Altec Lansing inMotion™ iM9 ..A Sound Decision!!

Recently I spent an afternoon with an old friend who had recently purchased an older Luxman turntable and had set up an old school stereo setup so that he could hear his records in their old glory. I was immediately taken in by the warmth and presence a turntable can bring out in your recordings, ahh, the good old days!

Technology advances our way of life and keys in particularly on ways to make our lives pursuit a convenient one, evidenced by the iPod. We have the capability to carry around all of our music in one little drive; very neat, very convenient. I must confess I enjoy convenience as much as anyone, though I own the Bose Docking station at home, I bought the Altec Lansing inMotion iM9 to use on the go, at the shore, on the boat or working in the yard and I haven’t looked back yet.

Altec Lansing, short for “all technical”, has been a prominent name in audio since 1937, its origins in domestic theatre sound and has had an influence throughout the evolution of the audio industry since its inception.

A Closer Look

The Altec Lansing inMotion is a docking station particularly for iPod, adding the capability of charging it while running off 4 C sized batteries or plugged into an outlet with the included universal power adapter. Battery life is exceptional. Altec Lansing claims 24 hour battery life, but I have actually experienced a bit longer on fresher batteries. The fact that the iM9’s built in cradle and included adapters for your particular iPod doesn’t mean you can’t use it for other mp3 players. An included 3.5mm stereo cable allows you to plug in your player of choice into the auxiliary input on the aiM9 though it seems silly not to be able to use the retractable cradle.

Topside there are two controls for +,- volume controls encased in the rubber trim. On the rear of the iM9 is a the connection station which includes the DC input, Aux port, as well as RCA outputs for pass through broadcast of video to your television or home theatre!

In addition to all this, there is a pull out stand to assure you can direct the speakers to wherever you need to. At 4 lbs., 11” wide, 3 “ deep and 7.8 “ high, the iM9 is quite portable though awkward to where you wouldn’t want to carry it while walking, though why would you want to?

Aural Pleasure

Under fire, the Altec Lansing iM9 is a bit of a little beast. Its twin speakers fire off a pleasing EQ array delivering robust and , yes, warm sound whether indoors or out. To think that you can blast the Altec Lansing iM9 for 24 hours on 4 C batteries is amazing considering they quality of sound that is blasted at you, yes, I said blasted, as the iM9 can get quite loud, inspiring dance, air guitar, a Risky Business moment or you can pull out the Barry White play list and get busy. If there is a lull and you don’t get around to choosing a new playlist the iM9s’ auto shutdown saves your battery life so you can live to rock later.

Getting around with the iM9 is nicely done with the included carry bag which is resplendent with the inMotion logo.

Though we are still in the digital realm, the iM9 delivers warm robust sound from this little unassuming unit. Music production has changed and it is produced in the digital realm with Pro Tools Steinberg and other software and it makes sense to listen to them on great digital systems. The Altec Lansing iM9 can carry the demands of a portable unit that shines in the digital domain.

I like the way music is produced today, it is pleasing to the ear and it is convenient in a way we have never known, ; remember the 8track? I am glad I purchased the iM9, but I am also looking forward to purchasing that Luxman and pulling out some old Stones LPs!