We have a birthday party planned for my son tomorrow and I need some sounds to entertain the toddlers. Okay, so 2 year-olds are probably more into Bob the Builder than Bob Sinclar but our portable CD player is… a bit weak. So when I saw Costco selling Altec Lansing iM7 iPod speakers for £117.48 I thought that they could be the answer to my problem (once the requisite childrens’ music has been ripped to my iPod). After going back to the car to get my iPod and trying them out in the store, I was convinced (blown away in fact).
Back in July, Mac Format ran a review on a bunch of iPod speakers and, predictably, the Apple iPod HiFi came out on top. Personally (before I’ve heard them), I think that the Apple speakers are ugly (unusual for an Apple product), and that Apple should have integrated the iPod into the unit instead of just placing a dock on the top. The iM7 still got 4 stars (not a bad review – especially as that’s more than the Bose SoundDock achieved) and, at half the price of the Apple product, they seem like a bargain to me.
None of these products should be considered as a replacement for a decent HiFi system, but they are certainly good enough for portable music (holidays, parties, etc.). In fact, the only problem I’ve found is that the strong bass vibrates the cradle that allows my iPod Mini to sit comfortably in the dock!
My son likes them too… although he seems to be having difficulty understanding that they are not another birthday present for him!
my new type ipod nano does not fit the cradle so I had to drill the side of the cradle out (thats why its cheap)
That’s interesting… mine came with a cradle for the Nano but I guess that must be for the previous generation… we’ll see if they fit the next generation of iPod (when if finally comes), as if that turns out to be the rumoured touch-screen widescreen video iPod I’ll definitely be after one!
The sound is good but it consistantly locks up my iPod, to the point where it has to be sent back for repairs. I actually have 2 iM7s and the both do it to any iPod. Anyone else experience this?
Been looking for a speaker system for my iPod for a while. I then opted for a simple audio lead so I could plug it into my large hifi where the turntable would normally plug in. The speakers for iPods and generally way too large to be portable enough so making use of the hifi was a real hit. It also meant I saved money as the lead was a fraction of the price of a speaker system.
John