In the 1980s, “portable audio” took the form of comically large boom boxes with as many flashing lights and extra buttons as eight D batteries could power. The ’90s turned boom boxes into gadgets so sleek and light, they looked (and often were) incapable of pushing enough decibels to fuel a party, let alone annoy the neighbors. And today, the iPod has pretty much killed the boom box, collectors of old-school memorabilia notwithstanding.
Or has it? Big, heavy, and generous of high-volume beats, Altec Lansing’s new Mix is a throwback to the old days. And the best part is that it taps your iPod or iPhone for its source audio, so there are no more tapes to melt on your dashboard or get chewed up by janky cassette mechanisms.
Mix's side-firing subwoofer pumps pounding bass.
At 10 pounds, 1.4 ounces without batteries, the Mix is one honkin’ mother of a machine. After you add the eight D cells required to go cord-free, total weight hits around 12.5 pounds, pushing the Mix from “portable” to “luggable” territory. At 19.7 inches wide by 9.3 inches deep and 7.7 inches high, it’s not small, either. But all that bulk buys deep bass and enough sonic power to rock a good-size living room or outdoor BBQ. At first, we weren’t in love with the Mix’s black-with-gold-trim aesthetic (one of our coworkers commented, “It looks like the future--in 1985”), but it has started to grow on us. And once we started blasting The Gossip’s Music for Men, our doubts were quickly quelled.
Sound-wise, the Mix shines. Bass is heavy and tight, thanks to the side-firing 5.25-inch woofer and matching passive radiator. Mids are handled by two 3-inch, front-mounted drivers, and there is a pair of 1-inch tweeters to round out the high end. The overall tone is bass heavy (but not muddy), and there’s a seven-band graphic EQ along with Bass & Treble controls to customize the sound. For a portable device, we were pleasantly surprised by the wide soundstage and good stereo separation.
The Mix works with any dockable iPod (including the iPhone) and comes with several dock inserts for even better fits. There’s also a bar that slides over your ‘Pod, presumably to keep it from falling out, but we’d advise against running down the street with an iPod docked in the unit. The Mix also sports an FM radio, and two aux-in jacks for adding additional devices. Controls are simple and easy to understand, and the bundled remote can control most functions of the device. The remote also features a handy--though incredibly dorky--belt clip that can slide into a slot in the Mix for storage as well.
Produces clear audio at high volume. Two aux-in jacks offer lots of flexibility. Full-featured remote. LCD displays current track info.
It's crazy heavy. No rechargeable battery pack. The remote can skip tracks but doesn't navigate iPod menus. No AM radio.
