That this model offers a video input as well as an S-Video output is a plus, even if it's unclear how many people will take advantage of the video output to display videos on a larger TV (if you've already got a TV nearby, why buy the Altec Lansing?). Still, at least it's an option. It's also worth noting that you can connect another, non-iPod portable audio device via the auxiliary jack and that a couple sets of basic cables are included for hookups.
Altec Lansing's inMotion line includes some relatively decent-sounding iPod speaker systems, and the iMV712 is no exception. Dialogue from TV shows came across loud and clear, and movies sound a lot bigger than what they look like on the 8.5-inch display. In other words, as a compact movie-watching device, you're going to get a lot better sound quality than you would from the tiny speakers on a portable DVD player--or the speakers on most small and midsize flat-panel displays (26-to-42 inches). But don't expect the iMV712 to beat a half-decent $300 home-theater-in-a-box system.
That said, this is one of the better-sounding tabletop iPod speaker systems we've heard. As noted, it's a bit bigger than some tabletop systems, and height-wise it's taller than such systems as the Apple iPod Hi-Fi and the Chestnut Hill Sound George. Even though the speakers are close together, they seem angled outward to widen the soundstage. Pressing the SFX button on the remote appears to narrow the soundstage and we weren't sure why you'd do that (there's no mention in the manual of just what SFX does). In any case, we left SFX off in our listening tests and were generally impressed with the output, so long as we didn't turn up the bass in the equalizer settings. Cranking the bass even a notch or two made the low end in such bass-heavy tunes as Snoop Dogg's "Drop It Like It's Hot" and Eminem's "Lose Yourself" sound boomy and muddy. But back the bass off and the system fares better and plays loud enough to easily fill a small room. And that's an important distinction; while it sounded fine in a small office, the iMV712's small size was more readily apparent when moved into a large home theater room.
The looming question, of course, is how you plan on using this miniature iPod home theater. While it's an appealing device--and has a certain coolness factor--some might question its overall usefulness. You could say it's a kitchen system (in that case, it would ideally be white and have a built-in TV tuner as well as an AM/FM radio) or even a bedside "TV." It also might find a place in a kid's room, where a parent could dock his or her iPod and choose from a wide selection of kid-friendly videos stored on the device (a DVD collection on an iPod, so to speak). Whatever the case, just make sure you foresee a definite need for the video element, because if you can do without it, you can probably save yourself $100 or so and go with an audio-only iPod speaker system that delivers comparable performance.
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Where to buy
Altec Lansing InMotion iMV712:
$129.99
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Amazon.com Marketplace
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$129.99 | Yes |
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