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Showing posts with label best buy clock radios. Show all posts

Homedics HMDX-C30 Speaker Dock for iPod with AM/FM Clock Radio with Nature Sounds, Silver/Grey

Dynamic speaker system and dock for iPod with AM/FM alarm clock radio.
6 soothing nature sounds
Projects time in soothing blue light
Universal inserts fit all docking iPod models. Line in allows you to attach non-docking iPod models, CD players and other MP3 players
Enhanced acoustic resonance precision sound that it true to your music

I bought this earlier this week.

Pros: Good sounds quality. LOVE the remote! Nap feature is handy. Nature sounds help drown out my neighbor playing his TV too loud :-) Projection is clear enough to see in the morning w/o my contacts.

Cons: There is a weird high pitch sound when the nature souund is playing and the projection is off. When I turned the projection on it stopped. It is not there when the radio or iPod is playing.

Overall I would but again.

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I wanted to upgrade my prior alarm clock that played AM/FM radio and CD. I particularly wanted something that I could connect my iPod to, and this was definately it. It has a remote control also, so its perfect from a distance. The nature sounds are a great addition, too. You can set your alarm to play your iPod, nature sounds, AM/FM radio, or just beep like crazy. It has a projector as well so you can bounce the time off a wall or the ceiling. The LCD screen has two setting, bright and brighter. BUt it's a dark blue that adds a nice ambiance to the room. All and all its a great product. It serves its purpose. Could it be improved, yes. Downside is that it doesn't charge the iPod, but my car does so thats fine. Its not like I listen to it on the dock 24/7. The LCD screen isn't visible from certain angles, but the projected time takes care of that. I'd highly recommend if you're looking to upgrade your old-school alarm clockespecially if you have an iPod.

Read Best Reviews of Homedics HMDX-C30 Speaker Dock for iPod with AM/FM Clock Radio with Nature Sounds, Silver/Grey Here

As long as the unit is turned on, there is this weird high-pitch noise. Very annoying unless you turn the volume to 0 or very high. DON'T BUY THIS!!!

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I purchased this for 59.99 while in Texas and brought home to NJ. Despite indications that it handled all IPods, it would not charge my IPod Touch. I emailed customer service and received a response pretty much washing their hands of it and stating that they will not give refunds etc on products not bought directly from them...not sure how long they have been in business but i feel that with this type of inconsiderate attitude, they won't be for much longer.

I found out a week later that it was eventually reduced to $39.99. so apparently, like water, the price is seeking it own level--down with all the other crappy IPod accessories they have on the market, which do not work with newer IPods.

I received this off my Amazon wishlist for Christmas. When I set it up at home, it appeared to work fine though the buttons seemed a little cheap and the interchangeable docks fit into the receptacle a little funny. I packed it back into its original packing and brought it into work to keep on my desk, and suddenly the thing was bricked. It won't even turn on anymore, even though the ac adapter is getting power from the outlet and is plugged into the unit. I am returning it and plan on looking for another solution.

Hero H6000 - 4.3 Inch QHD Glasses-free 3D Screen Android 4.0 ice cream sandwich 3G SmartPhone Dual S

Phone came in good condition and I liked the overall functionality of it. Until my fiancé broke it and I had to get a new phone.

Identical to the Zopo ZP200. It also does 3G (WCDMA) on 850Mhz (AT&T). Mine has Android 4.0.3 (Ice Cream Sandwich) loaded. Unlocked, and can be rooted. This phone only has one rear camera (8MP), so unlike the costlier HTC EVO-3D, it can't take 3D photos. But you can display photos/movies/games from many sources and the quality is very good. SKYPE video with front camera. The GPS works great with Sygic($30/offline) or Google(free/online) maps. Battery life even with extended battery (2AH) can be a little short without management. Overall it's a great phone at a good price.

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Sanyo DMP-692 Dual Dock Music System for iPod and iPhone (Black)

Simultaneously charge your iPod or iPhone or two iPods
Play music from iPod or iPhone
AM/FM Stereo Tuner with 40 total presets
Dual alarm clock wakes to iPod or iPhone in addition to radio or buzzer
Full 20 function remote for iPod and AM/FM control

I got this on Amazon last week. It is what I expected. Price has dropped $15 since I bought it. I also own an iLuv. This is a good bedside unit. I dock my Iphone every night and keep my Ipod docked always since I listen to music when I go to bed. For Cost/Size I am pleased with the performance. It packs a pretty good sound and has good featuresespecially a dimmer to lower the display illumination at night. It has a subwoofer located in the back of the unit. It also has a Dynamic Bass Booster (DBB) which enhances the sound. I wouldn't say it is superior to the iLuv. It is comparable; certainly cheaper. I am satisfied with it. It is a good bedside companion.

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The sound is crystal clear, the remote works well from upwards of 10 ft away, two alarms, two iPod cradles what more could I ask for? The iPod cradles nicely and without a struggle; unlike the two different iHome alarm clocks I have gone through within the last month. I'm able to wake to a selected song, AM/FM or a buzzer; the snooze button is easy to locate when I'm half asleep; the sleep counts down in increments of 10 (as opposed to the standard 30-min with most other clocks), and the buttons operate with a very light touch. Lastly, (and this may seem silly to some), but I absolutely love waking to the blue color of the screen as opposed to red, green or white.)

Needless to say, I would highly recommend the Sanyo DMP-692 (although I purchased mine at Radio Shack on Black Friday for $59.99 as opposed to Amazon's price of $79.99)

Read Best Reviews of Sanyo DMP-692 Dual Dock Music System for iPod and iPhone (Black) Here

Nice Product, good build quality, etc.

Main complaint, menu buttons don't dim when unit is on and does light up the whole room.

Does not charge iphones when unit is on and in radio modes, so if you listen to the radio over night like me, your phones do not charge.

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FINALLY! A clock without a backlight that lights up the entire room and is readable! Plus, it has all the features I've been looking for!

-am/fm tuner (most have only fm anymore) with presets

-easy to read clock that doesn't light up the entire room

-easy to use buttons

-ipod compatible

-dual alarm

I've only had this clock for a few days so I hope it lasts a long time. I've been looking for the right clock for years.

It has the best am/fm reception of any clock we've purchased in the past 10 years.

My main complaint with other clocks is I can't read them. I am nearsighted and most clocks now have that backlit display. I can't read them at night without putting on my glasses. Also, they are always way too bright.

The numbers are the perfect brightness and it has many adjustment options so you get just the right setting.

Dec 2011

Adding more comments one year later. This clock is exceptional! The sound quality is good while playing my ipod (for the record, I mostly listen to podcastsnot music). The radio reception is excellent. The only quasi-negative comment is the snooze button is the same button to dim the clock. But, that has not been a big deal. It was worth every penny. Please keep making this product.

Everything seems to work great and the alarm clock arrived on time. Looked just like the picture. Only problem I had was that the description did not tell me what Iphones work with the model. I had to look that up on another website to make sure that my phone would work. Would order from them again.

Edited to add:

I still really like this alarm clock but I have had it freeze up on me numerous times especially when I use the snooze button and it has caused me to be late for work twice. I am not sure if this is something other people have had happen or if I just have a defective product but I just want to warn all of you to be on the lookout for this problem.

Sony ICF-CD7000BLK AM/FM Stereo CD Clock Radio

Stylish design with built in MP3 cable
Sophisticated LCD Display
Auto Time Set
Dual Alarm
AM/FM digital tuner

My now-ancient Philips CD clock radio let me down, so I decided it was time to upgrade with more-modern technology. I still wanted to wake to CD sound rather than a radio station or normal alarm sounds, and after a short search, I found this Sony. It has some features that I really appreciate, which make this clock intuitive and useful. Specifically ...

1) There is a perpetual clock built in, so that after a power failure the clock has the correct time. My old clock had a 9V battery to keep the clock circuit energized, but it always ran fast (really fast) and needed to be reset after the power returned. This one works really well.

2) The CD track selection works every time. My older clock seemed to have a "mind of its own" when I set the wake-up track. I resigned to just letting it go on track 1, which would reliably repeat; just pick a CD with an acceptable first track. This Sony clock wakes me on whatever track I set it to every time.

3) The second alarm is a nice feature. I can easily set it to one of two different wake-up times with the press of a button (really it is two buttons). The out-going Philips clock had a more-arcane method of setting a second wake-up time. I don't think that I ever mastered it.

4) The sound quality is more than adequate. What I would expect out of the tiny 2-in speakers seems to be surpassed. Perhaps it is my imagination.

5) The generously sized snooze bar is easy to find in the morning. Although my Philips clock had a proximity sensor to detect my approaching hand, it seemed to have a very narrow field of regard, and I often had to wave my hand numerous times to get the alarm to stop. This Sony clock has the snooze bar located just above the table surface, so a groggy sliding hand can find it easily.

6) The addition of two alarm times on the main display help in seeing that the alarm is set and to what time. No button pushes are required to read the alarm time.

7) Oh yeah ... it is a pretty cool-looking clock with an easily loaded CD.

Now for the not-so-good part...

This clock uses blue LCD backlighting, which is very bright in a dark room, even at its lowest setting. It is so bright that I had to cover over the display to prevent it from lighting up my room. I found that cutting out a 2.5 x 5 piece of card stock makes a suitable display cover that prevents the night-time light pollution, but you also lose the time on the display. It works out OK in my bedroom, because we have a second perpetual-time clock with a less-obtrusive red LED display.

Overall, I would still give this clock a high mark, and I am happy using it. I would expect that someone with more light seeping in at night might not have the same objection to the display brightness that I have. Selectable display colors, where red is a choice, might be a solution for me.

Buy Sony ICF-CD7000BLK AM/FM Stereo CD Clock Radio Now

I hated to return this radio. It has some fantastic features. This is the clock radio I want. Except it's cheaply made is some areas that turn the best clock radio on the planet into an epic fail.

The good. The features are great. Dual alarms. Nice sound. An excellent strategy for the backlight (the plague of modern clock radios) which lets you change it very easily from the snooze bar. Dual alarms. Even a battery backup!

The bad? An incredibly cheap radio tuner that couldn't even bring in a local station with a transmitter 8 miles from our home. My requirements on a clock radio are pretty minimal, but hearing my Morning Edition is one of them. The CD player also seems cheaply made and when we went to sleep to it, we woke up in the middle of the night to the click click click sound of the CD transport. While the snooze bar was a wonderful and functional large bar that doubles to easily turn down the backlight, to actually turn off the alarm requires accessing a fairly small button on the side. Our nightstand is a bit above the level of the bed and the display is only visible from straight on or above.

As I said, on paper this is everything I could have asked for, but it had a couple of problems that left us not only dissatisfied, but returning it.

Read Best Reviews of Sony ICF-CD7000BLK AM/FM Stereo CD Clock Radio Here

When the CD player failed on my old Timex (Piece of junk) unit I began the search for a new one with the features I wanted. This item fit the bill 99%.

It features great sound with the little conveniences I wanted.

I wanted a unit that played my homemade CDscheck.

I wanted duel alarmscheck.

The light from it can't be too brightcheck.

A sleep feature is necessarycheck.

A nap alarm would be nicecheck.

Nature sounds as wellNope. That is the one thing I didn't get.

I have had the unit for over a week now, the alarm requires a bit of getting use to with the insistent beep-beep that gets louder and louder, but it will do. I go to sleep to music on the 90 minute sleep setting and not having to change the alarms for a nap is nice. I love the way you touch the snooze bar and the light dims and then with a second touch, goes off. If it lasts well I will be overjoyed with the choice.

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This Sony Dream Machine CD/Alarm Clock is by far the best available anywhere at any price. I replaced my aging Sony Dream Machine (10 years old) with this one. Not at all disappointed. It's very easy to program, sounds good for 2 small stereo speakers in an alarm clock! The ice blue luminecence of the alarm clock is awesome. You can set it to Bright, Dim or Off. The LCD display is very clear, large and easy to read in all lighting. Very easy to turn off either of the dual alarms, when you don't have to get up in the morning! Awaken to alarm (which starts out soft and gets louder) or your favorite radio station (excellant FM reception by the way, not too many alarm clocks can say that!) or wake up to your favorite CD track! All very well thought out and easy to program. This alarm clock is idiot proof. Take this Sony out of the box, plug it in and the correct time is automaticly displayed. Eastern Standard time is the default. Those in other time zones just have to push a small button on the side (hidden from main buttons so you won't push it by accident) keep pushing button until your correct time zone PST, MST, etc. comes up on the display and you're done. The correct time! Note, you can also easily set it manually if you prefer. The lithium battery back-up should last 10 years. Another plus, not having to worry if the power goes out. Sony pretty much thought of everything on this CD/Alarm Clock. I've had mine for 3 months now. And I can't really think of anything I would change on it or anything extra I would add to it. Simply put, as perfect as you can get. Just like most anything Sony makes. Looking forward to using this for 10 years! By the way my nephew is using my old Sony Dream Machine, it's still working perfectly! You have to buy this Sony Dream Machine, yeah it's pricey but remember these days YOU GET WHAT YOU PAID FOR!

I purchased this radio when a previous Sony radio died on me. My criteria were: a clock radio with digital tuning, preferably from a name manufacturor. Digital tuning proved to be the difficult criterion (why are people still making radios with vernier dials, anyway?)

Pros: I agree with the previous reviews it was simple to set up. The factory set time was off by a couple of minutes, so I reset it. Since then, it has kept perfect time. I like the battery backup, we had a four-hour power outage not long after I bought it, and it kept time and all of the settings.

Cons: I agree with the previous review there are blue lights behind all of the buttons (12 of them!) You can dim them, but the clock backlighting is connected to the same switch, so then you can't read the clock. I suppose it could serve as a nightlight, but I'm glad I don't have it in my bedroom.

Unexpected Pro: FM reception is really good I am directly behind a tall hill, and I get beautiful quality on stations that the previous Sony only got as static.

Jensen JiMS-195 Docking Digital Music System for iPod - Black

The Jensen(r) JIMS-195-BK docking digital music system is a player and recharger for the iPod with video, iPod nano, iPod with color display, iPod, iPod mini.
Compatible with Ipod Nano (1st and 2nd generation), Ipod (3rd, 4th and 5th generation), Ipod Mini (1st generation)
It also has an audio line-in for connecting iPod shuffle, MP3, or other digital audio players.
The unique design includes a multi-function backlit display, built-in speakers, and an FM PLL stereo receiver.

I bought this to work with my Ipod shuffle and the advertisement said it would work will all kinds on auxilary but that is not true. This will not work with the shuffle.

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Floating FM Radio / MP3 Player

LCD display with digital clock
FM radio w/10 memory stations
Input USB key and SD card slot for MP3 player
Battery powered ( 6 x AA not included)
2 - 2 inch speakers

I purchased this product and LOVE it!!!!! It very user friendly and has great loud sound! I plan on purchasing several more for gifts.....There really isnt anything I dont like about it....This is great for pools, hot tubes, boats, ect. It would be great for anyone who teaches water exercise classes.

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Sony WMFX 463 Walkman AM/FM/TV Stereo Cassette Player

Worldwide digital synthesized AM/FM TV stereo tuner
22 hours extended battery life
20 station preset tuning (5 TV, 10 FM, 5 AM)
Auto-reverse tape playback
Mega Bass sound system with Groove sound position

I have had this product since the 90's. I have dropped it, drug it and just abused it. All the buttons are gone and the cassette part doesn't even close. This thing gets excellent reception anywhere, AM, FM and TV. The only reason that I am replacing it is because it needs to retire. It STILL works just as good as the day I purchased it 10 years ago.

Craig Electronics CMA3036 Retro iPod Alarm Clock Radio

Universal dock for iPod
Connect non-docking iPod, CD players and other players via line-in jack
Retro AM/FM radio with alarm clock
iPod not included

I got this on clearance at a local drugstore for $7, so I am sorry if anyone is paying almost $300. This works great for the iPod Nano which is what I had before, I recently got the iPhone and it does not work to charge or dock for playing music, just an fyi.

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Just bought this for the family at CVS for Christmas.. and it's great for listening to our itouch on ...have to use the dock plate that came with the itouch, as it doesn't come with the adapter for that..also doesn't support charging while it is docked, but for the $14.99 I paid for it it's great! Neat retro look too! Now to decide if it will be used in the bedroom or kitchen..hmm!

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I got this for Christmas because it looked retro and cool, and worked well for my ipod touch.

After about a month, though, the ability to play ipod music from the speakers stopped working out of nowhere. I figured that it was still useful because I could still use it to charge my ipod, play the radio, and use as an alarm.

Well, a few months later the piece that you stick your ipod on to charge completely broke off when I took my ipod out and you can't just put it back in obviously. So now this only serves as a radio and alarm.

NOT worth the money.

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I have had this clock/ radio for just over a year. The volume button just got a loose connection and I must fiddle with it to hear the radio without static. It used to work great. The light is too bright for the bed side table. I love the appearance though.

This is a nice radio for the price. Craig has made electronics for some time. The style is much like more expensive radio, but cost less with good quality.

Sony ICF-C492 Large Display AM/FM Clock Radio

Sleek AM/FM clock radio with jumbo 1.4-inch green LED display
Variable brightness control adjusts to lighting and environment
Sleep timer and amply-sized snooze bar; 2-level buzzer alarm volume
9-volt battery backup; measures 7.88 x 4 x 4.38 inches (W x H x D); 1-year warranty

My trusty old Sony alarm clock's radio selectivity was getting on my nerves, and the cheap General Electric model I chose to replace it did not measure up. Fortunately, this new Sony easily surpasses both its older brand-mate as well as the ergonomically-botched offering from GE. Advantages include precise, dial-adjustable display brightness, better radio reception and selectivity, and simple controls for sleepyheads to understand and operate. Audio is clear but undistinguished--about what one would expect from a clock radio. Nevertheless, for such a low price that is forgiveable.

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Since most of the other reviewers have been gushing over this alarm clock, I thought I'd post with a few annoyances:

This thing has two alarms, but you can't have both of them set to buzzer. One has to be set to radio and the other to buzzer. This is aggrevating.

Like almost every other alarm clock in existence, the button to turn off the alarm is hard to find, while the snooze button is the size of Jupiter. If you enlarge the image of the clock on this site, you'll see three buttons on the lower right below the display. The one in the MIDDLE is the one that turns off the alarm. Yeah, good luck finding that button in the dark at 6:30am. I guess the engineers who build these things don't actually USE alarm clocks, or else they wouldn't do STUPID things like this.

Having the dimmer as a dial rather than a switch means you have much more control over brightness. However, the little indicator that lights up when you set the alarm is brigther than the time display itself. So while you may be able to get the display just right, the alarm indicator will be just a tad brighter than you want it. It's not a huge problem, but just another minor gripe.

The snooze on mine goes off every 7 minutes when pressed. (Why 7? I have no idea.) I have lost the manual and can't verify this (somebody please correct me if I'm wrong), but I haven't found any way to reprogram this. On my older alarm clock (which, unfortunately, had no dimmer switch), I could set it to 5 minutes, or whatever I wanted.

Sad to say, but I think this is the best alarm clock I've seen so far. My search for a good alarm clock doesn't suck will go on ...

Read Best Reviews of Sony ICF-C492 Large Display AM/FM Clock Radio Here

The first one we ordered gained between 30 to 45 minutes a day--we returned it and have a replacement that runs about 20 minutes ahead each day--we're about to give up and send that one back, too....It's a great looking clock for our needs--large numbers, small enough not to clog the bedside table....but it simply can't keep accurate time.

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This is the fourth alarm clock I have tried in the last year, and this one is a keeper! I wanted a dual alarm that I could set very quiet since I am a light sleeper. I was shocked that two brand new alarm clocks I bought simply did not work right. I would set the alarm and it would not go off. This one works every time.

The dimmer on the display is great. I had one alarm clock that I had to drape with a cloth because it was so bright. That pretty much defeats the purpose. There's no need for a drop cloth with this clock.

The one little complaint that I have is that the dual alarm has one alarm on music and one alarm on buzzer. You can not have two different alarm settings that both play music.

This isn't as bad as I thought, though, because the alarm time is very easy to chage, yet you can't accidentally change it by bumping into it.

The radio reception is even good.

I brought this clock considering the lengendary sony trademark. But it turned out to be a complete disappointment. Its gaining hours and I am about to return in today. Well,the display is not so bright. If you are looking for a good bedside alarm clock with radio, please don't go for this one.

Sony ICF-C275RC Dream Machine Auto Time-Setting FM/AM Clock Radio

Auto time setting clock
Appealing new design
AM - FM digital tuning radio controlled clock radio
Dual alarm with individual setting -- perfect for working couples
Melody alarm

I normally am very pleased with sony products, but this one has been very dissappointing. It has (in the middle of the night) re-set itself to the wrong time on numerous occasions. Just this morning I fed the baby at what I thought was 4:30 am. It looked too light outside so I checked another clock and sure enough, it was actually 6:30am. My husband, who normally wakes up at 5:30 am, was late for work this morning. This has happened several times.

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I have the same problem with the clock resetting itself. It made me late for work twice. It's also hard to see the display if you aren't at just the right angle. I love every other feature, and the look of it, but you need your alarm clock to be accurate. I have struggled with it for almost 2 years and I'm giving up now. Sony was no help, they offered a trade in at $40. I love Sony products, so this is a real disappointment.

Read Best Reviews of Sony ICF-C275RC Dream Machine Auto Time-Setting FM/AM Clock Radio Here

Some bad reviews here are dead on. Here's the (big) cons: 1) random/mysterious reset to incorrect time (?) 2) Where's the button to turn the alarm off? (I'm sure it's some very tiny button, I dont want to struggle to look for at 5:00am each morning). 3) Power failure means you must reset your alarms (etc). So dont think being "atomic" will prevent you from doing this. Just passing on some knowledge, to help you decide NOT to buy, as I bought two of these expensive alarm clocks, and totally regret it! So do yourself a favor PASS.

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We bought two of these for the atomic clock feature. This works well, by the product has some very frustrating aspects.

There are three light levels for the digital readout. The brightest two are too bright to sleep by. The dimmest cannot be seen in the daylight at all.

Most frustrating is that there is no battery back up. With any power failure, the time resets with the atomic feature, but the rest must be completely reprogrammed station presets, alams, brightness, etc. Very annoying!

I had been looking for some time for an easy to read at night atomic alarm clock radio for my nightstand. This product looked perfect, but, although it does exactly what it is advertised to do, it is truly disappointing as a practical solution.

A major feature of such a product is that it comes back after power failures. Although this product quickly resyncs to the correct time after power failures, it FORGETS that the alarm was set, so it does not wake you up as expected. This is a fatal flaw.

Incidently, it also forgets everything else about the alarm settings, what station the radio was last tuned to, and the radio presets ... these things just being annoying.

Another problem with the product is the decision to have dark numbers on a lit background. This design choice forces you to turn the brightness down for nighttime use, at the expense of being able to read the clock in the daytime. With lit numbers and a dark background (much more common on clock radios), even at maximum brightness, the amount of light placed in the room at night is generally minimal. Also, as someone who wears glasses, I think it is easier to read lit numbers on a dark background without my glasses at night.

In summary: the unit needs a battery backup to retain the alarm and other settings and should be redesigned to have bright numbers on a dark background.

Also, it seems to me that if you have a clock that is perfectly accurate, it would not be unreasonable to display the seconds, but I could see this as a matter on which people might disagree.

iHome iP9 Speaker Dock with Clock Radio for iPod and iPhone (Silver)

Wake to iPhone/iPod, playlists, AM/FM radio, or buzzer
Plays and charges iPhone and docking iPod models
Bass, treble, 3D, and balance controls
Reson8 ported cabinet stereo speakers
AutoSet clock adjusts to time zone
It has Reson8 ported cabinet stereo speakers
It plays and charges iPhone and docking iPod models
You can wake to iPhone/iPod, playlists, AM/FM radio, or buzzer
It has Bass, treble, 3D, and balance controls

I have searched hard to find the "perfect" iPod alarm clock. For me, the iHome iP9 comes closer than anything else I found, but it does have some very annoying flaws.

In my opinion, the best features are:

* The alarm can be set to wake to a random song on an "iHome" playlist on your iPod. Only Sanyo seems to have a product with a similar feature, but I think theirs looks REALLY ugly.

* The backlight dimmer has 7 levels of brightness and can even be turned off.

* You can adjust the snooze time from 1 to 29 minutes in 1-minute increments.

* The alarm volume (for radio and iPod) gradually increases for "gentle" waking.

* The sound quality is quite good for such a small unit.

The things that annoy me about the unit are:

* The alarm set buttons are located directly behind the snooze bar, and hitting one of these buttons resets the alarm when the alarm is sounding. While the snooze bar is very big and has a bump that you can feel with your fingers, I fear that I will accidentally turn off my alarm one morning when just trying to snooze for a few more minutes.

* There is a beep when setting the alarm. While this offers audio confirmation of your alarm setting actions, it can be annoying if you are trying to set the alarm when your significant other is sleeping.

* The dial controls are cool in theory/aesthetic but are not so great in practice. It can be more time-consuming to use these to set the alarm time and other settings when compared to conventional buttons and a system where one sets the hour and minute independently. Also, the dials are mechanical (unlike an iPod) and lack an indent or other means for providing traction. So, your finger can slip, making them not so easy to turn. For this, I found a simple work-around: I stuck on each dial a small, round, self-adhesive, clear plastic bumper (something you can find in any hardware store). This makes it much easier to turn the dials, but it does not get around the fact that dials are not always the best interface.

* Personally, I find only the dimmest and off settings for the backlight to be of any use. Perhaps, the other backlight settings would be needed if the unit is placed in direct sunlight. However, I find them too bright, and it is very slightly annoying that I need to press the dimmer button to cycle through the 6 other "on" settings each time I turn the backlight off. While definitely better than some competing units whose backlight is always way too bright (e.g. the Sony ICF-CD3iP), even the dimmest setting can be rather bright in a totally dark room.

For me, the positive outweighs the negative when evaluating this unit as an iPod alarm clock. While not my primary usage (and paling in comparison to a dedicated home stereo), I found the sound on this unit to be surprisingly good when using the unit as an iPod speaker system for casual listening in a small room.

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I had been reading about the IP99 for months but was unwilling to pay well over $120 for it. When I happened across the new IP9 for $79.99 in a local warehouse that starts with "Cost" and ends with "co", I thought I would give it a try.

The sound is slightly improved over my older IH5 and IH6 radios -which is to say excellent for the money -and so far I haven't heard the slightest GSM buzz. The iP9's 3D effect is richer than the Sony ICF-C1iPMK2's "Mega Xpand" feature. The overall sound of the iP9 is slightly warmer than that of the Sony but otherwise comparable. The Eq option is a big plus.

The one advantage the Sony has is that it supports an iPhone from the back via and adustable block. That somewhat negates the need for a dock insert. This is a nice convenience for people with an iPhone shell that is small enough to fit in a universal dock as you may not have to remove the shell to dock the iPhone securely. You NEED an insert on the iP9 as you would on any device with a universal dock on top and nothing substantial behind the dock. Fortunately, the iPhone insert iHome includes seems to work as well as an iPhone 3G Universal Dock Insert from Apple... and it's black! The iHome website currently states that the IP9 does not ship with an iPhone 3G insert but perhaps iHome wised-up.

The dual alarms work in a similar manner to the Sony. The 2-5-7 day setting is a plus. I have not used the snooze feature though it is supposed to be configurable. Our dogs do not allow us to snooze, in case you were wondering. At night, one big advantage for the iP9 is that the dimmer allows you to turn off the backlighting entirely. As anyone with a Sony will tell you, their dimmest setting is way too bright. The iHome's numbers are also a little larger.

I have read about some quality problems with the IP99 and am hoping that the IP9 is as solid as the IH5 and IH6 clocks I have had for a few years without any problems. The iP9 seems to be built more solidly than the Sony, particularly with respect the buttons. The dials take a little getting used to, but if you're tying to adjust the volume in a dark room they are much easier to adjust than the tiny Sony volume buttons, which have an annoyingly loud click. I also give the iP9's remote an edge because it includes a few more functions.

In summary, the iHome iP9 is a solid performer with an excellent attention to detail that puts it ahead of the Sony ICF-C1iPMK2, despite its more iPhone shell-friendly design.

Read Best Reviews of iHome iP9 Speaker Dock with Clock Radio for iPod and iPhone (Silver) Here

First of all, THIS IS THE ONE TO BUY IF YOU HAVE AN iPHONE, because the other model just doesn't have sufficient shielding to work with the iPhone. You will have constant buzzing and interference due to the iPhone constantly polling.

Now to the review. The product comes nicely packaged and protected, and with good instructions. Set up is simple, even setting the time, which is just a selection of a time zone if needed. Mine came perfectly timed (it has a battery backup for it's internal clock) and so I just selected my time zone and I was done. Most of the setting are intuitive, except perhaps turning off the alarms if you don't want them to ring the next day... But, read the instructions (I had to finally turn to them as I couldn't work it out... and you know, turning to instructions is the last thing any man wants to do!:-)))))

In function the unit deliver acceptable sound for what is basically a clock radio. And being able to access all your favorite music on the iPod or iPhone, with a remote control no less, is great. Even the alarm works well, with a gradually increasing volume (and irritation... exactly what is required to pierce my slumbering brain...). And being able to wake to radio, MP3, or buzzer is great. The dual alarms can be set for 5 or 7 day setting, so that if you don't have to get up quite so early on the weekend, you can...

FM & AM reception are acceptable, and the tuner has pretty good lock and definition (stays on station, and doesn't pick up much "bleed through" of stations that are close to each other on the dial...). Finding a place to hang/hide the antenna cables can be challenging...

Answering the phone while in the cradle works fine, but isn't the greatest sound.

So, great sound, great time keeping, great access to favorite tunes, great that it charges the phone whilst in the cradle, and it looks good too. So why do I say "almost" does everything? Well, the one think I would change would be to fit a small light sensor, and have it maintain one illumination setting for day and one for night (illumination level of my choice of course). It does have plenty of graduations of light intensity, but it seems I am forever adjusting the illumination, from the bright setting for day, and one of the night... Setting them once as a preference and having it automatically set to that selection as needed would be wonderful...

Anyway, it's a nice solution to keeping your iPhone by the bed, and charging it without cables everywhere. And it does it all whilst looking good, and performing other tasks... Pretty good value if you ask me...

BrianB.

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For some reason finding a well designed clock radio is quite difficult. Poorly laid out, confusing and/or hard to use controls are the biggest problem. Finding all the features and functionality you want is also a challenge, even more so when you add iPod integration to the mix.

After trying units from two other manufacturers, the iHome iP9BR was the charm. Here's why:

1. Well organized and easy to use controls.

2. Easy to read display with brightness control (can be turned off completely).

3. AM and FM radio with good reception.

4. Sleep / wake to iPod.

5. iPod Touch navigation from remote.

6. Decent sound (for clock radio).

7. Compact and attractive.

8. Reasonably priced.

Overall, I am very pleased. The only pain is that the AM radio requires an external antenna that is hard to find a good place for on my nightstand.

Well I have to say I was hesitant to buy this based on the wide range of reviews here...but I have to say that it has exceeded my expectations after two months of ownership.

PROS

-sound is great, fills bedroom nicely

-radio is crystal clear works as advertised

-alarm function has been working flawlessly for 2 months

-plays and controls my iTouch 2nd generation great( charges it too)

-comes with cradle for a nano and iphone as well as itouch

CONS

the remote is poorly laid out and leaves a lot to be desired

selecting a radio preset from the remote is a chore having to go through them all each time, can't select one (not a big deal)

cradles are hard to remove once in place( seem to be fragile too)

Overall, all the functionalities work as advertised and this is well worth the money in my opinion.

Sony ICFC180 AM/FM Clock Radio

AM/FM Clock Radio w/ Dual Alarm
Automatic Time Set
No power, no problem! (Alarm will sound even if power is out)
Weekend Alarm Mode
Easy Alarm Set

My wife and I have been using the same clock radio for the past 20 years It's a dual alarm Panasonic and it still works pretty well. Some of its features such as individual up/down alarm/time set for the minutes and hours are not even available on clocks today. And it has a 10 minute snooze not nine minutes, another feature hard to find these days. But it's lacking in other areas such as no battery backup. So we decided to replace the old clock.

Some research was necessary. For the most part, only Timex, RCA and Sony have competitive products. My requirements were simple AM/FM dual alarm, battery backup, 10 minute snooze, easy to read display, and not too bright. I did not need a CD or MP3 option. Here's why I bought the Sony ICFC180 and rate it so highly:

Form Factor and Buttons: This is not a large clock radio it's about six inches square. The case is pretty much all white. Buttons are well spaced and nicely shaped. You can easily learn to use this clock in the dark or by feel alone.

Display: The backlit LCD displays not only the time, but both the alarm settings, each in its own quadrant. This is a great feature. The time is large enough to read from across the room although it could have been a bit larger. The alarm displays are smaller, but fine for viewing bedside. Viewing from different angles seems fine. It has two manual brightness levels and here Sony cheaped out a bit an auto dimmer with sensor would have been nice. The high level is fine for the day and the low level is acceptable for the night, but who's going to move the tiny switch each day? I leave it on the low setting. I really like the room dark when I sleep and I would have preferred the low level to be a bit dimmer. The display is mostly green, with orange for the weekday alarms. The green is fine, but the orange is just a bit too bright. But again, it's acceptable.

Time Features: Auto time set well not really. The auto time set feature prominently displayed on the box is a bit misleading. Unlike other clocks (such as from RCA) which can set the date and time and change daylight savings automatically, this clock is just set at the factory and uses a lithium battery to keep the time. If you happen to live on the east coast of the United States, then the time is correct when you first plug it in. Otherwise, you need to adjust the time zone. Since the clock doesn't know the date, daylight savings is also manual, but here at least Sony provided a single button to change the 1 hour offset. My only complaint is that the daylight savings button is on the top and could be accidentally pushed the display does show an icon for the 1 hour offset, but it's really tiny. I would have made the daylight savings feature a toggle switch (not a push button) and put it on the back you only use it twice a year.

Radio: Old style analog display and thumb wheel for tuning. Digital with presets would have been nice, but let's not forget, this clock only cost $25. The tuning wheel is stiff enough that it won't be accidentally changed when pickup up, moving, or just dusting the clock.

Alarm: Here's where this clock really shines. The box says it has two alarms, but in reality it has four individual alarms! The thinking by Sony is that two alarms are for the weekdays and two are for the weekends, but since the weekday/weekend feature is a manual push button, you can really use the alarms however you wish. My kids have Timex clock radios with a 7-5-2 feature which lets you determine if the alarm should be used for weekdays, weekends, or both. This is nice because it's automatic, but on the other hand you only get two alarms and have less flexibility. I think the Sony solution is excellent. The clock also makes it totally clear which alarms are active orange background for weekdays, green background for weekends, and no display in the quadrant when the alarm is off. Setting the alarm time is also very easy with a separate twist knob for each displayed alarm. The time can be adjusted forward or backward one minute at a time. Holding forward or backward changes the minutes quickly and after a few seconds, switches to 10 minute increments. This is a much better solution than just increasing the speed as most other clocks do. In fact, the only other clock that works better is my old Panasonic which has separate forward and backward buttons for both the minutes and the hours. Regardless, this clock has excellent time set controls!

Snooze: What is it with 9 minute snooze alarms? My theory is that increments of 9 are much harder to add in your head and all that thinking wakes you up but in reality I think it harks back to a limitation of the old mechanical alarm clocks. Anyway, I needed a 10 minute snooze and this clock has that. Plus, if you continue to press the snooze button (which is big and easy to find without looking), the snooze can be increased in 10 minute increments up to an hour a nice feature. The clock even blinks the alarm set time after you press snooze to indicate you're beyond the original wake up time.

So that's about it. There are some other features (nap timer, alarm melodies, no power no problem), but I haven't really used these much. If you're looking for similar features and also need a CD player, Sony makes another Dream Machine alarm clock (ICF-CD843V), but that one costs $70 and looks like a weird space helmet. All in all, this is an excellent clock radio with well designed controls, tons of features, and a low price.

Buy Sony ICFC180 AM/FM Clock Radio Now

After my dog spilled water on my last Sony clock, i was on the hunt for the new one... What sold me on this was compact size, "no power, no problem" and the fact that you can see what time the alarm is set at right on the front and know that its on or not... no guessing....

The bonuses that add something extra is the ability to set two alarms each for both weekdays and weekends and each has their own optional melody instead of radio or buzzer. I also like the way this buzzer works, which starts off infrequent and builds up to more annoying the longer it goes off... that gives me a chance to turn it off or hit snooze before it goes hog wild.

Unlike other reviews, I think the back lights are perfect... the dim at night and bright during the day are exactly how I would like them, although I noticed that my backlight is orange where the one pictured is green. Maybe that makes a difference. One last bonus is I found this at Target as part of the "liv" series which are tan in color... usually you are stuck with white or black and the earth tone was a nice touch.

Overall, I'm glad my dog ruined my old one!

Read Best Reviews of Sony ICFC180 AM/FM Clock Radio Here

I've had a Sony radio alarm for about 15 years. I got it from my Grandmother for Xmas, and it has served me well. I decided it was time to upgrade and Sony has earned my loyalty over the years with things from computer monitors to a 27" Trinitron from 1983 that still works like new.

This clock radio does what it advertises, but it isn't awesome. The controls for alarm adjustment feel like they will break eventually, and the display is hard to read if you don't have eagle eyes. The radio tuner is weak, even near my window, I can't tune in all of the stations that I want.

However, those are they only downs that I've found thus far. The radio has a small footprint, which is very nice in my closet-sized room, and the dual alarm feature is great, as is the push on/off feature. As mentioned above, the knobs used to set the alarms feel somewhat cheap, but they are nice because you can go up and down, as opposed to some alarms that only allow you to move forward. The display brightness can be adjusted, which is nice because on full blast it is VERY bright. The controls are logical and simple to use, and the audio quality is marginally above average.

Two features I really enjoy are the sleep button and the 'weekend' function. The sleep button increases the minutes each time you hit it, which is great for those of us that need an extra hour but don't want to program the alarm for it. The weekend function turns the alarms off, but keeps the setting saved... pretty cool.

Overall this is a fine alarm clock. It wasn't too pricey, it works well for what it needs to do, and it is attractive and small.

Edit:

After a few more months of using this alarm I've come to realize that the viewing angle is only good if you are at eye-level with the clock, or you are above it. This means you can't have it up high on a dresser because the LCDs will be unreadable and very faint. Otherwise still happy with it.

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I've been through a lot of clock radios, even trying some vintage ones lately just for variety. But the dial light burned out on my 1970 Sony and I decided to get a modern one. I found this one at the big discount store with a bullseye logo. Mine is identical except the large LCD is orange, and the alarm ones are green. Oh and it was cheaper. This clock is great for a budget clock radio. Average radio reception and sound quality (I don't expect much), very easy to set the alarm, and it automatically sets it own time from the factory. It addresses all the issues of other clock radios: small footprint on the nightstand; 2 alarms; a powerful, replaceable backup battery that will preserve the alarm all night; reasonable lighting on the face (some think it's too bright, for me it's just this side of acceptable, maybe the switched colors made a difference); and the numerals are visible when viewed from a lower position. They dim somewhat, but are still visible and actually help tone down the brightness a little. I'd say that so far, it's one of the best I've ever owned.

I bought this alarm clock to replace a Coby dual alarm clock. I was always annoyed after a power failure when I had to reset the clock and my alarms. Here's a summary of what I like a dislike about it:

Pros:

-4 alarm times! The clock has the usual 2 alarms plus a weekend mode for 2 more alarm times.

-The alarm times are very easy to see. They are displayed in their own section which makes it very easy to tell what time the alarm is set to.

-The alarm time is only lit up if the alarm is on, making it very easy to tell if you turned it on.

-The knobs on the sides make setting the alarms very easy. Rotating a knob quickly back and forth advances the time 1 minute at a time, while holding a knob makes the time advance by 10 minute intervals.

-the display is dimmable

-The radio reception is decent (better than the Coby I had)

-The snooze bar is nice and big

-There is a 'nap' setting which counts down 90,60,30,15 minutes and then sounds the alarm

-There is a choice for alarm sounds: radio, buzzer, and a melody ("Morning")

Cons:

-Just one, the degree of visibility could be better for the display. With my head on my pillow, I see the clock at an angle and can just barely make out the time. Not a huge problem since I know that if the alarm isn't going off, I should be sleeping.

I really like this alarm clock. I would recommend it to anyone whether they need a dual alarm or not.

LG CU405 Push To Talk 3G Quad Band GSM Cell Phone AT&T

I've had my share of cell phones. Before getting the LG CU400, I had a Sony/Ericsson 500A. I loved that phone but S/E's Customer Service stunk! (Because of a SyncManager database error, they said I had to reinsall the O/S to fix the problem! Yea, right!!!) The LG CU400 has a progressive ringtone. Right now, you can't change that. From what I understand per LG, Cingular made this an LG-requirement of their phones. It's annoying when I hear someone else's phone do that, especially when no one answers the phone! It doesn't have a quick-lock feature (that I can find.) The Contacts are laid out in a wierd way (to me.) Name1/H, Name1/W, Name1/M, and so on. (H=Home, W=Work, M=Mobile, and so on.) I don't know if that's because the data was on the SIM and isn't 'loaded' into the phone, itself, yet, or what. I do like the location of the speaker button a one-touch feature. When the phone is closed, pressing any button on the side will display the date/time. It's not in color No biggie. It's a PTT (Push-To-Talk) phone. (I didn't buy that capability ...) When you dial a phone number, the numbers are pretty big. It has an external antenna. My last phone had an internal antenna. I didn't buy insurance in case I drop it and it breaks, or something. It's possible that can happen. It's not a Razor but it's thin. The internal display is very clear! I let the fully-charged phone run out the battery and, twice, it's lasted only 4 days with very minimal use. Your call history is a couple of buttons down the menu-path, no biggie. The speaker gets fuzzy at about 4 out of 7 bars. You can't accidentally take pictures of inside your pocket or handbag. I don't use the download capabilities of the phone for anything. I don't IM. I just use the phone as a phone. So, I'm not going to comment on those features. The 'door' that needs to be opened for charging is very flimsy! I can see it breaking off very easily. You'll want to 'turn' it 90 degrees UP to get it out of the way of the charger-cable. There's no holster, yet, because it's so new. There is a data-cable that can be used from another phone, so I'm told. Be sure to ask about the peripheral hardware BEFORE you buy in case you need to have it right away. All the peripherals may not be available yet.

In sum, it's not a bad phone. The ascending ring, the external antenna, and the fuzzy speaker, so far, hold me from giving this phone a Rating of 4. It's above average but I don't think it deserves a 4. I'll try the phone for a while and then try the Samsung C417. It's all about tradeoffs.

I got this phone as a christmas gift, and, aside from the battery issue my first one had, this is an absolutely terrific and easy to use phone. the keypad is the best i have seen on any phone, and the size of the screen is perfect. I had my previous phone, a samsung x4217 or whatever it was, for well over 4 years, and i had just about had it with that phone, so pretty much anything was an upgrade. All i wanted from my new phone was a screen on the outside to show the time, and a camera that i could quickly pull out and snap a quick pic of something, and this has both. this phone also has a video camera, which is a great extra feature. the outside screen doesn't have any fancy bells and whistles, it just shows the time and whatever symbols you have at the top of the interior screen. this phone has great sound quality, and the speaker phone works like a champ. the ringer is nice and loud, and being able to use the bluetooth to send sound files to my phone, instead of downloading tones from cingular for an arm and a leg, is another great bonus. We also signed up for the multimedia package, which nets you unlimited internet and Cingular Video access. Cingular Video is great for espn mobile and cnn quickies, along with funny shorts from shows like letterman, family guy, and the brak show.

at the end of the day this is just a phone, and it does everything that a phone should do, ie. not drop calls and it has great sound quality. it doesn't do any particular added bonus that great, but it does all of them well, and that's how it should be. if you are looking for an inexpensive phone with a lot of well-rounded features, this is by far the one to get.

Buy LG CU405 Push To Talk 3G Quad Band GSM Cell Phone AT&T Now

I bought this phone to replace my wife's ailing RAZR. It has Cingular 3G high speed data, Push-to-talk, and a good feature set. The size is just slightly thicker than the slim RAZR phone form factor. My wife seems to actually like the slightly bigger size because it is easier to grasp and use. The menus are decent and the sound quality seems above average. The battery is also quite good thus far. It also sports bluetooth and a nice speakerphone, which means loud ringers and a good, strong vibrate alert. All in all-this phone seems to be a winner for the price. If you want PTT in a slick package from Cingular, look at this capable phone, the V365 or Blackberry Pearl!

Read Best Reviews of LG CU405 Push To Talk 3G Quad Band GSM Cell Phone AT&T Here

We bought 5 of these for our family two months ago. We were previously Nokia and Motorola users. We made the transition fairly easily. Pluses: big keypad, big, bright display, decent sound quality EXCEPT for the speakerphone, nice camera with video. Minuses: iffy batteries (one phone had to have the battery replaced within two weeks), poor quality speakerphone, annoying placement of PTT button, too much emphasis on web access functions for those of us who don't like using a phone for our internet connections. Bottom line: if you're looking for a good, cheap phone that does all of the basic things well and has a nice set of extra features to play with, this is the one for you!

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I have owned the LG CU400 for about one month. Both the call quality and the reception are very good. Battery life is acceptable, although I should note that I use the phone only for calls no internet, no Push to Talk and no Bluetooth. The speaker phone is on the tinny side but acceptable about what one would expect for a phone of this size.

I have, however, encountered two problems:

1. While the battery life is acceptable, I encountered a problem with the battery strength indicator. The battery strength indicator on every cell phone I previously owned showed that the battery strength gradually declined as I used the phone, thereby giving reasonable advance notice when the battery needed recharging. This is not the case with the indicator in the CU400. The first CU400 I owned showed that the battery was fully charged (3 bars) until a relatively short time before it turned itself off because the battery was too low. Specifically, on one occasion when I timed it, the indicator went from 3 bars to 2 bars five or six days after a charge. After only 10 additional hours on standby with no calls at all, the phone turned off because of a low battery.

Thinking the indicator was defective, I returned the phone to the AT&T store and received a new replacement. The indicator on the replacement phone operates slightly, but not significantly, better. The first phone had Cingular markings and the second had AT&T markings, so I doubt that the two phones came from the same manufacturing batch. It seems that this is an inherent problem with the phone. If you buy one of these, I definitely recommend immediately charging the battery when the indicator goes from 3 to 2 bars and buying a car charger, if you spend any appreciable amount of time in a car. The car charger does not come with the phone.

2. When the phone is powered on or off, it makes an annoyingly loud and harsh noise. My wife nearly jumped out her skin the first time I turned the phone off while standing next to her. The noise cannot be changed to another tone, but it can be turned off by putting the phone on vibrate or by turning the ringer volume all the way down. Of course, if I were to do either of these and forget to turn the volume back up after the phone is turned on again, I will not hear the phone ring. I complained to AT&T, which advised that the phone makes this noise because it is a "3G" phone and that the noise is supposed to replicate the sound of a "jet." All I can say is that I have been around airports for quite a while and the noise sounds nothing like a "jet" to me. The closest thing I can compare the sound to is the noise a vacuum toilet on a cruise ship makes when the toilet is flushed. It is really hard to imagine that a major US corporation would put such an intrusive sound in its cell phone and not give the user any option to replace the sound with another.

In summary, the CU400 is a very good basic phone, provided you don't mind listening to the sound of a toilet flushing when you turn it on and off and you also don't mind either frequently charging or running the risk that the battery will unexpectedly run out of juice

Clarion CX501 Double-DIN CD/Bluetooth/USB Receiver

Double-DIN AM/FM Radio, CD, CD-R/RW, WMA/MP3, USB, iPod, Bluetooth Receiver
50W x 4 MOSFET internal amplifier with three 4V preamp outputs (front, rear, subwoofer)
Built-in Bluetooth for hands-free phone operation and audio streaming
Front-panel USB port with direct iPod control, WMA/MP3 playback; 3.5mm auxiliary input
Display features oversized rotary knob, 728-variable color illumination
OEM Steering Wheel Remote Ready. Wireless Remote Control Included
Built-in Bluetooth Interface (HFP, HSP, OPP, PBAP, A2DP, AVRCP). Front USB Port with iPod Direct Connect Capabilities
HD Radio Ready with Optional THD301.50 Watts x 4 Built-in Amplifier.6-Channel/4 Volt RCA Output. Subwoofer Volume Control
Built-in High and Low-Pass Filters.Magna Bass EX Dynamic Bass Enhancement.Parametric EqualizerBeat EQ for Sound Adjustment.
Built-in Microphone.728 Color Variable Lighting Display and Buttons.3.5mm Audio Auxiliary Input (Front)
Front USB Port with iPod Direct Connect Capabilities. Sirius Direct Connect Ready.

I bought this for a 2005 Chevy Colorado. I used a Metra 95-2009 Double DIN Installation Multi-Kit for Select 1995-2008 GM/Honda/Isuzu/Suzuki Vehicles installation kit and an Axxess GMRC-01 Class II GM Chime Retention Interface to keep my chimes my truck doesn't have On-Star or a separate factory amp. I also got the Scosche Mda-1B 1988 Up Gm Micro/Delco Antenna Adapter because GM uses a small antenna plug. All parts were exactly what I needed. The radio fit perfectly WITHOUT cutting the truck's metal rear support bracket inside the dash. The truck has Boston Acoustic speakers in the front doors and factory speakers in the rear. As a result I keep the fader set to the front speakers only. This truck has no dimmer wire or illumination wire so the dimming feature will not work. I did not need navigation because I use my Droid and I don't need DVD or movies in the truck. I had that feature in my last head unit for three years and never did watch a movie in the truck.

I like that it's compatible with my existing Sirius SCC1 receiver I didn't want to have to buy a proprietary Sirius receiver. That kind of thing just rankles me and it's a BIG reason I chose this unit. I just plugged it in and it simply worked. The unit will hold 18 Sirius presets and I can choose to display Artist and Track at the same time.

Also, the ability to read USB MP3 files is great I like to throw audio books on a USB stick for long drives. The Clarion will remember the track position even after the truck is turned off and the USB stick removed so when I put the USB stick in again the unit will shift to the USB source and start playing where it left off. This is a great feature for audio books. Fastforward/rewind is accomplished by holding the Next Track/Previous Track buttons.

Good bluetooth connection with my Droid X The unit connects automatically with both BT phone and BT audio at the same time. (My wife's much-more-expensive Pioneer AVIC will not connect both phone and audio to her Incredible at the same time; she has to choose one or the other and go through the cumbersome process to do it.) I can play music on my phone and sound comes out of the Clarion instead of the phone and I can pause, skip tracks, control volume, etc with the Clarion. The BT Telephone part also works great and the sound is fine. The microphone is built into the unit. The Clarion easily accepted my Droid X phone book although it wouldn't transfer the contacts in my favorites but I think that is a problem with the phone and not the Clarion I'm still working on it. It is not possible to add single numbers to the phone book. The Clarion phone book stores all the names in Last Name | First Name order which I don't like. Calls are not that easy to start from the Clarion unless it is redialing a recent call. Trying to direct dial from the radio while driving would be crazy because its way too complicated. However, incoming calls work perfectly (and mute the radio during the call) and I can make outgoing calls from the phone while it sits in the dock and then it's hands free speaker-phone over the Clarion. Overall I'm extremely happy with the bluetooth and this is another BIG reason I am happy with this unit.

Aux-In jack on the front haven't used this yet but its good to have.

Double Din Big two-line text thats easy to read while driving. The buttons are not all mashed together and the volume knob is big. It's easy to control the unit quickly and safely. I appreciate this after driving another vehicle with a single-din unit that had dozens of tiny buttons and practically unreadable text and button labels. However, I can't see the clock at the same time as anything else which is a negative in other words I can see Artist and Track, or Station or whatever but if I want to see the clock it will be all I see. They should have left a spot where the clock can always be visible.

The FM sounds pretty good better than the Sirius music stations I think. I can't compare the FM sensitivity to the factory radio because I took out the factory radio long ago...

Music sounds good enough with my BA speakers. Not outstanding, but good enough for me. In my younger days when I was more into music I would have demanded more and probably used an external amp and sub-woofer, etc (and also bought a more expensive brand just because of the name!) but nowadays I mostly listen to talk radio on Sirius. However, like I said, music sounds very acceptable if I don't crank it up way too loud. I actually removed my external Alpine amp at the same time I installed the Clarion. I don't feel like I need it.

The ability to change colors is very cool. Right now I have it on a custom yellow which looks real good.

The remote, which I don't use, has a mute button but the head unit does not. However it's easy to turn down quickly due to the huge volume knob.

I did test the CD part which was fine, but I probably won't be using that either.

There are three ipods in my house so I could test that feature but I just don't care enough to do it. I can use my Droid over bluetooth if I want to play portable music.

Bottom line is that I am very happy with the Clarion considering it's price and would certainly buy again if I needed another head unit.

Buy Clarion CX501 Double-DIN CD/Bluetooth/USB Receiver Now

I picked this up this weekend and replaced an older non-amplified Alpine.

This unit is very light. It fit my WRX well after tucking the cabling behind the center vent ducts; and only needing a small custom made trim ring to fill the gaps. The unit went in easily and cleanly. The sound is VERY clean (no EQ setting used). I'm running all channels though older Blue Thunder amplifiers and the imaging is good, bass is clean punchy and the unit looks clean in the dash. The illumination lets you match the car's color very well.

The USB port is the main reason I got this unit. I have a microSD keychain USB adapter that I can toss 8GB of music on, and it plays with no problem. It seeks and changes track incredibly fast. Faster than an iPod.

The bluetooth paired easily with the MyTouch 1.2. I've tested calls and it worked great. Had to adjust the mic gain up some, but thats all.

BONUS: The deck controlled winamp on my android phone. This was a complete surprise to me and I actually giggled when I discovered it.

Radio reception seems fine, I'm not a huge fan of local radio but what it picks up comes in clear. I haven't spun through the entire 'dial' but my main stations are loud & clear. You haven't heard NPR/PRI until the background sub-bass from on-location interviews shakes your seat. ;)

My only gripe is the display. While installing it I thought I had (inexplicably) gotten the dimmer wire screwed up as I could not see the display *at all* while looking directly at it (leaning over the center console installing it). Looking at it off-axis from either front seat helped but it was still pretty dim. I had to crank up the contrast to full to comfortably read the display and I'll likely have to get my windows tinted to have it be bright enough to be readable at a glance on the road. Granted, this is not helped by the high installation point and slight upward angle of the WRX radio location. I may try a non-glare phone screen protector to see if this helps.

I'm still fidgeting with settings but so far this is a keeper. I was looking at its predecessor deciding on this level of head unit or going with a full-blown Nav system that was literally 10x the price. I'm glad I went this route. It was inexpensive, works great and was super-simple to install. As far as nav, Google maps using the blutetooth audio can tell me where to go.

Bottom line: feature rich great sound looks good HOWEVER, display is NOT daylight friendly. BUT if you have a car with window tint, this is your double DIN head unit.

Read Best Reviews of Clarion CX501 Double-DIN CD/Bluetooth/USB Receiver Here

After a frustrating visit to CarToys (they insisted that I needed to spend $600 to $700 for a new stereo and speakers), I took my stock radio out of my 2004 Ford Explorer to find a jumble of 49 wires and thought, oh no, what have I gotten myself into!

After much research starting here on Amazon (Catamount's advice was invaluable), to Metra (Justin at Metra went above and beyond), and ending on Ford Explorer forum sites (where I located a PDF on removing the door panels to replace the stock speakers), I found my way through the wire jumbles and soldered Metra's wiring harness to the CX501's and then connected it all into the stock Ford harnesses. After which, I was happily astonished at the Bluetooth phone connectivity and great sound (coupled with my iPod) of the CX501. All for about $280 you can install an excellent new stereo along with new speakers. The CX501 paired without any issues to my Droid and controls my iPod just as easily as on the device itself. The sound, coupled with new speakers, blows away the factory radio. It begs the question, why didn't I do it sooner?

If anyone, like me, is new to head unit/speakers replacement, and needs help removing the Ford door panels, let me know and I'll get you the link to the PDF (I've found that Amazon strips URLs out of reviews).

The other pieces include:

Metra Harness (for Ford's with stock Amp and Sub-woofer): Metra 70-5521 Radio Wiring Harness for Ford 03-Up Amp

Nice sounding easy to install Kenwood Speakers: Kenwood KFC-P680C 6-Inch x 8-Inch Easy Fit Ford/Mazda Speaker System

Notes: I had to install a RadioShack 5V voltage regulator between the Amp turn-on in the new radio to the stock Amp turn-on since the new radio is 12V while the stock Ford Amp is 5V. Metra told me if I didn't the sub-woofer would probably "pop" when you turned the radio on. Also, the pin-outs for the Ford harness can be found on the Metra package and also on sites such as InstallDoctor and Cruthfield.

I'm very satisfied; it was well worth the time. Good luck!

Want Clarion CX501 Double-DIN CD/Bluetooth/USB Receiver Discount?

Bought this for my 2001 Pontiac Grand Am GT as a replacement for the factory headunit. My car originally had the premium Monsoon stereo, but I was told while it had an external amplifier, it was held back by the not so great Delco head unit. I popped this radio in via a Scosche GM wiring harness from Walmart for $30 and it worked nearly perfectly. Sound is crisp and clear and a vast improvement over the old headunit.

I chose a double din radio because I want to preserve the "stock" look to act as a deterrent against stereo thieves (my 95 Suburban recently had its single din radio stolen). With this radio it's kind of a "have to look twice" to realize it's not the factory radio. And most radio thieves don't give a rip about factory radios. The only problem is that Clarion is on the front of the radio in large enough print. Perhaps I'll have to get a sticker that says Dual or Jensen.lol

Overall sound quality over all the inputs I've used has been very good. The bass is very good, almost too good in fact as my rear deck speakers are probably being pushed to their limits now. Radio reception is pretty good, not quite as good as factory, but good. And that may be due to the fact that I have to use an antenna wire adapter.

I love the customizable face colors. I have a Pontiac and they have red interior, at night the radio totally looks like it's the factory unit.

I picked this unit over it's older sibling the Clarion CX609 because of the way the Bluetooth is implemented. In the CX609 you have to run a microphone and a wire up your A-pillar or wherever you want it (I don't have the patience to do that) with the CX501 it's integrated into the unit itself and with adjustable gain/sensitivity it works very well. It's so convenient.

A weakness is the interface, it's not the most complicated radio I've used but the ease of use from a factory radio is definitely missed. Sometimes when in iPod mode if I'm in a playlist and want to select another song in the playlist, I have to go back out to the top iPod menu then >music>playlists>playlist I want>song I want. Other time it allows me to browse within the playlist without going through the menus again. And I can't figure out why it does that sometimes.

Also installation was kind of a pain. Both do to engineering choices by Clarion and by GM/Pontiac. The space behind the radio is very tight. I originally learned about this unit at crutchfield.com and they said I might have to modify the space to fit the radio. I didn't have to do that, but it's very close fit, and probably would benefit from cutting the rear support bracket. That said, the clearance issue wasn't due to the radio itself, but the RCA jacks coming out of the rear of the unit. Most radios I've seen have female RCA jack ports in the back for adding on an amplifier. This radio has female RCA jack wires in the back meaning that even if you don't use an amplifier, you still have the RCA jacks coming out of the back of the radio. And they go right up against the rear mounting bracket in my car. Had these just been empty ports, my installation would have been relatively easy. But it does work and it does fit in a 2001 Pontiac Grand Am. It's not the prettiest install, but it is doable.

Also, the illumination/dimming feature doesn't seem to be working on my unit. I have the setting on, but when my headlights come on everything dims to the night setting except the radio. Now this could be a defect in my unit or a defect in my data harness (the one from Walmart). It's not a big issue though, at least not for me. I'm going to give Clarion the benefit of the doubt and say it's a problem with the data harness by Scosche, since I bought it from Walmart.

Overall, I'm loving this radio and am glad I decided to go with it. I recommend it, but if you have a 2001 Pontiac Grand Am, I'd keep a radio shop on speed dial, I came really close to giving up and having my local shop install it.lol

Oh, and the price here on Amazon is a really really good price. It's $50 less than Crutchfield and the few radio shops that carry it.

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I own a Verizon iPhone 4 with unlimited internet 3G plan. I wanted to replace my factory original double-DIN CD player radio on a 2006 Ford Escape XLT. The criteria used to select this unit was that it must SIMUTANEOUSLY connect via Bluetooth to my phone to stream Pandora music (much better than subscribing to Sirius radio), listen to audio commands from my GPS Navigator app (Navigon and Waze), and take incoming phone calls. The built in microphone for calls was a big plus. I like the previous reviewer's statement that a double DIN unit looks similar to factory original to fend off car thieves. Although the unit is designed with a USB port to accept a iPhone sync cord and has features to direct iTunes and at the same time charge the unit, this standard USB charger port delivers only 0.5 amps. iPhone requires a 1 AMP charger to charge while streaming. iPhones are notorious for draining the battery if all features are turned on. This would be important when going on long trips.

I had the unit professionally installed. The installer said it was easy with a bracket unit and necessary adapter plugs which were purchased separately. Below is a preliminary review of my experience so far:

1) Bluetooth connectivity is excellent. The initial pairing of the device was abit difficult because the instructional manual was not very clear. With the help of the installer I was able to initially pair the stereo to my iPhone in 2 minutes. After the initial pairing, you just need to go into the iPhone settings and connect to the device each time. Your phone ID will appear on the unit display upon connection.

2) Stereo streaming from Pandora via Bluetooth. Excellent sound! The A2DP Bluetooth audio processing allows full range of sound to come out beautifully from the factory speakers. The 50W amp (per channel) built in amplifier gave my factory original speakers clear crisp sound which were far superior from what the OEM stereo could deliver. I was considering to buy the CX501 singer DIN unit, but read that it only delivers 17 watts RMS per channel versus a full 50W per channel with this double-DIN unit. The display is also easier to read. It also works very well with audio while watching Netflix streaming video and Podcasts on the road. There is 4 preset equalizer settings and a custom setting. I find that the "Excite" setting is best suited for my type of music (old school that is heavy on the bass).

3) GPS navigation audio directions via Bluetooth. Whenever a voice command to turn emits from the GPS app in the iPhone, it automatically lowers the volume to the steaming music. It then returns to the music back to normal volume. This feature is indicative of the phone, but it nice to know that the Bluetooth connectivity remains solid between the iPhone and the stereo. One disadvantage is that I like to crank up the music while on the road, this causes the GPS voice to also come out loud. This is a problem with the software app on the iPhone and not the stereo unit.

4) Phone Calls: pressing the play button allows me to answer calls. When in the phone mode, you can control the volume easily on the stereo. The person on the other line can hear my voice very well. The microphone is located on the left top corner of the unit so you may need to lower the fan speed of the air conditioner if a vent is located next to the unit and it is noisy. After the call has ended, the music and GPS commands return back to normal without loosing Bluetooth connectivity.

5) I like the option of also plugging via USB port a flash drive with MP3 files, or plugging in via 3.5mm jack any other audio device.

6) Display. I like the large 2 line display. However, I was disappointed to see that when playing the radio, I lost the ability to see the name of the radio station I was listening to as well as the song. This feature was included in the factory original display. Also the clock was always displayed on the factory unit (my car does not come with a separate clock on the dash board). This stereo has a clock but it displays on a separate screen. You press the "DISP" button on the unit to cycle through the display features.

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