Altec Lansing M604 for the Zune Reviewed

A few weeks ago, we received an Altec Lansing Speaking system and docking system for the Zune. We've been listening to the M604 since then and are very pleased with the product. At $200, the M604 delivers.  It won’t give you high-end audio but will give you a surprising good sound quality for a product in this price range.

Read our full review.

Product category: Zune Speaker System

Description: Compact speaker system for the Zune Player. The product includes a docking station for the player. It will also charge the Zune at the same time. The product comes with a remote control for the volume, play/pause and bass/treble adjustments.

Pros:  Low Price, good audio quality, Wall mounted bracket

Cons: Limited control of the Zune with the remote control

Pricing and availability: $200.00 retail price but available at $175 at Amazon [affiliate]

Company website: www.alteclansing.com

Made for: Zune

Product quality (8.5/10):

Altec Lansing makes quality products and you can fell that starting with the packaging. This product has been tested before with the iPod and it has also been available on the market for some time now. We can feel the maturity in the details of the product.

The remote control does have a low quality look and feel but it works very well.

Aesthetic (9/10):

Aesthetically speaking, the M604 makes a lot of points. You won’t hesitate to install it in a very visible place in your home. The M604 will look as good on a bookshelf, coffee table or even on the wall using the wall mounted bracket provided with the speaker system. If you are a brown Zune owner, the fit with the grey tones of the M604 will be questionable. But for the black and white Zunes, the fit is just awesome. 

The M604 has very small dimensions for the sound output it can give. This is important to remind if you want to compare it with other bulkier speaker systems like the Octavio.

The product is made entirely of plastic but the frame has a metal look that gives the appearance a nice boost.

Usability (8/10):

Installing the product was extremely straight forward. You hook-up the power supply, dock your Zune and here you go. You enjoy the music. If you want, there is also a composite connector to hook-up the Zune’s TV-OUT to your TV. The unit is also equipped with a USB bridge to sync your Zune to your computer.

If you have another mp3 player, Altec Lansing provides a cable to connect the player and a docking adapter as well. Keep in mind that the play/pause button will work only with the Zune. Leds incorporated in the speakers' bezel give the user a feedback on volume commands sent by the remote control.

For some unknown reasons, when we inserted the Zune in the dock, it would sometimes turn itself to hold. To unlock it, we had to switch back and forth the hold button. We could not find exactly why the Zune would do such a thing.

The most disappointing aspect of the product is the remote control. You won't get a full-function remote control with this system. That means that you can change the volume, pause the music or skip a song but you will have to get up from your couch to change the music. The remote does have next and previous buttons but this is just not enough to have full control over the Zune.

Sound Quality (8/10):

The overall quality of the M604 is very good for a product in this price range. The temptation to compare it to your high-end home theater or even the Octavio from VAF is very strong but it won’t be fair to the sound quality of the M604. If you are looking for background music in your living room, dining room or bedroom, the M604 will give you excellent sound quality. If you boost it too much, distortion will come out the speakers and your “zune music atmosphere” will be ruined.

The speaker system could also make a perfect fit on your desk at the office.

Conclusion (8.5/10):

At $200, the M604 is one of the best speaker systems we ever used. Altec Lansing as been around for a long time and the company is known for making quality products. If you are a real music fan and are looking for a main system for your home, you may want to look somewhere else for more powerful system.

If you already have a primary system and are looking for small system for another room in your home, I’m sure you are going to be pleased with this Zune speaker system.

Enjoy the music!

Comments

[keebs]

I own one of these, I got it off of Woot! and as a result it was quite cheap. I paid $60 if I remember correctly. Great sound and looks nice. I am just trying to find the wall mount for this thing.