I admit it - I've fallen completely in love with my Zune.  And why not?  With its great sound, it has turned into a near-constant companion for my ears.  But what about when I want to share my music with others?  Or, when I want to hear music while I swim?

It was time to buy speakers.

As I started researching the various possibilities I decided I really had only three requirements:  Decent sound was number one.  Number two: I want speakers that take an AC adapter.  In other words, I want to be able to power them using an ordinary plug.  And three: I want the device to charge my Zune.

It turns out that decent sound was pretty easy to accomplish.  Wherever possible, I tried various speakers out in the store, and all seemed to deliver a sound I could live with.

The ability to take an AC adapter wasn't so easy.  At least not in the real cheap models.  Those run on batteries or on USB power only. 

And, finally, the ability to charge the Zune was present in about 50% of the models I found.

Luckily, the Altec Lansing inMotion iM414 fit my needs perfectly.  It even came with a few extras that I didn't require, like a wireless remote control and an FM tuner.

The Basics:

The system is black, with clearly-labeled buttons.  At 10" wide by 5" tall by 5" deep, it's a bit larger than a lot of the other systems out there.  It doesn't weigh a whole lot, so you can easily move it from room to room, but it's not something you'll want to carry around with you, while you're jogging around the block.

The system is powered by 3 AA batteries, or the AC adapter.  The cord is a generous 6 feet long.

Connecting the Zune is easy enough - there's a connector sitting straight up, it the middle of the unit, right between the two speakers.  My Zune 30g fits perfectly in the notch provided.   Note: I have to remove my Zune from its leather case in order to make it fit. That's a bit of an inconvenience, but it's nothing major. 

Note that the system came with an adapter that would allow it to be used with the slimmer Zune models.  I've read reviews where people complained that their system didn't include this adapter.  Mine was included, but well-hidden in the packing material.  In fact, it was buried into a notch of the Styrofoam that held the unit.  I can well-understand someone tossing out the packing materials not realizing that the adapter is hidden within.  But I've also read people stating that Altec Lansing's customer service has been great about shipping the adapters out to people free of charge.

According to the manual, the system should work with the Zune 4g, 8g, 30g, and 80g.  I have no idea if it will work with the 16g or the 120g.

As soon as you connect the Zune, it starts charging.  Even if the unit isn't actually turned on yet.  This is a nice feature, making it very easy, if you just want to use the system as a charger.

Turning It On:

Once the system is powered, and the Zune is connected, the next step is to turn the unit on.  I'm not too pleased with the power button.  In fact, when I first got the system I was convinced that it didn't work.  Why?  Because I would press the power button, and indicator lights would flicker on, then immediately go off.  I was so annoyed!!  Turns out that a little bit of reading the manual goes a long way.  That's where I discovered that you must press the power button and hold it for two seconds in order to turn the unit on.  Sure enough, that worked.  I have no idea why they had to make it complicated, but they did.

Once it's powered on properly, the LCD screen lights, but then dims after about 2 seconds.  I would prefer if there were an option to keep the LCD screen lit.  I can understand wanting to save battery life, but since I'm using it on AC power, I'd prefer to keep the screen lit at all times.  Note that the Zune's screen does stay lit the entire time.  What I'm talking about is the screen on the speaker unit, itself.

Playing Music:

Once the unit is finally turned on, it's a simple matter to use it.  There are controls on the unit, itself, as well as on the remote.  The first control to worry about is "source".  The source toggles among Zune, FM Radio, and auxiliary unit.  Setting it to Zune means that whatever's playing on your Zune will come through the speakers.  Note - you do not need to remove the Zune's earphones in order to use these speakers. 

Setting the source to the FM tuner turns the system into a basic FM radio.  As my Zune, itself, contains an FM tuner, this feature is completely unnecessary for me.  But if your Zune does not contain an FM tuner, then it's a nice feature to have. 

Finally, you can set the source to auxiliary, and use the speakers for an external CD player, a non-Zune mp3 player, etc.  All you need is a 3.5 mm stereo cable (not included) to attach the external device.

Whatever source you choose, you can then set the volume.  There are clearly labeled - and buttons that adjust the volume from 1 to 30. 

Finally, there are "forward" and "back" buttons that can be used to play the next and previous songs, or to skip ahead or backward in the currently playing song.

That's it, as far as controls on the unit, itself.  You'll notice there are no controls that allow you to get out of your currently selected playlist and into another one.  You'll have to do that kind of thing on the Zune, itself.  Luckly, all of the buttons on your Zune are reachable, even when it's docked into the unit.

The Remote:

The remote is very small - less than 4" long and only 1/4" thick.  It takes one of those round batteries, like the kind that a watch would take, and the battery was included.  There are no lights on the remote - no way to see the buttons in the dark.

The remote includes the same buttons as the unit, itself, as well as a few others:

There's a pause button, three FM station pre-set buttons, a bass enhancer button, and a surround effect button.

The bass enhancer button works well; I enjoy the richer, fuller sound that comes through when this feature is on.

The surround effect button is useless, as far as I'm concerned.  It's supposed to "widen" the range of the stereo effect, but honestly, I don't notice any difference.   

The Sound:

To my ears, these speakers sound great.  Especially with the bass enhancer on.  According to the manual, these are "twin, base-enhanced, neodymium" speakers.  I don't know what means, but they sound good to me. 

My Thoughts:

I'm thrilled with this device, as it has met all of my needs and then some.  They sell it in several stores near me starting at around $99, but I bought mine online for less than $60.

The device allows me to share my music, or to enjoy it out loud in a variety of settings.  Most importantly, I can use it outside while swimming.  And, as it charges while it plays, I don't have to worry about my Zune's batteries being dead when I'm finished.

The few negatives:

The power button is not well designed.
The remote has no lights.
The LCD screen on the unit doesn't stay lit.

Overall, far more positives than negatives!



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Recommended: Yes