The Altec Lansing iM5 offers a nice looking design with decent sound for a portable speaker system. Not the best but far, far from the worst.
You can pack the light Altec Lansing iM5 system with you
outside to the backyard, up to your room or even take it with you on vacation
and this kind of versatility is always fun. When the dock is closed it is only 8.4
x 2.1 x 3.8 inches in all, which is pretty darn small. This is the perfect
system for dorm dwellers. When you leave to visit home for the weekend or on
holiday you don’t want to leave an expensive stereo system behind to get
stolen, that is why this portable system is just what you need.
While the Altec Lansing iM5 is going to produce the kind of
sound you would get from the Polk Monitor 30 bookshelf speakers you will be
surprised at how loud it can get while still staying clear and easy to listen
to.
The Altec Lansing iM5 system is compatible with most ipods
and while it does not have a subwoofer it can get more bass going than you
might expect. The sound is not stellar, but it will do most situations that
call for a portable stereo with ease.
When you look at this speaker system you will see that it is
pretty much all speaker. The whole front length is the grille and in the middle
of that on the bottom is where the dock pops out. When open all you have to do
is fit the ipod on the dock. I really like how this part is protected when the
system is not in use, I imagine that will help it to last a lot longer.
Now getting the Altec Lansing iM5 to play your music is
about as easy as it could possibly be. All you have to do is put your ipod on
the dock, throw in a few batteries (it takes 4 AA batteries) or plug in the AC
adapter and hit play. Easy breezy right? That is the beauty of these portable
speakers. No true installation required!
These are decent speakers for portable ones but not the best
out there. The JBL On Stage II for example are better quality speakers and they
only cost a little bit more. Another small problem that I noticed with the Altec
Lansing iM5 is the way he dock can pop out at the oddest of times. If you are
moving the speaker to a different place in the room or packing it around the
jiggling sometimes causes the dock to come out. This could lead to trouble if
you are not careful.
The Altec Lansing iM5 is a nice looking portable speaker
that has some room for improvement but is overall pretty good. The sound is a
little hollow and it would be nice to have some deeper and richer lows but most
people will be very pleased with the sound produced.