TEAC R2 Premium Edition AM/FM Mono Clock/Radio (Black)

• Sleek, retro-style digital clock radio with integrated side carrying handle and telescoping FM antenna
• Digital AM/FM tuner with manual tuning; automatic presets for instant station access
• Large, easy-to-read LCD display shows time, radio station, and preset number
• Auxiliary input for connecting iPod or portable MP3 player; sleep timer and snooze functions
• Built-in rechargeable battery for portable use; measures 9.3 x 5.1 x 5.2 inches (W x H x D)

Frankly nobody seems to care that most alarm clocks are complete eyesores. Teac comes out with this wonderful effort, including a backup rechargeable battery. However there is one major problem that seems to be cropping up everywhere nowadays:

The LED display! This thing barely has any contrast, so you really can't see it well at night. Also, even at the dim setting, it is like a flashlight. Instead of using a nice LED display with simple brightness settings, you get this indistinct display that lights up your whole room.

Teac, please put an LED display on this thing. The styling is great. The button placement is fine. As is, unless you wear a night mask, I really can't recommend this clock radio.

Buy TEAC R2 Premium Edition AM/FM Mono Clock/Radio (Black) Now

This radio has some very nice features to its credit---size, digital tuning, battery operation for portability,MP3 input,decent sound quality from the speaker, but the AM reception was horrible and the FM was not much better,even with the antenne. If your just interested in close local stations its fine. I purchase this mainly because of the portable use with the built in battery.After a week the battery would not hold a charge, I call customer service, and the tech told me the batteries were only meant to last a year????? I exchanged it for another r2, same battery problem same reception problems.

Read Best Reviews of TEAC R2 Premium Edition AM/FM Mono Clock/Radio (Black) Here

One feature not noted is...... when you hit snooze; it displays the word SNOOZE on the display until you turn the alarm off. This is nice for heavy sleepers like me. I like knowing that I did not accidentally turn off the alarm altogether by hitting the wrong button. If I awake in a panic after hitting snooze once or twice thinking I turned my alarm off in a stupor, I feel at peace when I see the word SNOOZE on the display.

TAEC makes great, solid, quality stuff (no, I do not work for TEAC). This unit is heavy, classy and sharp. It has a big snooze button that is easy to find, an adjustable wake volume that can be different than the last volume used, 10 pre-sets and the button to turn the alarm off is one of the back buttons, so it would very hard to accidentally turn it off. The display is dim enough not to bother me. It starts bright, and then dims to a soft blue.

It is super easy to program and the sound is very good too. It has bass and treble control so you can customize the sound a little. The rechargeable battery gives me piece of mind too. I know it will go off in the event of a power failure. I tried my iPod using the included AUX plug and it worked and sounded OK. I did not expect it to sound great, so am satisfied.

This is one hot looking clock and the features are well thought out, from the placement of the snooze and re-set buttons, the snooze display, the adjustable volume, rechargeable battery and programming. Perfect for what it is.

Want TEAC R2 Premium Edition AM/FM Mono Clock/Radio (Black) Discount?

They are wonderful! I bought an extra one for my living room!

In case you haven't seen the photos, these are the units with the handle on the left side of the unit (from the front) with a round blue display on the right side of the face. They have a single speaker but the sound quality is superb. You can get a powerful sound out of them. I don't have any issues with the "click" settings for the volume for me the change is gradual enough that I get the volume level I want. They really are solid pieces metal cases with a powder-coat finish and solid rubber feet just a very quality look and feel to them. They can be set for two separate alarms, and you can hook up an MP3 player, etc up to them for playback. The cord for this is included but is only about 6". I'd say radio reception is average the same as I get from my other radios, and fine for me. I'm going to also use the second unit as an auxiliary speaker for my laptop. AND they have a built-in backup battery unit that is always charged up when it's plugged in. You can completely disengage the cord and use it as a portable radio out on the deck! One thing-if you need it really dark for sleeping you may not like these the display is a pretty blue but gives off enough light that you don't want it facing you it's pretty much a night light. The settings are straightforward but you do need to follow the instruction manual.

I checked them out at other vendors and they "list" for $169. They actually are even cheaper now than when I bought them just under $50 from North Star Electronics through Amazon as of 01-23-2006. The rules say I can't list the URLs but you may want to look for the "no picture" listing for this better price!

if you care about the sound of your 'wake-up-call' then this is the one. It looks good, price is right. But I won't pay more than 100$ like the MSRP. The 'discounted' price that I got (below 60) is fair, I would buy another one.