Clock-Radio Reviews

Mine broke w/in 4 months of having it. The alarm ceased going off when you set it to, and instead began going off at its leisure! Also, the buttons are not that easily mastered. I found myself going to the book every time I needed to use it.

It's hard to get excited about an alarm clock that has to wake you to go to work, but the GE 74894 is terrific. The numbers are large enough that I can see them at night without my glasses. The radio works very well. The dual alarm, time set, nap features are great. I love it that I can change the time for the snooze feature. All in all, a terrific buy. VERY highly recommended.

This is a neat little clock. It is "loaded" with lots of nice features not found on many other alarm clocks. Straight out of the box, you only have to set a switch to your time zone and the clock will automatically set the correct time as soon as you plug it in. It can even be set to adjust for daylight savings time automatically every spring and fall.

The design is rather small and attractive. My only gripe is that the rounded clear plastic housing on the front of the clock can exaggerate glare from lights and windows.

The buttons that would be used every day are large and easy to find, even when still half-asleep. The AM/FM radio sounds nice enough for what it is (a clock). You can set 2 different alarm times, there is a "nap" feature which you can set during your day to allow you to take a quick nap and yet have an alarm go off to wake you if you oversleep that is completely separate from the normal alarms. You can also set that 'nap' time from 10 minutes to 2 hours. And the Grad-U-Wake beeping tone of the alarm slowly grows louder, starting off at a level loud enough to wake light-sleepers and growing until it could wake your neighbors. Oh yeah, and there is a weekend mode so that your alarm goes off every morning during the week but disables itself on the weekends. It doesn't get any cooler than that!

GE has always made very good clocks and this one is the cream of the crop. (Circuit City is very good at shipping your item fast!)

A real disapointment. It replaced an older under-the-cabinet GE radio that worked well, but blew up after a power surge. It only gets a few stations, and even those fade periodically. Most stations are accompanied by an annoying buzz, whirr or whine. I have finally had enough, and am replacing it with a comparable Sony. How many holes can my cabinets stand before they collapse?

I feel bad that a previous reviewer doesn't like his. I love mine. I have used it daily since May 2000 and have not had a CD eaten yet! I finally have my music in the kitchen with me. I love having a radio in the kitchen since my stereo is in the living room with the kids TV. I was missing out on my morning DJ and my Holiday CDs. Now I can enjoy my music while the kids watch TV. The sound is great. I love the light too. It's great for illuminating my counter top and at night I use the nightlight feature.

I installed this in my kitchen, and use it often. While it's not a heavy duty stereo, it does very well to keep my kitchen lively. The features are great, cd, am/fm radio, counter light with adjustable dimmer, etc. It takes up no space, hangs only 3 or four inches from a cabinet, and is easy to install with a screwdriver (easiest if you pre-drill holes into your cabinet) Any one who spends a lot of time in the kitchen, and likes music will love this!

The radio didn't turn on when I plugged it in. Pressing the reset button didn't seem to help. Persistence helped by inserting the plug several times.

I had trouble programming the tuning buttons for preset stations. The instructions do not state that the preset buttons must be held for more than an instant. Persistence paid off---I tried over and over.

If a person has been humbled by years of computer problems, he can deal with the the Sangean RS-330 clock radio. But I wouldn't recommend it as a gift to someone who is not computer literate.

I recall the clock radios of the 1960s, which were fitted with levers as sleep switches. If you were still awake at the end of sixty minutes, you could pull the lever again without turning on the light or consulting a manual. And the simplicity of turning a knob to change stations---priceless.

I own both this radio and its predecessor. Overall, this is one of the finer radios available (and I did a considerable amount of research.) The advantages:

(1) LED, not LCD, display for nighttime viewing

(2) earplug port tp listen in bed

(3) 6 presets for easy switching of stations day or night

(4) does not require battery backup as it has a capacitor to save memory in case of brief power outage (see disadvantages below)

(5) Great Sound. No buzz. (the buzz referred to in another review was probably fromplacing radio too close to a computer, or alarm panel, or similar).

(6) EASY time adjustment. has up and down. No need to go all the way around if you miss your alarm or time setting.

(7) Fairly well built. Takes a knocking.

(8) Plus all the usual other features like sleep timers, snooze, etc...

The disadvantages:

(1) the little buried adjustment knob for brightness is buried underneath and can EASILY be damaged when adjusting

(2) the former model had a better power backup capacitor. It could be unplugged or power lost for an hour and it would remember time and presets. New one is a minute or two.

(3) Actually there are 12 presets for AM and 12 for FM, but there is an additional key that needs to be pressed to switch to those modes. Should have been more straightforward, like pressing the preset twice to activate the second preset for that button. (Proton take note!)

Well, that's about it. Good luck.

While Amazon lists this as a Sangean unit, it is actually boxedand labelled as the more familiar and highly reputable Proton brand,model RS-330. (The name Sangean is nowhere to be found.)

This radio is the perfect solution for those who don't want to spend hundreds more on a Bose Wave, but find very little satisfaction from "plasticky" clock radios with horrible sound, analog tuners, and controls unusable by humans. I looked at lots of "junk" before I bought this. Add the companion RS-332 amplified speaker and you have an integrated stereo clock radio "system" with independent alarms and controls for two sleepers. (Each sleeper is awakened by sound from the component on his or her own side, but in normal listening you have stereo.) In my opinion, the extra speaker is a must; without it, you have one speaker monaural sound.

The radio and companion RS-332 each contain a four watt amplifier and 5 inch speaker, together offering great fidelity. The case and controls are extremely well crafted with excellent look, materials, and feel.

Headphone out, power backup (not via battery but deep capacitor), ramp wake volume, light sensitive auto dim, digital tuning, auxilliary inputs, displayed wake time for two sleepers, sleep timer... etc. etc. etc.

FM reception is exceptional with the wire dipole antenna included. In summary, this thing works and sounds GREAT (especially with the RS-332 attached in stereo) as long as you do not expect to blow the walls out at high volume.

The sound quality on this unit is good, the set-up is intuitive, and the buttons are well designed, but as an actual alarm clock it's a bust. The alarm is set VERY VERY LOUDLY - think "wake all the dead on this block", and there is no way to adjust it. If you use the radio or CD wake function, it uses the volume you last listened at. So no good if you listen to it quietly before bed. And because the numbers become invisible from the angle of (at least my) bed, it's impossible to do a quick time check while dozing.

I live in Los Angeles and enjoy many fine radio stations. Unfortunately, the RC-CD500 has a sad piece of wire, hanging like a pig's tail in the back, serving as an antenna. The result? Poor reception, especially in rainy weather. Other than that, the controls are easy to use and the speakers are adequate, good enough for the price of the machine. However, if reception is important to you, please get a clock radio with a telescopic antenna.

Reading reviews, you'll quickly find that some of us are very particular about how we wake up each morning. And who can blame us? A good (or bad) wake-up can set the wheels in motion for a good (or bad) day.

This is a great alarm clock, CD player and radio. It has the most important features one could ask for - a battery back-up, excellent sound, AM/FM electronic tuning, sleep to CD/radio, wake to CD/radio/alarm, well-placed buttons, etc.

One reviewer stated that you cannot program a wake-up track. This is incorrect. You can program the CD alarm to use any of the "methods of play" (specifically "skip play", but also "random play" and "repeat play").

I only wish that the unit were less bulky (though it would be difficult to produce such excellent sound in a smaller unit), and that the finish was black (so it doesn't appear as bulky).

This radio alarm clock seems like a great buy for the money. It keeps time after the power goes off, it sets itself (and that really works, but only the first time), it has a great snooze feature (9 minutes) and it has two alarm settings so you can sleep in some days if you like.
Three problems:

1. The lights are too bright. There are two settings. On bright you need sunscreen, on dim, it's simply not dim enough for my tastes.

2. The alarm is too loud. It needs a volume control. Some people need this, I don't. In the end, I use it everynight.

3. And this is the worst. The time gains about 2 minutes per week. Perhaps it's my electric power fluctuations, but none of my other clocks gain time.

I loved how this clock would automatically reset it's time AND alarms after a power failure. It was also easy to change time zones so you could bring it on vacation with you.

After about three years (I think, maybe less,) it just lost power. I had to hit the dresser it was set upon and then it would kick back on and reset it's time. Not very reliable anymore... I've since tossed it.

If you're just looking for a great alarm clock, this is it! The time automatically sets as soon as it's plugged in. The function buttons are easy to use & not too small. Thankfully, the clock is smaller than it appears in the photo, it's trim & neat. The sound is clear & strong. I like the added feature of weekday/weekend alarm, I never have to turn it off. My one concern was that I like to set my clock a few minutes fast, but no problem, not only could I manually adjust the time, but when I unplugged the clock it not only had the correct time when I replugged it, it also kept the time I had adjusted it to. After you hit the snooze button the alarm light blinks to let you know that the alarm is still active and will be going off again in 9 or 10 minutes. I was searching for an alarm clock for a while, this one makes me very happy.

I got this clock over a week ago, and I really like it! I'm just thrilled with all its features (3 different ways to wake up, 2 alarm sets with the ability to assign days of the week, great sounding CD player and radio- all in one small package) that I can overlook the few complaints I may have about it's design. Since most people look at these reviews to hear about the bad points, I'll elaborate on my complaints, however small and few.

As has been stated in other reviews , the numbers on the clock display are a little small and tend to fade out at extreme angles. If I wake up in the middle of the night, I often have to crane toward the clock to figure what time it is because the lower angle from the bed tends to make the numbers fade a bit.

The buttons are a little hard to push- or more accurately, it's hard to tell if you actually pushed them because they don't give much (no tell-tale click or anything). However, I do NOT find I need two hands to push a button. The system is heavy enough not to slide unless the user is being over-aggressive.

My last complaint is that you DEFINITELY need the manual to set the clock and alarms. It's a little confusing and I found it a waste of time to try to figure it out on my own. Most of the settings need to be made pushing down 2 buttons simutaneously. The up-side to this is that you will never mis-set the alarm while half-asleep. And it turned out that it wasn't so bad because there are so many alarm features (automatic reset, weekend settings) that after the initial set, you many never have to touch the settings again.

Overall, I really like this system and all its features, and I would recommend it. However, if you're looking for a simple alarm clock and don't care about the features, I would probably pass this one by.

After several months, I am very happy with this Clock Radio. Especially useful are the dual alarms, and the great feature that automatically silences either or both of these alarms on weekend mornings. There are back-up batteries to save you if the power goes off overnight. The speakers are better than most bedside radios, and waking up to any specific CD track of your choice is a treat. Or you can choose a radio station or one of several (all too electronic-sounding) melodies. You can also easily adjust the brightness of the dial, from barely readable to a good nightlight.

The trade-off for the cool features is this: it has approximately 19 buttons! So it's complex and a bit counter-intuitive to set up, and you need both hands. If you buy it, don't lose the instructions! Keep them in a bedside drawer, because you will want to check them any time you need to reset anything.

I've had this clock for a few years now.. it's.. well.. awesome.. I love that I can wake up to any song I want to.. with it and my cd burner I can wake up to anything under the sun.. Putting up with traditional radio alarmclocks through my life was pretty hectic.. I never knew what stations were good in the mornings.. At one point in time I was jarred awake by the last 6 notes of the national anthem.. "DA DA DA.. DA DA.. DAAAAAA".. with this clock thats no longer a problem..

Allthough if I ever want to get nostalgic the radio function on it does work better than other alarmclocks I've ever had..

It's nice and small.. fits in lots of places.. and has big sound.. if I turn it up loud enough I can wake my whole house up.. lol..

Please someone write the direction on how to set the time zone

Generally, I like this clock. But the Daylight Savings Detection is not working. It supposes to change the time automatically on day that daylights savings starts or ends, but it does not. I am 100% sure that I set it right. There are 2 possiblities; one is that it is defective or it has design fault, the other is that it rarely get signal from where I live. But it should not require signal for daylight savings detection to work because daylight savings happens the same time every year, so the clock should know when to set it by itself.

The clock & alarm & other setting is quite different & more complicated than normal clocks, so setting a clock is a little difficult at first.

This clock works just as it should. After putting in the 2 AAA battteries for back up. This unit starting searching for the Atomic Clock Radio Staion in Colorado. I had very good signal, even in Michigan. In less than 15 minutes the unit had gotten the correct date and time. With a large back lit display it is easy to read. The backlit display is a bit too bright,but that is its only downfall. I am very pleased with size and the workings of this unit. I will not have to worry about my son changing the time on my clock anymore, this clock will correct it self. A must have.

While this CD/radio/clock has some very attractive features, the sound is absolutely awful. It sounds as if the speakers are under water, or, if you've ever had one of those old 9-volt transistor radios, like the bass is turned all the way up and the treble turned off. CDs and FM radio sound muddy and distorted and AM news/talk is mostly unintelligible.

Since there's no way to tweak any settings to make it listen-able, i've returned the Philips and replaced it with a Sony Dream Machine. The Sony takes up more space and looks like a dopey version of a flying saucer, but it sounds terrific. The Phillips has some features i really like that the Sony doesn't, but ultimately, if it doesn't sound good it's not useable. You'd think that if you were making something to play music, the sound would be a primary concern, but apparently not in this case. That's regrettable.

This very compact CD clock radio has some great attributes. The display is large and readable from reasonable angles and is not too bright. The FM tuner is very sensitive, and AM is good as well. The alarms (two) can be customised for CD (with the track you want), radio, or buzzer AND the volume can be varied with a gradual increase to your personal taste/needs.Has a "weekend sleeper" feature, too. The CD will play CD/R/RW and has a quiet transport.
For myself, the lack of a digital tuner and the difficulty using this analog one with it's tiny dial and difficult to access tuning knob was a big drawback. The sound is quite bass heavy (how they managed that with the little speakers!) and rather muffled sounding on FM and CD (I only listen to classical music).
If you listen to pop/lite jazz, AM music and don't change radio stations, this offers great value and flexible alarms.

We've had this unit for almost 2 years now. The brightness of the display is adjustable, and the dimmest setting is plenty dim enough, contrary to reviews that I've read here. The brightest setting gives the room about the same illumination as an Indiglo-style night light.

The sound quality is quite good for a clock radio.

Two problems:
1) As has been mentioned before, there's no battery backup.
2) I haven't seen this mentioned, and it's super-annoying... regardless of the volume setting or mode of the alarm, when you push the button that cancels the alarm, you're treated to a non-adjustable, full-volume BEEP. Want to wake up to a nice, soft alarm an hour before your wife needs to? Fine. Just don't try to turn it off, though, because doing so will wake the household with the alarm-cancel beep. Really, truly stupid.

Other than that, it's a great alarm clock.

I rec'd this radio as a gift and have used it in my office for the past year. I love the size of it and the design. But, it will no longer play CDs. I had planned to replace it with another player but after learning I wasn't the only one with problems, am opting for another brand. Thanks for the heads up!!

I just got this Sony as a Xmas present and thought I would be real happy with it....well yes and no...I find the sound quality of the cd player to be good and the radio reception is good also..and it is small and compact enough for about any bedside night stand.. so those are the good points... However I am very near-sighted and can not see much without my glasses...on my old clock radio which had mid-size green numbers I could see them fairly well...on this Sony with it's green back-lite display with black numbers it all looks like a big green blur as the numbers do not stand out enough for me...Also when you hit the snooze alarm you get 10 mins per hit but if it takes you a min or 2 to hit the snooze be aware the 10 mins starts from there and you might end up getting up later than you thought...and yes it does make kind of a annoying metallic sound when the cd starts up but once it's playing it seems pretty quiet...so all in all not bad I mainly wish the display was different.

I recently purchased this alarm clock to replace the one I've had for the last 10 years. The sound quality is great and the display is easy to read at night. I also like the built-in power backup feature that doesn't require additional batteries. Here's the down-side... On my old alarm clock, I could set both alarms to wake up to the radio. On this new one, only one alarm can be set for the radio, one for buzzer, and one for cd. I was a little disappointed since my husband and I both enjoy waking up to the radio. At least the buzzer isn't too obnoxious. My overall rating is good with this one exception.

It's a good clock. The display is easy to read, and the settings for the display light range from a dim light that is just enough to read the time to a bright night-light.

The radio is very good too. I live near a radio station that doesn't happen to be one of my favorites, and this little radio actually picks up other stations. Until now, the only other piece of equipment that could pick up anything but the closeby station was the big stereo in the living room.

The battery back-up is excellent. It had its test this morning after my power had been out all night. The buzzer alarm still went off as usual! 5 stars for the battery back-up!!!

Now, there are only 2 drawbacks. First, it is kinda complicated to program. I've had to reset things a couple of times now, and both times I had to get out the instruction book to complete the process. But the instructions are well written and easy enough to follow. Just don't lose that booklet. Second, all the "nature sounds" just sound like white noise. "Thunderstorm" or "ocean".... I can't tell the difference.

All in all, it's an excellent clock. Very reliable and it looks nice, too. I would recommend it to anyone.

I bought this clock about 2 years ago and it is still working just as good as when I bought it! The preset stations and setting the alarm and time was very easy to figure out. Just like someone else said on here, didn't ever get out the book to figure it out. The sounds all sound the same, but didn't buy it just for that. If the sounds would be clearer I would have rated this a 5. I love the 3 alarms that's a really great feature plus you can select five days a week or 7 or just daily. I do however sleep very sound and wish the volume would go up higher, but it works. I recommend to anyone to buy it, as the narrow upright sleek look is great. Would be a nice addition if Timex made it with those updates and maybe a bluelit background instead of the orange, as I like everything to match.

I am very happy with this product, after having used it for over one year. I think it is the best CD/Radio/Environmental Sound clock on the market. All of the controls are digital and it has battery backup. The controls on top are really easy to access at night. Even with your eyes close, you can turn the radio on, change the volume, etc. It has two volume modes (sleep and normal/alarm). The environmental sounds are nice...not exceptional, but good enough for me. It has date and automatic daylight savings ajustments. Plus, you can set the alarm to go off on Monday-Friday, everyday, or only SAT-SUN. Very nice! The CD mechanism is a bit strange...but works fine. The compact size is great, and the LCD is easy to read. If the LCD is too bright at night, simply press a button to dim it...it will automatically re-brighten the next day! Overall, I am very impressed. (I have also tried the similar Sony CD/Alarm clock, and the Timex is much better!)