Showing posts with label alarm clock radio. Show all posts
Showing posts with label alarm clock radio. Show all posts

iHome iC50BY Android Alarm Clock Speaker Dock

iHome iC50BY Android Alarm Clock Speaker Dock
  • Play and charge your Android Smartphone; FM Alarm Clock Radio allows you to wake & sleep to radio or tone
  • Works with iHome Sleep alarm app for enhanced wake & sleep options (free Android Market download)
  • SmartSlide dock with custom Quick Charge micro USB cable; AUX line-in for music playback with included stereo audio cable connection to your smartphone or other music device
  • Specially designed stereo Reson8 speaker chambers for superior audio performance; built-in EXB sound enhancement
  • Battery backup ensures your alarm sounds during a power failure

I bought this product because I was excited about the fact that someone had created a clock with Android compatability. This thing works, in a technical sense (in that it tells time and charges your phone) but the usefulness stops there.

There is no real compatibility or interface between the clock and your Android. There is a micro USB cable, and a standard headphone cable (both of which must be plugged in for this to work; and by "work" I mean it charges your device and allows you to use the clock as a speaker). That's it. Otherwise it's a pretty mediocre alarm clock. The clock has 4 brightness settings: 1. blinding, 2. way too bright, 3. still too bright, 4. and off. The dimmest visible setting was bright enough to bother me while I was trying to fall asleep.

The clock has an alarm on it with a nice big convenient SNOOZE button in the middle. But if you want to use your phone as the alarm, (thereby making use of the "compatability") the snooze button does nothing. You have to use your phone as the interface.

My Galaxy Nexus looked as if it would fit quite nicely in the dock, but after trying a few combinations of cables sticking out every which way, I discovered that the only way this would "work" wold be with my device bobbing around precariously with all of its weight on the micro USB cable. This made me pretty uncomfortable, as a bump or jolt could potentially snap the phone off of the cable, breaking the cable, the phone, or both.

I returned this thing after a week of trying to like it. But it's basically broken. I'd recommend getting a nice phone dock instead. This thing is a trumped up alarm clock that provides the "convenience" of charging your phone. Do not recommend.

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Got this at BestBuy and will be returning it.

PROS the micro USB stand works well enough, and with the adapter, you could just circumvent it if you want to, which I consider a good thing as you could connect and charge any micro-usb device. The aux-in 3.5mm jack also works. The included cord is a little short, but is still able to reach the top-side jack on my Samsung Galaxy S2, which is a pretty big phone.

CONS my main complaint is that the clock number display is illegible. I posted a photo to Amazon of the clock showing 9:19; it looks like 8:18, because 6s and 9s display just like 8s, no matter what the brightness setting. It's possible that this is a lemon, but really, LCD displays have been around far too long to be getting screwed up. For $50, this is an indication of unacceptable quality control.

It's also lame that there are no radio presets.

Read Best Reviews of iHome iC50BY Android Alarm Clock Speaker Dock Here

Volume is great. Goes upto 40 and sounds great. Dock is great and keeps phone steady because my micro usb port is on the side and not under neath. Got it at bedbath for half price with 20 percent coupon because the box is all beat up. But the unit was mint. I like the dim feature so I can finally sleep now and don't stay awake with all the bright light. Was a little confusing at first (but hello, instructions are thrown in the box for a reason) but now works great. Alarm fade in is great also. But confusing at first because it makes you think it is not working. Also alarm can be set to any station you want to wake up to. Or you can use your phone connected to the headphone jack. All in all good clock.

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The one thing that made me jealous of the iPhone was the litany of devices (including iHome's) that worked with it. I had this vision that I'd be able to dock my phone in, and play audio off it while charging it.

Sadly, no.

Strike 1: In order to work, the phone needs both a USB connection and a 3.5mm line in. When I think about it, it does make sense, since there's no standard for playing 2.1 channel audio out of a microUSB connection.

Strike 2: As other reviewers have alluded, the iHome can't really hold the Galaxy Nexus with any sort of stability--the phone wobbles in the dock if I touch the screen.

Strike 3: There is no integration whatsoever between the phone and the alarm clock.

However, the thing that made me ultimately return this device was that for no good reason, audio would suddenly stop playing, and I'd have to turn it back on again.

Save your money, get a speaker dock instead.

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This seems to be the only dock currently available for the Android phone. While it has it's faults, the sound is pretty good. My complaints are as follows & prevent tis from getting more than 3 stars.

I have the HTC Shift with the charge port on the bottom left. This prevents the dock from holding the phone in a proper position. It sits way off to the left & looks silly when docked. The port is hard to align when docking my phone. Phones with the port on the bottom should have a better experience. The radio has no presets. I switch between a few stations & would love to have a few saved. To allow the dock to play via the phone, you have to plug in an auxiliary cord to the headphone jack. Not very convenient. The built in alarm clock works great. Today I downloaded there app but can't comment yet as it looks a bit overwhelming. More time with it would be fair & I may append this review at a future date.

So for now, this dock is great if you need an alarm clock, charging cradle & quality radio. Relying on the phone for the sound source is a bit inconvenient.

Sony CFD-ZW755 Portable CD / Cassette / Radio Boombox with Detachable Speakers

Sony CFD-ZW755 Portable CD / Cassette / Radio Boombox with Detachable Speakers
  • CD boombox with dual-deck stereo cassette and drift-free, digital-synthesized AM/FM tuner
  • Synchronized CD/cassette dubbing
  • 4-preset electronic equalizer (rock/pop/live/vocal), Mega Bass low-end enhancement
  • Remote Commander remote control (CD/tuner/volume/power/function)
  • Clock/sleep timer, Loop/Flash sound effects

I like to play music -mostly classical -at my desk at work. This past week the volume control on my old Sony boombox broke (after nearly ten years of daily use) so I went out looking for a replacement. I was pleasantly surprised at the low prices of most of the units I saw, but they sounded rather tinny compared to the good sound I was used to from my old Sony. At the end of the shelf I found this model. When I inserted the CD which I had brought with me for auditioning, I immediately heard a clear improvement in sound over the less expensive models. In fact, the sound was even better than that of my old Sony with which I had been thoroughly pleased. I bought this model on the spot and the next day installed it next to my desk at work. It's very convenient too use, looks nice (compared to most current boomboxes) and sounds great. Sure it cost a few dollars more than the inferior-sounding units but(...) I'd say it's a great buy.

Incidentally, although I listen almost exclusively to CDs, this unit has two tape drives, which allow for tape dubbing (which a lot of cheaper models don't) as well as a digitally tuned AM/FM radio. Also the CD player has 1-bit conversion -like the best CD players, but unlike most boomboxes -which contributes to the better sound. As I said, it's a great buy.

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1 YEAR UPDATE 2/6/05: This Sony boombox has gotten worse since I last reviewed it a year ago. I just discovered that the right speaker (as you face the unit) no longer works when playing CDs. When using the radio or tape deck, no problem. The only sound out of the right speaker when playing a CD is just a very faint crackling sound. Understand that this boombox sits on a tabletop and is hardly moved around even though the intent of a boombox like this should allow for frequent moving. I'm pretty disappointed while I sit here listening to one channel on stereo CDs. Time to go shopping only after 1 yr of use! Not good.

ORIGINAL POST 1/25/04

Pro:

1) Doesn't look flashy and wierd like a lot of recent boom boxes.

2) Still working after 2 yrs. nothing has broken (no CD playing problems).

3) Does a basic job of making sound.

Con:

1) Turns on mysteriously at night probably due to a neighbor's remote controller on the same frequency as my boom box or being triggered by some other random radio wave. (has freaked me out at times causing me to wake up in the middle of the night and get out of bed to turn it off really freaky if the CD is playing my daughter's nursery songs.)

2) Setting radio station presets is not intuitive and simple.

3) Lacks decent bass sound relative to my Magnavox boom box, even with the "Mega Bass" activated.

4) FM and AM radio reception is mediocre. I live in Los Angeles with a lot of strong radio stations but some local stations just don't come in clearly without static.

5) Lacks the Sony quality feel that I used to know.

6) Price to high should cost around $60 for what you get.

Bottom Line: I expected better from Sony given my past experience with their products.

Read Best Reviews of Sony CFD-ZW755 Portable CD / Cassette / Radio Boombox with Detachable Speakers Here

I have owned two of these for two years now, and have another one on my wish list. I cannot praise them highly enough. I am very particular about music sound and quality. The sound on this player is absolutely awesome, whether you are playing a CD, listening to the radio or cassette tapes! And it does quality dubbing from one cassette to another, and fantastic recording from CD to cassette tape. I am not a technical person, but am particular about sound, and I use Sony studio headphones to plug into this for those times when I want to listen solo. (I can also recommend KOSS headphones, available here on Amazon) I use those with my MP3 player and portable CD players.

I can say that my Mom purchased a Bose system for her home (very pricey) and she was so disappointed. After hearing this Sony, she was just sick that she paid so much, because the sound of this Sony player was better. I can highly recommend it.

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I have this system for about 2 years. Initially it was great. Now left speaker does not work with CD's. It's still OK for radio and cassette. I sent e.mail to Sony and they offered refurbished system for 93$ (brand new costs max.99$) or repair for 110$.

It looks like a usual problem with this system (see other reviews). Next time I'll buy Sharp or Panasonic or Philips.

I had this stereo 3 years before I sold it. Great CD player,great

cassette recorder,and great radio. The CD player didn't skip, and

the cassette player made great recordings. Both the G500 and the

ZW755 are great systems, but the cassette player is better on the

ZW755, partly because it was a duoble deck and you could record

off of the other deck. This is a great portable unit! Way to go

Sony!

Ilive Icp211b Am/Fm Clock Radio With Ipod(R) Dock (Black) (Ipod Accessories / Accessorize Your Apple

Ilive Icp211b Am/Fm Clock Radio With Ipod(R) Dockit's small with ok finition for the price, the radio lasted a week.

having it replaced now. hope the 2nd one will be better

iLive support was very good though

Nokia 6301 GSM Tri-band Phone (Unlocked) Silver WIFI Bluetooth, Micro SD slot

Nokia 6301 GSM Tri-band Phone Silver WIFI Bluetooth, Micro SD slotI received the phone fast and with no problems, new and all well

however the phone was supposed to be unlocked but is still coded to T-Mobile and as I am with ATT I cant use it and now have to send it to Nokia for them to reinstall the settings as the T-Mobile are embettered in the phone, very inconvenient and time consuming..

I had it for 3 years now. It is a very good phone. Good phone calls quality. Never stuck or got frozen. 2MP camera is fair and speakers are great. I dropped it may be 100 times and it is still working,It was built to last. If you are not looking for luxury phones,I strongly recommend it,

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This is a good non-smart phone. The understated but sharp european styling and stainless steel casing grows on you. I've had good performance, including excellent call quality, and no bugs or quirks so far.

Coming from Sprint phones, the menus on this phone are deeper and more technical, less dumbed-down. It can take a few more clicks to do a few things, but overall I appreciate the increased control and number of options.

The one common complaint on this phone is that the battery life is not good. I concur that battery life is pretty weak for a basic, GSM phone. However, if you do a quick web search, you will see many people have successfully put the stronger BL-5C 1020mah battery into this phone. I just ordered a BL-5C and will try to follow up on my review once I've tried the new battery. Note that Wi-fi calling works very good on the 6301 and is easy to set up, but using it is a significant battery drainer.

The phone I received through Amazon is an unlocked model that has some T-mobile branding, however it came with a European charger with US adapter and did not include the charging cradle/dock (which is not necessary to charge). I think the dock is neat and like how it's old-school...so I've purchased one separately online for about $4.

Read Best Reviews of Nokia 6301 GSM Tri-band Phone (Unlocked) Silver WIFI Bluetooth, Micro SD slot Here

RCA RS3081i CD Music System for iPhone and iPod (Black)

RCA RS3081i CD Music System for iPhone and iPod
  • Sound system with iPod/iPhone dock, CD player, audio line-in, and digital FM radio
  • 10 watts x 2 - full-range two-way stereo speaker drivers
  • Universal dock for iPod/iPhone - plays and charges iPod/iPhone while docked
  • Clock/Timer function - wake to Radio, CD, or iPod
  • LCD display - with color backlighting; Digital volume control

radio is awsome it looks good and sounds good nice addition to the garage where i will be working on the mustang jamming on some good tunes

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I used the CD player only half a dozen times and now the CD tray will no longer open\close via the function button. Futhermore, CDs no longer play even when you close the tray by hand. The sound from radio and Ipod is quite decent. The speaker cables are very loosely connected so that when you move the unit they come out. I value this unit at $50 and not a $100.

Etón E100 AM/FM Shortwave Radio

Etón E100 AM/FM Shortwave Radio
  • Very compact, full-featured digital shortwave radio
  • Bright, backlit LCD screen; independent fine-tuning control knob
  • Tunes AM/FM and shortwave signals
  • Auto-scan function; 200 programmable station memories
  • Digital alarm clock with sleep timer

Hifolks ,I'm Vince the radioman . I have a large collection of radios and love to do compares and share my thoughts. First off the new Eton(Grundig) line of radios is a vast improvement over the old Grundig line , especially in the area of the construction of the body and antenna..nice job! This is a cute little radio . A nice addition to the better mini's out there. It has a robust memory and decent coverage but not full coverage . I compared it to the Sangean ATS606 and the SONY SW35 which are in the same price range and the old YB300pe. The 606 and the SW35 were more sensative on SW and AM . The FM was about the same. The YB300pe was not even in the same class as the others. It has a nice back light and comfortable controls and basic feel . Its really small and great for travel or the office . It does however need an wide/narrow switch and or an IF filter ... none the less and very decent , well made mini addtion to the new Eton line . I recommend buying this radio. .... a previous reviewer talks about the demise of SW listening ...I also grew up during the cold war and at the time SW was "exciting" and filled with info not available elsewhere. Lets just hope satellite and cable service hits a peak soon ...I have a feeling the world has not really explored the wonders of the radio spectrum and will again build up SW usage , also I have a feeling Pirate radio will grow on SW as the alternative to robot like satellite programing. ....so if you do want to invest alot of money on a SW radio but want some access , this is a very nice choice.

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This compact am/fm/sw radio is nicer than I expected. The radio's size is ideal for pockets, so I frequently take it with me. Currently I'm using up some excess alkaline AA batteries in my E100, but when they are gone, I will switch to rechargeable NiMH batteries. (There's a system code you should set on the radio when switching between alkaline and rechargeable batteries be sure to check the manual)

Positives:

* FM stereo through headphones sounds great

* Informative LCD display includes the frequency and the time while the radio is on (some other radios require a keypress to display the clock)

* Nice amber backlight for the LCD display

* Sturdy whip antenna

* It seems to be very easy on batteries

Negatives:

* Shortwave scanning using the up/down buttons is slower than on other shortwave radios I've used (e.g. Kaito 1102, Sony ICF-SW7600GR) the radio pauses on each frequency longer than necessary

* Small buttons are occasionally difficult to press

* Tuning knob is only capable of fine tuning, i.e. it uses small tuning intervals and doesn't work as well if you try turning it very fast

I wouldn't recommend this radio as your only shortwave receiver, but only because other radios in this price range have more features. My example would be the excellent Kaito KA1102, which offers features such as dual conversion, a wide/narrow bandwidth setting, single sideband reception, an included AC adapter, faster shortwave scanning, and backlighting for both the screen and keypad.

Read Best Reviews of Etón E100 AM/FM Shortwave Radio Here

Please understand that this radio is NOT a DXer's radio. It lacks single side band (listening to hams and utility stations) and dual conversion circuitry (image rejection). However, it is a superb radio for listening to major broadcasters such as the BBC World Service or Radio Canada International. It is very small (about the size of a pack of cigarettes) and only requires two AA batteries. The signal/battery life indicator are handy features. It is also has very good weak signal sensitivity. If you are looking for a small, basic radio that DOES cover the full SW spectrum, then this radio is a good buy.

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I just got this radio. Just like CJ Green reported, this little radio has exceptionally good reception. I work in a metal building. This radio picks up AM stations that no other radios I tried could.

I highly recommend it to any who has a similar need.

My collection of radios continues to grow, and the E100 is the most recent addition. I bought it because there's a lot of features built into such a small package.

This radio will easily fit into a pocket or briefcase, yet it allows you to access AM, FM and pretty much the full range of shortwave bands. It has a clock with alarm, snooze feature, 200 presets (although I can't imagine ever using more than 50), battery strength indicator, signal strength indicator, and more.

The AM (MW) band pulls in stations well using the internal ferrite rod antenna. The telescoping whip works well for both FM and SW, but I sometimes attach one of those 23' portable wire antennas to more clearly pull in weaker SW stations.

Battery life (2 AA's) seems to be very good, and the internal speaker puts out clear sound, although as you can imagine it isn't going to be room-filling. The earbuds work very well.

At about 100 bucks street price, it ain't cheap, but when you pick it up it looks and feels like quality work.

Black Intertalk FM413 Advanced 3-wire 3 Channel Home & Office FM Wireless Intercom Power line System

Black Intertalk FM413 Advanced 3-wire 3 Channel Home & Office FM Wireless Intercom Power line System for 110volts
  • Designed for 3-wire AC outlets
  • Made for Offices, Nursery and Homes fitted with 3-wire electrical wiring
  • No installation required --- just plug in and press to talk
  • SOFT TOUCH -- big LOCK, TALK, CALL buttons
  • Lockable TALK button let you talk continuously

I've owned 5 of these for almost a year now and if I had to do it over again, I would not buy them again. I remember when I first bought them I had to return a couple because when they were turned on they would make a humming sound, kind of like when you are near a power transformer. Since they were being put into bedrooms, the humming sound was very annoying in the dead silence of night.

In case it wasn't clear in the description, you plug these units into the electrical outlets in your house and when you press the talk button, it transmits the signal over your electrical wires. The bad thing about that is interference, alot of times you can't even hear the person, especially if one or more of the oven/washing machine/microwave/dryer/computers are on. The one intercom machine in our 4th bedroom works every now and then, the machine is fine but the electrical wiring in the room or something causes it not to work all the time, the channel doesn't matter, so it's pretty much useless.

The one in my bedroom and kitchen usually work pretty good, but like I mentioned, alot of times there is too much static. And yes, we've tried between all 3 channels, it doesn't matter. These intercoms could work okay in your home, but if you buy these, it's essentially a crap shoot whether they will work right in your house, so be prepared to return them. That is why I would try to buy an intercom system that truly communicates wirelessly, not over the power lines.

What's amazing to me is we have technology that lets us talk to people across the world clearly, yet I cannot find an in home intercom system that works flawlessly. There are no intercom products reasonably priced that have good reviews here on Amazon....are you kidding me?

The only thing I found that looked like it would work good is the product below, but it wasn't designed to be an in house intercom system and would be expensive to buy 5 units.

http://www.amazon.com/MURS-TWO-WAY-BASE-STATION-RADIO/dp/B0002XQWF2/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

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We use this everyday talking between rooms in our house. Sometimes it is has background noise and it is hard to understand.

In-Dash DVD/CD/MP3/Player AM/FM-MPX Tuner w/Front Aux & USB Jack and 3" TFT Digital Monitor

In-Dash DVD/CD/MP3/Player AM/FM-MPX Tuner w/Front Aux & USB Jack and 3' TFT Digital Monitor
  • DVD/VCD/MP4/MP3/CD/CD-RW Compatible
  • AM/FM-MPX2 Band Radio
  • PLL Synthesizer Tuner
  • Front Aux Input for alternate audio Sources
  • 24 Station Memories

My JVC KD-SH1000 was stolen, so I bought the LD33MU as a cheap replacement. And that's exactly what it is. The sound controls are basic treble/bass/balance/fade/loud and it plays DVDs fine with auxiliary outs/ins. In fact, DVD playback is great for a unit that only costs $160.

Now for the quirks:

The menu is very, very, annoyingly simple. You'd think it was a Fisher-Price toy. It won't read from the USB if a disc has been inserted. Pressing the pause button causes it to restart with the first track in the folder. It won't remember the track position if it gets turned off.

Have to use the remote for certain menu functions. Subwoofer control is basically just an on/off setting.

For the money, it's a no-frills DVD player with 3-inch screen. Perfect for a work truck or noisy car. But if you're looking for the ultimate audio solution for your luxury car, look for decks that cost $300+. If you're looking for a deck that reads SD cards, then wait until they start making decks compatible with SDHC... 1GB just doesn't cut it.

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Great product. I love it. It plays pretty much any audio / video that I have put into the DVD player.

Sony XDRF1HD HD Radio Tuner

Sony XDRF1HD HD Radio Tuner
  • High Fidelity AM/FM/HD Radio Technology
  • Clear, static-free radio reception
  • FM multicasting with no subsciption fees
  • Audio Out jack
  • Full function remote control included

First of all, yes, this is a tuner, NOT a radio, and Amazon should correct that! Also, HD radio is NOT High Definition radio. The HD stands for Hybrid Digital. So don't assume you'll have better sound in HD than analog radio! That said,

I have been interested in getting an HD radio to try out the format. Being an audiophile, I checked several audiophile review sites for the Sangean tuners, and they weren't getting too good of reviews. Also, their price is $200-250.

Then I came across a review for this tuner, and how much better it is, saying the FM analog portion alone is worth the price.

I have to agree, the FM tuner is much better than the tuner in my $1000 PrePro! Analog reception picks up more stations and the sound is great! Haven't heard analog FM sound this good since the 60's! Analog AM is also better than my Prepro (though not by much). Great sound, and only $99 ! This is a steal, grab it before they jack up the price! Audiophie FM tuners go for $200 & up. All this performance, and it's about the size of a car stereo!

There are about 20 FM HD stations here in Chicago, and it pulls them all in great, except for one, which keeps switching between analog and HD. There are some AM HD stations in Chicago. It would show which were HD, but none of them had enough strength to switch the tuner from analog to HD, so I couldn't judge AM HD.

Now for some things that need improving: there are 40 presets; 20 for FM and 20 for AM....not enough for FM and too many for AM. If you want to hear a HD station in analog, there's no way to switch it back to analog, you have to listen in HD. The dial glows like a cellphone, which is great while you're using it, but when you turn it off, it still glows, like a night light in a dark room. When powering down, it should dim. You can dim it down in the menu so it doesn't glow in the dark, but then when you turn it on, you can't read it because it's dark. Who wants to set the dimmer everytime you turn it on and off?

Overall, it's more than worth it.

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The receiver is a tuner that is very small and intended to plug into your existing stereo system in a living room setting and it does this very well.

Acquiring HD is the fastest I've experienced, not the 8 seconds it should be, but close enough.

There is a really handy arrow that tells you if there are more subchannels and if you should tune 'up' or 'down' to hear them. This is really handy since it takes a while to tune HD signals, even on the best tuners.

Sound is excellent. You hear the talk radio host sip his coffee.

Remote is handy and not as useless as others think.

Presets can be set to HD subchannels. This is a major, crucial feature, and I'm very happy with it.

On AM Radio, even if the analog signal has static and interference, the HD Radio signal still comes on with crystal-clear audio. This is a huge advantage.

Some issues:

The unit runs extremely hot when tuning HD, hot when running, and very warm when off.

The back light cannot be turned off and remains lit when the power is turned off--this is a major flaw.

No optical output is a major omission for something that is just a tuner.

You cannot input a frequency. You must tune up or down one step or use presets.

The radio does remember its presets when AC power is removed, so I'm not seeing what other reviewers said.

The tuning buttons are to the left of the preset buttons meaning that I accidentally hit the preset when I want to "tune up" or "tune down".

Tuning off an HD channel is easy to do accidentally and tuning back takes a while for the HD to come back.

The tuner machine picks up alot of its own digital hash on AM.

Nighttime AM HD is currently banned by the industry due to adjacent channel interference so your AM radio will go to analog when local sunset occurs.

One word about talk radio: Even though HD Radio has been around for a few years most broadcasting equipment in my area is not upgraded well enough to provide clean broadcasting, especially on AM talk radio stations whose old analog signal covered up a world of audio hurt that you can now hear in HD. Talk radio is hard to listen to unless it's a national show that is well produced and processed. You'll hear background sound, hiss, hum, and feedback which would otherwise be masked by traditional AM broadcasting.

Read Best Reviews of Sony XDRF1HD HD Radio Tuner Here

Compared to the current Sangean, the Sony XDRF1HD is smaller, costs less, and gets as good of a signal. I have it on my computer desk plugged into my PreSonus Firebox amp.

Nice features:

* sleep button

* remote control

Not so nice:

* no volume control from Sony itself (would not matter if my PreSonus amp had a remote control)

* does not remember channels or time after a power outage

If you have HD channels in your area that you enjoy, then this is a good box. I live in D.C. and basically got this box for the extra WAMU channels.

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Sony should have called it a tuner. But if you want to be simple just buy a couple of computer speakers with an RCA adapter and you're ready to go. This item works very well in my area. HD radio stations are not that common yet, but what I received (about 15 extra stations in Orange County, CA) seems pretty good. I can receive AM radio programs that were preempted by LA Dodger game, or if I want commercial free "elevator" music, pop, rock or classical music this tuner offers a nice departure from the same old stuff found on FM radio. The Sony does a nice job locking in to HD channels and you can preset your favorite programs on HD or regular stations. The LCD display offers signal strength, HD signal detection, clock, Channel name ID and display format. A remote control comes with it (less batteries) and it is fairly easy to use. It comes with a wire dipole FM antenna and external AM loop antenna. Unless you live near alot of FM stations, HD radio is not ready for you, but in terms of performance the Sony is versatile little tuner.

This is an amazing analog FM tuner. A few stations are listenable in stereo even when there's no signal indication on the display.

There are a couple of annoying things that have nothing to do with the quality of the analog FM reception. There are three display brightness settings. The highest will light up the room. The dimmest is hard to read.

In the Northeast we've had an unusual number of severe thunderstorms with power outages. When power is lost the tuner loses its memory and you have to reset all your presets. Since my total cost for it was $49 after the rebate I can deal with it.

The HD reception is average and, as with most HD radios, you'll need an outdoor antenna if you're not close to the stations' transmitters. The antennas supplied are OK for regular FM but inadequate for HD. This is common for HD radios and not unique to this tuner.

It's a tuner, not a radio, so you need to connect it to an amplifier and speakers. If you connect it to a high quality stereo system you'll love the analog quality when tuned to a high quality station. I find the artifacts created by HD Radio to be annoying and you can't force this tuner to analog to avoid them. They bother me. They may not bother you, especially if you're used to MP3.

It's well worth the few dollars you'll spend, especially if your stations are distant. It has a very effective ability to eliminate noise in a regular FM signal.