Altec Lansing inMotion iM716 Headphones by Altec Lansing
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Digital camera reviews of Altec Lansing inMotion iM716 Headphones
Digital camera Review: Get these headphones the right way
Summary: 5 Stars
First,these phones are great but I want them in black.Now if you don't get a good ear seal they will sound horrible.The treble is silky,the mids are natural and the bass is tight,well defined and deep.I should know bass,I'm a bass player of 40 years and it's like being at a live show.Amazon sells these for $73 with nextday shipping.Get yours NOW.They take a while to get used to and might hurt your ears but deal with it because at this price,it's the best deal out there.The sound quality is amazing.My sony 71s are history.Enjoy from Bassin J.Digital camera Review: Great earphones with a few setbacks.
Summary: 4 Stars
I had the Etymotic Research ER6i Isolator Earphones for a week before purchasing these earphones, not because of dislike of the Etymotic product, but because the family cat decided to use the earphones as a chewtoy. I really liked the Etyomitc ER6i's and the Altec product seems similar to me except for a few things. Here are what I believe are the pros and cons of the Altec Lansing inMotion iM716 Headphones.
Pro- Very good bass compared to other earphones (much better than the ER6i's)
Pro- Pretty durable construction from what I can tell so far.
Pro- Superb sound isolation, very comparable to the ER6i's
Pro- Switch on cord to switch between "HD" and "Bass", also volume control on cord.
Pro- Case is considerably higher quality than what came for the ER6i's. It's a hard plastic grey case with "grippy" fabric on the outside and foam on the inside.
Con- Case is nice but inconvenient. Takes up more space than my video iPod.
Con- Switch on cord, adds a considerable amount of bulk. Clip on back of switch on cord is pretty impracticle, nowhere near as convenient as say, the clip on the back of the Shuffle. This one is not much but a thin strip of metal.
Con- Aesthetics. Simply put, these do not look like premium earphones, the ER6i's were much more attractive with clear casing featured on the earphones. I know people might say that sound is all that matters, but I would've enjoyed a little sharper look to them.
Con- I found the tri-flange ear inserts to work the best but they can be uncomfortable if not inserted correctly, take some practice and getting used to if not accustomed to this type of sound device.
All in all, I think these earphones are a great product for the price ($104.99 as of today). I would give them 78 out of 100. Compared to 32 out of 100 I gave the earphones that came with the iPod. Considerable step up in terms of sound quality.
Digital camera Review: Great headphones!
Summary: 5 Stars
Just received a pair of the Altec Lansing IM716 from Amazon. Here are my initial impressions:
Packaging:
The headphones came in a very simple styrofoam box. Can't say it was the most attractive package, but hey, it much easier to open than the sharp plastic packaging which has become the norm as of late. Inside the box were the headphones, a plastic carrying case, 2 triflanges (already installed), 2 foam tips, a pair of filters, and a filter changing tool. The included instructions were fairly straight forward enough for the first time user of IEMs. There was also a voucher included for a free pair of etymotic earplugs. Although the website given on the voucher is either down or non-existant as I got a 404 error each time I tried.
The Headphones:
Design:
Fairly well built, although I am suspect of the inline volume control. The clip included on volume control is of very little use. It looks basically like the metal clip you find on some pen caps. The headphones themselves are very lightweight. The included triflange tips insert very easily in the ears and isolate from the outside world just as well if not better than the Shure E2C and E3C.
Sound:
The Altecs are some of the clearest headphones that I have ever listened to. Maybe it might be because I have grown used to the rolled off highs of the E2C and E3C, but I was amazed when listening to some smooth jazz saxophone solos. Small details were heard for the very first time.
The headphone actually contains a small switch on the inline volume control that allows the listener to switch between HD and Bass modes. I can honestly say that there is a distinct difference between each. The HD mode gives a flat sound, lows aren't overpowering nor are the highs. Great when listening to classical and jazz. One thing to note is that the HD mode sounds even better when the headphones are amped. The use of an Onkyo receiver brought out the lowend as well created a much more full sound. These headphones need some power behind them in order to shine. Whereas I only needed about a level 10 volume on my Creative Zen touch when listening to the Shures, I needed about a 15 in order to reach the same level of loudness on the Altecs.
The Bass mode does exactly as it advertises. It increases the level of the low end considerably without muddying. Great when listening to Rap and R&B. This creates a much more "fun" sound, if you will. Bass seemed much tighter and cleaner through the Altecs than the E3Cs. When comparing loudness of the low-end, it was pretty comparable with the E2Cs, although the Altecs were not as muddy.
Microphonics can be a problem with these headphones though. I have a feeling this is an issue that may bother some more than others though. The noise that is transmitted through the cord and to the ear is more prominent in the altecs than in either of the shures. This is probably due to the volume control. Not a huge annoyance, but it's noticeable.
Conclusion:
These are a great pair of IEMs for the price. I only wish I had a pair of ER4s or ER4P to compare them to. I can appreciate the sound of these headphones even at low volumes which is something I could have never said about my E2C's. Although the microphonics can be an issue, the great sound coming out of the IM716 will quickly make you forget about it. Remember, you are pretty much getting two headphones in one as the switch creates two different personalities. I recommend these as an alternative to look at if you're in the market for a headphone in this price range.
Digital camera Review: Great sound, but...
Summary: 2 Stars
I just bought this product. The sound is great. However, the connection part seems to be broken now and I get some noise when listening to the music. Bought for just half a month and thinking of returning it.Digital camera Review: Great sound, great comfort, great isolation
Summary: 4 Stars
I use the ER-4P. For the stuff that the ER-4P is bad for (dance trax, rock, and casual listening stuff), the iM716 really does well. It is a bit muddy and not accurate at the top end, but overall is very balanced. Unlike the Er-4P, the iM716 does not have a significant mid frequency hump. the ER-4P beats the iM716 with classical music, jazz and some acoustic materials. The iM716 is more for the modern music with electronic sounds, etc. Enough ranting. I recommend it.