Clock Reviews

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 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).

The worst thing I can say about this clock radio is that the LCD panel does not get very bright. So, for someone as blind as I am, it is hard to see the time in the middle of the night. Otherwise I have been quite happy with my clock!

I love the fact that it not only has a digital time but also has a digital radio. No more dials that you are trying to get in exactly the right place so that your station will come in. It also gives you 5 stations presets (much like your car)...bonus!

One thing that has been great for me is that you can turn your alarm off in the morning without turning it all the way off. My alarm goes off at the same time each morning without me having to make sure it is set on the alarm setting the night before. I don't have to take it off of the alarm setting to turn it off in the morning. It's a great feature! You can set 2 alarms. It has a radio alarm and a buzzer alarm and you can program each separately.

I've been happy with this Sony clock

Well, I own this clock and I've used it for three years. The alarm has never failed to go off, and the time is always accurate. The best thing about it is the digital radio, which means that you are fiddling with a knob to try and find a station, adn the reception in the morning is as good as when you set it in the night.

I agree that the controls were difficult to find: you hold the clock button on the back and push the + or - button on the back to set the time. You hold the Alarm A, or Alarm B (depending on which one you want to set) button and push the + or - on the back to set the alarm. Then you hit the Alarm Mode button to switch on Alarm A (the radio), Alarm B (buzzer) or both (which is nice for usuing the radio at first, and the buzzer as a backup). Once I figured that out, it wasn't a problem anymore.

I'd believe that it's delicate, but since it just sits on my nightstand, it's still in good condition.

sure, it's overpriced, but it's just so cool looking. hard to find minimalist, modern design in the "more is more" world of consumer electronics.

i find that it tunes in stations very well, and the sound is decent for a unit so small. as for the people who couldn't set the alarm, here's a novel idea: READ THE DIRECTIONS. actually, i didn't, and figured it out after a few minutes.

the buttons are sort of oddly placed, but i wake up the same time every day so i don't have to really worry about hitting anything but the button to turn off the radio. if you have someone else who needs to get up at a different time, it has duel alarms, which is a great feature.

the radio seems sturday enough, not that i put my clock radios through a obstacle course or anything. it's everything that i've come to expect from sony through the years; a fairly well thought-out, solid product.

hey, it's small, looks great on your nightstand, and wakes you up when you set it. what else does a clock radio need to do?

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.

Sorry folks.. this clock just doesn't set itself! It's as simple as that. You will find no support for this product.

This clock is accurate, but not very accurate. While looking for a clock I thought it would be great to pick up one of these atomic clocks so I can synchronize all my clocks together.

Just one problem, though... when I went to pick it up and I noticed they had two of these sitting next to each other as a display. They were over 30 seconds different!!!!

There are other ways of setting a clock atomically. I bought a regular wall clock instead and now I just synchorize my watch and all of my clocks with a program I bought on the Internet.

The temperature features are nice and this does keep pretty close time. The feature of it setting itself is handy. I'm sure it makes Day-Lights savings time a bit easier. But I'm not going to pay extra for an atomic clock that is incorrect. You can do it cheaper other ways.

I received a similar (but not identical) SkyScan clock from Sams Club about 1.5 years ago. It's worked great up until last week. The outside temperature sensor stopped working. I replaced the batteries and that didn't seem to help. After contacting Eddie at Impact Merchandising (the distributor of SkyScan products) he emailed me with a fix. What you have to do is take out the batteries from both the clock and the temp sensor. Leave them out for AT LEAST 15 minutes. Then make sure you place new fresh batteries in the temp unit first. Then place new batteries in the clock. (DO NOT TRY TO SET THE TIME OR PRESS ANY BUTTONS ON THE CLOCK). Place the two units 3-5 feet apart. You should get a signal within 15 minutes. If not repeat the process once. If that doesn't fix the clock you can purchase a new temp sensor for $5 directly from them. Their contact info is :
Equity Time
6262 Patterson Pass Rd. Suite C
Livermore Ca 94550
(925) 373-9700

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.

I saw this in the store and was excited by its geek appeal, so I had my girlfriend get this for me for my birthday. It has so much potential, but unfortunately it is wasted by the simple fact that it does not do its job well. I checked the other reviews on Amazon which mention many of the same problems, so I know it's not just my unit. These things just were not programmed well, which makes it basically worthless since it doesn't do its job.

* Misses many incoming calls.
* Gets confused and displays random question marks instead of useful info.
* Randomly loses its settings (messages, auto-off time).
* Hard to program.
* Constantly displays annoying "Olympia InfoGlobe" message instead of something more interesting.
* Numbers never expire from the unit unless you manually display each one.
* Poor interface requires excessive button pushing to display each number.
* Makes a good bit of noise unless you sit it on a pillow.
* When it does show a call, it often takes too long for the number to scroll into view.

In short, find another way to get caller ID.

When I first set up the Infoglobe, I was impressed by the unique, bright spinning display. But the whirring noise and vibration were VERY evident right from the start. Then the REAL trouble surfaced a day or so later. It misses about 1 out of every 10 calls as far as ID goes. It just keeps spinning date/time etc. and acts like phone isn't even ringing! Later, when it is displaying ID for that missed call (or another) it displays ???????????#???????? instead of any actual name or number! VERY ANNOYING! I called tech support who acknowledged this "bug" but was told there was no firmware update available (even if sent back to factory). I WAS told that there was a newer version which uses AA or AAA batteries instead of the 9V one in older version, but supposedly, the firmware/software is same in both, so problem will most likely be apparent in all infoglobes. Newer version also has 6 programmable messages, but you give up 3 caller ID's in their place.

Another feature missing is Caller ID on Call Waiting. I discovered this while on the phone and got the beep to discover no info popping up on globe. Another disappointment.

Not a bad idea, but if you want it to ID ALL your calls, you just can't count on it since it misses at least 10% and just keeps on twirling oblivious to your ringing phone.

Very cool. Has value as a nifty clock/calendar even if you don't hook it to your phone line (though I have). I've often considered getting another one for work just for the "ooh, ahh" effect--and I wouldn't use it as caller ID there. I also enjoy that its operation is so intuitive (I never have to get the instructions out).

And yes, the motor is audible, but with just a bit of trial and error you can find a placement in which the noise is minimal.

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!)