Testing
When you hear the name Altec Lansing, the first thing that comes to mind is quality. Fortunately this is the case with the T612. Everything about this system is amazing. Did we mention this thing is loud? with the ability to push almost 100db, you shouldn’t have to worry about hearing this thing in any part of the house. The Altec Lansing motto for this product is “Big rich sound for iPhone without missing your calls!” Although this is true, this is not a feature of the T612. The iPhone has a built in feature that does this. Any iPhone capable docking station will do the same thing. We thought that maybe they had incorporated a microphone that would allow you to talk on the iPhone while it is connected and play the audio out if the speakers. To our disappointment this is not the case. Although seemingly unfortunate, this may be the only flaw in the system. Did we mention how loud this thing is? Even at full volume the T612 remains crisp, clear, and you are hardly able to notice any distortion. We had to turn both the bass and volume up to max and then find a song that has extremely low bass before we were able to distort the speakers. When adjusting the volume, bass, and treble, blue LED’s lighten and dim, letting you know where each are set in regards to minimum and maximum levels. The remote was small, but not too small, easy to use, and worked from as far as we could get away from it, while staying in the room. The Auxiliary input, located on the back of the unit was easy to locate. Simply plug any device into it and then push play. Unfortunately when you use this feature the play/pause, previous, and next buttons don’t work. Neither does the silence when you get a phone call (for anything but the iPhone). Perhaps another stunning feature about the docking station is that it is an amazing alarm. I’m not sure if it was mentioned – but this thing is loud. If you have an iPhone and use it as your alarm, just attach it to this. You will never have to worry about not hearing that old alarm clock ever again. Turn the volume up and let your phone charge overnight on the dock. In the morning you are sure to be awakened by your choice of ring tone or sound. Last but not least, the best part of this system is that the T612 doesn’tât pick up annoying intermittent noises emitted by mobile phones. This means that you don’t have to put your iPhone into airplane mode to listen to it. If only other audio devices had this feature, the world would be a better place.
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Front View
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Control Panel
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Rear View
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Rear Inputs |
Conclusion
The Altec Lansing T612 is a breathtaking piece of audio excellence. Whether you have an iPhone or not, if you want a compact stereo that sounds great for your device to plug into, check this out. At $199.95 the cost may be a little high, but worth every penny. You will be able to hear the T612 in any part of your home, if you wish, and not give up quality. There are no unwanted gaps, like cheaper imitations, providing no rattle at higher bass levels. After using this For a week, were not sure how we ever lived without it. We use it as our primary charger for iPod’s, our iPhone, and as an alarm clock (via iPhone). This product is highly recommended to anyone in the market for an iPod/iPhone docking station or anything similar. When it comes to audio equipment – you cant seem to go wrong with Altec Lansing.
