The iM510 Speakers for the SanDisk Sansa “e” series MP3 Players is a nice speaker option for those that want to use the Sansa for more than just on the go music. A small section in the middle of the bottom pops out with a connector that you plug the Sansa in to. This also turns on the Sansa. On the top are three buttons. One for increasing the volume, one for decreasing the volume and one for turning the speakers on and off.
On the back of the speaker unit is a power connector so that you can run the speakers off of house current, there is an auxiliary jack so that you can plug another device in to the speakers, like a home stereo, etc. And a USB connector so that you can interface the player with your computer while it is docked with the speakers. It is also nice to note that while you unit is plugged in to house current it will also charge your Sansa. Finally, there are battery compartments on the back so that you can make the speakers just as portable as the Sansa player. It uses 4 AA Alkalines and provides the speakers with up to 24 hours of power.
Overall the speaker sound is quite good. It is not as good as a 200 watt home stereo, but it is better than the earphones or any moderately priced earphones you would use with the Sansa. There is no booming bass, but the lows and highs are their just not with the kind of power one might want. If you want big bass then these speakers are not what you’re looking for. You might be better off using an 1/8-inch jack cord to connect your Sansa to your home stereo through the headphone jack of the Sansa instead. But, if you want good sound, the possibility of good sound on the go and don’t want to carry around a heavy set of speakers to do it the iM510 is a very good option.
Now for the downside. Considering that the Sansa “e” series players dock with it using the USB connector on the bottom of the player and given that the connecting of the player to the speakers turns the player on(though turning the speakers on with the player docked does not turn the player on) I am disappointed that the “mother” control doesn’t include the speakers being able to control the players volume. In other words since the player resets the volume to the middle when you turn the player off no matter how many times you press the volume up button on the speakers it will not increase the volume on the player. You instead need to adjust the volume on the player to maximum and then you can adjust the speakers volume past the midpoint. It would have been nice if both the player and speakers defaulted to the middle volume level and then as you increased the volume on the speakers using its controls the players volume was adjusted as well.
Something else I would like to have seen is player controls on the speakers so that you can work the players menus, choose songs to play, etc. This would eliminate the need to use the on player controls which when docked with the speakers can be a bit awkward. This is not the fault of Altec Lansing but of SanDisk as the controls on the Sansa are not as easy to use as they could be. Things are a little small and tight on the player and the lighted dial ring is a little too thick which makes using the outer ring of four buttons harder to use. I don’t know who is to blame about the volume control, it could be SanDisk as they just don’t allow that kind of control through the docking connector or if it is Altec Lansing for just not taking advantage of that. Either way it makes the speakers a little more awkward to use and not a seamless package as it should have been.
Even with the volume control issues I like the iM510 speakers. They are a nice package with good sound. I thought it was a very nice thing to have it so that not only can you keep your Sansa charged while docked with the speakers (when using the AC Adapter which is included) but also being able to connect the speakers and docked player to your computer for easy managing of the music and such on player. So the speakers act as more than just speakers it is a docking station and that is something I really missed when I got the Sansa the included USB cable with the Sansa is fine, but a docking station is much nicer.
