Sony ICF-C153V Large Display Clock Radio with FM/AM/TV/Weather Band Reception

• Sleek clock radio receives FM, AM, TV and weather band stations
• 25 random memory presets
• Snoozinator gives you up to an extra 60 minutes of sleep
• 3-level brightness control
• Dual alarm; nap timer; stand-by weather alert mode

This clock radio has alot of good features, such as 5 buttons for radio stations, 3-position brightness control, and a small footprint, so it fits well on my nightstand. Reception is fine in my area.

It allows me to set the clock, instead of having it set automatically from a remote transmitter, as other clock radios are starting to do. We have had a wall clock that is set this way for about 2 years, and it is often changed to be one or more hours early or late. I would not recommend having a clock set this way if you rely upon it for waking you up.

It is advertised as having 2 alarms, but actually it is one alarm for the radio and another for the buzzer. It does not have two alarms for the radio, which is what I had wanted.

My biggest complaint is that it is too wide for me to pick up without accidently pressing one or more buttons on the side. One of these buttons is for brightness control, and another one is for Daylight Savings Time. Once again, I woke up an hour early today because I didn't realize that the time was incorrect. I have tried taping over the button, but cannot prevent it from being pressed through the tape.

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This radio has pretty good reception. I didn't orient the power cord in any special way, but it works well in our second-story bedroom. FM, TV, and weather bands all come in well. Of course, we're close to an airport where the weather station is located...could be a factor.

My previous radio had a setting for day of the week. This provided an automatic disable for weekends. It also had selectable buzzer/radio for both alarms. This radio does have two alarms, but one is dedicated to buzzer while the other is the radio wake up.

All of the presets are really nice and the digital tuner works well. We're avid baseball fans, and we like to listen to the games in the evening and then listen to music in the morning. Unfortunately, I lost all of the presets at the first power outage. Again, my previous bedside radio had a battery backup. Unfortunatly, it had an analog tuner that was a bit of a pain and developed a buzz in the speaker when the radio was on. I bought this item expecting that Sony had done a better job on the user interface than I found when the unit was used.

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I wanted something which was easy to read at night as I am pretty short-sighted. This does the job for me.

Radio reception is average and sound is OK considering size and price of the unit.

Easy to use overall.

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Just received this clock radio. I like the looks & modern style. Setting the clock, alarm and station presets were very straightforward. Station reception was excellent and the digital tuner makes locating a station easy. Sound is very good for a small mono radio. I really like the cube design; it does not take up the entire nightstand and LCD display is easy to see. All in all this comes close to being a perfect clock radio for me. If the clock was an atomic clock with an LED readout, then it would be perfect.

LCD has 3 brightness levels; it does not bother me but I can see why people, who need total dark to sleep, might find even the lowest setting too bright.Two alarms: one is radio only and one is buzzer only. It does not have a battery backup. But I noticed that when it was unplugged for a couple of minutes it did not lose my settings. So there may be a built-in backup; have to wait for a real blackout to find out.

If you don't need the TV & weather bands or want the clock radio in black, check out the ICF-C143 model; its just AM/FM.

1.) The power-cord is a bit on the mammoth side and stiff. Hard to

bend, but managed to get two plastic wire-ties around the the rolled

up power-cord after i positioned the radio in the bathroom.

2.) The radio plays good on the Weather Band here in the woods...about

20 miles from the transmitter.

3.) The FM band, no complaints. Does the job fine. Good quality

reception. We use the FM band nightly during bathing.

4.) AM band is good too... except for our lamp-dimmer in the wall

which generates strong square-wave interference when used at night.

Daytime reception is no problem... without the lights on in the

bathroom.

5.) We use the radio with the display on the dim positon... and

still has plenty of light to read it at night from the johnny

seat... pleasant enough & handy.

Basically, no problems with the radio other than the powercord

being much to ugly, black and HURKY. Way to large for the rated

5-watt radio consumption. OverKill on the powercord.

After the warranty runs out, i will solder a light-gauge white

lampcord (cut to proper length) in place of the present powercord.

We like the radio muchly. Takes minimum space on vanity counter

with small footprint. Pleased actually.

We live in deep woods of N.E. Minnesota above Lake Superior.

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Tivoli Audio Model Three Dual Alarm Speaker, Cherry/Metallic Taupe

• Matching stereo speaker with 2nd alarm for Model Three clock radio
• Easy-to-set aluminum bezel alarm quartz mechanical movement
• Snooze button with 5-minute increments; pleasant beep tone
• 3-inch full-range driver ensures accurate tonal balance and bass response
• Measures 8.375 x 4.5 x 5.25 inches (W x H x D); 1-year warranty

Five stars for the satellite speaker, which converts the Model 3 into a Model 2 (i.e. very credible, rich-sounding stereo system, rated as best compact system by Consumers Reports). However, the clock is simply a battery-operated, pedestrian time-keeper that beeps (certainly whomever you've selected as a bed partner deserves better). Last I checked, the speaker alone was fifty bucks. Pick it up and get a $10 small alarm clock (battery, wind-up, or electric) that at least offers more than a plain, uninteresting and insufficiently loud "beep" and doesn't sound off every 12 hours. (Even if you don't have a bed partner, I recommend the extra speaker. It can be kind of cool--even a transporting experience--finding yourself lying between a violin section and a cello section.)

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Does the job and has great sound as an addition to the clock radio by Tivoli. The cherry cabinet matches the furniture nicely. The clock itself: not the best, probably, but it does what it should... keeps time well! The light does not bother me at all. It is dim enough.

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The clock setting mechanism did not work. It just goes around a dizzying pace. The speaker does work though.

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When I was young I heard a Kloss Model 1 and I had really never heard anything that really had that kind of wonderful sound. I think it was back in the 1970s when I first heard one. It didn't seem possible that kind of sound could come out of something that 'small'. I liked the sort of 'laboratory' style it had. In a way, it also sort of looked like some of the esoteric home built kits with the big geared dial/knob and very basic design and function. I really appreciate the cherry wood and how well it's finished. I bought the whole set. (Second, stereo clock/speaker, and the sub) Now I have the best sounding clock radio ever made! I plug my iPod into it. Sometimes my computer. I've watch movies on my bedroom TV using the Tivoli Model 3 system as the sound system for it and it's great. This system isn't going to break windows and rumble the floors and walls and that's not a bad thing. It's still beautiful and its' timber is wonderful. It would suffice in an office, dorm, small apartment... For real house destroying volume I have a massive home theater, but honestly, it wouldn't all fit well in my bedroom and would be pointless to do so anyway.

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Philips DS9800W/37 Fidelio SoundSphere Docking Speaker with AirPlay

• Compatible with: iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4
• Fullsound to bring your CD listening experience to life
• Real hand-crafted wood speaker enclosure for fidelity sound
• Stream music with AirPlay wireless technology
• Remote control complements speaker design and finishing

Here was my situation I moved and didn't feel like putting in the effort to wiring the entire house for speakers, amp, IR control, etc... And the cost to do all that can be hundreds. So I set out trying to get an AirPlay speaker even if it was to hold us over for a year. Well two months of trying different units I ended up here. And before the first song was done playing I was hooked.

First iHome's WL1 I liked the mobility and battery life but HORRIBLE sound quality, sounds like a pillow was on it, it tries to over emphasize the bass to the point where it flopped the speakers at 1/2 volume.. went back in 2 days. (also went back because if iPhone 4S issues of dropout which later was identified as an Apple defect that's still not fixed, so note that the 4S is not compatible with ANY, AirPlay devices at all... not until they release iOS 5.1 some time in Feb 2012 or beyond)

Second Bose OK sound but weak and not real AirPlay (didn't realize when I purchased) went strait back

Third Philips sound ring far better sounding then the iHome, but battery life was short 1-2 hours depending on volume, much less then iHome, and the bass was awkward...

Fourth Philips 8800 sound curve I gave up on battery power and decided that I needed a plugin and focus more on sound quality. I was extremely happy with this unit, it had great sound, look, and fit in all the places I wanted to put it... I planned on keeping this unit and most people may want to stop here... it's a fantastic speaker.

Fifth However, Amazon had a huge 30% discount on this 9800 & 6800 units, so I couldn't resist and ordered both... well the 9800's arrived first, plugged in and placed the speakers about 16 feet apart, setup the airplay which is super easy and began playing parts of songs to test the quality, I started with high quality acoustic & vocals like Jack Johnson, Paula Fuga, Nora.... VERY rich and clean, the right tones that I expected, well balanced... I then moved to more blues and instruments like Amos Lee, Matt Costa, Beck, Beastie boys instrumentals... Perfect sound reproduction to my ears, I couldn't find fault in what I was hearing. Lastly I wanted to test out the lows and volume and played LMFAO (kids current favorite), Citizen Cope, G Love and even some heavy stuff like Tool and it took it all without stress. The lows were deep, enough to feel it and hear it on another floor of the house and at high volume it never flopped out... the High's hung in and stayed crisp. These are fantastic. I didn't bother to test the smaller 6800's.

So in the end, I have to say they are amazing in sound quality, AirPlay is great, it's somewhat portable as you only need a single speaker so I just disconnect the 2nd and I can move the primary speaker outside or to another room in seconds. I was hesitant to get the Philips brand because of historical quality and I do notice significant different between base consumer products like philips/sony/pioneer and the good stuff Onkyo, Denon, HK... but these make a great showing and there really is no competition... I did not try the Zeppelin Air, it gets good reviews but I was not a fan of the look.

Yes these are expensive, but they are fantastic and won't disappoint. And volume wise, these fill a 32 x 26 room with ease at 1/2 volume, any higher and people start to have to yell over.. it does have a true 50W RMS (equal to Sony's 1200watt receivers)

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These Speakers are simply fantastic. Audiophiles with undoubtable find something to criticize, but for their size and price these speakers really have remarkable presence and dynamic range. I have them in a large living room and they are just excellent.

Setting them up was much easier that I thought using Airplay. I have a sync button on my router which speeds up the process quite a bit. 1. Hit the sync button on router 2. Hit sync button on speaker. 3. Hit Airplay button on iPad (Music Icon) and select the speakers. That was it.

Streaming Pandora One works very well. I changed the Pandora setting to stream higher quality. I am using a 1st Gen iPad and iPhone 4s. Volume works by using the physical volume controls.

The only flaw so far is the included remote which doesn't work unless you are very close, but you don't need it since you can control everything from your mobile device. The included docking station is elegant and charges your iPad/Phone (it doesn't have a physical connection, but you don't need one).

I am very impressed. After doing quite a bit of research, I was going to by the Klipsch G-17 Air's but they delayed the ship date. I am really glad, because it is going to be hard to beat the sound on these. I was a bit hesitant because Philips does not specialize in Audio. I have to hand it to them, they did a first rate job with these speakers.

I was also a bit concerned about Airplay being glitchy, but the Philips speakers has it working flawlessly. These speakers are the way it should be! I control all my music around the house using my iPhone!

I will definitely buy another pair and would recommend them.

I also bought the DS3881 SoundRing for the bathroom. It is rechargeable so you can bring it around with you in the smaller rooms. I hope they work as well as these.

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Soundwise no complaints, though I prefer them with active "Full audio" which is available through the Fidelio-App. Without "Full audio" they might sound a bit recessed, especially at lower volume levels. Also be careful how you position them. Near a wall bass becomes enhanced, in the middle of a room they might sound quite "light" in bass department. Apart from that they sound very natural and very brilliant outplaying all other docks i have ever owned in detail reproduction, particularly because they are really capable of a wide stereofield, unlike most other single-box dockingstations.

When comparing them to the already very good sounding Audyssey South of Market Dock that i also own, the Soundsphere sound clearer and more distinct with better definition in the mids, the Audyssey having a slightly deeper reaching bass which is surprising as the Audyssey is considerably smaller. Altogether the Audyssey just cannot compete soundwise, because the sound seems to come from a single point, while the Soundsphere do really create a three-dimensional soundscape.

Unfortunately only one of the Soundsphere speakers has an amplifier built in, the other is acting as slave, meaning they both need to be interconnected with a wire. This is a pity, because 2 independent speakers would make positioning even more flexible, you would just need a connection for power supply. Of course this would mean even higher costs, as the used components seem to be of high quality, because in fact you can hear a relay from the amplifier inside when turning them on.

I like the design and material quality is top notch. They are heavy and seem pretty robust. But i would like some additional colors to choose from like white, red etc. maybe. I am sure other colors would be very popular as well.

When successfully paired with your network which wasn't a big deal even when setup manually, they always need some time (10-20 seconds) to become active after turning them on. Unfortunately you don't really know if they are on or off as the LED is at the back and cannot be seen. I had some short hick-ups during playback through airplay, but this might be related to my router and interference with my airport-express as well. Most of the time streaming was without any issues.

There is only one master volume level available, which is a good thing because like this the amplifier always works at an adequate level. If you control volume through the remote the volume-slider of your i-device will be controlled at the same time, so no dual volume-levels anymore that interfere one with each other like with many other wireless and bluetooth systems.

The included dock only acts as a simple charging-station, although it has some nice light at the base, it has no other functions. This is a pity, because you cannot really use non-Airplay devices with the Soundsphere except through the auxilary-in, though you will always lose quality like this because of additional digital/analogue conversion. The dock would be perfect if it acted as an airplay-transmitter on its own. This way you could dock your Ipod Classic and transmit 160GB full of music wirelessly to the Soundsphere without any quality-loss. I really hope Philips might add such an active Airplay-dock once as an accessory.

Although the dock can also charge an Ipad, it is quite a hassle to fit an Ipad inside and sometimes i even got a message that the Ipad wouldn't be charged and had to redock it several times in order to make it work.

If you can warm to the Soundsphere's looks you will definitely like them overall as the speakers produce spectacular sound that rivals all single-box speakers i have ever heard. I only miss an optical input to be able to attach other digital sources so that the Soundsphere could indeed substitute my complete stereo system, soundwise they already do!

PS: If you want to stream through Airplay from your PC without the need of iTunes, just install Airfoil. Airfoil allows every single program to transmit to any available Airplay-speaker, even several simultanously, although they are not perfectly in sync, but i really recommend it.

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The speaker sounds amazing, the wifi setup is easy connect to speakers then login to router the you are done, bass is so clear , u can adjust how u like it to sound with phillips app from the Appstore, so its a plus

.i've used it for 5 days until it decided to stop working on me in every aspect , wireless and aux in. It was hardware malfunction. 5 stars for design and sounds. 1 star for hardware problems. I wish it lasted longer than 5 days ;(.

Beautiful designs with no potential!!

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I bought the Philips DS9800W after listening to a few Air-play enabled speakers in the market.

The Philips speakers are hands-down, the best sounding and looking speakers out there.

They beat out the Zeppelin and various Airplay speakers available here.

The sound quality is first rate for a small speaker.

But the reliability is terrible. In the one year I had it, its been sent back to the repair centre in Singapore 6 times!!

On the first time ( 7 days after I bought it), Philips replaced it with a set of brand new speakers.

The second pair failed to detect the wifi from an Apple Airport Extreme after 2 months.

All other iOS devices have no problem with the wifi.

Since then the speaker have been sent in for repairs roughly after every 2 months.

The wifi board was replaced each time.

The problem is that the internal wifi loses link after you stop playing music for 24 to 48 hours.

Then you need to re-attach the wifi signal and it takes a few attempts before it locks.

The speakers are about 2 m from the Airport Extreme, so distance is not the reason for its poor performance.

The are numerous complaints about its wifi performance in the Philips Forum site.

I hope Philips find a long term solution to this issue. This is a fantastic sounding product, its potential limited by its poor reliability.

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JBL On Stage 400P Speaker Dock for iPhone/iPod (Black)

• Compatible with all docking iPods .
• Digital amplification and DSP(digital sound processing) gives you great sound.
• Includes an RF remote with full iPod navigation.
• Evercharge topology charges iPod even unit is switched off.
• Works with iPhone.

I read up about several iPod speaker docks before I decided on this one. The gizmodo ipod dock face-off helped a lot in my decision (http://i.gizmodo.com/5211025/ipod-dock-8+way-battlemodo). They tested several well known brand docks against each other including JBL, Sony, Bose, Altec Lansing, Klipsch, and Logitech. This JBL dock came out on top even over the Bose and after listening to it for a while now I can see why.

Crystal clear sound, deep clear bass, crisp mids and highs. What especially surprised me was the bass. I wasn't aware that such deep bass could be produced from a small ipod dock. I was able to listen to the Bose dock at Best Buy. Being in a huge store probably didn't help the bass but there was virtually no difference in sound between the two, and the JBL is less then half the price.

I personally like the design of the JBL over the Bose. A sexy silver and black oval shaped speaker with my iphone sitting on top. The speaker is shielded so there is no interference whatsoever from my iphone. And my iphone sits sturdy on the top with the correct adapter. The remote is also very useful as you can change volume, skip, pause, and navigate menus with it.

For me this is without a doubt the best ipod speaker dock on the market.

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I've been researching over a year for the perfect dock. Yeah it may sound crazy but im very fussy about the quality i want. So in the end, very difficult to find a perfect product, but JBL 400p is what comes closest. Here's why :

My requirements :

1. Crystal clear sound with clear bass.

2. Should be reasonably loud without distorting any elements and not only for laptop use

3. Shouldn't be crazy expensive

4. Should be portable (BTW i don't see portablility merely as a function of temporary power).

5. Should plug into alternate sources.

6. Didn't care about AM/FM.

Now with the above in mind, i zeroed in finally on Bose, Altec and Sony and did some serious research, to the point of going nuts and finally saw JBL winning. I will skip commenting on Sony cuz its not worth it.

Bose Sound dock: There is no doubt that this one produces the best and loudest sound out there, notwithstanding the gap between best and next is rather slim :) . I almost decided to buy this and then saw in the demo how it "completely" distorts the balance of sound at high volumes, especially the bass. So the value of loud music gets negated. Additionally, ive heard they are custom tuned to the songs that they play best at demos and hence made to sound awesome. And finally the price at 300/400 made it look ITS JUST NOT WORTH IT.

Altec Lansing imT620 and T612 : I think this product is overhyped. Its like one of those chinese products that try to give you as much as they can for as less money as possible. And this makes it the best choice for an economical product. I didn't find the sound clarity impressive at all. But just cuz i was fed up looking, i wanted to close the deal with this and be done.

JBL : While i almost got Altec, one friend of mine suggested JBL and i took a look at 200id. Didn't like as much and then just chanced upon 400p which i somehow left out of comparison totally, possibly because this wasn't rolled out then. This product clearly comes the "closest" to what Bose sounds like and for abt 200 bucks (on a deal) made great economical sense. I am amazed at how it retains the sound clarity even at high volumes, have never seen it distorting any elements. This is the only product that is impressive from the JBL camp for ipod and some serious competition. I have had it for abt 2 months now and completely satisfied. The only small issue is its not as loud as i wanted it to be, which is why the 4 stars and not 5.

Now i'm not suggesting this as a winner based out of only 1 or 2 factors. I had a clear set of requirements and this met all of them very closely. So i won't suggest you take my review at face value, rather go check it out yourself, cuz you may have a different criteria. But for sure keep this one in your comparison.

Read Best Reviews of JBL On Stage 400P Speaker Dock for iPhone/iPod (Black) Here

I'm very critical of sound quality and I was looking for an iPod dock to take to Mexico with me on vacation. I looked and listened to everything available at brick & mortar stores.

The Bose was too expensive. I knew that. Long story short...The JBL On Stage 400P was a gamble-it lacked some bells and whistles that other docks had but I kept coming back to sound quality, which mattered most to me. I also hesitated with this purchase because it was available at WALMART of all places.

Finally! a purchase that really and truly made me happy. It was on 24/7 in Mexico. I had none of the issues other people had. It's not cheap/inexpensive but it was a great investment for me.

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JBL has made a very nice sounding device that, unfortunately, does not work out of the box with the 2nd gen iPod Touch. Even though this speaker dock was released in spring 2009 and the 2G iPod Touch was released in Fall 2008. Regardless that the product info says it works with "all docking iPods and the iPhone". The included iPod Touch 2G adapter does not allow the iPod to fit down snug enough to fully connect with the 400P so it is unable to play or charge. There is a bump noise from the speaker which may indicate it is close to connecting by cannot quite make it. I tried it several times but it was no go. I then took out the included adapted and attached the iPod without an adapter at all and it worked. I checked several times to see if I was using the wrong adapter but I was using the correct one.

My first inclination was to send it back, however it does sound nice so I really want to keep it. The problem is the connector may be in danger of breaking off if you don't use the adapter and not using the adapter probably voids the warranty.

But regardless, I used a couple small self adhesive rubber pads I had lying around to secure the iPod a little better than just not using anything at all (it seems all the adapters do is snuggle a bit with the iPod to prevent damage to the connector). While I myself will be careful with this solution I am afraid anyone else grabbing it or attaching/detaching it may break the connector off (especially the kids). If it broke inside the iPod it could be bad news for my expensive 32GB iPod.

I might still have given it 4 stars as it does sound good but the remote only operates the built in iPod music player but I use mostly Pandora for music listening so the other functions aside from volume do not function in Pandora or any other audio app.

Of course this, like all Apple related accessories, is way overpriced for what you get.

Maybe JBL will put out a new adapter that would actually work with the iPod 2G but I won't hold my breath.

I have over 30 years experience as a audio professional. I always seek out the best of the best and the JBL ONSTAGE 400P is the finest IPod/IPhone Dock product ever. The sound quality out performs Bose and any others. The high notes and low notes are clear and do not distort at full volume. The speaker shape sends the sound wave out in a stereo surround effect that fills the room. I want one now in every room. This product is absolutely awesome. I use it with my IPhone 3GS. I am buying more for Christmas gifts.

Paul McDonald/Memphis

Remember: What ELVIS did all over the world started in Memphis!

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RCA RC127i Clock Radio Charging Station for iPod/iPhone

• Wake to radio, iPod, or buzzer
• Custom-flex charging connection lets you charge without removing the case
• Audio line-in for audio playback (pigtail type)
• Digital tuner for FM radio reception
• Sleep and snooze functions

This clock radio may not be sleek looking, but it has a lot of nice features. I loved it. The price great and offers some nice features. If you don't want to spend a lot of money, you can't go wrong.

Cons:

Doesn't have a "fashionable sleek" design

Doesn't have a battery back upI live in Florida and get many thunder storms. At times, the electricity is temporarily interrupted. Because this unit doesn't have a batter back-up I need to reset the time.

Pros:

Compact Fits nicely on any desk or night stand.

You can charge your iPhone/IPod WITHOUT removing the protective case. I love this feature

Has two wake up settings. You can set the alarm to radio or alarm.

Nice sized Snooze & Sleep function button.

Audio in-line so you can play music from your IPod/IPhone

20 Programmable Preset Stations for the FM Radio.

Charges iPod/IPhone quickly.

Nice clear sound when you use the FM radio.

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The RCA Clock Radio Charging Station for iPod/iPhone works great. This is a handy item to have when your household has numerous iPod products that all need charging at the same time. It's also great that you can play your music from your iPod through the speakers. While not fantastic sounding, it isn't bad for the product size. The radio works good, we are able to tune in to our local radio stations that we like to listen to and they come through nice and clear. The numbers on the clock are bright, but not so bright that they bother us at night. We have used this product with an iPod Nano and an iPod Touch and both charge great with no problems and no adapters needed.

Read Best Reviews of RCA RC127i Clock Radio Charging Station for iPod/iPhone Here

If you own an iPod/iPhone, having a combination clock radio/charger is neat. The RCA Clock Radio has a few cool features:

* Reset up to 20 of your favorite stations

* FM antennae

* Two alarms--a serious plus

* Large numbers

* Large snooze button on the top front

* Option of alarm or radio

* Compact: slightly over 4" x 4" and only 2 ½ high

As far as a charger goes, the one major thing to catch my eye was "Charge without removing protective case" on the side of the box. While it's true, there's more than enough room on the dock for a case, the two-part OtterBox won't fit. If you take off the soft rubber part and leave on the hard plastic shell, then yes, the case and iPhone will connect.

One huge negative is there's no battery backup. We live in an area where the electricity goes out often. Sometimes for thirty minutes, sometimes much longer. Once the power goes out, the settings are erased from the clock radio. Who wants to go reprogram the stations time and time again? Not to mention the alarm just failed.

Another negative is this isn't dummy-proof. The how-tos aren't clearly marked. An example is "Stand by" mode. Nowhere is there a stand by button. You sort of have to figure it out on your own. I also didn't find setting the alarms to be that easy. Also in the above description, there's a mention of GRADUWAKE, a feature that slowly wakes you up with gradually increasing volume. I never found such a feature and the manual doesn't mention it. Speaking of which--many of your devices have manuals posted online. This device is one. It's a great way to read all the features before purchasing. Just type "RCA RC127i Manual" into your Google search engine. Look for the [PDF] link.

Though the negatives are fewer than the positives, I'd recommend passing on this one for a better model. Most of the positives are standard on any clock radio.

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It is a nice little clock, and the charging dock works well. The only reason I gave 4 stars instead of 5 is because you have to use an additional plug to play your iphone songs through the clock radio speakers. Using the additional plug isn't that big of a deal, but it wasn't very clear in the instructions and it was quite frustrating to figure out.

But all in all it's a nice product for the price.

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works just fine and keeps the I-pod charged

I would buy it again and recommend it to anyone

I can sdee the time at night

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12" BRIT GUITAR SPKR; 150W; 8 OHMS

• Warm, smooth, and fatPerfect for country, blues, and jazzVoice Coil Diameter: 2", 50.8mmMagnet Weight: 38 oz.Power Rating.: 150WSensitivity: 98.8

The EMINENCE LEGEND 1218 is one of the most Under-rated speakers around. Usually, when someone thinks of Eminence they think of the Swamp Thang, or Texas Heat. However, if you go to they support a great feature that allows you to do direct comparison by playing sound clips for each of their speakers. It definitely took me some time to sort all the speakers but if you're looking for a thick, phat bottom & mid tone that still has clear high's (not too bright, but definitely not muddy) then the LEGEND 1218 is for you.

OK, here's the deal I wanted an all tube combo amp that wouldn't break the bank and all the reviews I read pointed me to the Crate V-50 112. However, the ONE issue about the amp that constantly came up in the user reviews is how the amp tone GREATLY IMPROVES by simply changing the speaker. Don't get me wrong the Crate V-50 right out of the box sounded nice but when I installed the LEGEND 1218 ($87.00) the sound went from nice to WOW!!! It was as if the all features of this great amp were being held back by the stock 50w speaker. Think about it, an all tube 50 watt amp with a 50 watt max output speaker?? Make sense to you?? Hell NO. There's no head room. The Eminence Legend 1218 is a 8 Ohm, 150 watt output speaker. This gives the amp 100 watts of room to flex its muscle. No Restrictions...

Now the Bass is more than enough, the Reverb shines and the phat tube sound overall is comparable to those very pricey hand wired boutique amps. Do yourself a favor go to and check out the LEGEND 1218. I hope I helped steer you in the right direction. As always, THANKS for reading my reviews and be well. The WebbMan.

Buy 12" BRIT GUITAR SPKR; 150W; 8 OHMS Now

While this speaker has good versatility for different styles, it's specialty is a big warm clean tone with great note separation. It has deep bass, warm smooth mids, and very responsive to your EQ in treble region. You can dial in strong highs that aren't nasty or dial back for smooth jazz tone. The cone is pretty controlled which makes this a fine speaker for jazz. If you're playing chord melodies or jazz leads and need to hear each note, you're in for a treat. Very full, rich sound. It has plenty of mids, just not the growling type like a Vintage 30. If you're buying this for that cutting hi-mid crunch, it won't have enough juice for you. However, if distorted rock is more the exception than rule in your playing, then it will do a respectable job with pedals just don't expect the speaker to "break up" for you. Clean playing is more the rule these days for me, so this speaker is special. The real test is hitting a low E note while playing some chord work over the top. It sounds like two different speakers with the clarity and note separation amazing!

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Installed this in my custom build cabinet. Clean and dirty tube amps sound great! The tone is warm and the mids come through.

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JVC RDN1 Micro Portable CD System For ipod iphone USB MP3/WMA Direct Dock

• A sleek and stylish single unit system for listening to music any time ? plays iPod(R), CD, USB, and the radio.
• Plays CD, CD-R/RW, USB and iPod(R) FM Digital Tuner Back-Illuminated LCD (White)
• Plays CD, CD-R/RW, USB and iPod(R)
• FM Digital Tuner
• Back-Illuminated LCD (White)
• Direct Dock for iPod(R)
• FM Tuner with 20 Presets

Unless you're very picky about the sound of your music, this is not a bad little product for the money. It's sleek and seems solidly built, and fits nicely on my nightstand. It has an iPod player on top, which charges at it plays (all units don't necessarily charge while playing, I found out the hard way), a front usb input and CD player which plays just about any CD media you'd expect out of a unit like this (but is not a slot type). It also has a sleep timer, but only shows the clock (which has no backup battery) when the unit is off. When you are playing media, only the media type (without tags) is shown on the display. Mine doesn't seem to be backlit, so I cannot see the display at night...a minor inconvenience since I also have a separate alarm clock and only use the JVC to fall asleep by. The earphone and audio in jack are in the front, and there's an FM antenna input on the back. I don't get many FM channels since I'm not connected to an antenna, but even with my metal roof, two or three managed to come in clearly even so. The sound is not going to blow your socks off like a large unit, but for it's size, I think it's better than many shelf and/or portable units. There is no bass boost, to speak of. Although you can switch between rock, pop, classic, and jazz modes, I found them to be totally useless, and didn't percieve any change in sound no matter which mode was used. All in all, the sound seems pretty well balanced anyway, with no tinny sound whatever. I like a little extra bass, and this had plenty for my tastes. The remote is thick enough that you don't feel like it's going to break. If this little unit had bass and treble adjustment, and a clock with a back up battery which showed the time as well as the media type playing, I'd have given it five stars. I don't regret my choice for the money I spent, and even with it's flaws, I'd buy it again.

Buy JVC RDN1 Micro Portable CD System For ipod iphone USB MP3/WMA Direct Dock Now

I have two of these in my apartment. EXCELLENT FM reception and very robust sound overall. A feature-packed unit with a small footprint that won't break the bank. I am 110% pleased with my purchase.

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This shelf system is just what I was looking for to put in a small space. The sound is clean, clear and well balanced. The bass is adequate but not strong, as expected from a system with a small footprint and 3 watts per channel. The equalizer effects don't change the sound very much. Still the sound is good. It accepts ipods, cd's, usb drives and plays FM. All sources play great. The remote is small with all controls grouped well. Two things that I wished were better are: 1) The labels on the RDN1 are not easily visible in dim light and are not backlit either. A more flourescent paint on the labels would make them easier to see. 2) There are no RCA jacks on the rear of the unit so I couldn't attach my satelite radio reciever. Those jacks would make this unit perfect for most music sources. JVC is respected longtime producer of quality stereos and other music devices. I have never had a problem with a JVC product and don't expect any with the RDN1. I would recommend this unit and overall am very pleased with it.

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After years of service, my old Sony bookshelf CD/Radio/tape player system died. While looking for a replacement, I also wanted an Ipod capability. This JVC unit was just what I was looking for. (No, it doesn't play tapes, and I still have some lying around. But I can play them in a Walkman!)

JVC has a long-term reputation for quality, and it shows itself here. For a very modest price, the sound is terrific; it certainly fills the bedroom. Excellent bass tones. The FM radio gets quite good reception with the plug in antenna.

The Ipod dock charges as it plays, and the single-CD slot is functional. I am also pleased that it has an earphone-out jack (RCA type) on the front, since I like to fall alseep listening to the radio. The auto shut off is a nice feature, since the iluminated panel is quite bright in a dark room.

2 quibbles: you have to use the remote control for many of the features; I'd prefer to have the controls (for other than mode and sound level) on the unit. Second, the finish is a high gloss black plastic that seems to be a magnet for dust. It needs to be dusted daily.I plan to buy another when the bookshelf unit in my den dies, which might be any day now.

This is more of a boombox, the average size of a boombox. My teen did not like this at all. It was not what I expected either.

If you are looking for a "system", this is not it.

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Grundig S350DL Deluxe AM/FM/Shortwave Field Radio, Black - (NGS350DLB)

• AM (530-1710 KHz), FM (88-108 MHz) and shortwave - continuous coverage from 3 to 28 MHz.
• Highly sensitive and selective analog tuner circuitry with AM/SW
• Frequency Lock, Rotary volume control and Variable RF Gain control
• Inputs for supplementary AM/FM and shortwave antennas
• This includes 13 international-broadcast bands (11, 13, 15, 16, 19, 22, 25, 31, 41, 49, 60, 75 and 90 meters)

I purchased this radio to replace a Panasonic RF1100 that I have had since it was new sometime in the 1970's. The 350DL has a lot of useful features and the primary ones for me include the sleep timer, alarm colck and the published claim of good sensitivity. The overall sound quality of this radio is pleasing. The sensitivity compared to cheap radios selling for a lot less is good although not as sensitive as my GE Super Radios models 2 and 3. As I have more sophisticated equipemnt for listening to shortwave, this was not one of my primary objectives for buying this radio although the inclusion of shortwave is a nice plus.

The controls are nicely laid out, the instruction manual quite easy to understand to enable you to derive the full enjoyment of all this radio has to offer.

The big drawback and dissapointment I found with the 350DL is the tuning control. There is a lot of " slop " in the control, not just the knob but from what is behingd the control panel. Another problem with the tuning control is an overabundant " backlash " when trying to set the tuning on a station, particularly when tuning in shortwave stations. You tune in the station or desired frequency, let go of the tuning knob and you can actually see it change as it moves forward or backward from where you left it. For those desiring to tune around the shortwave bands to see what is there this is a big drawback. I actually wonder how long the tuning control will last on this radio before it falls apart. The entire tuning knob assembly wiggles and wobbles while you turn it. This should not happen, and I feel is a major cause for concern. For the $100 price tag I am not expecting a mil-spec radio by any means but the poorly designed tuning system in this radio gives me no other choice than to down rate it. That is unfortunate too as this radio has many other features so worthwhile.

If you are planning on purchasing this radio to use for AM & FM broadcast reception and not change stations too frequently, it's a decent radio. If you plan on tuning to different stations frequently you may wish to consider looking at other makes and models befoe buying this.

I purchsed this radio primarily to use as a bedside clock radio with sleep timer and only occasional tuning. The digital display is not absolutely accurate but for the price it is good enough.

Buy Grundig S350DL Deluxe AM/FM/Shortwave Field Radio, Black - (NGS350DLB) Now

If you're looking for a basic table radio without presets and digital tuning, you would do well to consider the Grundig S350 Deluxe, which I have owned and used for the last 3 years. The S350 will get you best FM performance possible. AM is great also. The speaker is loud and fills a room easily.

The antenna is very long. Make sure you have room to extend the antenna so it doesn't bend by jamming against a wall or a ceiling.

The tendency to drift in the old model of the S350 has been fixed with the new Deluxe model.

You will also like the fact that though the radio is analog, you can see the digital read-out, so you always know what station you're on.

Another outstanding feature is fine-tuning and RF grain so you can filter as much as you need in the event you get AM overloading.

My only complaint about the S350 is really a complaint about all modern radios: They are built of light plastic. Gone are the days of heavy, high-grade radios. But on balance if you are a stickler for AM and FM reception, you will find that you have a reception champion in the S350.

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Radios are all about sound and the Grundig 350 has very good warm tones that are easy to listen to all day long. This radio can do very well as a table radio which is how I use it. The sound is solid with no distortion even if driven to full volume. This radio is a keeper for the sound alone.

As far as Am/Sw reception goes the Gundig 350 does very well provided you use external antennas to pull in the signals. The new added frequency lock works well to stop the drifting this radio was so infamous for. The Fm reception is very good pulling in many stations on the built in whip antenna and holding them rock steady.

If you want SSB ,or better Am/Sw signal capture, a full sized proper Communications Receiver is a better choice. That said, for every day casual listening ,on all bands offered on the Grundig, it does a fine job that will entertain one and all. This radio does Am/Sw well enough I can take my time now to find a deal on a decent older Communications Receiver in the used market. For now (maybe longer????) I'll just enjoy the Grundig.

All the controls on the Grundig work as they are supposed to instead of just being dials/switches to look good. Reading the well written manual will help the new user to gain full benefit of just what this radio can really do. One point about this radio that is little understood is the analog tuning. Analog tuning gives the user a way to really control this radio in ways not possible with electronic tuning while holding down the cost to enable Grundig to put in other features that normally would cost more. More bang for the buck 'cause you do your own tuning. Oh yes, I prefer analog tuning because I can slide right onto a weak signal I couldn't with electronic tuned radios.

Can I recommend the Grundig 350DL? Yes, as long as the buyer understands this is a first rate "casual" radio and they will not be disappointed at all.

Follow up after external indoor antenna added........

WOW!! Talk about an improvement!! A simple $2.50 300ohm wire dipole that I bought at the hardware store worked magic on this radio. I just hung the dipole & clipped it to the radio's antenna and this little radios was able to reach waaaaaaaaaay out there with ease. There is still the imaging problem but that is to be expected. That said, now I can listen to lots of stations that were not there before !!!!

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With many SW radios to choose from, some prohibitively expensive, there's no wonder that many consumers are left confused about which one is right for them. Costs for a radio can range from $10 to $10,000 depending on the make, model, and features one is looking at. Many radios in the price range of the S350DL are tiny and due to compact size, have terrible sound output as limited by the accompanying small speaker. So is the S350DL a good middle of the road option?

That all depends upon what you need, and what you're willing to put up with. The features of this radio can be summed up in basically one sentence; AM/FM/SW, with tone control, band filter, Hi-Z input, and gain. That's pretty much it.

As far as sound quality, the S350DL is rather good. I've used various other SW radios and this one puts out some of the best in its price range. I've seen other reviewers hold the sound quality against this radio when actually in my opinion and experience, this is one of its shining points. The sound quality is on par with my 750 Satellit, and blows away the compact portables such as the G6 and Sangean portables.

Other great options with this radio not available in other radios of this price range is the option of RCA stereo line out and plugins for Hi-Z antennas. Just get a very long speaker wire, plug it into the back, and you've got a super cheap and effective shortwave antenna with a length and the geometry of your choosing. MOST SW radios do not have this. Kudos.

But the Achille's heel of this radio is the tuning. The tuning is so bad, it's almost unusable except to all but the most determined and patient. Sure there is a digital readout, but the tuning itself is analog. That's ok, but the analog tuning is very poorly designed, leaving cheap radio tuners outperforming this one.

For one there is no consistency with the tuning. We're afforded coarse and fine tune knobs but this makes little difference. Turning the fine tuning knob 1/4" at one part of the band might move you 5khz. Another part of the band it might move you over 100khz! I was first listening to the clock in Colorado at 5000khz and managed to tune to it within about 20 seconds. Same thing at 10000khz took almost 2 minutes and I almost gave up on it entirely. Couple that with the fact that there is no direct entry tuning or frequency lock, and you're stuck fiddling with the knobs for a ridiculous amount of time.

In addition to that, when the radio is overloaded it will drift quickly on you. I tuned to 27185khz to test the radio with my handheld CB (which is channel 19). Keying up the mic at low power settings on a 5w transmitter made the radio drift several hundred khz! I had to employ my wife to drive down the road with the radio while I watched and at 1/4 mile away there was no drift when she keyed up. What this means is that if you're tuning to a station, by the time you know you're overloaded (which happens easily), the station has already drifted before you can even adjust the RF gain, and you're stuck fiddling with the clunky knobs for a minute or two to get back on track... provided that you haven't reduced the gain so much that you don't get the station again. Very frustrating!

Even without overload there is inherent frequency drift. Drifting 20khz in less than 10 minutes is not uncommon... and getting back on frequency means dealing with those knobs again...

These problems presents themselves with FM and AM as well, although the results aren't as debilitating to reception. I was trying to tune to 93.3 FM and just couldn't get it right. I'd be at 93.50, tune down a bit it jumps to 92.8, back and forth, back and forth. FINALLY I got it to 93.39 and just left it there. I could get the station but stereo was in and out because I wasn't right on frequency.

If you're looking for a cheap radio and you know exactly the stations you want to listen to, then this will serve you better than some of the $100 miniatures that lack options for antennas and have tinny sound with no tone control. If you want to "browse" the SW band looking for interesting stuff, then avoid this one. If you're even somewhat serious about SW DXing, spend a little more and get the Satellit 750. Look for my review on that radio as well for more details.

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I originally ordered a Sony ICF-SW7600GR World Band Radio thinking I would sit here at night listening to radio stations from around the globe. Well it turns out I don't enjoy that as much as I thought I would. Plus, I just was not that happy with the sound quality of the Sony as an everyday AM radio, plus the antenna on the Sony was just horrible When in the straight up and down position it would wobble back and forth between the 11:00 and 1:00 position and drive me nuts (unacceptable to me on a $140 radio). So I did a little research and came across this radio and it's ideal for me.

This is my everyday AM radio that sits on top the 'fridge and the sound quality on AM and FM is wonderful. Its ability to pull in distant AM stations is great and it works really well on shortwave.

The old fashion tuning takes a little bit to get use to and it can be a bit of trick sometimes to get it right on the exact frequency, but the look and feel and sound of this radio outweigh any of the negatives. It reminds me of an old Radio Shack radio from the 70's I used to play around with as kid.

It is really fun to sit there and turn the dial and see what I can find from across the country. I strung up 75' of wire from one end of my attic to the other and with that attached to the connection on the back (another plus as I don't need to clip it to the antenna) I easily and clearly pull in stations from Cuba, Mexico, Canada and even a few from Europe. Plenty interesting to satisfy my shortwave appetite.

I don't have any problem with the tuning dial being cheap and flimsy as others have mentioned. Sure it could be a little more solid, but I don't foresee any issues down the road. This radio will last me a long time. Oh ya and the antenna on this radio is strong, stable and quite long.

So if you're looking for a nice, fun to use, good sounding, all around table top radio give this one a try.

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