TechRadar Verdict
Pros
- +
Good sound quality
- +
Bluetooth transmission technology
- +
Easy to use
Cons
- -
Price (but worth it)
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Altec Lansing has a 70-year history in audio tech, and the expertise it's accrued over that time is evident in the InMotion Air wireless speakers.
The sound quality is great. Altec Lansing hasn't cut any corners with the build quality and components, and sound is as crisp and clear as if the speakers were physically connected to a PC.
It's not just the design that helps the unit reproduce audio so well, but the Bluetooth technology used to connect to the music source. This has enough bandwidth to transmit audio with no noticeable loss of quality.
The Bluetooth allows for a distance of 100 metres between the speakers and the USB dongle, but in our tests the audio started to break up when the speakers were moved into another room.
When the dongle is plugged into a PC, you can easily control the computer's media playback from the buttons on the InMotion AIR or via the included remote control. There's also a 'Launch' button on the remote that launches the default media player on the PC.
Another fantastic feature is the ability to pair a Bluetooth-enabled device with the InMotion AIR. The process is incredibly simple, and it only took a few seconds for our test phone to connect to the InMotion AIR. Once the two were paired, we were able to control playback on the phone from the remote control.
The remote also has an 'ESS' button to activate Altec Lansing's 'Expanded Sound Stage' technology. This is supposed to improve sound quality in large spaces, but when we tried it we didn't notice any major change.
Everything about this speaker works well. It's a bit pricy though, which might make you think twice before taking it outside. However, with the range of the Bluetooth transmitter and seven-hour battery life, the InMotion AIR is wasted next to a PC. It might be expensive, but it's well worth the money.
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