Customer Reviews

Altec Lansing iMT702 inMotion Max Speaker System for iPod and iPhone (Black)

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(26)

 

 

I've read a lot of reviews online for this product, and the biggest hangup seems to be with the ipod related features, overall looks, button sensitivity and so on. Very few actually focus on the sound quality, which for me is by far the most important factor in choosing a sound system. I've owned the IM600 and Logitec Pure-fi Anywhere speakers, and this system is light years ahead of those, and any other similiarly priced portable ipod speakers in overall sound quality. This system in on par with the Bose SoundDock II portable system and is quite a bit cheaper. The only drawback to the sound is that it isn't going to blow you out of the water with incredibly deep bass. That being said, I don't think there is a portable system out there yet capable of producing significant bass due to their smaller size. Bottomline, if sound is your driving factor in choosing a rechargeable ipod speaker system and you don't want to pay $350 for the Bose SoundDock portable, the InMotion Max should be your #1 choice.

I am disappointed in this product, which is unexpected because I love the IM600 that preceded it. I decided to give this one a try because it looked like it would have better sound with the 4 speakers, and I wanted something that I could use with my iPhone (the IM600 only works with iPods).

Maybe I was spoiled by the IM600, but I was disappointed with the inMotion Max IMT702 from the beginning. I still would have kept it, but the unit turned out to be defective (explained below).

I will try to give information to help readers decide whether to buy this based on features. The first thing that I didn't like is that rather than have physical buttons to press, there are touch sensitive areas on the top. I prefer, as on the previous model, to have physical buttons for the tactile feedback they offer.

I have the unit on a table next to where I sit. Because I am on the same level, I can't see the top of the radio, so it is awkward to use the buttons.

The cradle area where the iPod / iPhone goes initially didn't want to pop out for me but after some use it does so, but not "convincingly". Rather than a nice click, it has a mushy feeling, it comes out just a bit, and then I pull it out the rest of the way.

The sound at low volume is not as good IMO as the IM600. However, this unit can go louder without distortion, so for me it was a wash. There is not much bass, so I use the equalizer of my iPod / iPhone to obtain more bass. It would be nice if the unit were designed for more bass -- I know this is possible because I have other kinds of audio devices that are smaller and put out more bass.

Even when I first got the unit there were very infrequent "glitches" or pauses in the music. It concerned me, but they were so infrequent that I didn't worry too much about it.

Tonight though, the unit has been having major problems. While playing, it all of a sudden cut out. I turned it back on, and it worked for a very short period, then it started making popping noises (on low volume) about every second. I turned it off and on several times to try to fix it, and I made sure that there was a long interval between some of the times. Then two other problems happened. One, occasionally the unit would say "Reset?" in the display, and all of the lights flickered. I didn't know how to reset it (there doesnt appear to be a reset button) so I tried the buttons on the top and it seemed to reset, and then the messages "Region 1... Region 2 ... 4" came up.

Then, the volume would increase by itself. I had it low, around 15, and it would go up to 40, and make the popping noises.

I treated the unit very well, it never fell or anything. Right now it is unusable. Even with the design IMO not as good as the IM600, and sound quality not as good as I think it should be, I was willing to keep it. Now I will need to return it to Amazon for a refund.

Oh, one last thing. The FM antenna on the IM600 pulled out and it was a metal telescoping antenna. The FM antenna on this unit is a wire that is loose that needs to be attached when the antenna is used (or kept on, but if you use it portably, you would want to detach when carrying around).

I rarely give 1 star to an item, I wanted this to be a great item, but regrettably this unit gets one star.

Update:

About a week ago I contacted the company's support line and received a voice prompt to leave a message. I offered to send my defective unit to them with a detailed description of the problems to aid in their diagnosis of the problem and product development. I did not get a response. A proactive company, in my opinion, should use such opportunities, especially when my defective unit does not appear to be an isolated case based on other reviews here and elsewhere on the Internet.

Update:

Amazon processed the return and refunded the entire amount of my purchase. Because the unit was defective, I was able to print out a mailing label for the return and I didn't have to pay for return shipping. This is one of the reasons I feel comfortable buying from Amazon.

I bought the iM600 over a year ago and was looking for a replacement. The inMotion Max is a GREAT update of the iM600. The iM600(original version) does not charge my new ipod nano, the new Max does. The sound quality of the iM600 is a little crisper at low volume than the Max BUT once you play a song with a little bass and want to turn the volume up, the iM600 sounds cheap compared to the Max. The Max also displays your music selection on its screen, something the iM600 did not do. The control buttons on the Max have also been updated (they are touch control), the iM600 has regular button controls. However, the iM600 does have something the Max does not have, you can update your ipod without removing it from the dock....the Max does not have that feature.

The main reason I wanted to replace my iM600 is because of the sound quality when I would turn the volume up(and it would not charge my new nano). Altec Lansing improved the sound quality in their newest version(Max) and I am glad I chose this product to replace my older version. Also, I liked the fact that it is rechargeable, one of the very few on the market.

UPDATE!!!.........I've had the Max for about a week now and having both the iM600 and Max playing side by side, the iM600 sounds better at low to normal volume(the sound is crisper and richer). But the iM600's speakers start to rattle and sound constricted when you turn the volume up. The Max has a fuller sound and does not rattle when you turn it up. I am still satisfied with the purchase. I now hear that they are updating the iM600 to be able to charge the new ipod nano, even if I knew that before I bought the Max, I would still have bought the Max because the inability to listen to my podcasts or music beyond a certain volume became annoying. (By the way, I'm beginning to notice that the Max keeps turning "off" my equalizer. I set my EQ to 'treble booster' on my Touch and Nano and I always have to keep resetting it. That does not happen with the iM600.)


FINAL UPDATE!!! this product stopped working. It cuts off and starts FLASHING, playing no sound. Plugged in or not, it WONT work.

I just got the iMT702, and it's exactly what I was looking for. The speakers sound great. The unit looks incredible sitting on the buffet in my dining room. The unit comes with a universal-style iPod dock, with five different adapters for the various iPods and iPhones. The unit is shielded, so that you don't have to turn off your iPhone when it's in the dock. The FM radio also sounds great. The remote has four presets for the radio!
Most of the available docking stations look like they belong in a teenager's bedroom. Or you can overspend ($300+) for a Bose. This unit has both good looks and good sound, and it's on sale at Best Buy.

This product was defective twice - bought it for a Christmas gift. Shortly after setting it up, the sound started cutting in and out, the controls wouldn't respond to touch (could not turn it off until we unplugged it), radio station presets would get lost, etc... We thought we had just gotten a defective system, so we returned it only to have the same issues quickly show up on the 2nd unit.

This is too bad - the system looks and sounds great with just the features we were looking for.

I have two of these. It has a great sound and a lot of features. I really like the radio and iPod features. If you set the automatic off on your iPhone or iPod you can fall asleep listening to music. The information from your iPod scrolls across the screen to tell you what and who you're listening to. This system charges your iPhone as you listen to it. Would recommend. You can also take this unit where you want to go. It holds a charge for a long time.

I researched quite a few docking speakers for my iPhone 3g. There aren't that many out there. I narrowed my choices down to the Bose SoundDock and the Altec-Lansing iMT702. According to the Altec-Lansing's website, the device is compatible with iPhone 3g. I ordered it. Opening the box revealed a fairly flimsy device. I was somewhat disappointed in the apparently cheap manufacture of the device. It came with several docking ports. After much trial and error, I found a dock that kind of fit my iPhone 3g. I tried it out and my iPhone displayed a window on the screen saying that the device was not iPhone compatible. What?!? After calling Altec-Lansing customer service, it turns out that they are aware of this and that the customer has to specially order an iPhone 3g docking ring to make it fit. How come this was listed nowhere on their posted literature? The iPhone 3g has been out for almost a year, and they still haven't updated their website, nor have they included the correct docking rings? Huh? They added 3g to their list of compatible devices pretty quick though. All in all, while the sound might be okay, I can tell you, it is NOT all that great. The device is put together in a fairly flimsy fashion and is not impressive at all. You are better off just spending the extra money and going with the Bose. I will be as soon as I can return this thing.

We used to have an ultra-portable Altec-Lansing unit that we took with us whenever we traveled. It folded to not much larger than a paperback book, and it was a great way to have music in our hotel rooms - and recharge the iPod at the same time. We hauled that thing all over the world, and would be doing it still, but the AC power cord broke while we were in Australia. So we had to go shopping for a replacement portable speaker system. The IMT702 is superior to our old system in every way but one. The sound is better. It works with both the iPhone and the iPod. It has a display that shows the song title and artist, which the old unit didn't have at all. The only problem is that the IMT702 is considerably larger than our old unit. We can still take it along, but it chews up quite a bit more space. And it doesn't seem to have truly been designed for portability, in that there is no carrying handle, no carrying case. We'll get used to all of that eventually - and when we do, we can just appreciate the superior sound and features.

Nice size. Buttons on top of unit are very difficult to work with. They are flat and do not move, causing no tactile feel or response to being pressed. It takes multiple presses to get them to trigger. They also are almost completely invisible when the unit is off. Sound is pleasant, but not as rich as it could be. Battery life is not very long. Overall, the unit is nice, but needs some important design change.

I am writing this to help those of you that Know the Altec Lansing name and the bad reviews are keeping you from buying this, note this is the first ipod Dock as well as an ipod (160g) product for me - I have been using Creative ZEN then moved up to a COWAN J3 (my favorite) as it can play a higher quality compression files even when plugged into my Denon AVR 990 Processor ... but I digress

So when I was given a 160g ipod I was on a new quest! - And had always wanted a portable device to take with me that could store my whole library of music and be able to sound pleasing to my ears

That being said I was going crazy trying to find a player that had a clear vocal sound.... why is there so many ipod players that sound like crap!! Store after store I could not believe that people use these things to listen to their favorite music? OK I did like (loved) the sound of the Bowers & Wilkins zeppelin air ...but $600.00 Really!-on an Item that plays compression files (also not really that potable)...including the overpriced BOSE. I felt like sayings several more on this, but I would defer to the review done By Jim (Texas) as I feel like he has said what needed to be said.

So the first thing I bought was an Altec Lansing iMT620 inMotion After one day of listing to the iMT620 I was on a quest to get that sound with a little more punch to it - we are talking a little richer in the bottom end, but still great at reproducing the mid vocals as this is where you will notice many models fall short, so now I find (for some reason this model was not that easy to stumble across) Altec Lansing made a model up from the smaller IMT620 and with 4 speakers working on the same full range speakers of the before mentioned model I returned to the store

I do own a COWAN J3 as well to play a higher quality compression files that you just use a 1/8" to 1/8" jack that plugs into the back

If you want more bass you may want to try the Altec Lansing inMotion MIX iMT800 Portable Digital Boom Box, Also the Sony RDP-XF100IP Portable iPod Docking Station sound was fairly good but lacking natural sound and the Logitech s715i was much better on bass but again the vocals where lacking


In conclusion I felt that the Altec Lansing iMT702 inMotion Max had the balance that works for me, and I would entertain the Altec Lansing inMotion iM7 as an alternative (no store had either one to listen to) as it may be another home run :)