Wave® music system with connect kit for iPod® - Graphite Gray

• Lifelike sound for CDs and radio-plus your iPod/iPhone® with this convenient package
• System includes CD player, FM/AM tuner, headphone jack, alarm clock
• Customized docking station charges your iPod even while playing
• Remote operates system and basic iPod functions including playlist navigation
• Compatible with iPhone and most iPod models

Great small music system--perfect for a non-techie like me who just wants good sound without a lot of fuss. I purchased the iPod extension along with it an play music from my iPhone all the time. I also purchased a cable from Radio Shack that plays the sound from my television through the Bose.

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Wonderful sound quality and very easy to set up. Fits well on my kitchen counter. I purchased the iPod connect kit and was glad I did. Why did I wait so long to purchase????

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Bought it for my wife last year she loves it & plays it several times a week. Highly recommend. The sound quality is amazing.

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Westclox Banshee Digital Alarm Clock 47547

This alarm clock has several features that I really like, but unfortunately it's also got one big drawback that drags its overall value down considerably: it doesn't always go off. This has only happened three times in the year that I've been using it, but that's three times that I've been late for, or entirely missed, important appointments. The alarm will be properly set (each time I've checked afterward to make sure I hadn't made an AM/PM mistake or anything), but then not make a sound at the appointed time. And it will STILL be set and turned on when I finally awake, so I know it isn't a matter of me accidentally turning it off in my sleep. It's also not just an issue with this one particular clock, as I own two of the exact same model, and the other has done the same thing.

However, there are things I like about the clock, if only it would just do what it's principally intended to do. I'll just offer a brief rundown on positive and negative features...

POSITIVES:

+ When it does go off, it's plenty loud, and never fails to wake me up (the product name "Banshee" is quite appropriate in fact, this could be a negative aspect if you prefer a less shrill alarm). There are two volume settings available "loud" and "soft" and the softer setting is all I've ever had to use.

+ The numbers are large and very easy to read, even from across the room.

+ The buttons are also sufficiently large that setting the alarm/time is easy, even in the dark.

+ This clock is cordless (the product description here says it runs on three AAA batteries, though mine, which is exactly the same by all other appearances, requires one AAA and one 9-volt battery) so it can be placed anywhere, or be taken along on trips, without having to worry about a place to plug it in.

+ I also happen to like the appearance of this clock. It's very simple and unobtrusive.

NEGATIVES:

First and foremost is the fact that it occasionally fails to go off, as I mentioned at the beginning of this review.

The snooze function only gives you an additional 4 minutes, which hardly seems worth it. I myself tend to like a clock with a snooze time of between 8 and 10 minutes. But this is largely a matter of personal preference.

The display is not constantly backlit, and you must hold down the snooze button if you wish to have a light by which to read the clock in the dark. This can be irritating, especially if you're not entirely sure just where your alarm clock IS as the moment. On the other hand, however, this feature may be beneficial to those who require absolute darkness in order to sleep.

I have owned this item 10 years, it works great. BUT, it will somtimes not go off if the 9 volt battery is wearing down. I thought my clock was going bad, as it did not wake me a few times, then I discovered it was simply a case of the battery getting worn out. It has worked perfectly for several more years, still going strong, with a new 9 volt battery. Love this alarm clock.

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Great little battery operated alarm clock for heavy sleepers. Alarm gets louder and changes frequency the longer it rings. Snooze is only 4 minutes long instead of 10 minutes. Works great for getting up teenagers.

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My husband has had one of these for years--uses it on hunting trips, et. Can be used at home and also for travel. After trying numerous travel alarms not loud enough to wake me up, I bought this one. Little larger than most travel clocks, but is loud enough to wake me up. Controls easy to set. Now my favorite alarm for home and travel.

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I had 3 alarm clocks that I couldn't hear without my hearing aids. This one screams louder than Jamie Curtis :-) and I get up when I need to. Not late to work anymore. By the way, It arrived quickly and I am pleased with the good service.

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'Jensen Jims-225 Universal Ipod Docking System With Built-In Subwoofer (Home Audio / Docking Systems

I've had this for a few years, and I LOVE IT. the subwoofer (even though its only 4 inches) Provides decent bass and clear sound. I listen to this almost every day and I'm still Happy, I don't want a new Ipod dock, as long as this one doesn't break (which I've had it for 2+ years) I don't see myself buying another Ipod docking station for quite a long time.

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Panasonic KX-TGA273S (Extra Handset)

• 2.4 GHz Frequency-Hopping Digital Spread Spectrum Technology (FHSS)
• Built-in AM/FM Alarm Clock Radio in Charging Base
• Handset Speakerphone
• Voice Mail Message Indicator
• 50 Station Call Waiting Caller ID & Dialer

I found this phone Clock/Radio base on Amazon after looking for just the phone. We now have four of these phones in the house and they are all connected to one Base-Station. The only issue is when the battery goes low it gives no warning but says it can not connect to Base Station. Give it a charge and it will connect again. Other than that these Panasonic phones are great and the little clock/radio base is very handy. Operating manuals can still be found On-Line and you can still get free help for the phones via Panasonic help Desk. Customer service Help for an Item that has been on the market for so long is rare and the Clock/Radio base is a rare find in itself. We didn't even know they made them. Remember this is only a charging base and is not the Base Station. I would recommend this series of phone from Panasonic New or Used.

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I bought two of these to complete the multitalk system. The handsets and function as phones were quite good and the subject of a separate review. In addition, however, is a comment on the base. In short, the base is a remarkably good convenient alarm clock. VERY easy to operate and small. The radio....., well the radio is a piece of junk afterthought.

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Timex T155LX Expedition Bell and Nature Sounds Alarm Clock

• Expedition lifestyle design
• Wake to mechanical bell, songbirds, and elephant
• Sleep to your choice of relaxing nature sounds
• Dual-alarm system for working couples
• AC adapter and battery backup included

this is a fine alarm clock. it has funny nature sounds and alarms (my favorite is the babbling brook). I think the intention is that you put on the nature sound before going to sleep and it will help you sleep. great idea if the ocean sound, for example, didn't remind me of flushing toilets. I mean the sounds are muffled, like they are inside a box. the nature sound loops are short (about ten seconds then it repeats not too noticeably). the forest sound is mostly a bunch of crickets and the occasional hooting owl (if you into that sort of thing). anyways, this is a fine alarm clock in an attractive green package, but if you want to sleep to the sounds of nature, but one of those CDs, or move to the country.

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These are nice and funky. We bought one used from somebody who put athletic tape over the speaker (on the back) to muffle the bird noise -a good idea, it's plenty loud enough on "low" and with the tape. If you're a deep sleeper, I'm sure the unmuffled "high" setting will open your eyes.

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Pyle PLMRKT34WT In-Dash Marine AM/FM PLL Tuning Radio with USB/SD/MMC Reader

• AM/FM-MPX PLL Tuning Radio - 2 Channel RCA Line Out - Blue Illumination
• LCD Display - USB Interface (Decode MP3 WMA) - Clock Function
• Volume/Bass/Treble/Balance/Fader Control - SD/MMC Slot - 2 Pairs of 6.5" Speakers System
• 30 Station Memory - Aux Input - Weather Band Function
• Power Output 4 x 50 Watts - Remote Control Marine COating

I put this on my fishing rig on a Saturday afternoon. Took about 2 hoursmostly 'cos i was messing with filming it. Nice components and the box really comes with everything you need. Careful with your cuts if you are installing yourselftemplates for the speakers help. Wiring diagrams all very straightforward and usable by anyone who can wield tools. Bottom linean excellent radio for your boat. Haven't got it soaked but seems sturdy.

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Cool set up. The system sounds grreat!! The most important feature to me and the best thing about this system. Of course the price was a plus, i am happy to say i could have easily spent more money on water proof system, but am super stoked i decided on this one. I don't get on the water as much as i'd like, but when i get the chance the systems been great to use.

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Bought this radio and speaker package for a beach radio. I installed this in a 150qt ice chest. Radio sounds great, speakers too. hooks up to phone via aux port. No issues

Great buy.

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This was a gift, and I had it installed locally. The radio plays and sounds good.

It has been wet a couple of times, and hasn't effected the use. I use it often and seems reliable. I have not had any negative issues with it.

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A buddy of mine helped me install it but to be honest it wasn't brain surgery. Once we mounted it in, all the wiring ran I could start testing it all out.

Like any stereo, I think there is a teething period of getting to know the settings, buttons, dials or knobs. I'm impatient so this is the hard part for me. Following the instructions, I got my time set, stations programmed (which it has a station programmer like and elephant's brain) and sound balanced. The sound is ample enough for being out on the water. I can have it up where I'm yelling over it but, I'm more about clear, quality sound then loud, which it can do both, I simply prefer music a little on the quieter side.

The controller takes a little of precise aim but otherwise it's fine. The whole unit looks and sounds clean and more expensive than it actually is. I'm very happy to have this installed on my boat.

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Sony ICFCD3iP 30-Pin iPod/iPhone Alarm Clock Speaker Dock with CD Player

• MP3 Compatibility: iPhone, iPod 4G, 5G; iPod mini 1G, 2G; iPod nano 1G, 2G, 3G; iPod touch, iPod classic
• Hidden sliding dock tray connects iPod and iPhone to clock radio
• Preset alarm volume for CD, iPod player, iPhone, or radio
• Large easy-to-see LCD display for those grogy mornings
• Digital AM/FM tuner w/ 30 station presets

I bought and returned the Sony ICF-C1IPMK2 a few weeks ago. You can find my review of it and my reasons for sending it back. In brief, audible distortion killed it for me. I subsequently ordered the ICFCD3iP with the expectation that sound output would be weaker.

I received the CD3iP today and I'm happy to say that it accomplishes its mission very well. It's not meant to be a Bose SoundDock, but it produces very well behaved sound. Let me see if I can explain it further...

First, there is absolutely no audible distortion. The sound is clean and well balanced; it has weight and is not as tinny as some would suggest. For a clock radio, the speaker does a remarkably good job. The volume goes up to level 20, which is loud enough for a single room but not loud enough to damage your ears. Realize that it's a small speaker and keep your expectations reasonable. Even at maximum volume there is no distortion and the sound is tightly controlled.

The FM tuner does a superb job of producing a clean and clear output with no listener fatigue. Small amounts of hiss or noise can quickly lead to fatigue, so it's particularly gratifying to have an FM radio to which I can listen at length. NPR (local 88.5) comes through very nicely.

The alarm and clock are thoughtfully designed. Large numbers are easy to read, the display has 3 brightness levels, and the dual alarms can be set for weekday, weekend, and wake-to-radio, wake-to-iPod, wake-to-CD, or wake-to-buzzer.

Alarm and radio presets are backed up by an onboard battery, so no flashing 12:00 after a power outage.

iPod/iPhone integration is the same as on the ICF-C1IPMK2. The remote lets you navigate your iPod.

Overall I'm quite happy with the design and performance of the CD3iP. It replaces a 12 year old alarm clock without taking any more space while adding CD, Radio, and iPod playback.

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I've had this since just before Christmas and have no complaints so far. I wanted an alarm clock where I could wake up to my iPod but also have a CD alarm. I've used it to wake up to bought and burned CDs as well as my iPod and it's worked every time. There are a few neat things about the clock I like: 1) The clock sets itself 2) You can set two alarms and you can set the alarms to wake up on weekends or weekdays (and it displays the current day) 3) I can fall asleep to a CD and wake up to my iPod 4) It charges my iPod 5) The remote controls the iPod itself too. Also, for an alarm clock I think the sound is pretty good. Two things to note however. First, the display is kinda bright. It has a dimmer with three settings but even the lowest setting is brighter than a normal clock. It doesn't bother me but if you need your room pitch black to sleep, this is not the clock for you. Second, just a heads up, the default for waking up to the iPod is by artist in alphabetical order. To wake up to a playlist you actually have to go to your playlist, select the first song, pause it, then turn off the iPod. It says this in the instructions but it's not obvious. Overall, I really like this clock. Here's hoping it lasts, unlike the mini stereo I was waking up to before I bought this.

Update 4/2013: It has started to occasionally act flaky. Sometimes it wakes up to the wrong playlist on my iPod. I didn't care about that much but when for some reason it didn't go off despite being set correctly I decided it was time for a new player. But considering it has been over four years of daily use and it only occasionally had issues, I'm satisfied with it. It had a good run. I may keep it as just a clock radio in another room. It still sounds great, I just don't trust it as an alarm.

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I like this clock/docking station, but I have one major complaint which almost made me return it. The clock face, even on its lowest brightness setting (there are three levels), was so bright that it lit up the entire room at night. I couldn't sleep while facing it. If it hadn't been for a friend's suggested remedy, I'd have had to send it back. What I did to dim the brightness was to put a piece of red transparent plastic film over the clock face. Now it is tolerable, but looks kind of cheezy. You'd think for the pretty steep price and the fact that it's a SONY, it wouldn't have to be tinkered with. If you don't like BRIGHT light shining in your eyes while trying to sleep, you may want to think twice about purchasing this item.

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This product has a lot of reviews, I'm just writing to fill in a few questions I had when I bought it.

First off, the main display is the time, the day of the week above it (small), whether the alarm is on or off (Alarm A or Alarm B), and below it (small) what music is on (CD / radio/ iPod). If you hit the display button on the top, you get the date (eg 4 7) and hit the button again and you get the year (eg 2009).

There are three brightness levels for the display, off, low, and high.

Sound quality is fabulous (caveat: I am not an audiophile, and have never put money in super expensive speakers or headphones). Even on the highest volume, the sound does not crack. Classic Sony quality.

Love the little remote, the presets, the radio (am and fm) and the CD player!

iPod / iPhone slide out tray works awesome, initial impression is be gentle so you don't break it off. Comes with an adapter (presumably for Nano).

Problem: back up battery does not come installed, you need to open the CD player and install it yourself. This isn't a big deal, except the battery compartment is screwed shut, so you need a tiny phillips screwdriver (the plus ones) to unscrew it, which I don't have. So the battery (which comes with the clock) is a bit of a pain to install.

Love love love the display, very clean design, attractive, does its job well and with flair.

Can't imagine my life without the little clock (small footprint is a plus!).

I have an old iPod (3G) which is on its way out, this clock charges it, and is kind of life support for on-their-way-out iPods you no longer have a use for.

I haven't tested it with my iPhone (not the 3G one) but will update my review when I have.

Hope I've helped your purchasing decision!

EDITED REVIEW (OCTOBER 16, 2009):

(Amazon does not let you change your star ratings, which is unfortunate. Count my review as three stars, then, as of today).

I've used this alarm clock, radio, and iPod/iPhone music player every single day since I purchased it.

Problems:

1) iPhone interference. This model of the clock radio is supposed to be resistant to iPhone interference. It IS NOT.

2) Slide out trade is FLIMSY.

3) Back up battery COMES WITH the clock radio and I still have not been able to put it in my clock radio because I do not have a screwdriver that would be compatible. Eyeglass and computer screwdrivers (PC or MAC) will not work.

4) Display is very bright. So bright it bathes my room in a blue light. Which I no longer find a positive experience.

5) Sound is very one-dimensional. It's not awful, but it's not that great either.

6) CD player makes funky noise when it works.

AND MY BIGGEST PROBLEM:

7) The alarm clock GETS STUCK. For example, you set the alarm for 7am, hit the snooze for 10 minutes. Okay, it turns off. It goes off again, you hit the snooze again. Problem: it DOES NOT TURN OFF. You hit the "alarm off button" instead of the snooze. Problem: IT DOES NOT TURN OFF. You end up having to unplug your alarm clock to get the buzzer off, which means you have to redo all the settings. Because the battery could not be installed.

Did I get a defective product because of the alarm clock snooze button / off button problem? I do not know.

Did I contact Sony? Not yet. I will update this review when I do. I will contact both Sony and Amazon and see what they can do.

The inability to use the snooze button because of its malfunction is the worst thing in the world.

The WORST THING IN THE WORLD.

I have tried it on buzzer, radio, CD and iPod. Fail, fail, fail, and fail.

Most people review the product within a week of getting it.

I would be curious as to whether more long term owners (I've had mine just SIX MONTHS, it is already malfunctioning) have the same problem. Is it a defective unit, or just a design flaw?

I still like this clock, but because of the not working, I would probably not purchase it again.

I relied heavily on the idea of "Sony Quality". Maybe because of the times we live in, Sony no longer has the sterling reputation for quality that I remember from my childhood. I am very disappointed by this fact, and will have to consider very seriously if any Sony product in the future is right for me.

I will keep you posted on my attempt to have someone fix my defective / design flawed product.

Thanks!!

UPDATED REVIEW (DECEMBER 2, 2009):

My alarm clock is outside its Amazon.com return period. I purchased the item on March 31, 2009. The return period ended May 8, 2009. The snooze button started malfunctioning after the return period ended. So Amazon won't exchange the item for a non-defective item, and won't accept a return. The best they can do is take the item back as a defective product and credit (at max) 50% of the purchase price to me (and the CSR emphasized that that is in the best case scenario). The CSR also recommended that I contact Sony because, after all, it is their product that is defective, and they must have some kind of warranty on it, right? (Of course, the reason I purchased the alarm clock from Amazon was to avoid Sony's customer service, because it is awful.)

Well, maybe Sony's customer service is not as awful as I remember it being. I will contact Sony and update this review with what happens with my defective alarm clock.

Worst case scenario I can return it to Amazon for a pittance. (The CSR said that the fact that the alarm clock was working initially makes it look like I abused it and that is why it is not working, so I probably wouldn't get the 50% back anyway). (The CSR also said that Sony might have designed the product to break in a few months, knowing it would be outside the return period and I'd be stuck with a $100 mistake and would be forced to purchase a new alarm clock). Out of the frying pan and into the fire with options like those!

Wish me luck!

UPDATED REVIEW (DECEMBER 2, 2009):

I called Sony Style at 1-239-768-7547

I spoke with a CSR named Cesar, who told me that I would send the alarm clock in for service, but could not exchange it or return it. He said the service process takes roughly 7 10 days, that I would have to pay shipping costs to get the clock to Sony, and that they would pay the shipping cost to get the (repaired) clock back to me.

Alternatively, I could take the clock in to a service center with a copy of my receipt and the product warranty and get the clock repaired.

This is not ideal and this alarm clock is not worth this headache.

Three stars and falling. Do not make the mistake I did of purchasing this product.

ANOTHER UPDATE:

For those in my situation, here are some links that might help:

Sony Service Website

(where to get a work order number)

Sony Product Website

(where to get a copy of the warranty of the product)

I think this product is great in every way, except one... it doesn't work with the latest iPhone 3GS model. I bought it and was very excited about the product. But every time I put my iPhone in the dock, it would tell me that it wasn't compatible, and would ask if I'd like to turn on "Airplane Mode". If I clicked 'no', and tried to play it, it wouldn't be able to play through the speaker in the clock radio. It would just play it through the iPhone's internal speaker instead. I contacted Sony technical support, and they confirmed that it is not compatible with the iPhone 3GS. Too bad. Now, if only they had listed that in the product description. It says it works with an iPhone (and that it is even iPhone 3G certified), but apparently not for the latest model you'd think that would be pertinent information.

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NEW Extra Loud LED Alarm Clock Blk (Indoor & Outdoor Living)

• Extra Loud LED Alarm Clock (Black)

Bought this clock because I need a LOUD alarm---mistake.The buttons are not well placed and not precise. It is hard to turn off alarm in the dark,so I hit "snooze" get up, turn on a light,turn off the alarm. The alarm "reset" button is useless too, as sometimes I awaken on my own just before the alarm time. This thing is headed for the Garage Sale[Yeah I destroyed the blister pack when I got it, so didn't send it back.]Learn from my mistake.

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Fidelity FDS-C-Instant Theater Docking Station for Aiptek Camcorders

• Instant Theater Docking Station for Aiptek Camcorders
• Great for playing back your movies and music
• Includes Clock Radio and FM Tuner
• Also use with any MP3 player
• Works on AC adapter or 4 AA batteries

I got this as a bonus when I purchased an Aiptek camera. This thing truly is a piece of garbage. The clarity of the audio is horrible. It seems like it is pushing way too much power through a tiny speaker. It sounded broken straight out of the box. The dock on top is useless, because it offers no way to charge your camera. It has a small lead-in, where you can feed the power adapter from your own charging cable, but it is really just a big hassle. I haven't touched it since I first tried it, and I would have returned it if I didn't get it for free. I don't even think it deserves a single star.

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Wow,,,what an awesome Docking Station! This thing has amazing sound and is very User Friendly! A must have for anyone who has a Aiptek Camcorder or Ipod!!!

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Sony Boombox with CD Player, AM/FM Radio, and iPod Dock (White)

• Supports most iPhone and iPod models with Universal Dock Connector
• Built-in dock makes it easy to use--simply connect iPod and press play
• CD-R/RW playback capability lets you play burned disks or create custom mixes from your existing music collection
• iPod battery charging while on dock so you never have to worry about running low on battery life
• Audio-in jack lets you easily connect other digital music players to the boombox
• It supports most iPhone and iPod models with Universal Dock Connector

This is a neat boombox. I use it when I am cooking or just relaxing. I have only used it indoors (where it sounds great), but I think it is good (though not the best) for outdoors as well.

I had modest expectations when I purchased this and it has worked very well for me. I use an ipod touch in the docking station at it works great. There is no way to navigate ipod menu's (such as artist, songs, and playlist) on the boombox itself, but I use the touch interface on my ipod and it works fine. Of course, the play, pause, and forward/backward skip buttons on the boombox can be used with the ipod (for example, after you choose your favorite artist, playlist,etc on your ipod unit then you can hit play on the boombox and the song will play).

The cd player works great even with heavily used or slightly scratched cds and also plays cdr or cdrw burnt cds. The radio gets great reception. Although you won't be able to throw a window shattering party with this one, I think it is a good buy for most people.

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I bought this box mostly to have a portable player for my ipod. This also has a cd player and radio which seemed to make it more functional but it is definitely not small/light/as portable as some of the other products I looked at. The sound is ok, not teriffic, but good enough for the backyard or listening around the house. I think I will use it a lot.

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I am very pleased with my purchase! This was exactly what I wanted in order to a) give me an Ipod dock and b) eliminate the big bulky stereo system in my bedroom. So now I can choose to play my Ipod, listen to a CD or the radio! Plus it will charge my Ipod without having to turn on the computer! Great sound, great price! I would recommend!

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I was very disappointed with this product. The sound did not have ANY bass even though it has a bass booster. For Christmas I received the ILive Radio (IB318B) and compared the music between the two radios -using my IPOD. It wasn't even closethe ILive blew it away. The Sony radio was more expensive and the quality was sub par with music having bass. For those of you who like dance music go with the ILIVE.

Best of luck with your purchases.

I have been looking for an Ipod/ tuner radio/ cd player for months. I found another brand I liked after doing a google search but I personally do not like ordering brands or from sites that I do not know. My amazon search did not yield this item. I went to Best Buy to look for something else and decided to check out the radios and there was this one but in black. I wrote down as much info as I could regarding model, etc and came home and typed into amazon. Yeah!

We use it our toddlers room so he can have all three exposed to him. We love the local Jazz and NPR stations, we occasionally still buy and receive CDs for him, and also download music onto our Itunes that we dock for him to use. Yes, the reception could be better, esp. for a digital tuner but are extremely pleased overall, love the white, and was $79 (with free ship) compared to Best Buys $99!

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Sony CDXGT420U CD Receiver

• Sony CDXGT420U CD Receiver
• Mass Storage Class USB device or ATRAC Audio Device can be connected to the front USB terminal
• An AUX input jack on the front of the unit allows connection of a portable audio device
• Wireless remote with a sophisticated ergonomic feel allowing it to be used while watching the road

Sony's CDX-GT420U is at a good price for the features it packs compared to other similar stereos. Looks good yet discrete, simple. Just how I like it. USB feature is a true revolution. Slim remote control is not bulky. Stereo installation was no longer than 30 min. Easy.

4 Stars (5 Stars is for the extra mile. If it performs better than expected)

Will see how durable it is over the months.

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i have this deck over a year now. with its usb input i have a few flash drives which i use in every instance while driving. WORKS VERY WELL.

No Complaints whatsoever.

with the deck re-amp at the back i have attached a Power Acoustic Powered AWB-10 800 Watts MAX active woofer box with built in amplifier. which really well. the face can be easily detached and reattached.

if i upgrade it will easy to purchase the upgrade without hesitation

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This is the coolest stereo system ever. I wish I had the money to buy a bunch of these for the future. This is such a feature filled, fantastic sounding CD-MP3 player. The USB feature is fantastic with a $10 4gb micro-sd card with itty-bitty usb reader it's just crazy cool. Buy this stereo! It's not gaudy or fancy but it has seriously cool EQs and works like a dream.

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This is just what I was looking for. I use it to play MP3 from a 4GB or 16GB flash drive. Just 1 thing, it does not supports personal hard drives. But it is a amazing product. I enjoy it every single day.

This is a perfect product. The only issue i had with it is that it support a limited range of USBs, so you might get a compatible on for this audio.

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Uniden TCX400 5.8 GHz Accessory Handset for CLX Series (also for T8, ELT, and VoIP Series; Silver)

• 5.8 GHz digital signal; caller ID/call waiting compatible, 100-call memory
• For use with Uniden CLX, T8, ELT, and VoIP series phone systems
• USB connector and downloadable software; audio cable for custom ring tones
• DirectLink 2-way radio mode; room/ baby monitor setting
• Internal phone directory with 100-name and 400-number memory

These were just hand sets that go with the CLX 465. Really the same product, so the results were the same

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I bought the Uniden CLX-485 base and five TXC-400 handsets to replace my previous cordless phone system, as I could not get handsets for it anymore. Sound quality is very good for both regular & speakerphone use. The ability to mute & transfer calls is very nice. And, I really like the ability to go into room monitoring & privacy modes. In room monitoring mode, you can listen in to any other handset in the house....much like a baby monitor. In privacy mode, you can lock the system so that no one else can eavesdrop or cut in on your conversation. As I work from home, this is particularly useful in preventing the kids from dialing while I am trying to talk on a conference bridge.

Now for the downside, within six months, two of the most used handsets started developing an annoying trait where they would reboot after the smallest jostle. Put the phone in the charging cradle....reboot. Pickup the phone to answer a call....reboot. Hand the phone to someone....reboot.

Now, about 11 months after the purchase, all five of the expansion handsets are experiencing the same temperamental problems. The ones that have shown these symptoms the longest are now so fickle that they can get stuck in a perpetual reboot mode where the display goes blank, then goes solid orange, displays "Uniden" for some random length of time, and then it repeats the process. Sometimes pulling the battery for a couple of seconds resolves the issue. Sometimes a "love tap" helps. Sometimes...well, you get the idea.

Out of the bunch, the only one that still works reliably is the base station's handset. Maybe it has had a bit less handling, as I often use the base unit's speakerphone while working. Maybe Uniden made some additional changes--aside from the color LCD--inside these handsets. (The base station handset for this phone system is equivalent to a TCX440.) Bottom line is that I am not sure why, but I know that it is still working.

Regardless, I am left a little jaded on these handsets. I am quickly approaching my one-year anniversary date. As such, I am debating on getting them repaired/replaced, but even once that happens, they will only be covered by a 90-day warranty. Personally, I am seriously considering going to a different phone system. (I had two different AT&T phones with comparable features that served me faithfully for better than 4 years each. I only replaced the first to get a 2-line phone system, and I only replaced the second because of the aforementioned lack of expansion handsets.)

As for features...

Contrary to a previous reviewer, there is a redial feature. To access this, you push the little "joystick" down...as in towards the mic opening on the phone...not down like you are pushing a button. Several of these shortcuts are not documented, or not documented very well. But, they are there nonetheless.

Phonebook Okay, I really wish someone would make it easy to create & copy phonebook entries between phonebooks on other handsets. On this phone, if you create an entry, you have to copy it to each & every handset...one at a time. And, if you are on a handset without a specific phonebook entry, there is no way to have that handset access the other's phonebook to copy the needed entry. In this golden age of technology, I think phone manufacturer's could do much, much better!!

Long distance vs. dialing If go through the caller ID log, and add a number to your phonebook, it only adds the 10-digit number. Again, this is the age of computers. I should be able to define a "local" list of area codes (not just a single area code), and everything else should automatically get a one appended to the front of the number. It is common sense. This same behavior is evident when you go to redial a long distance number directly from the caller ID listing.

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I purchased my set before the full color version was available. I'm not crazy about the orange display, but it's not bad. I love the individual ring tonesit's better than caller ID. I have a diffeent ring for each family member. All their phone number ring the same tone so I know who it is by the ring; don't even need to look. The only thing I'd like to be able to do is turn off the flashing message notification on the handset but even that is minorI just need to pick up my messages. And, yes, there is a redial feature.

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This phone has several major flaws. First, there is no redial, hard to believe, but true. Second, the orange color on the LCD is terrible. This color makes it hard to see the graphics, which are themselves annoying. Third, the LCD quality is very poor. Pictures,Words and numbers are grainy and appear very low tech, dated and obsolete looking. Lastly, the direct link/walkie talkie mode is a joke. It only works if the handsets are not in the charger and if you don't try to use the phone as a phone and if no calls come in. I would not buy this phone again. Between no redial and the terrible LCD orange color and LCD quality I'd have to advise you to keep looking. I have started looking again, and I'm stuck with 4 of these things!

5.8 GHZ clear, easy to use, and you can update other phones thru home computer.

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Kaito Emergency Radio with LED Flashlight, KA011

• AM/FM/SW radio with wide frequency coverage and digital tuning
• Four power sources: Solar, dynamo, battery, AC adaptor
• Built-in automatic battery charger, Super bright Super bright LED flashlight & alarm clock
• Built-in efficient DYNAMO CRANKING SYSTEM can also charge the internal NiMH battery pack
• 30 days money back guarantee and 1 year limited warranty

This radio is about what I expected and wanted. It is by no means a fancy unit. The case seems relatively cheap and fragile. However, it does what I want and I am satisfied. The white LED is not, of course, as bright as a 'real' flashlight, but it works for me. The tuning is analog and so-so, but again works OK. I don't understand the power selection switch: Batt, Dyn, Solar. Seems like the radio should be smart enough to handle the power source automatically. Maybe a switch to disable the batts from being used unless you really want to would be logical. Overall, I like it.

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I purchased this little radio two years ago for use during hurricane season. I actually use it a lot more, almost every week.

The Kaito should never fail you for lack of power. It can run on batteries, with an AC adapter, by using the hand crank and by solar cells. As long as there is some sunlight, the solar cells charge the batteries for hours of use. I leave the radio in a south facing window letting the solar cells charge it up during the day, so it is always ready.

During Hurricane Ike, the little Kaito did exactly what it was supposed to do. It provided news and information until power was restored days later.

Now, sound quality is ok, but do not expect high fidelity audio. This is an inexpensive emergency radio. The tuner is difficult to use. Even with the digital readout, the tuning knob doesn't allow much fine tuning since the actual tuner is analog. The unit lacks automatic frequency control so FM station tuning drifts over time. I haven't used the shortwave much. Again, tuning is tricky. It is much like the early transistor radios I grew up with in that respect. However, even with those limitations, it does work reliably and is able to pull in stations from out of area.

A small LED flashlight built into the side of the unit can provide emergency lighting even when the batteries run down. Just give the crank a few whirls.

So, yes it works as advertised with and without batteries or plug-in power.

Update August 22, 2012

The Kaito is the little radio that could! Originally I had considered it disposable, because I didn't expect it to last this long. This is hurricane season #5. It's still providing reliable portable radio whenever needed. Everything still works as if new. I am impressed.

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I've only had this radio for a couple weeks so far. Using alkaline batteries as well as just using the internal batteries, charged from the included AC adapter, I've been pretty impressed with the reception I get listening to this radio inside my home. Operation on AM and FM bands is pretty easy, with shortwave listening requiring a delicate touch to really fine tune a station using the one knob. I was able to listen to a number of foreign broadcasts using the included wire antenna. The hand crank dynamo in this radio feels pretty sturdy, but I think it would take quite a while to really charge the radio using just that. I used the crank for about 2 minutes when I first took this radio out of the packaging and I only got a couple minutes of radio at low volume from that. The instructions even say that using the crank to charge fully depleted internal batteries will take a significant amount of time. It will work though. The one thing I haven't really experimented with has been the solar panel. If I get the opportunity to give the panel a decent test I'll update this review.

I only give this 4 out of 5 stars because even at this price point it would have been nice to have some better feeling switches and knobs on this radio. I recommend this radio if you're a casual listener, want a radio that doesn't break the bank, offers the ability to be used even though you're out of batteries and is simple to operate.

You shouldn't consider this radio if you're serious about DX'ing. You also shouldn't consider this radio if you want to use it as an alarm clock, as the clock resets when you change power sources, and there's no buzzer setting, which means you have to leave the radio volume at a high enough to wake you. In my case that would preclude any bedtime listening to get me to sleep.

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With all of the storms, this has been a life-saver. VERY clear signal. And it's nice and small. I keep it in a readily available spot, and I'm ready for the next power failure.

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I researched solar powered AM/FM/SW radios until I was blue in the face and eventually decided on this one.Unfortunately,it wouldn't charge correctly by A/C power right out of the box.When I eventually did get the radio charged,I was greeted with horrible FM and SW reception.AM reception was actually quite good and I believe the LED flashlight could run for days if needed.I returned the KA011 and purchased an Eton FR-160 which is AM/FM/Weather and highly rated here at Amazon and elsewhere.My search for a usable,affordable solar powered shortwave radio goes on. :-(

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The Sharper Image EC-B150 Premium Sound Soother

• Digital FM clock radio with gradual wake and snooze
• 20 Digitally mastered relaxing sounds. Helps you relax and fall asleep faster.
• Sounds Include; Aviary, Brook, City, Dockside, Ebb Tide, Everglades, Fireside, Foghorns, Heartbeat, North Woods, Oceanside, Rain, Rainforest, Roadside, Steam Train, Summer Night, Surf's Up, Thunderstorms, White Noise, Wind Chimes
• Extra large display with full sound titles
• Dual alarm with dual readouts makes setting alarm easy - wake to sounds or beep

Sharper Image EC-B150 Premium Sound Soother, Serial Nr. of this unit appears to be #2912. Although the stock item photo appears to show the top buttons surrounded by brushed silver backgound, the one I received is actually glossy black background with flat black selection buttons...just for what it's worth, it looks great either way. The unit as received has a tight, professional appearance, and looks very nice when installed.

The display is a backlit liquid crystal, visible by day but not overly obtrusive at nite. The intensity of the display is adjustable by a rear mounted 4 position slide switch (Off, L, M, H). Medium works great for me. Rear mounted as well is a slide switch that enables or disables onboard automatic time adjustment for Daylight savings time. The items displayed when the unit is done being set up make real sense; very large Time of Day, a very small icon showing alarm(s) that are set (along with an icon showing what will be the alarm type sounded), also the actually day name, and the date (short month name and day number)are shown.

This unit allows the user to listen to one sound by timer to go to sleep by, and a DIFFERENT sound (or FM radio or alarm) to wake up to. From what I have read, the previous models did not offer this.

The unit is fairly lightweight, but has non-skid feet that stop is from sliding around. There are a pair of small speakers mounted rear facing that provide the sound. I find if I position the unit a little ways away from the wall behind the headboard, the Sound Soother does a good job of filling the corner of the room with sound. Better yet would be to position the unit as you would a white noise generator, (across the room, not so close to the head of the bed).

Some of the sounds on this are better than others to me. Certain sounds are cyclical by nature and lend themselves to the fairly short loop that the unit uses (Surf's up, Ebb tide, Dockside,ect). Several sounds are very nice just because of their content; I like the distant rooster in Everglades for example, and Rainforest is nice as well. The wake up sounds come on low volume at first, and then becomes louder over several minutes which is another nice feature. The box mentions clock "AutoSet", and I do not know what they mean by this. I was required, as part of setup, to tell the unit the month, day, year, hour and minute, AM or PM; I didn't see anything automatic about the clock setup. The clock has options in it for setting the alarm to only operate during the week (M,T,W,Th,F) with one single toggle setting, a nice little option.

I'm happy with this purchase, and I think this model is a improvement over some of the earlier models. I have not used the digital FM radio included in this model, so I have no opinion on the radio portion of the machine.

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I bought this item as a tool in promoting sleep but this has not really worked out. It's very easy to use and that design is good,but the speakers are very poor and have a cheap old transistor radio sound. It's as if there is a little "white noise" in every setting.For $40 it seems Sharper Image could have included speakers that reproduced somewhat the real sound of the ocean or birds singing. The other major defect in design is that the "tracks" used in each setting are very short and this VERY irritating. When I'm trying to get to sleep I easily get "locked" into predicting the "next chime". The track repeats so soon that I begin to focus on it, when that is exactly what I'm trying to let go of. Also the "train" track sounds like a child's toy.

So please put a little more in to it. I'm giving my unit awayReally the price for this quality should be around $15.

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the multiple light settings for the face are nice, tho I keep it on the lowest one, since the others are so bright. I like the fact that it also gives you the day and date, as well as the time. The 20 sound settings are something else. What to choose? I think I like 'em all except for "white noise"...why have that when you have so many nice ones to pick from? And I like that if you use the sound as an alarm it starts off soft and gradually gets louder. So why only 4 stars? I was disappointed that the steam train sound didn't have a whistle to go along with the chuga-chuga. Maybe the next generation!....Oh I also liked the packaging. NO syrofoam, but a cardboard insert tray. Way to go!

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I have owned the earlier incarnation of this alarm clock for about 4 years. The sounds are great and the loops are, for the most part, well camouflaged. I have thoroughly enjoyed this except for a slightly too bright display and look to replace it only because white noise helps my baby boy to sleep, so he gets the old one.

However the build quality has clearly gone down since those bygone years (sic). And by this what I really mean is the speaker. I already returned one and had it replaced, only to find that the new one has exactly the same tinny buzz to the speaker. This was not at all the case with the older EC-B100. For a device that is designed specifically for its soothing sounds, I am astonished that speaker quality is where they would choose to cut corners.

For those that don't know it, Sharper Image went bankrupt 4 years ago and was bought out by a new set of investors. Three guesses what they have on their minds, and for sure 'quality' is not it. Very disappointed.

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After 30 days of use, the time display stopped functioning all together. The sound quality of the white noise was okay, but I expect better quality from Sharper Image. Fortunately, Amazon takes care of its customers, and they have sent me a replacement with two-day shipping. I will be interested to see if the replacement lasts longer.

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TOP Secret Spy Camera Mini Clock Radio Hidden DVR- Continuous power or battery

• Infrared Night vision
• Beautiful video in low light even without IR
• Continuous Loop record works plugged in or with incl/battery
• View Covert Videos on 2 inch screen. No need for PC.
• Aluminum Alloy Constructionis Very Sturdy!

It served its purpose quite well ....the video image is good at night especially with soft background lighting....i am now single , ridding of a worthless parasitic girlfriend....if you have doubts....buy the camera and either prove or dismiss them :)

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Sangean WR-5 Hi-Fi AM/FM-RDS Table-Top Radio with iPod Dock (Dark Walnut)

• AM/FM/iPod
• Battery Back-up
• Passive Reflex Speakers
• Bass and Treble Control
• iPod Dock Adjuster

I had never heard of Sangean and honestly was a bit skeptical buying this. I can't speak to the long term, but I can speak to my initial impression after getting it, setting it up, and listening for a few hours / comparing.

Good:

Appearance It has a very sturdy and eye appealing look. The solid wood is very nice (though not as nice as Tivoli). It has a very classic look to it, but is clearly modern also.

Has 2 alarms, so you can set one for weekdays and one for weekends, etc. Also has a battery backup. (I don't know why any alarm clock wouldn't have this? but many don't)

Radio reception is excellent. I get lots of stations I don't get in my car and it comes through very clean.

Auto sets time/date from radio stations? Not sure how it did it, but it did and that was nice.

Very clear display easy to read the time, date, radio station/song info from across the room. Dimmer allows multiple brightness settings including off (so if anyone has complained that the display is too bright obviously didn't notice this feature).

Remote Seems to have good coverage from anywhere in my room. Has functions for everything I could need.. radio, ipod, dimmer, even can snooze by remote.

Sound quality of speakers Those iHome and other table radio/alarms do not compare. Significantly better. Is it Tivoli or Bose equivalent? I think it's probably just slightly below those systems, but for 1/4 to 1/5 the price.... it's not that much below them. Bose never impressed me anyway. I'd have to do a side by side to tell for sure if it's any better. People like to hype up various table radios, but lets all be serious. You aren't going to get sound from something with a 3 inch speaker that rivals a full stereo not matter how nice it looks or how much they spend on marketing. If so, why would Bose also sell full stereo systems?

Price! all the previous stuff leads to this. I paid $99 bucks and got every possible option I would ever want from a great sounding, great looking table radio/alarm. Very few offer all of the full options of this one with the sound quality and those that do cost many times the price. Don't be dumb and pay $400+ for a table radio/alarm clock.. please.

Bad:

The volume knob seems oddly sensitive and will jump around a bit, but it gets you there and you can always use the remote which is pretty convenient too.

Slightly confusing setup. It is not particularly intuitive and the instructions seems to be a bit off from how it really works so if you are extremely un-tech savvy you might have some confusion setting it up. I got mine setup with alarms, radio presets, timing, etc in very short time.

Conclusion:

Very glad I bought it and would recommend it to anyone else considering the tivoli, bose, cambridge, etc group of radios that feel that several hundred dollars is kind of crazy to spend on something like this. I'll update in the long run on reliability.

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In my endeavor to replace an old and broken, but nice sounding and well made Sony boom box, I became frustrated with the current quality and sound of the newer products. I did MUCH research and found this wonderful hidden jewel: The Sangean WR-5. I just received it today and it truly is amazing! The quality of construction is very high: solid case, thick radio antenna, substantial rubber feet, solid remote, solid controls on unit, nice display; it doesn't feel cheap in any way. Reminds me of the old Pioneer, Kenwood, etc. receivers of the 70's (ie. indestructible). But the most important and impressive thing is the AMAZING sound that comes from this remarkable little unit. The sound is magnificent!! It blows doors off of my iHome (which I also love). The sound is large enough to fill a room (and more) with very large and beautiful nuanced sound without distorting out at high volumes. If you want to take full advantage of all the settings, be patient and go through the nice thick manual (yes, it has a very good one with lots of information) to get all of your settings perfected to your liking. The FM stations come in great...I have not tried AM, but there is the ability to attach an extra AM antenna if need be. Lastly, for those of you who are hesitating (I was) because you want to have a unit that has it all: iPod dock, radio, CD player, etc., this unit can play CD's, or other mp3 players (besides an iPod), using the line-in jack and a portable CD player. I plugged my AUX cable into the line-in jack on the WR-5 and the other end into the headphone jack on the portable CD player and it played CD's just as well as all of the other functions on the unit. The features that I absolutely did not want to compromise on were sound and construction quality, reasonable price, FM radio, line-in jack and iPod dock. I feel like I got everything and more with the Sangean WR-5!

Read Best Reviews of Sangean WR-5 Hi-Fi AM/FM-RDS Table-Top Radio with iPod Dock (Dark Walnut) Here

I bought this unit as a replacement for an office AM/FM radio because I wanted a unit with an IPod dock. My thoughts are as follows:

Pros:

The unit is attractive and feels well built

AM reception is better than expected with a plug in option for an external antenna. FM reception good.

Aux in ports for other audio sources.

Sound is fine but I do not pretend to be an audiophile.

Cons:

Unfortunately, the remote did not work even after a battery change. If I am paying over $100 for an AM/FM radio I want all the parts to work.

The biggest downside was the fact there is basically no support for this unit. Should there be a problem Sangean's warranty demands you send the radio and your first born back to Ca at your expense. There is no phone support, no email support, zip, nada, nothing. In the 21st century this is simply unacceptable from any manufacturer.

My advice if you want to buy from this manufacturer you need to remember it is definitely "caveat emptor". I sent it back.

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I have owned this radio, purchased through Amazon, for about two weeks. I have owned similar and more expensive radios that, even after replacement, had constant and vexing software problems. The Sangean WR-5 Duo has no such problems. It works fine, and it doesn't seem to mind power disruptions. In other words, it remembers all of my stations and settings even after electric power failures that last 2 or 3 hours (and for some reason this is a frequent occurrence in the Washington, DC, metro area).

This iPod dock / tabletop radio offers good, crisp, ample sound for such a small device, though it is below the quality of the Bose or Boston Acoustics tabletop radios. In my view, sound quality is a very important consideration when buying a tabletop radio you will listen to frequently. The Sangean WR-5 has good, though not outstanding radio reception and a somewhat out-to-date iPod dock. By that I mean that my brand new Verizon iPhone offers a warning message when placed in the WR-5's dock, though I get no such warnings when I use my older generation iPod Touch and iPod Nano devices. All these Apple devices seem to get charged without problem. In contrast, more than a year ago I purchased a Boston Acoustics Duo iPod dock / tabletop radio. None of my Apple devices gives me a warning or error message when docked to the BA Duo. However, my new Verizon iPhone, when inserted in the Sangean iPod dock, gives the following message: "This device is not optimized for the iPhone. You may experience a decrease in cell signal strength." In other words, I may get weaker cellphone reception when my iPhone is inserted in the dock. The iPhone gets charged when inserted in the Sangean iPod dock, and the iPhone / Sangean combination delivers fine musical sound, but I do not know whether or not I'm missing some cell calls. There are no such problems with the Boston Acoustic Duo.

Let me make some comparisons of the Sangean WR-5 and the BA Duo iPod dock / table top radios. The Boston Acoustics Duo undoubtedly delivers better sound and offers a more up-to-date interface with iPod / iPhone devices. The BA duo and Sangean WR-5 offer approximately as good radio reception. The Sangean WR-5 has a smaller footprint and, because its iPod dock is more spacious, I do not need to remove the rubberized protective bumper from my iPhone before inserting onto the dock. In contrast, the rubberized bumper must be removed from the iPhone before it is inserted onto the dock for the BA Duo. Both devices accept input from a standard audio jack linking the radio with, say, a portable CD player. The instructional booklet for the Sangean WR-5 was worse written (I assume because its authors were Chinese rather than Americans), but the Sangean's set-up was faster and a bit more intuitive. I find that without wearing glasses it is easier for me to read, say, the time and radio frequency on the face of the BA Duo. That information is less clearly displayed on the face of the Sangean WR-5, and this may be an important consideration if you are also using the device as an alarm clock.

The biggest difference between the two iPod dock / tabletop radios is the price. As of this date (late March 2011), the Boston Acoustics Duo costs about $250 on Amazon while the Sangean WR-5 costs $100. Determining whether the better sound and more up-to-date Apple docking of the BA Duo are worth the $150 price difference is obviously a personal matter. I like both devices and give both of them equal ratings (4 stars), but that is because the price differential compensates for the somewhat worse sound and more out-of-date Apple docking interface on the Sangean WR-5. For a number of years now I have noticed that I actually listen to music much more frequently through my tabletop radios than through my far more expensive sound system. The better sounding tabletop radio -the BA Duo -is in my kitchen where I listen most often to music. The Sangean WR-5 is in our bedroom where it doubles as a tabletop clock and Apple iPod / iPhone charging device. I suppose other people discovered this fact long before I did: The availability of these iPod dock / tabletop radios means that you never have to worry whether your cell phone or MP3 player has a charge. If you listen to music through these docking stations for about an hour or so a day, your Apple device is substantially charged virtually all the time -it gets a charge at the same time you are using the device for one of its main functions, namely, to play music. In addition, of course, both the iPhone and iPod Touch devices can be used to listen internet radio, Pandora, podcasts, etc., partly depending on whether you have a WiFi system in your home. This means you worry less about the quality of your local radio stations: The internet offers a huge number of attractive alternatives.

In sum: the Sangean WR-5 radio is a very good tabletop radio / docking device. One reason I withhold a fifth star is that (a) better sound is certainly available on other similar devices (though at a higher price than the modestly priced WR-5); (b) the instructional booklet leaves something to be desired; and (c) the display is not as easy to read as the displays on other similar devices. On the whole, however, the Sangean WR-5 is an excellent investment. If money is not an important consideration, the Boston Acoustics Duo might be an even better investment, however. IMHO, the BA Duo certainly has better sound.

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I bought the Sangean WR-5 R clock radio after doing quite a bit of online research. I am thrilled with the flexibility of alarm settings, whereby each of the two alarms may be set for weekday, weekend, or daily; volume setting specific to each alarm; and alarms can be set to different music sources (IPod, AM, FM, buzzer). Setup is a bit complicated due to the flexibility of settings. The remote control is easy to use.

The sound quality is amazing, and the radio displays the artist and title of songs if transmitted by the radio station (which I did not read about anywhere). The major drawback is the readability of the time on the display from across the room it is no problem if you set it on your night stand, but it is difficult to read when on a dresser, even from a distance of 6 feet or so.

I do not know of a better clock radio for the money, and am very happy with my purchase.

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Tivoli Audio Model Subwoofer for Model Two, Black/Silver

• 5-1/4 bass driver with built-in crossover network
• Volume level permits precise blending with your Model Two system based on preference and room acoustics
• Furniture grade Black finished ash wood cabinet with silver accents to coordinate with the Tivoli Model 2 Black Radio
• 20 watt internal amplifer
• May be powered using included 9-foot power cord, or like Model Two, via an optional 12V DC power supply

I bought my Tivoli subwoofer about year 2002 and I forgot from which vendor. It was only $80 at the time. Apparently this product now has street price of $160! I did more critical tests with results to question some bad points I read in other Amazon reports of this. As real unbiased reviews are hard to come by outside Amazon, and no lab tests found, I did some tests that may be enlightening. You can repeat the same tests I performed. I generated a whole range of 5 second MP3 sine tone MP3 files. The specifics of the MP3s are: 256 kbps, 44.1 khz, stereo, 16-bit for high quality. These tones can be used to test any other speaker system. This is enough for an audible test in your own home.

The Model 2 without the subwoofer already has half volume bass sound level at 70 Hz tone. The last full volume tone was the 80 Hz tone and Model 2 is of course fine above 80 Hz. At 60 Hz, the unassisted Model 2 has no ouput! The Model 2 frequency response curve knee must be somewhere between 70 Hz and 80 Hz given how fast the bass output declined below 80 Hz. Again, half perceived volume of 70 Hz bass and no output at 60 Hz and below.

With the woofer enabled, the 70 Hz tone becomes same volume as 80 Hz, and same level at 60 Hz! The output is noticeably lower at 50 Hz. At 40 Hz, the tone is less than half of what it is at 50 Hz. At 30 Hz, the bass is still there (!), but only at a trace.

For midrange performance compaints, specifically, the adding of midrange and muddying Model 2's great sound, tests do not support this. I tested by putting subwoofer near the plain Model 2 speaker. Then unplug the Model 2's speaker where the woofer is. With Model 2 speaker silenced, now inject the higher frequency MP3 test tones for how the woofer plays out the tones. Just about everything above 100 Hz is filtered out by the woofer internal crossover. The midrange frequences are filtered out.

Bottom line: the woofer is tailored to put out where Model 2's output wanes, and does add that extra half octave as Tivoli says. See report on my treble high frequency audible test results for Model 2 to make the most of my testing.

You only need to play some pipe organ music to immediate hear the loss without the subwoofer. Muddying effect here comes mainly in the bad spots in the room where the bass constructively combined with room reflections causing boom spots, but such spots are few in my 29 foot long room.

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Adds nice, SUBTLE, bass amplification. Unless you really listen for it, you won't notice. This is not a unit for thumping bass it just drops the frequency range a tad.

Styling and quality is nice.

Don't hide it away or under furniture because, unless you switch it off first (don't rely on its own Automatic setting), it will put out a really loud thumping sound if the source powers off first. We have it in our bedroom connected to a Model Two radio and I have to remember to reach under the bed and turn the subwoofer off first.

We like it but, compared to the numerous other Tivoli products we own, it's the only piece of Tivoli gear that I can't whole heartedly recommend.

Read Best Reviews of Tivoli Audio Model Subwoofer for Model Two, Black/Silver Here

Let me say first that I absolutely love the Tivoli Model Two radio. It is one of the best purchases I have ever made. The selectivity of the tuner is phenomenal and the sound from the speakers is wonderful for listening.

The optional subwoofer, on the other hand, is such a mess that it nearly seems like a work of sabotage.

Another reviewer remarked that the subwoofer extends unnecessarily upward into the mid-range frequencies this is absolutely true, a fact which completely annihilates mid and upper range tone and renders music totally unlistenable. It's like trying to have a conversation with someone who keeps interrupting you, or to use a culinary image putting ketchup in your coffee. Spoils everything. The tone of the bass from this subwoofer is so bossy and undefined that I actually became angry while listening to it, and I'm not an angry guy. I tried adjusting the volume level of the output, and I even put the subwoofer in several different positions on the floor, on a shelf, under a chair, even next to the main component to no avail. Like a mosquito buzzing in your ear that terrible, obtrusive tone just wouldn't go away.

Thank goodness the Tivoli Model Two radio has sufficient bass on its own through the stereophonic speakers to reproduce naturalistic low tones for the type of music I listen to mostly Jazz.

I really can't understand how Tivoli thought this product was a good idea. It's a sonic catastrophe.

Want Tivoli Audio Model Subwoofer for Model Two, Black/Silver Discount?

Recently, I bought B&O computer speaker, and realized need to buy a subwoofer. I wanted to buy not too big and not too expensive, but beatiful. Tivoli subwoofer seemed to satisfy all my options. However, in performance, little disappointed. The woofer makes some tearing sound if you listen music louder (not crazy louder just plentful to your room).

Also, it automatically shut down, when the signal is missing, which means most of classic music is not supported (only pop music, but tearing sound).

If you want to buy this only for the design, just go for it.

Unless, buy different one.

I bought this Tivoli sub woofer for my pc. It is great for listening to I Tunes from my computer desk top. I highly recommend this product!

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LG Xenon GR500 Phone, Blue (AT&T)

And what are those needs?

I wanted a phone a step below a smartphone with cool features... no need for web browsing, navigator or the higher priced data packages.

small enough to fit in my pocket

physical qwerty keyboard for tons of texting (the touchscreen qwertys really irritated me so buh-bye iPhone and Samsung Eternity)

decent camera

I narrowed it down to the LG Xenon and the Samsung Impression. They are both great and are almost identical in looks and features. The Xenon won for two reasons: the price on amazon at the time of purchase (a penny vs. $49) and the size... the Impression is just a tad larger. Also, I've owned many LG phones with Verizon (switched because of no reception at my parent's new home) so I guess I could throw in brand loyalty to that list.

And after five days of ownership, here are some PROS: great battery life, very intuitive, responsive and bright touchscreen, memory slot is easily accessible on the side, three tabs on the homepage to organize/group your favorite contacts(very useful!), the camera (with flash) is AWESOME even at just 2MP, the huge and rubbery qwerty keyboard and I actually like the blue "xenon" color. And judging from the LG phones I've owned in the past, this phone should be very durable and reliable.

CONS: the speakerphone is horrible for both the talker and the listener (kind of a shocker because all my past LG phones had great speakerphones) and I'd like it if the slider were a bit more resistant (now I'm just nitpicking).

Overall a great phone!

**** UPDATE: 5/15/09 ****

I had to return the phone. AT&T's service was horrible in my area (San Francisco Bay Area). Tons of dropped calls and static. I asked a few friends who also have AT&T (which I should've done before switching over) and they agreed about the service. Most of them are iPhone users and put up with the terrible service just to keep the iPhone!

It's a shame because the phone really is good... but I think a phone is only as good as the service you're getting. Also, I did find a few more flaws during my three weeks with the phone:

noticeable scratches and scuff marks on the keyboard from the slider.

slight freezing with the three homepage touchscreen buttons on top (favorite contacts, home, star features)

the enunciator drop down menu (accessed by pressing on the top edge of the touchscreen) stopped working altogether

phone randomly didn't ring for incoming calls, but would alert me if caller left a voicemail. (not sure if it's a phone issue or an issue with AT&T's horrid service)

phone would occasionally freeze when trying to make outbound calls

The freezing issues with the touchscreen and outgoing calls may be a bit of a concern. I noticed it started to do it after I loaded the phone with contacts, pictures, text messages, etc... So I would take away one star if I could.

And I have to just mention that it was a bit of a pain to return. It took about four days before I finally got the right info. I spoke to three Amazon reps and some were clueless about the return process. One guy put me on hold for five minutes before telling me he would just email me instructions... the email arrived two days later but required I call AGAIN to get authorization. Just a very clumsy and disorganized return process. So my suggestion is if you're going to go through Amazon, be sure that this is the phone you want.

I decided to go with another online retailer for my replacement. Not sure if I can post the company on here, but feel free to ask me privately for the info. They were great and definitely instilled more confidence in their buying and return procedures. (this is the first time I've had to return anything to Amazon, so I'm not sure if this is common or just isolated with the cell phone department.)

So now I'm now with T-mobile and received my new Blackberry Curve 8900. The service is awesome... no dropped calls and the call quality is superb. I never thought I would own a blackberry, but this phone is GREAT! Review on that will be coming shortly =)

The Xenon is about near to perfect as I have found for my needs in a cellphone. First off, I have tried the Dare, the Omnia, the Behold, the Zine, and the Nokia 5310. All of them had some neat things, but weren't for me. I had initially been attracted to the phones with the high MP cameras because I didn't want to have to carry a camera with me, but I found that a higher MP doesn't necessarily mean a better picture. I also wanted something that could have music, which all these phones have, but some have the sd card inside. I wanted easy access. I wanted something that wasn't too small, which the Nokia seemed to be. I really liked it, otherwise, because it also had an FM radio. I was afraid I'd lose it, though. The Zine was okay, but I didn't like the keys. I really can't put my finger on why I didn't like the Behold. The Omnia was a smartphone and with it came the higher phone bill. It just had too much on it for me. I don't think I liked the side pullout menu of these two Samsung phones. It was neat to pull the icons onto the main screen, but they could be very cluttered. The Dare was a cool phone, but it was lacking one very important thing for me and also had some problems with locking up or turning off at the wrong time. It lacked a place in the contacts where I could input a street address with the contacts. I liked the touch screen and camera, though. I have written a review on the Dare, so I won't go further.

On to the Xenon. I like the smaller size. I like that it has both a touchscreen and keyboard. The qwerty keyboard slide is comfortable to text on. The keys are fairly flat, but they still feel like separate keys. I have big hands and it is great to use. I appreciate the .com, @, and text related keys along with the quick access keys for email and IM. It has AIM, Windows Live, and Yahoo! Messenger. Although the keyboard is four rows, you must use the Fn key (blue) to access numbers and symbols. It wasn't difficult to use. The sliding action of the keyboard feels solid to me and not springy. The covers for the sd card and charger/headset port are a little different. It's best if you have a bit of fingernail to grip the indentation and then carefully pull on the cover piece because it has a plastic post for the little covers to swivel on. I found it a bit tricky at first.

The touchscreen is quite responsive with haptic vibration and the accelerometer is quick when you go from portrait to landscape (qwerty). I like the layout of the menus and the Xenon offers different ways to access the things you need. It is as if LG tried to accommodate almost every possible user. You can use a virtual dialpad to text in T9, tap, or just use the qwerty keyboard. It also has a copy and paste feature. To access contacts, you can do so from the slideout qwerty keyboard, by using the green call button, and by the bottom icons on the screen using either the rolodex type icon or the menu icon that looks like a dice. AND, you can input street addresses in the memo area of the contacts! The dice button will bring up the various menus, as well. At the top of the screen (hidden from view), you can pull down a menu for messaging, your calendar, bluetooth, stop watch, music player, and ring options. Just below that you can access three icons. When you are on the home screen, only the person and the star icons are highlighted. The star icon brings up your favorite menu items, which you can move/drag to the order you want. The person icon brings up your favorite contacts with some cool features, which I'll write about in a moment. When in either of these areas, the home icon will be highlighted to quickly close your favorites. On the home screen, at the bottom left is a small pullout menu that gives you quick access to notes, calendar, pictures, music, an alarm clock, and world clock. You can drag and drop these onto the home screen, if you want. It is a very full featured phone, but not a smart phone. In between the call (green) and end (red) buttons is a task manager button, which is handy if you have a couple things going on. The back function is virtual on the touch screen.

The neat thing about the favorite contacts is that you have an icon that you can save a picture ID to and when you click on it, four options become available. You can call, text, see if there are messages from that person, and view the phone number. You can also quickly access all the contact info for that person by double tapping on the picture and edit also. In addition, you have three locations within the favorite contacts area, denoted by three little dots towards the bottom of the screen. You can have one be for your family, one for friends, and one for co-workers or whatever your three favorite categories would be. In these areas, your icons can be set grid-like and stationary to a designated spot or they can have the ability to shift as the phone shifts by pressing in the empty space around your icons until a small menu pops up at the bottom of the screen. The menu will have a plus sign so you can quickly add to your favorites, a grid icon that will put your icons in place, a push pin icon that will give you the option for your contact icons to shift with your phone orientation or be fixed in the position you want. I like a little more stability so I set them to their places.

The camera is a 2MP with a flash that is very bright. The Xenon offers so many options to have fun with pictures. You can morph, stamp, draw, edit, colorize, etc. It doesn't offer a panorama or multi-shot function that I have found, but the other options make up for the lack of these. It doesn't have a zoom. The photo quality is good. It also has a video option so you can video call or just take a quick video.

The battery life is pretty good. I charge it about once a week with a lot of use. I'm not a heavy texter, but I've been playing with the phone and learning what it can do. I didn't find the learning curve to be steep at all and I didn't read the manual. The speaker phone is okay, but I never really use that feature on any phone unless I'm waiting on hold. I've yet to experience a really clear speaker phone conversation on any phone. The normal call sound is clear. I can't comment on the internet function because I don't use the internet on my phone, but from researching the phone, it appears to be good at that, also. It has GPS capability, but that wasn't really important to me.

The Xenon is a really fun and functional phone. It's close to being smart. It had enough smarts for me to finally commit to a phone and a two year plan after a year of playing with phones and different providers. My 15 years old daughter has really enjoyed it as much as I have. Thank goodness for the family share unlimited texting plan!

Buy LG Xenon GR500 Phone, Blue (AT&T) Now

You do not need to sign up for ATT's sevice plan in order to purchase this netbook. This is just wrong information, plain and simple. If you want to take advantage of ATT's high speed mobile service, you can purchase it separately and this netbook can then work at the higher speed. Otherwise, you're just limited to wired (10/100) and wireless (54g) broadband and WI-FI service.

Read Best Reviews of LG Xenon GR500 Phone, Blue (AT&T) Here

All over the internet there are reviews of this phone comparing it with the Samsung Impression. I didn't want the impression because it is GIGANTIC and also because as someone who has used Samsung phones for a long time, I've always found their battery life to be horrendous. My last cell was the LG Shine, and I was pleasantly surprised with how long its battery lasted.

Some of the reviews on the internet complained about the haptic feedback (aka the fact that the phone vibrates when you use the touch screen). Actually, you can adjust this feature to your liking (there are three vibrations to choose from) or completely turn it off. Another feature complained about was the sensitivity of the screen, but again if you go into the settings menu you can recalibrate the screen to your liking.

I actually think this phone is better and CHEAPER than the Samsung Impression. It has a screen lock on the side which the impression doesn't have. It also has a camera button on the side so you can take a pic in an instant. The camera is 2 mega pixels, but it takes decent pics and has a flash. Samsung Impression is 3+ mega pixels, but has NO flash. When using the mobile web this phone automatically re-adjusts the screen size. Again, Impression doesn't do that!

Best of all, this phone as a lot of great "little" features. It has widgets, like post its that you can leave on the back drop. It also has a special column where you can organize your favorite phone contacts for easy access. Overall, a great phone for the price!

Want LG Xenon GR500 Phone, Blue (AT&T) Discount?

I've owned this phone for less than 48 hours so it's probably a bit early for a review, but I wanted to set the record straight on just two points from previous reviewers that almost made me NOT purchase this phone.

Point #1: The camera DOES have a zoom function. You just need to set the image size to any of the lower two settings to use it.

Point #2: You CAN save attachments from email messages. I sent several pictures successfully to my husband and could save them on his phone (he bought the same model, just in red as I got blue).

This is my first experience with a phone with a touch screen and I didn't think I'd like it, but so far I'm getting used to it. I LOVE having the QWERTY keyboard to use as well. I also enjoy that if I want to send a quick text message without using the keyboard, I get the option to use the touch screen with a regular phone setup, so you can send quick messages just like you could with a regular phone, using the numbers 0-9 to send the corresponding letters.

Saving contacts on the main page and attaching a photo to those people is great. It makes it really easy to just send a quick message or make a quick call to those people you would call the most without having to search for them in a phonebook.

I'm still getting used to scrolling through my browser screens using the touch screen and zooming in and out the same way, but I don't browse that often so it will probably take some time.

I'm still figuring out how to attach my own self-created sound files as ringtones as well. I'm sure it can be done.

Make sure you read the book on this for a few other tips and tricks. I figured out a lot of it on my own, but reading the book with it gave some other fun stuff. For example, on the main Home page, if you touch the top of the screen above the 3 icons, in the black border space, just to the left of your battery and ringtone indicator, you get another drop-down quick menu similar to the slide-out version at the bottom of the screen with a few more functions. This is something you'd never know if you didn't read the book since there is nothing on that screen to indicate this.

Overall I love this phone so far, but I'll update my review at a later date once I've had some time to use it on a more regular basis.

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