Customer Reviews

Altec Lansing inMotion MIX iMT800 Portable Digital Boom Box for iPhone and iPod

5 star:		(176)
4 star:		(47)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

Length:: 8:49 Mins

I own the Altec Lansing T612 Digital Speaker for iPod and iPhone (Black) and I was very surprised at how much better the iMT800 sounds. I will admit that for the price difference you should be able to expect better sound...and you can. The iMT 800 sounds very good - about on the same level as a nice rack stereo system. The high notes are crisp and there is strong continuity all the way down to bass. While the bass is not overly deep (effective to 50-60Hz would be my guess) it is more than adequate - the iMT800 does not sound punchy at all - instead the entire frequency response range is nice and smooth. I was very impressed.

Other Features

- Comes with 5 different adapters to ensure that any model of iPod will work. In my video review I show an iPhone (2nd G), and iPod Touch (2nd G) and an older Video iPod and they all fit nicely onto the iPod Dock.

- As you would expect the iPod dock will charge your iPod.

- One very nice feature is that when the iMT800 is used with an iPhone it will automatically silence the music when you receive a call - in fact, the ring tone is played at full volume over the Boom Box speakers! (Shown in the video)

- Decent remote - it would be a bit nicer with digital display - but it probably isn't worth the extra $$$.

- While it is not rechargeable you can use the iMT800 with D batteries - which makes it perfect for taking to the beach,park, or wherever.

- Plenty of volume to fill large areas

- It comes equipped with a FM radio and the ability to program in four presets (I will admit that 4 presets is a bit meager).

- 2 auxiliary inputs - this means that you can plug anything that has a headphone jack into the iMT 800 - this includes iPod shuffles (as seen in the video), CD players, tape decks, computers, Squeezeboxs... you name it- if it has a headphone jack it can be played on the iMT800. In fact, up to three devices can be hooked in at once (And then you can toggle through the inputs)

- Not too heavy - about 13 pounds so it can moved without too much effort

Areas for improvement

- Not the most attractive looking speaker unit. Not a problem for me - but this may not look at home on a walnut bookcase (or any nicer looking decor). This unit is designed for indoor/outdoor functionality - style was left at the door (or at least partially).

-It would be nice if it was rechargeable - it would add cost, but it may be worth it... however, there is nothing that would prevent you from buying rechargeable batteries!

- The display - could be made larger... and a full color display would have been a nice upgrade.

Final verdict -

I know I listed several areas for improvement, but in truth they are very minor points. The biggest factor is that this is a great sounding speaker dock - and it sounds significantly better than the less expensive Altec Lansing T612 Digital Speaker for iPod and iPhone (Black) so if great sound is your requirement you can buy with confidence!

5 Stars

If you check some of my other reviews you can see that I already had a small Memorex nightstand size dock for my Ipod. It is kind of anemic and the remote works only up to about 5 ft away. It certainly does not have what I would call a room filling sound.

Hence this "Mix" boom box. I guess at some point the boom box was left out of the name, but some of that name still applies. When I first set up the unit with my Touch and played a couple of tracks, my jaw dropped. It was amazing how so much sound could come out of this little (ok, no so little) box. It definitively has that WOW factor. The spatial imaging is nothing short of incredible, and the speakers, mids and tweeters are only 11" apart.

After a couple of minutes though I was scrambling to find out where the tone control and the equalizer is (the equalizer is hidden behind a couple of keystrokes). I turned the bass down a notch, then another notch, and another, and another, and another, and another. I am not being redundant here. To get some semblance of balanced tone, I am now at a -6 bass setting. And still if I place the box in a room corner the bass get to bee too much. Of course the beauty is that it is much easier to turn it down than to bring it up with other units.

The MIX has received some editors choices out there already and for most part deservedly so. Comparisons were Boston Acoustics, Bose, Ihome and Klipsh. I will offer some more comments and try hard not to repeat what you can read in the product description above:

The custom sign on message requires 3 keys to be pressed simultaneously, and you have to do this while the unit is starting up (NOT mentioned in the manual, I though mine was an earlier version).

The remote body is plastic, but the clip is metal. It feels very solid. The range is at least 12 ft. The box construction feels very solid. The machine allen bolts around the speakers are real metal!, however the metal looking handles are only plastic.

The small protective wrap around piece that is supposed to protect your Ipod once inserted is way too loose.

Any cover that you have on your Ipod will interfere with the mounting inserts (which I suppose would hold it more securely). However not using the inserts and keeping the cover on works just fine.

Why oh why no HD radio? The FM tuner is extremely sensitive. The scan function is somewhat slow. The information display decodes all of the station, artist and song infor that is transmitted by most stations.

Do not place the box inside a bookshelf. It blocks the side firing woofers and makes the resulting sound really boomy. The speakers are angled upwards slightly as well, so a low placement works best. With just a tiny amount of thought the power supply could have been stored in the battery compartment. As is, the power plug keeps it from fitting.

A thrifty tip, if you have a spare computer speaker set with a subwoofer, you can hook it up to your Ipod with the earphone patch cable. My Creative Labs (Cambridge Audio) has now a secondary home.

The power supply is 17 volts 2.3 amp with a coax style plug, center post positive. Very much like the type used on many auto accessories. Yes I tried it and it works very well.

In summary, an amazing sounding audio device, sounding much bigger than what it is. For best tonal balance you will need to turn the bass way down.

While this radio will not be confused with boom boxes of the 70's and 80's, I have to admit it's bringing back some memories of the large cassette boom boxes I had way back then. The iMT800 isn't quite as square, large, or heavy as those monsters, but it delivers big sound, and does have a little bit on an "old school" feel to it. In the box, you get the radio, remote, various adapters for different iPod models, 2 auxiliary cables for generic MP3 players, power cable and manual. The radio can also be run on 8 D-Cell batteries (not included). Getting the radio up and playing was simple, and didn't require any reading. If you have an iPod "Classic", no adapter is needed. After connecting my iPod, I tailored the sound to my liking with the 7-band graphic equalizer. You can adjust the sound several different ways. Basic Bass and Treble. 4 Pre-set equalizer settings. Or, manually adjusting the 7-band equalizer. I chose to manually set it, which did require reading the directions to figure it out. It requires a couple of extra steps. Once set to my tastes, I really wasn't expecting the iMT800 to sound as good as it does. It really rivals a much larger, more powerful system. It has full, deep bass thanks to the 5.25-inch side-firing subwoofers, and excellent mid-range and highs. It can really be cranked loud without distortion, if so desired. The small remote offers control of the radio and your iPod. It does the job, and stores away nicely on top of the radio. You can also connect up to 2 more MP3 players through auxiliary inputs. The radio has a 2 line digital display that gives you song and source information while your music is playing. In FM mode, it tells the station, the station information if any, and signal strength. The radio does not have AM mode, or a sleep/auto-off option. These are the only 2 disappointments to me. The radio comes with a 1 year warranty, but if you register it online, they double it to 2 years. All in all, this is just a great radio and I highly recommend it if it's in your price range.

Pro's:
Great sound
Great functionality
Multiple inputs
2 year limited warranty*

Con's:
No AM mode
No auto-off option
Not cheap

My review will focus on sound quality. Please note that the iMT800 adds many additional features such as LCD display, FM Radio, etc. that its' competitors don't have at this time. I recently upgraded my iPod Classic 160G to an iPod Touch 64G. I agonized over this upgrade because I knew my entire music catalog would not fit on 64G (I rip everything at 320K) and I would need to upgrade some accessories. I had an Altec Lansing IM7 and loved that boombox for my iPod Classic. Unfortunately the iPod Touch did not fit in the cradle so I needed an upgrade for it. I did extensive research comparing Klipsch, Bose, Harmon Kardon, Logitech, iHome, and B&W. I found that the Altec Lansing MIX iMT800 provided the best sound for the cost. Is it as good as the B&W Play `n Go and Bose Sound Dock 10? Not quite, but very close in my opinion. Please remember that the two devices I mentioned retail for $599, basically double the price of the iMT800. It is also worth noting that the improvement in sound quality was minimal and both the system did not have the depth of the bass that the iMT800 has. However, they were better in the mids and highs as compared to the iMT800.
In summary there is not a better value for the price than the iMT800. Great sound that is comparable to systems costing twice as much. I highly recommend this system.

Right out of the gate (or the box) the depth and range of sound is impressive. I appreciate balance, but one of the first things I tend to do when getting a feel for the audio quality of a new device is crank the bass and volume up a bit to get a real feel for the various ranges. In short order I could no longer cleanly read the letters on the front LCD display because of the vibrations, and with each thump saw the leaves move in a plant off to the side of the box. The air displacement on the side (the woofers are at each end of the device) was extraordinary given the relatively small size of those speakers.

Bringing it back down to normal ranges, I considered how little effort it had taken to get from box to sound. Unpacked, plugged in, iPhone 3Gs pressed down into the receiver cradle, power on and boom, boom, boom. Minutes, and just a few at that. On top of the unit, where you see the handle in the pictures, there are two jacks. For those jacks come two short (~4in) wires that you can use to plug in other iPods. We plugged in my wife's iPod mini this way, and jumped seamlessly back and forth between a song playing on her device, and one playing on the phone. The value of this capacity is obvious -- everyone can contribute music to the party.

It's got enough volume to compete with power tools if one was to use it on the job, or hearty conversations around the grill. The ability to plug in or run off of a number of D-cells gives it true portability, it's light enough to comfortably carry it about without feeling cheap or fragile, it's large enough to deliver substantial sound without being clumsy or inconvenient. In virtually every meaningful way, Altec Lansing has hit their mark with precision accuracy with this device. The remote is small but functional and convenient, the FM reception strong and clear, the construction and aesthetics both solid and appealing. As much as I'd like to balance my review with a "but..." I just don't have one. The 800 impressed right out of the box, and then continued to the more I used it. Highly recommended.

FIRST TIME AROUND: My (first) iMT800 arrived looking okay, and the outer shipping box and inner packaging seemed okay. The user experience after that was far from satisfactory, however: after starting it up with an iPod Touch in the dock, connected to the AC adapter, and with volume up about halfway, it shut off and turned back on by itself after about 15 minutes of use (and when it turns back on, it doesn't come back on with volume, although the volume shows it's turned up to whatever, but to get any sound out, you need to switch it off and turn it back on). So that's what I did, and it happened again.

The Owner's Guide says that such unexpected behavior can be due to static electricity (our relative humidity here today is 90% or more... it's raining... so I don't think there's a lot of static electricity about, but whatever). Anyway, they recommend shutting it off manually, unplugging it completely, waiting 20-30 seconds, plugging it back in, and powering it back on. So I did all that. And the same thing happened, this time maybe 20 minutes later.

So I switched the iPod Touch to the Aux 1 input, using the provided cable. Same thing happened. Then I inserted 8 brand new alkaline D cells, thinking maybe I had a bum adapter. Same thing happened, about 15 minutes later. I tried using another iPod (Classic). Same thing happened. I tried using the FM radio (to eliminate any external device). Same thing happened.

This went on for several hours, trying different combinations. (I even went so far as to plug the adapter into my UPS/power conditioner for my computer.) By process of elimination, I figure it's got to be the unit itself. Based on the fact that other reviewers seem happy with theirs, and I haven't seen anyone complain about a similar problem, I'm willing to give it another try. So I got the return label and RMA from Amazon, and asked for a replacement. We'll see if this was truly a fluke, or if there is a bad batch in the pipeline. Thanks to Amazon for their easy replacement/return shipping policy, however. I'll update this review when I receive the replacement and let you know what transpires. For now: 1 star only.

SECOND TIME AROUND (the UPDATE): Well, it's a few days later, and my replacement unit has arrived from Amazon. I have operated it (using the AC adapter) for several hours on FM radio, several hours with an iPod in the docking station, and several hours with a device connected to Aux 1 input. No problems. So it seems I got a bad example the first time around. I'll probably keep doing this (putting it through its paces) for several days, just to make sure. The sound, as many people have said, is good to great, although the bass does tend to muddy it up a bit. I've increased my rating from 1 star to three.

Feb. 2011 UPDATE (nearly one year later): The replacement unit is still working great!

When this package arrived I was surprised at how big it was. Most iPod boomboxes are small, but not this one. It's big, and it's almost all speakers. It's also heavy, which in my opinion might hinder one from using it as a "portable" boom box. Sure, it has convenient handles on the sides and top, and it does function on battery power, but the weight is considerable. I'd call it portable in the sense that it would be good to bring on a camping trip or vacation, but it's not necessarily something you'd grab and drag out to the streets to do some hanging out with friends.

And let's face it: At the price of this boom box plus an iPod, you'd be kind of crazy to use this as a source for tunes when on the streets, unless you live in a place like Mayberry and have no thieves in your town. Combined with a high-end iPod, you're risking a lot if you want to use this as advertised.

But then, I'm not really into street dancing anymore, and I'm not likely to use this thing outside. Which is fine, because as a home-based iPod speaker dock, it's a great success.

The speakers are impressive. I daresay these are some of the best speakers I've heard on an iPod boom box or speaker dock. The bass is powerful (too powerful for me, in fact. I have it turned down a bit!) and the mids are warm (but not too warm). The highs are clear and shiny. If your music is encoded halfway decently, you'll be very pleased with the audio quality here.

The docking area is nice, too. It uses the universal dock arrangement, and comes with the docking plates you'll need for just about any iPod. My iPod touch 3G fits this very well, and the docking plate they include is even better than the one Apple included with my iPod touch, as the Altec Lansing version has a little back-rest on it, sparing my iPod's dock port any undue stress. Once your iPod is securely docked, there's a little protective bar (not unlike what you'd find on a roller coaster, but iPod-sized) that slides down in front of it, effectively preventing it from falling out if you do move the iMT800 somewhere. It's a nice idea, and works fine.

The remote control is surprisingly heavy because of the metal belt clip attached to it, but it's a good kind of heavy. It makes the remote feel substantial. The remote has all the standard buttons; Play/Pause, Track Forward, Track Back, Volume Up/Down, Source, EQ, and Power, but it also has four Preset buttons which will change radio stations quickly. It's an infrared remote- not radio- so it does require line-of-sight, but it works as advertised and the belt hook is pretty convenient if you're wandering around and don't want to shove it in a pocket.

The iMT800 has an LCD panel that displays all the basic information you'd want; Volume, track name, artist name, album name, what source you're on, EQ info, etc. - It's nice and clear, and very easy to read from a distance, which is nice when the data on the iPod screen is too small to read.

All connections are front-facing. Both auxiliary ports are on top, angled forward, with a little bay where you can prop up your non-iPod devices, and a little "cubby hole" to store the line-in cables when not in use. It's a nice touch, as your friends can drop by with their Zune, or ZEN, or some other device and just hook up to your speakers without a lot of fuss. No climbing around back on this boom box! The only thing you'll find in the back is the AC adapter connection.

I'm a touch disappointed that there aren't as many physical controls on the boom box itself as there are on the remote control. Specifically, there's no Play/Pause button on the boom box; You're apparently expected to access your iPod's controls directly if you want to skip using the remote. Oddly, the boom box still has buttons for Track Forward and Track Back. So once you've picked your music on the iPod, you can move around with the boom box's buttons.

The iMT800 does charge the iPod while docked. There's not much to say about this feature, as it's pretty standard, but it is nice to not run out of juice while you're listening to your tunes.

Some of the "pro" reviews complain about the iMT800 aesthetics, calling it ugly or embarrassing. I disagree. It's pretty standard-looking, as far as I'm concerned. It's not like they painted it bright yellow with hot pink highlights (although that may be to your liking; Art is subjective). It's a simple design in black with fairly subtle silver and gold trim. If anything, it looks kind of basic and bare to me. I'd have liked some fabric speaker covers, personally. I'd call the design "industrial" more than "hip hop". Despite Altec Lansing's advertising aim, there's nothing particularly "street" about this boom box.

All in all, this is one of the best iPod speaker set-ups I've ever used. It has excellent rich sound, is easy to use and control, accommodates pretty much any portable media player, and looks find on a dresser or counter-top. While I would say that it does not fit the Altec Lansing marketing department's image of this being a street-ready boom box for b-boys and street rappers (due mostly to weight and the price of an iMT800 plus an iPod), I would say it's great for anyone who wants an excellent iPod dock that will impress you sonically.

Well i have owned this for over a month.. and i must say it is an excellent portable boombox/IPOD dock out there.. excellent bass.. clear highs (using the 7 band EQ) easy to carry around outdoors.. wont break your back even with the 8 "D" cell batteries installed.. LCD display is very legible.. LAST.FM sounds great through it.. FM stations come in nice and clear.. and you can buy extra parts off Altec's site for $5 each with free shipping! these include the remote and power supply.. both only cost me $10.80!! they also have a nice carrying case for it there too for $50 that will be my next purchase.. i also own the new JVC Kaboom IPOD boombox RV-NB50.. and the Altec beats the snot out of it.. if your looking for a sweet sounding light and compact outdoors or indoor IPOD docking portable speaker system.. THIS IS THE ONE TO GET!

First of all I would like to say that I am a little upset that the price has changed 3 times in the past 2 weeks. Of course I bought it 2 weeks ago when it was $299, then last week it was $220, not it is back up to $250... not really sure what is going on there but anyways here is my review.

Pros: Outstanding Sound, great portability, three input source options, wireless remote, FM audio with the RS feeds to show what track is playing and station info.

Cons: It is almost 2010, why is anything using 8 D batteries? And thats it, my only complaint.

Summary: I have used many portable sound systems in the past, and while most of them are great in the area of portability they lack in one thing, sound quality. While this unit may not be as portable as say the iHome iP29 or others in that class, the sound this Altec Lansing iMT800 produces is untouchable at this current time. The sound that comes out of this unit is very full sounding, unlike cheaper small speaker systems. The two 1" tweeters and the two 3" mid range speakers produce very clear sound and with the help of the two 5.25" side firing subs this sound will easily fill a large room. I currently use the Bose Companion 5 speakers for my computer and I would have to say that when it comes to music this unit from Altec Lansing sounds better then Bose's $500, the only thing the Bose will win in is movie sound. I know these two units are not in the same category but I just want to show you how great the sound is in this unit.

I absolutely love what Altec Lansing did with the design here. It is retro boom box without that boasting, overbearing boom box look from the 80s. The integration of the three silver handles are great, especially because you will be carrying this around. The silver sliding protector that "locks" your iPod into place is great because it prevents your iPod from falling forward and out of the unit if someone were to tip it over, protecting the iPod adapter from snapping. The placement of the speakers look great and if you look at the pictures you will see that the subwoofers are on a slant, firing towards the rear of the unit. This is not only cosmetic but it prevents the subs from drowning out the tweeters and the mid range speakers, while still providing spectacular levels of bass. The LCD screen is black with orange text and it looks great while staying with the retro look.

As far as connectivity goes, I have never used a portable unit that provides 3 input sources. It has one dedicated iPod connecter and then two 3.5mm audio input jacks so you can connect any MP3 player or other audio device.

I have only had this unit for about a week but so far I have used it on the beach, for an outdoor party and as a home stereo and I have not had a complaint under any instance.

The only complaint that I have is the fact that to use it off of AC power you must use 8 D cell batteries. I have not purchased anything in the past 10 years that uses 8 D cell batteries and I am not sure why in late 2009 anything would require something like that. If price was the issue I would have been happy to spend another $50 or so for one that had a rechargeable Lithium Ion battery or something. You do get about 30 hours of playback with the batteries however 8 D cell batteries is not very cheap. I have already went a head and ordered rechargeable D cells in hopes of saving some money on throw a way D cells.

All in all I am very impressed with this unit and the only reason it didn't get a 5 was because of the D cells batteries. You can buy this unit with confidence, knowing that the quality is there in both build quality and sound.

Had, and still have the IM7! This was also a great system, but had a few minor issues. The major issue I had with it was that you could only adjust the tone with the remote, and even then, there was no way to really know "how much" bass or treble was on (other than what you heard by ear of course). That has been addressed along with the addition of an FM radio, extra imputs for your friends to be able to share their mixes, and more power! It's nice to finally see a portable system come along that you can turn up again! And by the way- it does not cost $600! IMHO- Bose is just getting crazy with what they want to charge for their "limited feature" systems as is B&W (although admittedly I have wanted to hear what that Zeppelin sounds like!). No matter, I'm very satisfied with my purchase and have had great luck with Amazon as well as Altec Lansing products for several years now. Rock On!!!