Altec Lansing InMotion 600 is filling my home with music

I wanted to purchase speakers for my iPod Classic to use in our living room. My main requirements were price (under $150) and sound quality, and a clock-radio speaker was not an option. Research lead me to purchase the Altec Lansing InMotion 600 (or IM600). I purchased it through Amazon.com without hearing the sound quality firsthand.

A Little Bit about the Altec Lansing InMotion 600
The Altec Lansing InMotion 600 is an attractive looking, compact portable speaker system made for iPods. It can be run on battery power, has an FM radio and has an auxiliary input. 

Altec Lansing InMotion 600
The all black speaker dock is a very compact size of 11 inches wide and 6½ inches tall. Pushing a small button on the front of the system will flip open the docking base as well as the leg on the back of the speakers.  When the dock and leg are open, the whole system is only 4½ inches wide. When closed, it is an even smaller 1½ inches wide.  If portability is what you are looking for, the fact that the docking part flips into the speakers is a great feature. You can be assured that your docking connections are secure and free from any potential damage while in transit.

The IM600 can be powered through its AC adapter, or a rechargeable battery.  It is recommended that the battery be completely charged before the first use. Charging for the first time will take about four hours.  I have not used the battery power to run the speakers, however the manual indicates that the battery should last for 5 hours of continuous use.

The IM600 has "ESS", or "Expanded Sound Stage" technology. Altec Lansing describes ESS as it "makes the speakers sound further apart than they really are, giving the user a heightened stereo effect".

I find this speaker system to be attractive and sleek, yet very simple in appearance. The docking base has the power button containing a blue illuminated light when powered on.  Also on the base are the two volume buttons.  In the center top of the face is an LED box which displays the source (iPod, FM radio, Aux). To the left of the LED box is the battery charging indicator light. To the right of the LED box is the ESS indicator light. 

Along the top of the unit are four buttons that blend in nicely to the unit. There is a source button, ESS button, and two buttons that will skip/repeat songs while in iPod mode and will change the stations while in FM radio mode.

The manual indicates the Altec Lansing InMotion 600 is compatible with the following iPods:
iPod Touch (1st & 2nd Generation)
iPod Classic
iPod Video
iPod Nano (1st-4th Generation)
iPod with Color Display
iPod mini
iPod with Click Wheel

It is suggested to use your docking adapter to keep your iPod stable in the speaker dock. If your adapter does not fit, the IM600 comes with five adapters. The adapter that came with my iPod is white, and was a horrible contrast against the black of the speakers. I was able to use one of the adapters to stabilize my iPod in the dock.
 
FM Radio
The Altec Lansing InMotion 600 has a FM radio. Tuning in a station will require pulling out the antenna, which is housed within the speaker system. Many pictures displayed online show the unit with the antenna out. The pictures of the antenna were a deterrent to me until I found it could be put away out of sight when not in use. When pulled out, the antenna swivels so you can get optimal radio reception.  I live on Long Island, about an hours' train ride from NYC. Many of the radio stations we listen to are NYC stations, and we never have trouble accessing the stations clearly on our radios.  I have not been able to get a NYC station in clearly, if at all, when using the FM radio. I have been able to get in some of the more local radio stations, but those also have quite a bit of static.  Between the unsightly antenna and the inability to get in a station clearly, we have not used the radio at all. The radio was not a selling point for me, so the fact that I have not used it all is not bothersome.

Auxiliary Input and USB
The Altec Lansing InMotion 600 has an Aux input so that you can attach an MP3 player, portable DVD player. There is also a USB port for connecting a laptop.
 
Using the Altec Lansing InMotion 600
The Altec Lansing InMotion 600 is very simple to use. Once the dock is open, you are ready to place your iPod in the dock and listen to your music.  Music selection (choosing playlists, etc) is done through your iPod, with the exception of skip/repeat which can be done with the buttons on the IM600. The IM600 will charge your iPod while docked.

The included remote control makes it easy to control your music from across the room. The remote is just as sleek and compact as the rest of the speaker system. It is small enough to fit into the palm of my hand and is less than ¼ inch thick. From the remote you can control the source, volume, skip/repeat songs, play/pause, turn on/off the ESS, and there are four buttons for FM radio station presets. Our living room is a tiny ten feet long, and we have had no problems with the speaker system responding to the remote control. Of course, like any type of remote control, you must be at the proper angle. The remote is small, and the speaker system is meant to accommodate portability. There is a slot on the back of the speakers to store the remote. I stumbled across this feature accidentaly, and there is no mention of this storage slot anywhere in the manual.

Sound
The volume level is indicated in the LED box by a number.  I often keep the volume at around 17 or 18 for normal music listening (lower for background music), and sometimes will put it up as high as 23 if I want to hear the music from another room.  We have turned it up to 29. That level is quite loud, but the sound quality is still good. I do not know how much louder the system will get after 29. My husband has said he feels like the louder the volume, the nicer the sound quality.

The majority of the time I am pleased, but not always impressed, with the sound quality of the Altec Lansing InMotion 600. For such a small set of speakers, it produces a nice sound.  I normally will keep the ESS is on.  The ESS enhances the sound and increases the bass. However, sometimes I do need to shut of the ESS as I notice a distortion or vibration. Most of the music we listen to is 60's Oldies, Classic Rock, or 80's New Wave/Alternative. I have not noticed any type of consistency in they type of music or the volume level that may cause distortion. 

There is a Subwoofer Out jack so that you can add a subwoofer to increase the bass.  The owner's manual indicates that you should only use an Altec Lansing subwoofer made for this unit.  My husband was interested in getting a subwoofer to enhance the sound. Unfortunately, a subwoofer is nowhere to be found on the Altec Lansing website.

Price
The MSRP for the Altec Lansing InMotion 600 is $149.95. You will see it selling for that price at electronic stores such as Best Buy. I however managed to get it from Amazon for only $110.  If you decide to purchase these speakers, make sure you shop around first.

Overall
I love the look of the Altec Lansing InMotion 600. It is sleek, simple and non-descript. I enjoy listening to my music and the sound is nice, but I do get annoyed at the occasional need to switch off the ESS. But I can crank up the volume and still have music filling the room and the rest of my tiny home. I purchased the Altec Lansing InMotion 600 without hearing the sound quality, and if I had paid the price of $150, I may have been annoyed at the occasional sound distortion.  But for $110, I really can't make complaints. For now it is accomodating my space nicely.