Altec Lansing inMotion Speaker Dock with FM Radio for Zune
- Portable stereo system designed for Zune HD and Zune
- Delivers smooth, bass-enriched sound
- HD Radio technology and FM radio
- Fully portable–battery or AC powered
- Backed by a one-year manufacturer’s limited warranty
Product Description
The inMotion iM414v2 is a powerful new portable stereo system with surround effect technology. It’s sleek – your Zune will cradle beautifully in it.
Altec Lansing inMotion Speaker Dock with FM Radio for Zune
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I’ve just crossed into my second year with my Zune 2 (80GB) which is now fully loaded with all of my important music and endless playlists. I’ve resisted using it at work, however, because I didn’t want to run the battery down. The Altec Lansing inMotion Speaker Dock solves almost all my problems.
At 10″ long by 7″ high and 5.5″, the inMotion consumes a little more space than I’d like it to for desktop use, but there’s a lot of power and features in that space. The fact that I can use the speakers for my Zune, for my PC (the Aux input) or as an FM radio is a big plus (although the latter is a bit puzzling as my Zune has an FM radio).
If you get it, be sure to check the packaging thoroughly…. I almost threw away the very small (but handy) remote. And you’ll need it as the remote has a few features (like Bass and Surround Sound) that aren’t on the main unit. Fortunately the remote tucks very nicely into the top rear of the unit. Both the unit and the remote have buttons for next/previous track and volume (no scan feature, but you can still use your Zune’s interface).
Sound quality is fantastic, very rich. Depending on your songs, you’ll find that the Bass and Surround features make the music sound so good that it’s hard to believe they’re compressed MP3s and not the original CD. It also gets quite loud, so it’s the perfect personal stereo for any room.
The LCD is nice and clear, but despite the fact that it displays “414″ when it starts up, don’t think it’s a clock that needs to be set. That’s just the model number, and there is no clock.
My Zune cradles quite well in the slot and still allows easy operation. Again, I have the Zune 2 80GB version. Adapters are included for other Zunes, but I can’t speak to how well they work. For me, the big plus is to be able to use my Zune with speakers, but have it running off the AC power and charging while sitting on the inMotion. That means I’ll probably get 3 to 5 times as much use during the lifetime of my Zune, and that makes the inMotion a great value.
PROS:
- Exceptional sound quality
- Overall functionality/utility
- Remote
CONS:
- A little large
- No clock
- Some functions only available on remote (don’t lose it!)
Rating: 4 / 5
This is a great item! Really good stereo separation, and ease of use. The volume is the reason why I gave it 4 stars under the sound option, just not quite loud enough for anything exciting. But this works great in the office and in the kitchen.
Rating: 5 / 5
I use this dock in my office to mostly listen to music but I also occasionally listen to the radio as well. No real complaints other than, as has been mentioned in other reviews, the actual docking is not as great as one might hope or expect. If not for that, I would probably given it 5 stars. Also, the remote does not include all functions i.e. you can’t switch between songs, albums, artists, etc but then again that’s not exactly all that straight forward on the Zune itself. Sound quality is good for what you pay for although at the levels that I play it at work the bass boost and surround are pretty much useless. Radio reception is good for all of the stations that I listen to in the greater NYC area (I do, however, have the unit in a place where the antenna can be fully extended by not visible.)
Overall, though, a pretty good product. And, by the way, although I haven’t had to use them for this purchase, I have found Altec Lansing’s technical support to be quite good in the past.
Rating: 4 / 5
The inMotion iM414v2 is a pretty standard speaker dock. However, in a world where everyone and their mother produces multiple iPod docks, it’s nice to have a Zune option.
For the purpose of this review I used my 8GB Zune with the iM414v2. The dock does, however, have inserts that allow you to attach the Zune HD or the old-school Zune 30GB and will charge your Zune while it’s plugged in. There is an AUX input as well, in case you want to plug in an iPod or other non-Zune music device. The unit itself is reasonably small and doesn’t take up a lot of space on your desk or bookshelf. I will say, though, that the AC plug seems a bit unnecessarily long by 0.5 to 0.75 inches. So depending on the orientation of your power outlets from your wall or surge protector, this might be an annoying issue for you. Still, the unit feels solid and durable and has an attractive look to it. The Zune is placed in the middle of the dock and there are three buttons flanking each side of it. The FM antenna dangles out of the back of it and you’re going to be forced to do something with it because you cannot detach it without breaking it. My Zune itself does a decent job picking up FM signal where I live, so it would have been convenient to give the user the option to remove the external antenna at their own discretion.
The sound from the iM414v2 is admirable for the size and price of the unit. Is it as good as a 7.1 surround sound system? No way. But does it hold it’s own against similarly priced mp3 player docks? Absolutely. The sound is clear in all ranges: highs, mids, and bass. There is a bass boost function, but it doesn’t amplify the bass too much. Instead, it seems to tighten up the lows a little more. There is also a surround effect, but all that seems to do is create a slight delay or echo. I don’t feel that it adds some kind of true spatial component to the sound. To sum it up, the sound is solid quality and about what you’d expect from a speaker dock that falls in the ubiquitous $70-100 price range.
I do have a few minor gripes, though. First, the remote is tiny and flat. Not a big deal, but it does use the thin watch batteries. I normally don’t use the remote a lot, but the Bass Boost and Surround Effect buttons are ONLY on the remote. There is no option to turn those features on or off with buttons on the dock itself. So when that battery dies, you can’t just pop a AAA that you might have laying around and you won’t be able to change the bass and surround options until you buy a new watch battery (CR2025′s). Second, I spent almost 10 minutes trying to figure out how to turn the clock on. Ummmm, yeah…after 10 minutes I realized there is no clock. There’s an LED screen that isn’t doing much, so I just figured it would also be a clock when it wasn’t displaying the FM frequency. Nope. No clock. No alarm. That’s a little surprising. As a result, I doubt you want to have this dock on your night stand where space can be at a premium unless you have a very small alarm clock that fits next to it. Not a deal breaker, but still, a bummer nonetheless.
So in summary, the iM414v2 doesn’t do anything that oozes mind-blowing awesomeness. No, the iM414v2 instead just works well and provides reasonably good sound from a unit with a reasonably small footprint at a reasonable price. For the minority Zune faithful of the world suffering from a lack of good accessory options, this probably will suffice (unless you need that alarm clock function…).
Rating: 4 / 5
I am a big fan of Altec Lansing products. Their bang for buck ratio is unsurpassed, in my opinion. They make well built products at reasonable prices for the average consumer. They are NOT on the same level with Bose, Klipsch, and some of the other premium audio products in the marketplace. But, if you are looking for good sound, great price, excellent build quality, great feature package, and a name you can trust, then Altec Lansing scores!
This dock is one of the few available for the Zune, which is my favorite mp3 player. For that reason alone, it is worth the sub $90.00 price. It includes a small remote which works very well with the system, and a couple of docks for your Zune device. This device only includes 3 FM station presets, but I mainly use the device for listening to mp3 music from my Zune, so no problems there. The sound quality is good for a device this small, and with the added bass boost and surround feature you get a little added performance out the the speakers. It’s not Earth shaking by any stretch of the imagination, but nice and clear sound (not muffled). This device is great for the kitchen, bedroom, or large bathroom or anywhere casual listening is preferred.
I really like the device and can now listen to my Zune anywhere in the house! This device also charges the Zune, so no problems with battery life. This is an overall solid device, and another good offering from Altec Lansing.
Rating: 4 / 5