Altec Lansing inMotion iM600 Firewire-Charging Portable Audio System for iPod (Black)

by Altec Lansing

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 11 x 2 x 6 inches ; 2 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 4 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000OFSN4G
• Item model number: iM600
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (473 customer reviews)

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description--Posted October 14, 2008

Amazon.com Product Description--Posted October 14, 2008 With its well-regarded inMotion system, Altec Lansing has raised the bar again with the iM600. Featuring a myriad of new technologies, the iM600 offers big, crystal-clear sound, and it folds up compactly for easy portability.

The Altec Lansing inMotion iM600: offers incredible musicality and clarity with deep bass; folds up compactly to offer great portability; provides a dock for your iPod, charging it while playing music; and features a built-in FM tuner.

With Expanded Sound Stage technology, the speakers sound further apart than they really are for a bigger soundstage. View larger. View Remote.

Superior Sound in a Small Package
Employing dual two-inch neodymium drivers that are optimized for high-frequency sound, the iM600 offers unmatched musicality and clarity. Despite its compact size, the bass is punchy and has good extension, and with Altec Lansing's Expanded Sound Stage (ESS) technology, the speakers will sound further apart than they actually are, for a greater stereophonic image.

Elegant Design Matches the iPod
The iM600 sports a distinctive thin and elegant glossy-black look. A spring-loaded button deploys the speaker's stand and reveals the iPod dock, power button, and volume controls.

Your iPod perches front and center, resting at an angle to display the current track information and album art while recharging. If your iPod model has the alarm clock and sleep timer features, they will work seamlessly with the iM600.

Various docking adapters are included, making the iM600 compatible with most iPods. Also, an auxiliary input lets you connect any CD, DVD, or MP3 player using a stereo mini-plug.

Built-in FM Tuner
If you get bored with the songs on your iPod, the iM600 has a built-in FM tuner, letting you listen to your favorite music and talk radio. Near the top of the unit is an LCD that displays the current FM frequency; buttons on top provide tuning controls. The tuner also features a memory for four presets and a telescoping antenna for better reception.

Change the Music from Across the Room
A small remote control is included, letting you change the musical selection from across the room. A storage slot built into the system itself makes it easy to store the remote, preventing you from losing it behind couch cushions and other inconvenient places.

Take Your Music To-Go
With a compact size that folds closed to a mere 11 x 1.7 x 6 inches (W x D x H), and weighing only 2.1 pounds, the iM600 is easy to take with you to the beach, on vacation, or wherever you else you're going. The built-in rechargeable Li-Ion battery lets you listen to more than 7 hours of continuous play. An AC adapter is included for connected listening and recharging the battery.

The Altec Lansing iM600 is backed by a one-year warranty.

What's in the Box
iM600 speaker system, wireless remote, iPod docking adapters, power supply, user's guide and quick connect instructions.

The iM600 will provide enough big sound to keep your party rocking.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1,299 of 1,348 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Beat of a Different Drummer: 3 Way Ipod Dock Comparison, September 7, 2007

By 

C. Kelleher "cmkelleher" (new york, ny United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Altec Lansing inMotion iM600 Firewire-Charging Portable Audio System for iPod (Black) (Electronics)

Three Way Comparison, Bose SoundDock vs. Griffin Amplifi vs. Altec Lansing IM600:
Design and Features:
Bose Sound Dock: Cabinet made of plastic. Appears to have two 2.5" acoustic suspension (enclosed) drivers under a metallic grill, with a whole bunch of added physical structures that look to be waveguides and / or signal processors. Bose keeps details on this pretty much obscured, but wattage estimates I've seen on the net put power output at roughly 50-60 watts and based on my own comparative experience, I would agree. Some commentators think the unit has four drivers rather than two, but I see only two beneath the grill and I am not going to disassemble the unit. Some Bose haters on the net claim frequency response on the SD is capped at a mere 10,000 kHz, which I personally doubt, as treble rich music I've played on this sounds fine, and no reliable net source makes this claim. Ipod docks in a front-mounted bay. My 5.5 G 30 GB feels rather loosely supported, but no major issues.
No line-in or out. Indeed, no console controls at all except a volume up and volume down button. Simple remote, though very reliable and with good range. The power wart is bizarrely large and bulky, plus is also in two sections, making it seem like you're going to be powering up a railgun or supercollider rather than a relatively low powered music player. The design is sturdy and attractive overall, but the lack of any special features whatsoever is dismaying, perhaps symptomatic of Bose's condescending "electronics for idiots" philosophy. Charges Ipod as long as it is docked, when playing or when off.
Griffin Amplifi: Cabinet made of wood, looks like small shoebox. Has two 2.75" drivers front mounted and a bottom mounted 5" woofer with a bass port. Griffin in the worst Bose tradition refuses to disclose many tech statistics on their unit, but my power estimate puts this at about 30-40 watts, not really much different from the Bose. (To sound twice as loud needs a 10 times (1000%) increase in wattage, so the Bose advantage of maybe 33% more power should not really give much real world benefit.) Frequency response per mfgr is 50-16,000 kHz which seems a bit unbelievable on the low end, but feasible enough on the higher end. Ipod docks on top and sticks awkwardly out of the unit like a control tower, but fit is snugger than on Sound Dock which makes me feel more reassured.
There is a line-in and not much more. Big blue-lit knob controls on-off and volume. Remote is a copy of the Bose's with the same simple functions. Range and aiming tolerance is inferior to both the Bose and the Altec, but certainly adequate. Annoyingly, the Amplifi only charges an Ipod docked in it when the Amplifi is on; if the Ipod is docked and the Griffin is turned off, no charging. Either Griffin's engineers are idiots, or they decided to save a few pennies in the design.
Altec Lansing IM600: Smallest unit, with plastic cabinet and cool fold up dock that also has on / off switch. Has two 2" acoustic suspension drivers, and a separate subwoofer out line that I did not use. Also has video out and line-in ports, plus a decent FM tuner and telescoping antenna. Tons and tons of features in comparison to our other competitors. Plus unit has an internal rechargeable battery which lasts for roughly 7 hours, and an "SFX" stereo expander DSP switch. Altec is honest enough to give the power stats on the unit of 14 watts. Though this is less than either other dock, as stated above the actual volume difference is not reflected in the numbers. Frequency range is not specified, but it seems to go as high as either of the other competitors, with perhaps less bass extension. Front mounted dock that gently leans the Ipod against a reinforced acoustically neutralized spot on the unit so vibrations will not affect the Ipod during playback.
IM600 also has a beautiful backlit display which stays lit while the unit is plugged in to AC power. The Altec charges Ipods as long as there is an AC connection, whether or not the Altec is turned on. The IM600 does not charge Ipods when the dock is running on its own rechargeable battery. The remote is also IR like the others in the test, and is somewhere between the Bose and Griffin in terms of range and responsiveness. Remote lets you control SFX mode and access four radio presets. (Though if you lose the remote, you will have no preset control at all, so try not to do that.)
Sound:
Bose: Excellent deep bass, controlled and accurate, never boomy. Mid-range is emphasized, so guitars and vocals sound especially fine. Treble appears a bit less impressive, but trebly stuff like Vivaldi and Tallis sounds just fine. The Bose sounds better with rock and jazz than with classical, but not dramatically so. The Bose sounds equally good at both low and high end, and the unit can be played at max volume with no distortion, probably due to Bose's manipulation of the source signal. Nevertheless, the Bose sounds very good at all volumes and with virtually any type of music. The Bose can also fill up any small or medium room with sound, and can even be a decent sound system for a reasonably quiet large room. Stereo separation was the best of all three speakers, unimpressive when compared to a formal stereo with speakers a couple of yards apart, but certainly very much a feat from speakers separated from each other by less than a foot. Detail is excellent with many-layered music like works by Nine Inch Nails and Dead Can Dance being expertly and precisely performed.
I am no fan of Bose, finding the sound from their home theater systems to be artificial, inaccurate, compromised, pricey, and over-hyped. However, in the case of the SoundDock, with the goal of creating generally acceptable sound from lossy sources, Bose has executed the concept impeccably well. The music as played may not be dead-on accurate, but it is not noticeably deficient and sounds loud, detailed, and clear at any volume. Kind of like McDonald's fries, the SoundDock is by far the jewel in the rather uneven portfolio of Bose equipment. Even if you hate the idea of Bose, or have disliked their other audio products, the SoundDock may well amaze you.
Griffin: Bass is about as good as the SoundDock, maybe lower extension, but roughly the same precision and balance. Griffin is to be commended for not going crazy and letting the big 5" woofer run roughshod over the sound of the Amplifi. The big woofer does not make the Amplifi sound better than the Bose at the low end, but on the other hand it doesn't sound worse, and it is also much cheaper. Griffin was not aiming to beat the Bose here, but rather to equal it with a lower price and simpler design. Mid-range is another strong point here, and treble is also a bit lacking, like in the Bose, but not too much so. Classical pieces still sound very good on the Griffin.
Where the Amplifi does lose ground to Bose is in the fancy stuff. Stereo separation is non-existent, and detail is nowhere near as precise as on the Bose. This sounds like a big loud mono speaker. Low volumes especially lose a lot of fine subtlety, and distortion is heard at the very highest volumes (though to be fair, no one would really play this unit that loud, as it is probably 100 dB or more.) The acoustically tuned all wood cabinet adds little to the sound signature of the Amplif vis a vis the plastic cabinet of the Bose. The lack of stereo separation, detail, and full clarity throughout all volume ranges is where the added cost of the Bose is most evident and justifiable. Most users will like the Griffin though; it mimics the sound signature of the Bose convincingly, has a retro wood cabinet design, and has at least one important feature that the Bose lacks, a line-in, all of this at a street value of 1/3rd of what the Bose goes for. This will make the Amplif a great solution for most users, especially those on a budget. However, the added price of the Bose does create a noticeably superior sound in at least some aspects.
Altec Lansing: The IM600 takes a different path than its rivals, aiming for a more treble oriented sound, with adequate bass and very good mids. The IM600 sounds crisp and detailed, but lacks the low end punch of the Bose or Griffin. The 600 has a separate subwoofer out line and a 3" sub is available separately from Altec Lansing for $50. No idea how it sounds. This is the best of these three units for classical music reproduction, but most music sounds fine on it. Even bass heavy music is more than acceptable for most listeners; you just don't feel the low end as prominently as you do with the other two docks, but depending on your expectations, this may be just fine.
Stereo separation is not especially strong on the Altec, to be expected when the drivers are all of 7" apart. The SFX mode is helpful in this regard, and does give some stereo sound effect, and really does not hurt sound reproduction in any way, so I normally leave the effect on. Stereo is far more noticeable than the Griffin, but less pronounced than the Bose. (However, even the Bose offers far less stereo than one might get from properly placed PC satellite speakers, let alone a true home stereo system...) Clarity and detail on the IM600 is excellent, rivaling the Bose in many cases. Brass and drums sound a bit more real and crisp on the Bose, and this plus the better low end will give the nod to the SoundDock over the IM600 for most listeners, unless you listen to nothing but classical. The IM600 distorts a bit at maximum volume, but not terribly so. It sounds as good at low volumes as it does at normal (medium level) settings.
Value:
Bose: Normally listed at $300 and almost never discounted. The new "portable" SoundDock just came out as of this writing and sells for $400. If Bose can maintain this exceptionally high price for the newer model, SoundDock prices may stay at $300, but if the newer... Read more ›

145 of 148 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fits the bill perfectly, August 13, 2007

By 

Ike17055 (PA, United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Altec Lansing inMotion iM600 Firewire-Charging Portable Audio System for iPod (Black) (Electronics)

Like others, I looked at many models. I bought this unit along with IPod for traveling to my weekend cabin, hoping to replace the bulkiness of my SONY CD player and three cases of disks. It is exceptionally portable, plugs into wall or goes outside on battery, has FM receiver so my wife can listen to college football on weekends, and we attach it to her computer/DVD to watch movies in the evening. The sound quality is excellent, filling the living/dining area for movies or music. Definitely competes with the old bulky system with no compromise. Plus Amazon price was incredible. For our needs, this could not be better. I am planning to take it on vacation with us this winter.

145 of 149 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Sound, Light, Folds Up Nicely, July 14, 2007

By 

J. Weber - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Altec Lansing inMotion iM600 Firewire-Charging Portable Audio System for iPod (Black) (Electronics)

I tested about 8 different brands and models of these type of systems in a store at high volume. For its size and price, this one got the loudest before distorting, with excellent sound balance. The FM receiver is handy. It is very lightweight and folds up into a convenient carrying shape. Highly recommended.