Mix Imt800 Among The Best Ipod Boom Boxes!
When this package arrived I was surprised at how big it was. Most iPod boom boxes 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.
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by: David Parker