Clock Reviews

I was looking to replace a 20 year old GE 4880 clock radio - it had a numeric keypad for entering times and radio frequencies. Very easy to set up a different time. The SOny looked to be a good replacement. So far, it's doing a good job but there are a few shortcomings.

Pro:
Two alarms
Easy to set times
Easy to tell which alarms are active
Each alarm can use a different radio station
Auto time set works well

Con:
So-so fidelity - needs a better speaker
Display hard to see unless at right angle
Too easy to accidently move volume control

First off, the clock itself seems to be great and has all the bells and whistles we wanted. However, the time zone settings on ours were the exact opposite of those shown in the manual (the A setting was actually D for those who may need this info). Figuring this out saved me from returning it - who needs a clock that auto sets to the wrong time and this feature was the reason we paid more for this model. If it explodes any time in the near future, I'll be sure to get back to you.

Pros:
Nice looking housing and display.
Atomic clock syncs up nicely for me.
Fairly intuitive buttons.
Dual alarm display, very easy to see which alarms are active.
"Snoozinator" a very handy feature.
Total snooze time not limited to an hour: if you keep whacking the snooze bar, it'll keep in snooze mode. (This is in contrast to several other clocks I've tried recently which just leave snooze mode, with no warning. You end up late and angry.) The manual implies otherwise, but the "1 hr maximum snooze" refers to maximum time between alarms using Snoozinator .

Cons:
No day-of-the-week or weekday settings. Not a big deal for me.
No battery backup. Better yet, I wish they'd use non-volatile memory, or at least a good size capacitor, in these things so it would just hold settings.
Radio quality just ok, but that's not a big concern of mine.
Not the greatest wake tones, and no "humane" waking option, doesn't bother me.
Display hard to read in the dark at the two dimmest settings.

I housesit for a lady who has this alarm clock. The creek sounds okay, but I never set it to "Birds of Paradise". It sounds like a war on Animal Farm. Otherwise, it works great and is very easy to use.

The size of the time readout is wonderful, especially to those of us who wear glasses. The nature sounds of the brook and the bird are very nice. My husband finds regular alarms too jarring; this is a pleasant alternative. The ocean sounds too much like static for my taste. I also enjoy the fact the am and pm are not part of this clock. Too many times in the past I set my clock for what I believed to be 5:30 am to find out I set it for 5:30 pm by mistake.

The size of the time readout was great,and if you wear glasses the readout will be wonderful.The nature sounds of the bird and the ocean sounds make you feel like you are at the ocean as the water is rushing in, and the brook makes you feel like the water is drippping on your body.The regular alarm will make you jump out of bed.And on this clock you can set the alarm for 9:ooam and you do not have to worry about it going off at 9:00pm.
It's a great clock to have.

Pros:
1. The sound quality is this radio's #1 best feature. Be prepared: once you get used to it, you'll never be able to tolerate an average clock-radio.
2. The time display is a blue background and white numbers, which I find to be bright enough to read but not glaring. As an added bonus it's almost like a nightlight.
3. Love the weekend skip! Second alarm allows me to keep the first alarm reserved for my "standard" wakeup and use second one for naps or schedule change.

Cons:
1. Pray tell, dear Aiwa engineers, what *were* you thinking by omitting volume control from the remote?!!
2. AM/PM indicator is too tiny to read from a distance so that setting an alarm via remote is tricky.

It would have been nice if the radio also included the feature of having the alarm increasing volume.

This radio is great! The remote control comes in very handy.
I have two complaints about this radio:
#1: the alarms may not be loud enough for a heavy sleeper.
#2: it is not possible to turn the volume using the remote.
The music comes through loud and clear.
I would recommend this radio to anyone.

My daughter got this for her 6th birthday. It was simple enough that she could quickly learn how to use it. She loved being able to choose the sound that she wanted to wake up to. The only thing I didn't like is that it's a little involved to set the clock and alarm. There is no way I could do it without the instructions even after doing it a couple of times. I am going to get the Buzz Lightyear version for my son.

This is so cool! it has the best wake up alarm ever! I love this clock. The only reason I could not give it 5 stars is because even with the manual the controls are hard to figure out, but with practice it is an awesome clock.

For me, I really don't need much in a clock radio. All I need from it is that it will wake me up on time and last a long time. I have owned a similar model of this GE model, but when I moved to college, I bought this model and its about the same as the other one I had. It has that really irritating alarm sound, but it works fine. But the radio tuning is kind of poor, just like my other one. If you are going to buy a clock with radio capability, this product is not for you. Try some other clock/radio.

Affordable,and easy-to-use. Has a convenient snooze alarm and sleep timer.Power-failure backup. I liked the easy to read time display.

Like the other person, I also bought mine as a replacement. I think that the sound is somewhat muffled and the display is way too bright. The only thing that I would do to change that otherwise fine clock radio is add a dimmer switch. Other than that, it is a great radio. It was well priced, and the dual alarms are a great thing to have. I am a student, so I need one to set for the weekdays and one for the weekends and such. The only thing is that display. It is so bright that you can almost read by it sometimes.

I recently purchased this item as a replacement for another GE alarm clock I had for 13 years. This model has a great sound, is easy to operate and I love the dual alarm feature. I use the second alarm on weekends or for naps. I would recommend this product to anyone looking for a new clock radio or as a replacement.

Overall, the RCA clock works quite well. I have a little trouble waking up with the alarm...doesn't get loud until the end. But, it is well worth the money!

In addition to the features listed in the product review, this radio also has a battery back up. The front panel is huge, angled, and hard (impossible) to set things on. The displayed numbers are smallish. Reception can be very sensative to how the power cord is routed. Despite the few disadvantages, I like this clock radio, especially the digital seek tuning with 10 presets. It appears that it has the capability for the two alarms to tune to different stations, but I didn't test it.

Nice, small, good featured radio. Only thing I don t like is you cannot silently set the alarm, it makes some annoying beeps when you try to set it, at least I haven't figured out how not to. But it is a very nice clock and the radio sounds good too.

This is a great little clock radio. Very compact. It is extremely easy to set. I love being able to go backwards and forwards for each hour or minute function. The three backlight levels are terrific. The power cord is detachable, which tells me it will run fine on batteries, but have not done that yet. The sound of the radio is great, but what do you expect from a Sony! The only down side to this clock radio is that the radio only plays for 30 minutes. I guess I will have to set Alarm B as well!

I just got this Sony ICFCD823 CD clock radio and was somewhat impressed with it. Great styling, excellent Malaysia quality, easy to read LCD display, and wonderful sound are a plus. However, the FM reception is poor. It recieves stations but too many static noise. Another is that the volume is a turn dial instead of digital volume. Also, the feature says that it includes a brightness control. It appears that there is no brightness control and is not mention in the manual either. Maybe I got the 2nd generation of the Sony ICFCD823 cd clock radio.

This clock radio saves a whole lot of space that includes a built-in CD player to your nightstand, or anywhere else you're limited for space. The AM/FM stereo tuner has great reception, and the multi-setting dial makes time and alarm setup a breeze. You also get an extendable snooze timer. The backlit LCD display makes it easy to see what time it is, and brightness control lets you dial in the perfect contrast making it easier to sleep. 5 station presets are great, or you can drop in your a CD for a listen. The best part of it is you can wake to CD! Dual alarm makes life simpler for couples i guess, and the memory backup is great for when there are power outage overnight.

I'll mildly disagree with the other reviewer - yes, the effect is subtle, and while it's a pleasant enough add-on, it's not really worth investing in. I really wanted to keep the overall visual impact of the system to a minimum. To be honest, for $80, it doesn't do enough to warrant being the largest single element in the system. Yes, you can toss it on the floor or next to the couch, but it's still littering up your area someplace, and the ever-so-slight improvement of low-end bass isn't really worth the price. It's actually a credit to the Kloss line that this thing is fairly extraneous; I get very good bass performance out of the existing Model Two/Model CD setup I have, and I guess I was expecting that if they could extract that much low-end tone from the M2 speaker, they'd really punch out some bass from the subwoofer. Not the case. Try the M2 setup first; if you're really starved for more bass and have a spare $80 burning a hole in your pocket, give it a try, but I'd let the stock M2 setup grow on you first. Not a bad product; just not up to the standard set by the rest of the HK line.

The Tivoli Model Two radio sounds great all by itself, but the Model Subwoofer gives it just a touch more oomph at the bottom end that makes it even better. I had serious doubts about the performance of a "subwoofer" with just a single 5.25" speaker, but this little thing really works. Lows have more volume and impact, but the subwoofer doesn't call attention to itself, or misbehave by sounding tubby.

The effect is subtle, and won't necessarily show up on all material, but in my installation, music from Robert Cray to Mannheim Steamroller to David Sanborn benefitted from the sub's contribution. The small cabinet is easily hidden if need be, but looks good enough to be placed out in the open, too. The volume control is useful for tailoring the sound to its location.

You can get along quite well without the Model Subwoofer, but once you listen to it, you'll be glad you spent the eighty bucks.