Altec Lansing iM716 Earphones

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Mark Korff
Kurtis
Altec Lansing
Apr. 6, 2006

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First Impressions

Compared to most of the headphones I've used on a daily basis the iM716s are extremely small, but with good reason since they're designed to fit deep within the ear canal. The cord is about 4 feet long overall, and although it would be nice to have a bit more to work with at times, it can still get the job done in most cases. There is an in-line volume control about a foot and a half from the earbuds themselves. In addition to volume adjustment, the controller has a selector which is used to switch between the "HD" and "Bass" listening modes which will be discussed more in-depth in the "Testing" section. The controller also has a clip on the back, although I question the design choice, considering that it is the same kind of clip you'll find on a pen, as opposed to the alligator clips used on similar devices. Unless you always have a shirt pocket to attach it to, an alligator clip would be vastly preferable in most cases.

Although the iM716s are very small, they come bundled with a few important items that deserve mentioning. First and foremost they come with two different types of eartips. The iM716s come with a pair of 3-flange eartips pre-installed that can be swapped with a replacement pair of foam eartips if the flanged pair don't provide a good enough seal in the ear canal. The fit of these earphones is important because the amount of noise reduction, and sound quality, will be adversely affected with a less than ideal seal in the ear (more on that later). Most of my testing was done with the flanged eartips, but I tried both pairs, and the sound quality and noise reduction was about the same with both. What would work and feel best for one listener could be completely different for another however, so it's nice that Altec Lansing provided at least two options with the iM716s.

One set of replacement filters is also included with these earphones. Replacement filters are a necessary evil with the iM716s because the filters will become dirty over time and degrade sound quality if they are not replaced. It's impossible to say how long it would take before replacement is necessary, but with reasonably clean ears and regular earphone use, I'd guess it would be at least a few months before you'd need to worry about it. A small filter removal tool is included with the replacement filters as well.

Finally, the iM716s also come bundled with a hard plastic carrying case. While it is certainly nice to at least have something to protect these earphones with, the carrying case is a little clumsy, and relatively oversized considering the diminutive dimensions of the iM716s themselves. While it is possible to fit the carrying case in your pants pocket, it makes a large bulge, and unless you're really starved for the kind of attention that could bring, you may just find yourself carrying it in your hand, or throwing it in whatever sort of backpack or briefcase you use.

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Page 1: Introduction
Page 2: First Impressions
Page 3: Testing
Page 4: Conclusion

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4 User Comments

1 - Posted by handrail on April 7, 2006 - 7:47 am

great review mark, welcome to TTL.

I can't believe people are suing Apple for earbuds that are too loud! come on. ever since that damn coffee lady and the mcdonalds suit, this country has gone downhill. methinks i smell a newsletter rant topic....

brad.

2 - Posted by Nick on April 10, 2006 - 6:41 pm

Yah, smokers sue the cigarette companies too. Not that I like the cigarette companies, but take some responsibility for yer own dam actions! Next up, cracked out Whitney Houston sues the Colombian drug cartels for her addiction...

3 - Posted by Mark on April 11, 2006 - 11:57 am

Thanks Brad, I'm glad to be aboard.

I agree, most suits like this are really bogus. The one thing I can partly understand with this one though is that concerned parents might be more willing to allow their kids to listen to iPods if they knew they couldn't turn the volume up too loud and damage their hearing. However, Apple has already released a software patch that allows parents to limit the volume and set a password so that the max volume cannot be altered. Of course even if Apple didn't supply such an assurance, parents ultimately have the power to regulate whether or not their children are allowed to have an iPod in the first place if they're that worried about it.

4 - Posted by Rich on April 11, 2006 - 2:23 pm

Aren't young kids supposed to be loud and obnoxious???

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