Sangean RCR-9 AM/FM-RDS Digital Tuning Atomic Clock Radio (Black)

• AM/FM-RDS Stereo Digital Tuning
• 18 Station Presets (9 FM, 9 AM)
• Radio Controlled Clock Available for DCF/WWVB/MSF/JJY and FM RDS-CT
• Dual Alarm Timer by Radio or Buzzer
• HWS (Humane Wake System) Buzzer

I have to say, I'm impressed with the Sangean RCR-9. Here are the highlights of my experience.

PROS

Easy to set up and operate

HWS (Humane Wake System) Alarm

Radio sensitivity, sound and FM RDS system

Back-lit clock display and dimmer control

Aux-In and headphone jacks (nice, but haven't tried them yet)

CONS

Takes longer than anticipated for atomic clock to set out-of-the-box and after long power outages

No real battery backup for long power outages

Instructions some of the English translation needs to be reworked, booklet type is small

(NOTE you can download much larger instruction manual from the Sangean website)

The two main reasons I purchased it was because Humane Wake System (alarm gently awakes you, buzzer starts at a low volume and progressively gets louder), and the atomic clock (automatically sets itself). I've had a Sharper Image AM/FM clock radio for about 15 years that also had the same kind of alarm; a "progressive alarm system" that starts low and progressively gets louder. For me, it's the best way to wake up after years of getting "jolted" out of bed with a regular loud alarm.

OUT OF THE BOX:

Very easy to set up. I put the clock on my night stand next to a large window, attached the DC adapter to the back of the radio and plugged into the wall electric socket, and extend the wire antenna straight out from the radio. The clock hands came set at 12:00, so I set the time zone to central time (per the instructions) and waited a few minutes for the atomic clock signal to be received. (This was at 2:30 p.m., and I noticed the clock finally set itself at 12:00 a.m. (midnight). The date (month, day, year) was also automatically set too. But 9 ½ hours to automatically set itself? I didn't know if this clock would be worth it.

The next morning, I set the alarm by first setting the clock to from 12 to 24 hour format, then the alarm time. It's also easy to set the brightness of the back-lit clock, from off to very bright.

AM/FM RADIO:

It took me awhile to find the radio "on/off" button (per the instructions). I finally realized the instructions were referring to the universal power button symbol that was very difficult to see (it is light blue on the black background). The instructions label it as the "Standby button-Sleep timer button".

Very easy to operate. The RDS (Radio Data System) works great. The clock automatically displays the frequency, call letters and other information transmitted by the station, such as station format (news, sports, classic rock, etc.), and even current song title and artist.

For its small size, this has to be the best sounding FM clock radio I have ever heard. The sound is rich, and you would swear you were listening to a larger radio. Sensitivity is very good on both AM and FM. I live on the west side of Houston, and I could pull in weak AM and FM stations with ease, and on AM, could pull in KLBJ in Austin that sounded loud and clear. I haven't tried the radio station programming yet.

ALARM:

It's very easy to set and operate the alarm. The alarm can be set to wake you to AM/FM radio or buzzer every day, or weekdays only or weekends only. The alarm buzzer will start softly (soft "beeps", actually), and will progressively get louder, then change to two quick "beeps" until it reaches the loudness level you set (yes, you can set how loud you want to buzzer and radio alarm to go). Very nice. Then you can either hit the snooze or turn it off.

ELECTRIC POWER OUTAGE UNPLUGGING THE CLOCK:

Ok. I wanted to see what would happen to the clock when the power was cut off, either by a storm or power outage. I unplugged the clock and waited 15 minutes and plugged it back in. The clock immediately reset itself to the correct time and date, and all of my settings were saved. Sweet!

Then, I unplugged the clock and let it set unplugged for 2 hours. Not so lucky this time. When I plugged it back in, it reset itself to the "out-of-the-box" 12:00 time. After an hour, I noticed the clock was still trying to find the atomic clock signal. I came back to the bedroom two hours later, and it was automatically set again and working great. All of my settings seemed to be saved including my alarm time.

All-in-all, this is a very good alarm clock. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars only there is no real battery back-up and it took the atomic clock signal longer than expected to sync itself out-of-the-box and after long power outages.

Buy Sangean RCR-9 AM/FM-RDS Digital Tuning Atomic Clock Radio (Black) Now

I love this product. I've looked at several clock radios and this one is by far the best. The analog clock display is very viewable at night and during the day. The radio sound is excellent and reception is very good. Also, unlike other radios I looked at, the controls are straightforward.

Read Best Reviews of Sangean RCR-9 AM/FM-RDS Digital Tuning Atomic Clock Radio (Black) Here

My old analog-face clock radio died and I wanted an analog clock radio to replace it. This one is very easy to set up or it was for me. It found the correct time right away. I had to go through the instructions which seemed clear to me to set the alarm the first time but now I will be able to do it forever. The radio reception is very good and I like that at night I can dim the light on the clock face. The only negative for me is that there is no tactile cue as to which is the alarm button so when it goes off in the morning I have to hunt to find the right button to turn the alarm completely off as opposed to putting the alarm into snooze mode. I have recommended this to a friend.

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Had difficulty setting it up, as manual is way too simple and missing essential pieces...Sangean Tech Support totally unhelpful, in fact, wrong, with their advice, telling me that radio is defective and I should return to dealer. Turns out radio works as it is supposed to, however, it took a fairly long time for the atomic clock to "adjust" itself...Radio is good quality sound on most FM stations, however, it is very poor on pulling in even the strongest AM stations...and I live in NYC.

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I bought this clock radio as a present for my 85 year old mother and she loves it. The setup is straight forward enough that she can handle it by herself. The radio part sounds really good for it's size and has good reception. A really nice feature is the adjustable back light that makes for a good light light.