Customer Reviews

Altec Lansing inMotion iM600 USB-Charging Portable Speaker System with FM Receiver for iPod (Black)

5 star:		(108)
4 star:		(64)
3 star:		(18)
2 star:		(23)
1 star:		(42)

 

 

***** UPDATE: *****
It is July 2010. We bought this in April 2009. Yesterday all functionality stopped. The light shows up on the unit when it is plugged in, but it does not turn on. It will charge the iPods, but no longer plays music. The 1 year warranty has passed. I'd still recommend this product. My wife used it everyday. She carries it with her around the house. I would recommend getting the 2-year or 3-year extended warranty.
*****

I did the research on these a while back and was sure I was going to wait until I could get a Bose. After reading all of the reviews here, I decided to get this little guy.

We use it everyday. Actually, it is in use most of the day. We use it in the kitchen, in the living room when we're reading the paper, I took it with me when I was painting our old house we are about to sell and set it outside. The volume cranked great outside, and the battery lasts and lasts. Keeps my ipod topped up too.

The important thing for us is that the sound is good quality at low volumes (we have small children). And yes, it is perfect. Good crisp quality. The bass is not a subwoofer, but it is impressive how well it sounds coming out of such a tiny device.

Don't research any more products. If you need something that you can take with you just about anywhere and don't want to have to worry about plugging it in, and you want the sound to be great, and you want the device to look great - stop researching, stop stressing, just BUY THIS THING. You'll be glad you did.

We are.

Please be aware of the following limitations:
1) It does not use over the counter batteries but rather a battery similar to a laptop so you can't simply insert new ones. This means that do not expect to be using it without an AC adaptor for more then 5 hrs
2) It does not support iPhone use
3) It does not recharge your ipod when running on battery power. So the amt of time you have without AC adapter is either 5 hrs or how long your Ipod will have play on its own batteries.

I listened to all of the portable iPod speakers at BestBuy, and although the Bose system (for $399) sounded marginally better - the Altec Lansing iM600 is amazing considering the price. Great sound for a tiny unit, surprisingly good bass response, nice design, and FM tuner built in. If you can afford to spend $399 go with the Bose, if you're cost conscious you could do a whole lot worse than this little wonder.

This item unlike the other iPod-friendly speakers that have an FM radio option, sounds really good! Not the transistor radio type sound and there is a subwoofer out jack input. I purchased it to take on vacation in August and have not been disappointed since with almost daily use. It sits in my office at work, which make it very useful to get the news stations and listen to music that suits my mood through out the day. It charges the iPod when it's docked and it operates on a rechargeable battery which makes it portable.

I bought this product along with a iPod Touch 2nd generation. Yes, this device (iM600USB) does charge the Touch 2nd generation. When the package shipped (from Electronics Expo) I thought I was shipped the wrong product because everywhere on the box, it just had iM600. To check you have the 'Im600USB' look for it below the UPC code on the bottom of the box.

Once I was sure I had the 'USB' opened the box up, plugged it in, set the Touch, and it wasn't charging...ahhhh. Ok just as I was about to freak out I realised the AC plug wasn't proplerly plugged in the back, the suddenly the touch start charging! Whew!

The sound is fantastic. Was surprised how well it performed. I am so happy I purchased this item over the Bose and save $200!

Okay somewhat of an audiophile, Linn turntable, complete separates, amp, pre-amp, tuner, etc, M&K subwoofer, Celestron SLS6 speakers ...so i decide to buy this for my Ipod.....to listen in different rooms i work in. (yes, it is very portable). I listened to 2 different Bose systems, great sound, but my opinion they are not worth the $$$, other folks may differ. Besides the great sound, the design is simple, sleek and not a focal point when your eyes move around a room. I have the one in black. Built in re-charge battery is nice, the alarm function in the Ipod works quite nice and turns the unit on to wake from sleep or nap, and the FM tuner works well too. The remote is simple & basic. Even if you do not plan to move around much, you will find having it as an option with this unit is really nice feature...and also using the batter power (2.5 hours worth) is a nice option too.

Oh my sister came to visit for the weekend, listened to it and ordered one too....

to bose fans ..i have the music monitors (road trips) and the system 5 (two of them)...love the sound and yes...worth every penny...just do not believe they are there yet with the docking stations for Ipod.

I bought the im600 last year and it's great....the reason for my 5 star review....In December I ordered an ipod touch 2nd generation and the im600USB (the im600 will play but not charge the touch 2nd generation) Amazon shipped last year's im600 ....so if you order this BE CAREFUL and read the model number on the box before you open.

I've owned this dock for two years, and while it was working, it was great. Well, it quit working, and after one very curt response from Altec Lansing customer support, I've heard nothing from them. So if you want a good speaker dock, and you don't anticipate needing any service from Altec Lansing, this would be a good buy. If you're the kind of buyer who appreciates good customer service, I would pass on this product.
UPDATE AUGUST 5, 2009 -- After some patient waiting, I finally received a new, replacement im600 from Altec Lansing, so I must retract some of my criticism of the company's customer support. I think the fact that most of their communication is automated means that response time is sometimes slow. However, I must say, I was very appreciative that AL replaced a unit that I blew up by using the wrong AC charger cord. In addition, my unit was two years old. You can't ask much more of a company than that. Oh, and by the way, the speaker dock sounds terrific. I would rank it as among the very best electronic purchases I've ever made.
Because of this change in Altec's customer service, I would change the rating to four stars from three, but Amazon doesn't seem to allow that after you've rated a product.
UPDATE DECEMBER 27, 2010: I continue to be satisfied with this dock. Since Altec Lansing took care of the replacement until more than a year ago, the unit has performed flawlessly. I continue to be amazed by the battery life. The sound quality is unmatched in a unit of the price. It's a great product, and since Altec replaced the defective unit, I have to say the company is very responsive to its cusomter's concerns.

I had purchased the IM600USB from Amazon in December. When it came I thought they shipped me the last generation by mistake because the box didn't really distinguish itself from the prior version. Luckily I checked the ASIN and the product that was shipped was the correct one. This version WILL charge a 4th generation Ipod Nano.

Strengths:
-Small and stylish.
-FM tuner allows for radio listening.
-Remote is handy for changing songs and adjusting volume.
-The sound quality is surprisingly good.
-Included battery allows for playback without the need for an outlet, a big plus when using it outdoors or just moving it around the house.

Weaknesses:
-The bass response is not so great but it has decent treble and midrange.
-Wish the remote had more functionality for navigating the Ipod. Now it only controls forward or back.

In terms of form and function you really cannot beat the IM600USB for the price.

I bought the iM600 in March 2009. It did what I wanted very well, allowing me to play music from my iPod and easily move from room to room. Unfortunately after about three months I went to plug it in and found that the connector on the back of the unit had apparently come loose and was being pushed in when I tried to connect the power cable. I called Altec support and after about 30 minutes on the phone I had an RMA number and shipping address. It took two or three weeks for the replacement unit to show up and I was back in business.

A few weeks later I went to change the volume using the buttons on the front and found they didn't work. Inconvenient but not a disaster as I could still change the volume with the remote. Over the next week or two I found the volume buttons would work, then quit, then work again with no rhyme or reason that I could detect. Then the power button quit working. It never came back but the volume buttons continued to go in and out so now even if the unit was within arm's reach I'd get out the remote any time I used the player. Then the Next/Previous buttons on the remote quit working. Now I've got a unit that requires the remote for power on/off and volume but you have to use the wheel on the iPod for to change tracks. I called Altec again and was pleasantly surprised when I explained the situation and they confirmed my address and said they'd put a brand new one in the mail without waiting for my return.

So, two defective units is a big downer but the customer service has been great.

Update 2010-04-07:
The customer would have been great if that second RMA had ever shown up. Unfortunately it never did and I never followed up and the device has gotten slightly worse. I can only power it on/off and change the volume with the remote now so I'm constantly getting it out and putting it back. It's very annoying. Sound is still fine and it works as a docking/recharge station.