on the bottom) turn on the speakers. The speakers will make a connection with the zune and you are off to the races.

Simple and as you can see, no need to unplug the speakers.

Plus the remote works better for me. All the buttons work -- forward, back, play, pause, power, and volume. True, you cannot manipulate the menu, but as others have pointed out, from far away you cannot see the menu anyways! So, you are going to have to be near the zune anyways.

With wireless sync the setup is even better. Just leave it in and sync over your wireless internet to the computer. Perfect!

Five stars! The speakers sound fantastic and for the price I got a pretty slick deal. I think I have to thank some of the negative/positive reviewers who complained too much, they really helped keep the price down!

I absolutely LOVE this item! I was very lucky to find this for $42 (with an additional rebate, no less!). So, I knew I was getting a huge deal. The 30 gig Zunes are being discontinued, so with some searching, you can find this item (made to fit the 30 gig zunes, not the 80 gig ones) for a lot less than this price and a lot less than the $200 they say is the original price.

Regardless, even if you pay $70 or so, it's still a great deal. It's hard to find good items for the Zunes (that will change, imo, with the 80 gig players-- but the bases are different sizes, so be aware of what you are buying), because iPod cornered the accessory market. This speaker system is excellent!

It's easy to set up. Just plug it in and put your zune on the dock. That's it. Yes, you have to figure out how to open the mini-remote to get the included lithium battery in but, after that, there's nothing more you have to do.

The sound is fantastic. I had a bookshelf stereo system in use (in our very large kitchen) before buying this. Really, I was happy with that, too. I had my player plugged into the auxiliary jack and it sounded more than okay-- the speakers were pretty good and just the day before these speakers arrived, my husband was once again commenting on how good our little bookshelf stereo sounded. But, this really sounds even better. And, I've eliminated all the different plugs and wires except for the one plug that plugs directly into the wall-- no more auxiliary cable, no more power cable to the Zune-- that's it, now-- just the plug from the speakers to the wall.

The remote works very very well. I've found that it works best if you aren't off to the side, but the remote does work from a distance. You can skip to the next song on your list or album, or raise or lower the volume. You can even play around with the bass and treble settings on each song.

The sound is just amazing for a system of this size. The sound is crisp and clear and can fill up a room with no static at all. I usually listen at moderate volume, but I did test this with a variety of different music at very high volume and very low. I am just stunned at the quality of this product. Even at very high volume, there was absolutely no static sound, just even clear music.

I realize there are better speakers on the market. And, although I listen to a lot of different music a lot of the time, I don't claim to be able to differentiate between all the higher-end products (see those Anjou cables at $7200?) and the ones at a more reasonable price. However, my husband does, and he is surprisingly happy with these speakers, too. They sound phenomenal.

One more thing: You CAN play this with any mp3 player, but you will have to use the adaptor it comes with which is really a stand that the player will rest on. This will not change the appearance-- your player will still stand neatly in the middle of the system. However, it will not charge your other player as it is playing, so you will need to have an additional power source going (which adds another plug). Also, you will have to use a cable from the headphone jack to the system to hear your music.

I purchased this from circuit city as an open box.It cost 69.00 plus tax.
I had read all the complaint about this unit so I was a bit skeptical.
I havent figured out the problems that people are having.I plugged it in
and away I went.No problems,no headaches.I would recommend this to anyone
with a ZUNE.It doesnt sound as loud as my home stereo but works like a dream for work,bedroom or garage.Excellent product..UP THE IRONS...

I received this as a gift. I was a little apprehensive about the sound quality but it actually turned out to be surprisingly good. The sound is very full and crisp, although there is some noticeable hiss at top-level volumes. The biggest complaint I have with this item is the skimpy remote control. It doesn't offer full menu navigation, just playback options(skip, fast forward, pause etc.) The skip button will come in handy during shuffles, but other than that the remote isn't all that useful. (and in fact the remote that came with my unit didn't work at all, but I'm just going to assume I was unlucky)

You can also plug in non-Zune MP3 players via an auxilary input and set them front and center via a standee that's included with the speaker. Also included is an offer for a "free" wall mount(you'll pay three dollars for shipping)

All in all, a solid product.

Just received this after buying my 80GB zune. I had read reviews saying it was not compatible with the new versions. This is far from the truth. It works great, and charges the Zune as well, which some said it did not. The sound quality is good for a 1 room application. Decent bass for the size of the system, and I would recommend this product to anyone as a great replacement for the wall charger as well.

THIS IS A GREAT PRODUCT FOR THE PRICE. ONLY PROBLEM IS THE FM RADIO RECEPTION WHICH IS EASILY FIXED BY PLUGGING THE AUX CABLE THAT COMES WITH IT INTO THE HEADPHONE JACK AND USING IT AS AN ANTENNA. I JUST LEFT THE OTHER END HANGING AND IT WORKS JUST FINE.