Altec Lansing iM-237 Orbit Ultraportable Speaker for MP3 Players (Silver)
by Altec Lansing Technologies
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Our Price: $69.99 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $23.99 (click here) Category: Network Media Player See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Altec Lansing iM-237 Orbit Ultraportable Speaker for MP3 Players (Silver)
Customer Review: Voice of the Backpack
Summary: 5 Stars
I don't travel all that much, but when I do, and inevitably check into a hotel/motel room, I get rather on-edge about the fact that the only "entertainment" at my beck and call is a TV. I pretty much hate TV, and haven't watched on a regular basis closing in on 30 years. No diatribe here: I just got tired of the "medium" (hinting at a very old Ernie Kovacs joke about TV being called a "medium" on account of it being neither rare nor well-done). If some hotel/motel chain made a point of putting a really-good radio in their rooms, I'd go a bit out of my way to book a room with them. (Of course, a TV is harder to steal...)
Anyway...when you're a captive audience in a situation like this, you grimace at first, then grin, remembering the iPod/iPhone/Zune (yeah, I know there are a few Zune-ies out there...right?), and, saying to yourself, "I don't need to settle for your stinking 'entertainment'!" The problem is, you only have your headphones/earbuds to listen through, which is fine when you're enroute to your destination, but a bit of a problem when you might need to hear room service or a friend/business associate/paramour knocking at the door, among other things. This is also a situation where you wouldn't be too thrilled dragging along a killer-sounding but not-fit-for-traveling-light "portable" speaker system. You don't need Voice of the Theatre(tm) sound on the road, but something at least *decent*, which can also drop into a carry-bag with dispatch, and is totally non-fussy to set up.
The day I bought these, I had actually picked up Audio-Technica's AT-SP21 portable speaker system, even though I intrinsically knew that a system based on "passive" (i.e. non-amplified) technology would be sonically inferior to an amplifier-based system. Within ten minutes, I remembered the Altec 237, then turned around and returned the A-T for the Altec. Yes, the Altec needs three AAA batteries to run, but they'll last you a while (24 hours of continuous play, according to Altec's specs).
In an effort to refrain from my usual long-windedness, here are the key things:
- On the road, Mono Rules: I'll always take quality sound in monaural to mediocre stereo any day of the week. (Of course, I'm in my mid-50s, so I actually know something about mono...). The Altec iM-237 is designed on the principle that when your travel requirements are rough-and-ready, but quality AND simplicity are paramount, something has to give. That "something" is usually the second channel in a stereo arrangement. But, you know what? When your accommodations are unknown and/or questionable, and your need to travel relatively light overrides other considerations, having that second channel truly doesn't mean squat. In fact, most portable "stereo" speaker setups don't offer anything near the satisfaction of even a mediocre, mid-fi home audio system. A much better option is just *one* speaker, of at least above-average quality, with its own amplification for better sound quality, and a size and design that facilitates easy setup and quick stashing away. The Altec scores high on all the above, and sweetens the deal by including a case, strap, and carabiner clip for easy toting
- Bang for the Buck: When it comes to techno-tchotchkes like mini-speakers, the knee-jerk response is to go with the dirt-cheap and disposable, because, conventional wisdom goes, how good can something in this category possibly be, and why spend a lot of money on this in the first place? For one thing, the Altec, happily, dos *not* cost a bundle. In fact, at current street prices, it's almost a bargain. Secondly, you get both good sound, smart design and excellent build-quality. Third, the thing is so damned useful, and, for its size, the sound so good overall that you'll wonder how you could own something like an iPod and *not* own one of these, as it extends the player's usefulness considerably. Admit it: whatever you spent on your "perfect" 'phones or 'buds, there are times and places where you'd rather not use them for listening.
NOTE: Some reviewers have commented on the possibility of accidentally pressing the Power button while traveling with the speaker. From where I'm observing, the button resides in a recessed cavity in the metal top portion of the speaker; unless one exerts an extraordinary amount of pressure in that *one* spot, I would think it rather unlikely that the button would be inadvertently switched on.
Verdict: Highly Recommended.
Never mind 7.1 surround. in this realm, 1.1 is where it's at.
Customer Review: Great little speaker for the money
Summary: 5 Stars
The radio in my van doesn't work right, and the van is so old, I didn't want to spend a lot of money fixing the radio. So I went online and looked for an alternative to playing music on the radio. I bought a battery operated MP3 player and this Altec Lansing portable speaker, and I play my music that way instead of on the radio.
It took a while to get used to the speaker. I didn't read anywhere that the speaker had a little light that glowed red when the batteries were running low, but learned it through experience. My daily commute is 45 minutes to an hour each way, and usually if the little light is green when I start my trip to work, the batteries will last until I get there, even if the light turns red on the way. I can typically go three or four days (about six to eight hours) between changing the batteries. I use rechargeable batteries and keep one set of three batteries charged up so I can swap them out with the three in the speaker when they run out and need recharging. It's not practical or safe to try to switch the batteries while I'm driving, so I do pay attention when that red light comes on, and make sure to change the batteries in the speaker before driving again.
A word of advice to help extend battery life: Don't leave the speaker with batteries inside it in your car on a hot day, or your batteries will lose their charge more quickly than they would otherwise. I always put my speaker in my briefcase and take it into my office (or into the house when returning home from work) where the temperatures are moderate.
The sound quality of this little speaker is of course not that of your average set of car radio speakers. I have to keep up the windows or the road noise will drown out the sound of this little speaker. But I can deal with that. When the windows are up, the speaker is more than loud enough for me to enjoy my music while I drive. I don't know how I could have purchased anything else that would have given me better sound quality for the price.
What I'm most concerned about with this speaker is how much longer the parts will last. I don't turn the volume on the MP3 player all the way up, so as not to blow the speaker. I'm also very careful with the jack plug cord, which looks like it could easily pop loose if pulled on too hard; so far, it's holding strong, and it's now been about five months since I started using this speaker. With a little care, I hope this speaker will last for as long as I keep my old van.
Customer Review: Altec iM-237 vs X-Mini 2 Capsule speaker
Summary: 5 Stars
After a long and lengthy research process here on Amazon, Youtube, and many other "review" sites, I narrowed it down to these two speakers. Unable to make up my mind, and didn't want to get buyers remorse, I decided to buy both.
The short version of this review is the Altec iM-237 is the winner here in my opinion. The reasons for this are in the "long version" to follow.
I recently recieved a Zune HD player (love it!). I am an active outdoorsman who spends alot of time hunting and fishing in remote areas, but love my music when I get back to camp. Hense, the need for a small, portable speaker.
If I,(you) were to buy the X-mini only, we would both be very happy and impressed with it. For such a small unit it really puts out nice sound. The built in rechargable battery is a nice option, but for me, in some of the areas I camp, I do not always have access to a 12volt charging source. It seems well built and the option of connecting these speakers with more speakers is another nice option I think. Like I said earlier, if I just bought this speaker, I would be happy, but when compared side by side with the Altec, big difference.
The Altec is larger than the X-mini, (little larger than a can of tuna), and comes with a nice, somewhat hardside case, the mini, a little cloth bag. The Altec is another well built speaker. This one runs on 3 aaa batteries which for me is more flexible than a rechargable unit. Run time has yet to be determined since I have not had these units long enough to find out.
I plugged the Altec into the X-Mini to make it easier to do my side by side comparison. I cranked up the volume and turned on the speakers, first the Mini. Wow, impressive, handles volume well, heck the dang thing vibrates all over table! a little tinny, mids were ok, bass was ok too. I turned down the Mini, which has its own volume control,(nice), and turned on the Altec, Wow times two!. It seem to fill the room with a much richer, deeper sound that was instantly noticable vs the Mini. I continued this back and forth, one on, one off experiment with a wide variety of music and it just kept confirming Altecs better sound. Actually, the best sound achieved was when I had both speakers on at the same time, incredible!
In conclusion, I think you would have to buy 2 Minis to out due the Altec, but if I was going to buy 2 units, I would buy another Altec and a splicer.
Hope this helps!
Customer Review: Powerful, Tough Little Speaker
Summary: 5 Stars
UPDATE: I am even more impressed by this item than before after it was left hanging by the cord on the outside of my car overnight while raining (partially in its case) and then smacked against the side of the door for about two miles the next morning before I realized what the sound was. It played perfectly when I turned it on to test it after pulling over. I can't believe how durable this thing is! *** This little speaker offers powerful sound in 360 degrees. It is crisp and quite loud. Typical usage for me includes routing an mp3 player into it for use while doing home repairs, chores or relaxing on my deck. It can be heard over the sound of something as loud as a manual handsaw. On occasion I will use it for audio when traveling in an area where I cannot find a station to use an FM transmitter. In moving traffic, others can hear it if both cars' windows are down. There is only mild distortion on very heavy bass at high volume, but at 80-90% that seems to drop out. If the audio device one attaches has EQ it could be corrected that way, still allowing maximum volume. This speaker does not have a volume control of its own, but relies entirely on the volume of the input device. Personally, I like this feature, as worrying about two volume adjustments becomes tiresome. The unit itself is very rugged and comes with a tough little cylindrical zippered carrying case with a belt clip. It is about 3 inches high and 3.5 inches in diameter. The unit seems to get good battery life and has a recessed on/off toggle button that is very hard to press by accident. An LED indicates when the unit is on, so one can tell if it is draining power even if no audio device is connected. My only complaint about it is that the unit comes with a 5 inch 3.5mm cable that terminates in a molded connector in the underside. The cable, while tough enough, could be stronger. When in its case (which can be used while playing music since the top unzips and flips back exposing all of the speaker itself), the cable slides to the underside and is protected quite well. I worry though that eventually the cable may pull lose, as that is usually the first thing to go on devices with integrated cables. I would have been more pleased if it came with just a 3.5mm jack and allowed me to pick my cable, such as changing between short, retractable and coiled for different purposes. But, barring that one complaint, it is even better than I expected. I am very pleased with this product and highly recommend it.Customer Review: Use it all the time with iPhone and computer
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this because it came to my mailbox from someone one day, maybe Apple Store, for $19.95. I figured if it made any noise at all it might be useful for my purposes where earbuds get in my way and I want to listen to the music or talk radio on my iPhone. You just plug it into the earbud jack, turn the speaker on and you've got sound. It will generate a lot of volume and for the size it sounds surprisingly good. It's not a Bose Wave, but it sounds a lot better than I expected and it is 360 degree sound. If you can set it in a little enclosure like on a shelf in the corner or some box shaped area it will enhance the bass and music sounds pretty good on it. Voice is very clear. I work with my hands so I like to use this instead of having the wires from the earbuds constantly getting tangled up in what I am doing. I also use it on my computer for sound. I have a high end, high definition sound computer and this sounds much, much better.
If I have one complaint it is that the wire is too short. A longer wire would have been nice, however, this short wire does wrap around the back of the speaker and store there, along with the jack so that's a good feature.
It takes three triple A batteries and if you don't forget to turn it off each time they will last a good while. They power the speaker and boost the signal coming from the sound source. I can also take it in the car and set it on the dash to hear things I can't get on my car radio but can get on the iPhone streaming through the internet.
I tried to buy more of these after I got mine to keep around and give away for presents but I can't find them that cheap. Still, I see them for under $30.00 and it is definitely worth that. I use mine all the time.
One last thing, although this works great for me with my computer and iPhone, for some reason I can't get my wife's iPod to kick it. Not sure why. Great for iPhone though. It will play louder than you want to hear it.