Home > Consumer Reviews > Altec Lansing T612 Digital Speaker for iPod and iPhone (Black)

The current price of 131 is a very good deal. I paid full price for this unit.

Since this does not have a clock or radio, my main purpose of buying this was to get a decent sound on an ipod player. Also, it had to work with 2G Ipod Touch or 3G phone (both charge and play--many unit will play but not charge these new Ipod models).

The choices are few. Some JBLs and Bose (System II), and Polk Audio. I do not know if the more expensive hifi brands work with 2G Touch; I just didn't want to spend 500-600 dollars for an ipod station.

This unit has much more power than the JBLs I tested. The Klipsh units (like IGroove) will not charge IPod touch 2G, although they have excellent sound.

So it came down to Bose SDII vs this unit, which is now less than half the price of the Bose SDII. They are both very good, but this AL unit can get louder with less distortion, and even at lower volumes separates sounds better. I tested both units, using multiple songs/music (classical solo and orchestra; rock; blues; jazz solos and band; folk; acapella like Take6, among others). I'm not sure what to say about people who say the sound is muddled--well, for some recordings this is true, but a modern folk acoustic album, for example, comes out very crisp and alive, or a violin solo, the sound couldn't be more alive. I think I did a fair comparison of these units, and believe the AL unit may be better, and certainly a much better value. The bass/treble control is also quite excellent.

I have owned several Altec Lansing speaker systems over the year for my iPods...this one is especially designed for the iPhone (and the only one on the market so far).

The sound is clear, rich, and you can crank up the volume quite loudly before you get interference. The sound fills my entire house beautifully.

This is basically plug and play -- plug it in, put in your iPHone or iPod, and play away.

It charges your iPod/iPhone while playing or while in its dock, even when not playing. It does not sync to your computer. It also does not serve as a speakerphone system - you do need to pick up your iPhone to speak into it. When you put it back it the dock, though, it remembers where you were and resumes playing.

It does what it says it will do -- and it is shielded from GSM signal interference, so you do not have to put your iPhone into Airplane Mode, which you must do with any other speaker system on the market currently - that is a plus.

The 199.00 is either cheap for this type of system, or too expensive, depending on your view of things. It is probably overpriced by about 50.00, but you really have no other choice if you want a shielded speaker system for your iPhone.

Recommended.

At first I had some trouble docking my 3G iphone until I removed the iphone adapter that came with the unit.
Bingo! No more problems, 3G works every time with out any errors or phone noise.
The sound is fantastic for a unit of this size and looks very nice, not plastic looking as were many models I considered.
It also works with the new ipod touch, same great sound.
After much shopping around, I believe the T612 is by far the best value and performance any where near it's price range out there right now.

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R2TO3UCTHL5JMI The Altec Lansing 612 is a nice choice for a portable ipod stereo. As the video shows it will work with the Ipod Touch, Iphone, and Ipod classic (among others).

Positives-

- Works with all models of Ipods (but NOT the Shuffle). It is important to note that a plastic insert needs to be added for use with the Iphone (see video). Without using the insert you will get an error message on your Iphone.
- Charges your Ipod
- Will stop playing music and engage the ringer if you get a call on your Iphone.
- Small enough to be highly portable
- Attractive look
- Fully functioning remote - a bit flimsy but it does do the job

Areas to improve

- To me - the sound is a bit flat. The unit would be well served to have more bass response. One solution could be a subwoofer output (This is what cost it one star).
- Would prefer if it was rechargeable - but too be honest it would require a pretty good size battery.

Final Verdict -

A nice choice for this price point. I would prefer a richer sound, but the positives certainly outweigh the negatives - and it may be the best Ipod speaker on the market. This is a great choice for everyone but true sound snobs.


COMMENT - I am getting feedback on my statement that "The sound is flat" Here is my explanation.

I guess I am a bit of an audiophile, but the speaker does not have the bass response to be considered "full". If you were to look at a frequency response chart I would say that the speaker probably fades at about 80-90HZ (although it claims 60HZ on the packaging). In truth, the speaker is unable to move enough air to be effective at frequencies below... say 200HZ.
4 Stars

This is my first Altec Lansing purchase. It's also my first docking station purchase for my iPhone because it's the only shielded device avaialable (as of the time I'm typing this).

Set up was a breeze, the iPhone sits perfectly in the cradle even with the extra large cork case I have on it. The best part!? There's absolutely NO dit-a-dit-a-dit-a-dit-dit-dit interference noise when I receive calls or texts while the phone is docked! The sound quality is great, even at very, very low volume levels. Unfortunately, I can't blast the sound while at work so I can't speak to full volume sound quality.

If I had to wish for something better, I would ask that the remote allow for more advanced menu/song selection. It only offers basic PWR, VOL +/-, BASS/TREBLE adjustment, TRACK +/- and play/pause. It would be nice to have a rotary style remote wherein I could browse other artists and playlists without having to touch the iPhone.

Other than that minor gripe, I'm much happier at work now that I have my iPhone and iPod playing at work and getting charged at the same time. This is a great product which I'm very pleased with!