What’s it gonna take to get everyone on board with an iPhone? It won’t be the Bass Egg speaker. Yet, I ponder that question and then I get a shiver of fear wavering through my body as imagine a hoard of drones wandering the Earth in need of a 30-pin dock to charge their handset. That said, thank god for Android phones, which aren’t excluded from working with Altec Lansing’s portable speaker dock for the iPhone, the iMT630. You might not get the best speakers with this device, but it sure does produce great sound.
Unlike the Logitech Bluetooth speakers Z600, this battery-powered iMT630 portable speaker is an understated pleasure that no doubt has passed over, or perhaps even under the gaze of many consumers. It’s too bad, because its sonic abilities and feature set to warrant a look by anyone in the market for a portable speaker for their smartphone. If you like Bluetooth speakers with an alarm clock function, you should read our Soundance SDY019 review.
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Hidden on the face of the iMT630 is an ever-so-small, spring-loaded 30-pin dock. Push it and it ejects from the speaker’s grill allowing you to dock your iPhone and pump its tunes through the 2-inch neodymium driven speakers. For those of the non-iOS ilk, there is also a 3.5mm headphone jack in the rear, though once plugged you’ll need to hit the input button, switching from iPod to Aux input. That button is further complemented by a volume rocker, power button, and LED light to indicate the input of choice. But the feature set isn’t complete until you look to the rear of this battery-powered speaker dock. Flipping up the stand automatically powers down the iMT630, which means you won’t waste precious battery life when it’s stowed away. Flip it down and you’ll reveal the magnetically adhered remote, enabling you to pause, play, skip tracks, and adjust volume from afar. And while this may seem like a rather benign feature, consider that most portable speaker docks, if any, don’t include a remote control.
The Altec Lansing’s iMT630’s battery is rated for up to 7 hours of playback on a single charge. And while your mileage will of course vary with how much you prefer to crank your tunes, we found it to be on spec. Charging the device to full capacity takes about 3-4 hours and receives its juice via a micro USB slot. Not the universal standard, but close enough in our book. In case you are searching for a compact wireless Bluetooth speaker with a modern design, click the Altec Lansing inMotion Air IMW725 review.
Sonically the Altec Lansing iMT630 is very capable, especially considering its rather diminutive size, which is measures 12.5″ (W) x 1.5″ (D) x 5.125″ (H) and weighs less than 4 pounds. As with most portable speaker docks, bass was a bit tinny, but nothing below a speaker of a similar class and cost. Amplitude wise the iMT630 is impressive and managed to fill my 8×12 bathroom with enough sound to be enjoyed from up 10-feet away.
While docking an iPad is feasible it’s most certainly not intended, but that’s largely a reflection of this speaker docks size and portability; it would block the speakers and perhaps even fall over from the iPad’s weight. When you run out of juice you can plug it into the wall and use it as a speaker and charger for your iPhone, which means it could play well as a bedside companion. That said, I really can’t find anything negative to say about this dock (Bluetooth would be a nice but unnecessary addition), other than its design leaves something to the imagination and if anything shows that you shouldn’t judge a book, or in this case a speaker, by its cover.
Bottom line: Solid sound quality and amplitude for a battery-powered speaker with a magnetically stowed remote and accommodations for non-iOS devices (AUX inputs).
Editor’s Rating:
[rating:4.5/5]
Excellent
Pros:
- Battery-powered speaker with an excellent amplitude for its size
- Hidden magnetic remote
- Chargers your iPhone when plugged in and there is an AUX input
Cons:
- Won’t work with stand flipped up
- Design leaves something to be desired
- Battery life could be better
