Zallars 5.0" Android 4.0 MTK6515 1.0Ghz CPU Dual Sim 2G Mobile Phone A7100 (Black, NOT 3G Phone)
Philips GoGear Vibe 8GB MP3 Player SA3VBE08K/37
- The small and sturdy GoGear Vibe MP3 Player hits the right notes with Philips FullSound to bring your music to life
- Philips GoGear MP3 Player Vibe 8GB SA3VBE08K/37
- Philips Product. Plus, soft rubber earbuds ensure comfy music enjoyment
- Songbird for endless music discovery and easy synchronization. Plus, soft rubber earbuds ensure comfy music enjoyment
- The small and sturdy GoGear Vibe MP3 Player hits the right notes with Philips FullSound to bring your music to life and
- Songbird for endless music discovery and easy synchronization.
Pros
+ Superb sound quality.
+ Comfortable and soft rubber ear buds.
+ Excellent auto-preset FM Tuner.
+ Perfect dimensions for an on the go mp3 player. As another review said it's about the size of a credit card and the depth of a Hershey bar.
+ Custom equalizer.
+ Free and optional install of Songbird software.
+ Plays video.
Cons
Ear bud cord could be a bit longer. An additional 6" would have been better.
No Audio Recording capability even though it's advertised as such. There's what appears to be microphone hole on the top of the device but no recording options available. This is the main reason I knocked off a star as I would have really used this option.
Limited video format support.
Small video screen and along with that comes rather poor quality/resolution (expected for the price). Hopefully most people don't plan on watching a lot of video with this player.
User interface could use some tweaking as it's a bit confusing at first.
Volume buttons are a bit too recessed for larger fingers.
Unfortunately the Songbird software consistantly crashes without reason despite repeated software updates.
All things considered this is a good deal for a low end MP3 player. For the price it's difficult to go wrong with this device. Is it perfect? No. Could there be improvements? Absolutely. As I mentioned earlier, my biggest disappointment was the lack of the audio recorder. I'm guessing this probably won't be an issue for most people however. Other than that I'm very satisfied with the Philips GoGear Vibe. Satisfied enough to consider purchasing the 16GB GoGear Muse.
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The specific model I am reviewing is the SA3VBE04K/37 which is important because all of the documentation I can find referring to the 4gb GoGear Vibe mentions audio recording capability which this specific model apparently cannot do. There is no built in microphone, hence, no ability to record audio EVEN THOUGH RECORDING AUDIO IS LISTED AS A FEATURE OF THIS UNIT. The manuals I've found show a different configuration (microphone hole on top) than this particular unit. If you're looking to record classroom lectures (I was looking forward to testing the quality of that) you just can't do it. This also raises into question the capabilities of the other Vibes. Which ones have this feature and which ones don't? Hopefully the Philips folks will fix their documentation and advertising and this won't be an issue.Otherwise, this is a solid, pretty standard MP3 player. As advertised, it takes about 2-3 hours to charge the built-in, non-replaceable battery. I actually prefer non-replaceables since I don't spend all my time hunting for AAA or AA or button batteries, but you may prefer otherwise. I've had it running overnight and it still has a good charge, but that should be the case with any new battery. If it turns out this unit's battery has a short life-span (less than 1 year?) I'll add an update to this review.
The sound is solid, the interface is decent, the software is all pretty standard. At least, standard for a portable MP3 player not built by a certain company that starts with an "A." In fact, my most recent experience is with a second generation Apple Shuffle (postage stamp sized, no screen) and I prefer this GoGear Vibe to the smaller Shuffle for a couple of reasons. A lesser reason is the Vibe's screen which has a nice visible menu system and pretty easy to use controls. The second is more important to me: the built-in FM radio. I've had no problems using it to tune in to the local NPR station which I prefer listening to, rather than music, during my 2 mile walk to my bus stop. Personally, this is my favorite feature.
The size and weight are good, about half the size of a current Hershey's 1.55 Ounce Milk Chocolate Bar and about as thick as one candy bar. Check the comparative size photo I uploaded for this review. It does fit nicely in the pocket. The earphones are pretty decent for ear buds both in comfort and sound quality and I see no reason to replace them. It doesn't have a clip, nor did it come with a lanyard neither is a deal killer, but either would be nice!
The picture and audio/video display works as good as you would expect with the 1.8 inch display. Videos have to be in the MJPEG format, and are displayed on a 160 x 128 pixel format. The display is legible and clear, but this is a small screen. Because of the memory limitations of the specific unit I'm reviewing (4 GB) I wouldn't use it for video in any case. Pictures? Maybe. But we're still talking about pictures a little bit bigger than a postage stamp (albeit, a larger, commemorative US postage stamp).
Read the specifications carefully and make sure you know what you're getting (with the caveat that the specifications could be in error as noted at the outset of this review). This is, overall, a nice little unit, but nothing about it really rises above the fact that it's pretty much just a standard entry into the non-Apple MP3 Player arena.
UPDATE 22 MAY 2012 (over a year after acquisition): Durability is excellent. For the last year I've been constantly letting this rattle around in my car's glove box and in my pocket. Works just as good as when it was new over a year ago. It has some wear marks (what you'd expect) but has physically held up perfectly.
Read Best Reviews of Philips GoGear Vibe 8GB MP3 Player SA3VBE08K/37 Here
(2008 HOLIDAY TEAM) Although Apple has set the industry standard for portable digital music with its iPod line, not everyone wants to pay the price or use iTunes to manage music. This little GoGear Vibe is a good choice for people who want a relatively inexpensive MP3 player that's about twice the size of the Nano but much smaller than Apple's other offerings. NOTE: I'm reviewing the 4GB version. The 8GB version comes with voice recording but this smaller capacity one does not.This MP3 player is designed exclusively for Windows PCs because its Songbird music managing program does not work with Macs, even though there is a Songbird for Mac program available for free download. That said, I was able to download Amazon MP3s to the device, using it the way I'd use a flash drive by dropping files directly onto the GoGear. It worked perfectly, but I couldn't fill it with songs from my Mac's iTunes library, even when I located the files for them. The songs transferred but wouldn't play, suggesting that the GoGear Songbird converts the file kinds to be compatible with the device. When I connected it to a Windows machine, that version of Songbird immediately asked if I wanted to import my music from iTunes, so the GoGear can indeed do it, just not with a Mac.
The controls are relatively easy to use -once I found them. The black-on-black face, with little supplied documentation, made its use trial-and-error at first. The small screen is large enough to display an album cover but lousy for photos and videos. Some of the other models in the GoGear line have bigger screens, so if you want to display photos or video, you might want to investigate them.
The sound is slightly different than the iPod for the same songs played through the same set of earbuds. I can't say whether one was better or worse; the iPod has warmer tones, but the GoGear has crisp, clean notes.
The earbuds are comfortable, and they stay in place. Battery life is so-so, the one area of the GoGear that I didn't like. I took it on a trip with me, and more than once I'd go to listen to it, only to find the battery drained. I suppose I've been spoiled by the long life of my iPod battery. And the 4 GB capacity is too small for those of us who like to carry around a huge music library to enable a listening decision on the fly. I don't like Philips assumption that Mac users won't want to use a non-Apple product for music listening.
I also am not a fan of Songbird. Although it has some of the features of iTunes, I found its navigation to be somewhat clumsy. I didn't take any points away because of it, however, since it may be that I'm so used to iTunes that I expect other programs to approach it in ease-of-use.
The GoGear deserves five stars just for its value, but it falls far short of the more expensive iPod Classic and Touch. If you don't want to support Apple (and many people don't) or if you want a budget, solid-state player, then the 4GB GoGear Vibe is something you should consider. Otherwise, I recommend looking at the higher end products in the Philips line or at Apple's.
-Debbie Lee Wesselmann
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I very carefully studied the reviews of several mp3 players when my first one died suddenly. I had a player with a 2.8" screen but decided that it wasn't really necessary as I never used it to watch video. I had downloaded a few things when I first got it as it was a "new toy" but then as time passed, used it solely to listen to music. However, it was important to me to be able to view album art as I had spent hours downloading that for my songs ripped from cd's. So thank you to previous reviewers who mentioned that functionality in their reviews.The Philips Songbird software was easy to use. It synced up with my music files immediately and downloaded everything flawlessly. Since the initial sync though, I prefer to just drag and drop any new songs I add instead of going through the syncing process. I have several songs that I don't want to transfer every time (for example, my husband's favorites and Christmas music). But it was an easy way to get started. Everything is organized by artist, album, and genre and I like the playlist feature. That allowed me to separate my regular music from the Christmas music that I had on the player during the holidays. You can create a playlist on the go, but I haven't used that feature yet.
A really nice feature that I didn't have on my previous player is the delete on the go option. If you find that you have a song you don't really want you don't have to wait to get back to your computer to delete it. You can get rid of it immediately!
I am taking a long trip this weekend and thought it would be nice to have an audio book to listen to along the way. The audible.com site that is listed in the manual charges a monthly fee for their books, so I thought I would see if I could use my local library instead. Worked like a charm! It will accept books in either mp3 or WMA format. My library uses the Overdrive Media software for downloads and it was easy to download the book into that software and then it had a transfer option that recognized the Vibe and transferred the books in seconds! The only negative is that they were downloaded into the music files so they are mixed with my music. To find them, I have to go to artist and then find the author's name. I haven't tried it yet, but I'm guessing that if you were playing random selections from your music file, your book files could be selected to play. But you would just skip to the next song, so shouldn't be a big deal if you want to listen to music while you have a book loaded.
I tried out the FM radio as well and it auto tuned all the stations the first time and does work well in my market as far as tuning in(Bismarck ND). I don't really use this feature though.
Battery life seems good as it shows near full strength after 2 3 hours of play. I haven't played it for such a length of time as to drain the battery fully (it will get its test with the audio book tomorrow as I intend to listen for over 5 hours straight).
Over all, I am very, very pleased with my purchase of the Vibe. If you want an mp3 player that plays music and audiobooks, you won't be disappointed in this one!Absolutely love it! Very easy to use and only needed functions. No waist of features and complicated functions. On screen symbols are simple and understandable. Well built device, not resembling any cheat replica of any popular players. Love the small portable size, you forget that you're even carrying a player at all. The screen size is small but has great backlight, makes watching quick videos or episodes fun and enjoyable. The battery life is great!!! Lastly, one of the best features is a sleep timer. No more killing your battery just because you fell asleep listening to your favorite songs. Very good buy for the non-technical, kids and older folks who want to keep up with the latest gadgets!
Samsung Original Galaxy S2 Epic 4G Touch Multimedia Cradle Dock Station
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Panasonic SC-HC20P-K Compact Stereo System
- Compact stereo system for the home or office; provides 10 watts of total power
- Integrated slide-out iPod dock for playback and recharging
- Plays CD, CD-R and CD-RW discs as well as MP3 files
- AM/FM radio (with 15 AM presets and 30 FM presets)
- Measures 8-7/16 x 15-1/8 x 4-13/32 inches (HxWxD); 1-year warranty
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I had been looking at several compact Mp3 players and opted to go with the Panasonic because it included a CD player. From the picture it was hard to tell the quality and features, so I was very pleased when my purchase arrived. It is compact enough to fit on a 5" bookcase ledge when the ipod drawer is open it extends beyond that ledge about 2". Unit is solid, well made, functions well, and attractive. Sound is great for a unit this size very clear for radio, CD and Mp3, and includes ability to adjust tone with both preset EQ and individual bass and treble adjustments. Tuner for AM and FM works well 15 presets AM, 30 presents FM with external antennas supplied. There are not many buttons on the unit they're all on top, but it has a full feature remote you need to supply batteries. I am accustomed to small remotes coming with compact players. This remote is about the size of a TV remote 7x2x1". Display is adequate a little smaller than some, but does include dimmer. No adapter is supplied for ipod dock fortunately I saved mine you can dock your unit without adapter if you're careful. Some units I have used retain clock settings during power interruption. This does not. However, it does include a headphone jack and AUX input. I am excited with my purchase and will be recommending it to others. This link provides an overview of features from Panasonic:Read Best Reviews of Panasonic SC-HC20P-K Compact Stereo System Here
Needing a new radio I purchased this from a local electronic store, mostly based upon the reviews I'd read here. It's a good item and I kinda like it, but a few things seem to have been left out of the other reviews.First, it's nice and compact. A little over a foot long and less than six inches thick, it can easily fit into nearly any space you want it to. The sound is good and the AM/FM antennas work great; we recently had some storms here in NY and it maintained the signal fine. The main issues I have are with the mp3 player and the remote control.
Thanks to the smaller size of mp3s, I routinely burn multiple albums onto a disc to save space. The LCD display can't show multiple files or folders so you can select them; you have to know the track number you're looking for to find it via the remote. But if there are multiple albums on the disc... yepyou gotta skip through every single one of the preceding individual tracks to find the one you want instead of just being able to pull it up.
And speaking of the remote control...it sucks! It has a circular D-pad for controlling menus but it doesn't do much. When an iPod is docked the remote can call up the menu, change settings, etc. The problem is that it can't scroll through anything; if you have a fair amount of songs loaded the remote can only move through one item at a time. Exif you've got ten cds on your pod you'll have to hit the button ten times to get to the last one. Same goes for the trackslooking for the twentieth song on a cd means you're gonna be a minute pulling it up. The volume and fast forward/rewind controls are fine, but unless you're all the way across the room and have your selection already cued up the remote is pretty useless for the iPod.
These are two glaring problems that shouldn't exist in 2010. Remotes are for convenience and this thing is worthless for the iPod and playing mp3s. The mp3 player itself is fine but can't be properly controlledwhich are the main reasons I bought it. If you just want a radio to sit within arm's reach and don't mind setting your iPod by hand while its docked, then this'll be good for you.I purchased this for my bedroom, as I listen to soothing music or meditational CDs when I go to bed at night. It has a very nice sound and doesn't take up much space on the dresser. It has a remote if I care to use it, which is handy. I don't know if I will ever use the Ipod dock, but just as a CD player, it was a good purchase. The seller was very prompt in sending it out...I think I had it in 2 days.I love to listen to opera while I cook, and this micro system fits perfectly on a shelf in my kitchen and delivers wonderful sound. There aren't a lot of small, no-frills systems out there, and I wasn't interested to going to a boom box. This is very attractive, very functional, and you can't beat the price.
Sony WMFS499 Sports Walkman
- Heavy-duty, die-cast aluminum
- Digital synthesized AM/FM stereo tuner
- Rugged, water-resistant sports-series case
- Adjustable action grip
- 20-station preset tuning (15 FM, 5 AM)
I found this Sony WMFS499 Sports Walkman for sale here on Amazon.com and purchased it and I love it! Since I use my Walkman for walking and running, I need a durable player that can withstand being dropped and getting damp in the rain, and the case on my new player seems indestructible. The sound quality of both the FM radio and tape player are fantastic! I decided to buy another one to have as a spare in case I lose this one. That sounds kind of crazy, but having a good tape player for exercise is important to me and I don't want to ever risk being without my Sports Walkman.
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Bought this because my previous Walkman died after many good years of service. Nothing lasts forever and my old one took many a bump and drop. So I approximated this model would be a good replacement. I was right. It's a nice heir to the line of Sports Walkman's. Like the clasp, the lap counter is a nice feather and the mega bass really helps with the right music. This is a fine product. You will not be disapponted.Read Best Reviews of Sony WMFS499 Sports Walkman Here
This walkman is awesome! It's sound is un-matched! The headphones are really cool! The only problem with it is that the radio stations do not play very well. I have to constantly move the walkman around to get a good perception. If you don't care about the radio feature, but need to play your tapes, go for this one!Want Sony WMFS499 Sports Walkman Discount?
I dropped my last Sony cassette player and tried to find another one just like it, which is impossible and I saw this on Amazon and jumped on it. I walk and listen to audiobooks and I so glad I purchased this one.The loading of the batteries and tapes are odd, but for the listening, the stereo sound and dobly feature are great. Compared to my last Sony, this one really surpasses it.
I did change to another Sony headset with earplugs. I do not like the over the head type. I do want to purchase another like the other reviewer said, you never know when you need another spare.I have a lot of cassettes, and I figure that I'll use them up before I switch to some kind of ipod, (plus I don't like the size of a CD player: I turn my CDs into cassettes for portability). So I bought this to help me play my cassettes into oblivion. It is not my only cassette player by a long shot, but it's the best I've had. Great sound, rugged, convenient controls, auto-reverse, a belt clip that's long enough not to squeeze off the belt when I bend over. The sound is better than the cassette players that I have with built-in graphic equalizers. It has three sound settings. The included headphones have a cord that's too short for good FM reception, but with set of phones with a cord of more normal length, the reception is fine.
JBL On Stage 400P Speaker Dock for iPhone/iPod (Black)
- Compatible with all docking iPods .
- Digital amplification and DSP(digital sound processing) gives you great sound.
- Includes an RF remote with full iPod navigation.
- Evercharge topology charges iPod even unit is switched off.
- Works with iPhone.
Crystal clear sound, deep clear bass, crisp mids and highs. What especially surprised me was the bass. I wasn't aware that such deep bass could be produced from a small ipod dock. I was able to listen to the Bose dock at Best Buy. Being in a huge store probably didn't help the bass but there was virtually no difference in sound between the two, and the JBL is less then half the price.
I personally like the design of the JBL over the Bose. A sexy silver and black oval shaped speaker with my iphone sitting on top. The speaker is shielded so there is no interference whatsoever from my iphone. And my iphone sits sturdy on the top with the correct adapter. The remote is also very useful as you can change volume, skip, pause, and navigate menus with it.
For me this is without a doubt the best ipod speaker dock on the market.
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I've been researching over a year for the perfect dock. Yeah it may sound crazy but im very fussy about the quality i want. So in the end, very difficult to find a perfect product, but JBL 400p is what comes closest. Here's why :My requirements :
1. Crystal clear sound with clear bass.
2. Should be reasonably loud without distorting any elements and not only for laptop use
3. Shouldn't be crazy expensive
4. Should be portable (BTW i don't see portablility merely as a function of temporary power).
5. Should plug into alternate sources.
6. Didn't care about AM/FM.
Now with the above in mind, i zeroed in finally on Bose, Altec and Sony and did some serious research, to the point of going nuts and finally saw JBL winning. I will skip commenting on Sony cuz its not worth it.
Bose Sound dock: There is no doubt that this one produces the best and loudest sound out there, notwithstanding the gap between best and next is rather slim :) . I almost decided to buy this and then saw in the demo how it "completely" distorts the balance of sound at high volumes, especially the bass. So the value of loud music gets negated. Additionally, ive heard they are custom tuned to the songs that they play best at demos and hence made to sound awesome. And finally the price at 300/400 made it look ITS JUST NOT WORTH IT.
Altec Lansing imT620 and T612 : I think this product is overhyped. Its like one of those chinese products that try to give you as much as they can for as less money as possible. And this makes it the best choice for an economical product. I didn't find the sound clarity impressive at all. But just cuz i was fed up looking, i wanted to close the deal with this and be done.
JBL : While i almost got Altec, one friend of mine suggested JBL and i took a look at 200id. Didn't like as much and then just chanced upon 400p which i somehow left out of comparison totally, possibly because this wasn't rolled out then. This product clearly comes the "closest" to what Bose sounds like and for abt 200 bucks (on a deal) made great economical sense. I am amazed at how it retains the sound clarity even at high volumes, have never seen it distorting any elements. This is the only product that is impressive from the JBL camp for ipod and some serious competition. I have had it for abt 2 months now and completely satisfied. The only small issue is its not as loud as i wanted it to be, which is why the 4 stars and not 5.
Now i'm not suggesting this as a winner based out of only 1 or 2 factors. I had a clear set of requirements and this met all of them very closely. So i won't suggest you take my review at face value, rather go check it out yourself, cuz you may have a different criteria. But for sure keep this one in your comparison.
Read Best Reviews of JBL On Stage 400P Speaker Dock for iPhone/iPod (Black) Here
I'm very critical of sound quality and I was looking for an iPod dock to take to Mexico with me on vacation. I looked and listened to everything available at brick & mortar stores.The Bose was too expensive. I knew that. Long story short...The JBL On Stage 400P was a gamble-it lacked some bells and whistles that other docks had but I kept coming back to sound quality, which mattered most to me. I also hesitated with this purchase because it was available at WALMART of all places.
Finally! a purchase that really and truly made me happy. It was on 24/7 in Mexico. I had none of the issues other people had. It's not cheap/inexpensive but it was a great investment for me.
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JBL has made a very nice sounding device that, unfortunately, does not work out of the box with the 2nd gen iPod Touch. Even though this speaker dock was released in spring 2009 and the 2G iPod Touch was released in Fall 2008. Regardless that the product info says it works with "all docking iPods and the iPhone". The included iPod Touch 2G adapter does not allow the iPod to fit down snug enough to fully connect with the 400P so it is unable to play or charge. There is a bump noise from the speaker which may indicate it is close to connecting by cannot quite make it. I tried it several times but it was no go. I then took out the included adapted and attached the iPod without an adapter at all and it worked. I checked several times to see if I was using the wrong adapter but I was using the correct one.My first inclination was to send it back, however it does sound nice so I really want to keep it. The problem is the connector may be in danger of breaking off if you don't use the adapter and not using the adapter probably voids the warranty.
But regardless, I used a couple small self adhesive rubber pads I had lying around to secure the iPod a little better than just not using anything at all (it seems all the adapters do is snuggle a bit with the iPod to prevent damage to the connector). While I myself will be careful with this solution I am afraid anyone else grabbing it or attaching/detaching it may break the connector off (especially the kids). If it broke inside the iPod it could be bad news for my expensive 32GB iPod.
I might still have given it 4 stars as it does sound good but the remote only operates the built in iPod music player but I use mostly Pandora for music listening so the other functions aside from volume do not function in Pandora or any other audio app.
Of course this, like all Apple related accessories, is way overpriced for what you get.
Maybe JBL will put out a new adapter that would actually work with the iPod 2G but I won't hold my breath.I have over 30 years experience as a audio professional. I always seek out the best of the best and the JBL ONSTAGE 400P is the finest IPod/IPhone Dock product ever. The sound quality out performs Bose and any others. The high notes and low notes are clear and do not distort at full volume. The speaker shape sends the sound wave out in a stereo surround effect that fills the room. I want one now in every room. This product is absolutely awesome. I use it with my IPhone 3GS. I am buying more for Christmas gifts.
Paul McDonald/Memphis
Remember: What ELVIS did all over the world started in Memphis!
iHome iP1 Studio Series Speaker System for 30-Pin iPod/iPhone (Black)
- Supports most 30-Pin iPhone/iPod models
- 100-watt Class-D biamplified architecture through twin 4-inch woofers and matched 1-inch dome tweeters
- Component/Composite video outputs allow you to watch your iPod/iPhone movies on your TV
- Full-function remote controls unit and iPhone/iPod menu functions
- Auxiliary input for connecting external audio sources
Good:
-Cost is lesser than similar Bose
-Good sized remote easily controls iPhones or iPod.
-Sound quality is not bad, actually very clean.
-iPhone or iTouch, once docked, lays its back to the device, getting a good support from IP1s plexi-glass surface, preventing accidental breaking of the connection. Bose does not have this advantage.
-Design is appealing to some as it is a bit different (based on personal preference), some likes boxy, minimalist design, like my self.
Bad:
-Yes it sounds nice, but no matter how much you lower the treble, it still sounds high on treble, even with the extra bass.
-No, it does not sound high enough to tremble the room, the volume is in lower end, may be this is good to prevent over load on the speakers.
-The infamous "power brick", which is separate piece than the system is almost three time bigger than an average laptop power brick. It requires extra attention to place into a proper location so it won't be visible. iHome should have designed better brick, AppleTV has some lessons on this area.
-Design is a bit un-minimalistic for my taste. System's design makes it difficult to safely place it or carry it around. You may need to place this in place and leave it there. To much curves/corners. iHome would better box this into a nice quality plastic container for practical purposes.
Conclusion:
Yes, I would recommend this system to anyone who is looking for a moderately quality sound system with good price. It is well worth to pay around $230 for this system. However, do not expect miracles, and forget about being mobile with this, even in the house.
-I congratulate iHome folks to initiate this type of system, I am hoping they will improve on this in design and sound area. They are almost there. With an inclusion wi-fi radio system, iHome may come up a better product that may crush all the other new music systems out there.
TIPS:
1You can install the "Shoutcast" app to your iPhone and stream thousands internet radios just like a wi-fi radio, now, you have a wi-fi radio as well.
2Or, better, you can buy an Airport Express for $99.
Connect it to music system with its 3.5mm connection,
Configure it to connect to your Mac or PC's iTunes application
Play the music you like on your Mac or PC with iTunes application to have the music streamed into the Air port Express which puts it to any sound system.
3Even, better, (yes it gets better ) you can also install "Remote" application from app store into your iPhone or Touch which controls your iTunes player on your Mac or PC.
In turn, wherever you are in your house, you control your music with iPhone via Remote app (like a remote control, but seeing entire iTunes library on your iPhone/Touch) through wi-fi network, streaming the music into the any stereo via AirPort Express.
Would that work for you?
Buy iHome iP1 Studio Series Speaker System for 30-Pin iPod/iPhone (Black) Now
I've been looking for a replacement for my admittedly unloved Logitech Pure-Fi Elite for some time. Found the iP1 at a certain well-known warehouse chain for a great price due to an instant discount promotion, but also saw the intriguing Panasonic SC-HC3 alongside it on the shelf. Decided to buy both and have a shoot-out testing session at home, with the loser going back to the store. Not a true apples-to-apples comparison, since the SC-HC3 is really more a compact stereo than dedicated speaker setup, but since I was primarily after was great sound quality in a package that had some style and 'look at me' presence, there was considerable leeway on my part in rooting for the iHome unit.Unfortunately for the iP1, the SC-HC3 does sound exceptionally well also. In fact, to my ears even better than what the iP1 is capable of. It also has good looks, too. The iP1's frequency range is pretty good, with decent and relatively convincing midbass performance for the size drivers it has onboard. Mids and highs are present, but I found that they seemed conspicuously muted with passages that I know shouldn't be that way when listened to on other equipment and setups. I used my 2G Touch as the source iPod, and used lossless WAV files across several musical genres; the iP1 is certainly the best-sounding iHome unit I've ever experienced, and the best-looking to my tastes as well. But I found the abrupt crossover from mid/woofer to tweeter too noticeable and rather irritating to listen to over time (on my unit this was really apparent with the right channel), and there wasn't much in the way of depth or image to its sound at all, not that I was holding out much hope considering that the respective drivers for each channel are mounted less than a foot apart from one another. But in the end it was the balance of the sound across the frequency range that bugged me the most.
In usage I found that I preferred using the iP1's digital processing circuitry over leaving it off and presumably neutral; it brought a liveliness and level of resonance to the audio that made the unboosted output seem bland, inconsequential and haphazard, which is actually contrary to how I usually like my music with other equipment that offer similar forms of 'tarting'. Simply stated, overall I found the iP1's sonic presentation decent, but just not as accurate as I would normally prefer. The imbalance I felt with midrange and high frequency output and the harsh crossover point from the midrange/woofer to tweeter introduced too much distracting characteristics to the sound, and the lack of depth when compared to the Panasonic's sonic performance put the iP1 at a distinct disadvantage to my ears.
From an aesthetic view, the broadbrush overview of the iP1 makes it look a winner that cater to my design preferences, but even here there are quirks as well. The power supply is external and is the poster child of the prodigal power 'brick'; it's about as big as the one that Microsoft supplies with the Xbox 360, and is cumbersome to place, conceal and plan around when locating the iP1 in the intended resting spot I had in mind for it...just like I experienced and loathed with the old Pure-Fi Elite I was so intent on replacing. In fact it's probably worse since the iP1 is see-through.
The smoked acrylic front face and the general finish of the speaker drivers is minimalist stylish in my mind's eye (though my wife hated it), but the materials used on the dock tray fascia and control surfaces seemed a bit low end in comparison. The overall effect is entrancing, but this design would've really been fantastic had iHome used tempered glass and metal on the remaining plastic surfaces, but I suspect the $300 list price would be a fair bit higher as a result. From the rear, the housings for the speaker drivers and miscellaneous electronics also seemed a bit on the cheap side as well, though in truth all they do is sit in the background since they're primarily viewed through the main acrylic face panel. There were a couple of fascia treatment options for the midrange/woofer driver supplied: the metal mesh grilles come pre-installed from iHome, with separate plastic bezel trim rings also included that give the iP1 owner the choice to expose the mid/woofer speaker driver. Since the grilles are supposedly acoustically neutral, the trim ring accessory would only be used as an aesthetic preference. Personally, I think the grilles work better from a visual standpoint, since the tweeters also are sheathed with a similar mesh that isn't removable.
In the end, the iHome iP1 lost my impromptu shoot-out with the Panasonic SC-HC3. The added features of the Panasonic (AM/FM, CD player, clock) along with its Bang & Olufsen-esque styling and its far cheaper price--even with the instant discount on the iP1 at the time of purchase, the iP1 is almost 50% more expensive than the SC-HC3--simply outshone the stylish iHome unit and underscored the value aspect in this comparison. And in these tough economic times, that last point alone makes the one-trick pony iP1 a harder horse to ride. Couple the Panasonic's ability to provide me with superior and pleasing audio performance (your own mileage may vary, however), it was clear to me which of the two was going back to the store.
I think that the iP1 is a good first effort by iHome at trying to reach into the higher-quality segment of the iPod speaker/dock market that others like Bose and Klipsch play in, but for me the expertise and know-how of old-school manufacturer Panasonic won out on this day. Maybe next time, iHome.
Read Best Reviews of iHome iP1 Studio Series Speaker System for 30-Pin iPod/iPhone (Black) Here
I had purchased the Vers 2.0 cherry wood cabinet product to use with my iPhone 3G, but after multiple issues, I decided to return it and invest more and buy a better product. Just before I spent double the cost of the Vers product to buy the Bose SoundDock I started seeing the abundant advertising for the new iHome iP1 Studio Series. It looked downright cool and amazingly well designed. After reading the specifications, I took a chance and opted not to go with the Bose.When the iHome unit arrived, I was surprised how heavy the box was. (It's hard to build a great sounding speaker without a solid cabinet and large magnets at the base of the speaker cones, all of which weigh a lot.) When I opened the box, I was even more surprised how beautifully designed the unit was. It is minimalist elegance. I highly recommend this iHome product. I have sold audio equipment over the years, so it's difficult to impress me. I am impressed.
The only thing that iHome could do to improve this product would be to give the remote control backlit buttons or add texture so you can operate it in the dark. I use this in my bedroom and want to be able to control the volume or change the song without turning on the bedside lamp. If they offered an upgraded remote, I would buy it.
Bottom line? You won't be disappointed in this product. I highly recommend it!
Want iHome iP1 Studio Series Speaker System for 30-Pin iPod/iPhone (Black) Discount?
The only competitor for this item was the Bose® SoundDock® Series II digital music system for iPod® Black. In a nutshell, the iHome iP1 did better. The iP1 has "brighter" sound, which works well for people who like to listen to soft music or music at lower volumes. I had to put the store employees, as well as my family through a half hour listening tests with several songs. The only thing the Bose was better at was size. So the iP1 is bulkier, but with slightly better sound , and a far better remote control. Being a fan of usability, this was a deal killer for me. I am able to switch between playlists, change bass and treble settings, and scrub through the menu, as compared to only playing and changing volume on the Bose. Since this speaker is in our kitchen and living area there is a lot of action and need for changing the listening preferences so it suits the current environment. Without this feature, the speaker would just not have gotten used.Delivers exceptional sounds, making mp3's of almost any bitrate sound better than they ever did before. Also, the sound quality of any radio station apps is dramatically improved, even talk. On top of that, the design can only be summed up as modern, minimalist elegance. Have had no technical issues whatsoever and have owned the unit for several weeks, so can only assume the previous reviewer is dealing with a rare manufacturing defect, or did something to break the unit himself. For me, absolutely flawless piece of stereo equipment that has increased my enjoyment of my iPod Touch several times over, and is being offered at an absolutely unbeatable price by Amazon.Clarion NX501 7-Inch Single DIN Multimedia Control Station with Touch Panel Control, USB and Built-I
- 6.2-inch Digital WVGA Touch Panel LCD Monitor. CD/MP3/WMA/DVD Playback. Built-in Parrot Bluetooth Interface (HFP, HSP, OPP, A2DP, AVRCP, DUN, PBAP). Built-in Microphone and External Microphone Ready with Optional RCB199. 2- Audio/Video Inputs.
- 2-Zone Entertainment: Front and 7Rear Separate Source Control. Rear USB Port with iPod Direct Connect Capabilities. iPod Audio/Video Control with Optional CCA748 iPod Interface Cable. Rear Vision Camera Composite Video Input.
- Built-in SiRFprima GPS Receiver featuring TeleAtlas Mapping Coverage of US 50 States, Canada, and Puerto Rico on Preloaded Micro SD Card. 15 Million Points of Interest. Text to Speech for Street Announcements. Sirius Direct Connect Ready.
- HD Radio Ready with Optional THD400. 50 Watts x 4 Built-in Amplifier. 8-Channel / 4 Volt RCA Output (2-Channels Rear Zone). Subwoofer Volume Control. Built-in High and Low-Pass Filters. Magna Bass EX Dynamic Bass Enhancement.
- Beat EQ for Sound Adjustment. OEM Steering Wheel Remote Ready. Wireless Remote Control Included.
PROS
Gorgeous interface
Swiping / Scrolling is seamless
iPhone like usability
Comes with Sirius, BT, Nav, and iPod cables !
CONS
My issues are:
1) The Clarion advertised RCB199 external microphone does NOT work with the unit. This was confirmed by Clarion's technical support themselves. The gentleman on the phone said that an engineer is making a hardware change to fix the issue. Even so, it is unacceptable for Clarion to advertise this optional mic if it does NOT work with the unit. What were they thinking? I spent hours trying to figure out how to get it to work all to find out that they lied in the product description!
The internal BT mic picks up too much road noise on the highway and is unusable.
2) If you do not shut off the unit while on Sirius, then Sirius will NOT work when you turn on your unit (most of the time). You have to hold the power button down and reset the unit to reset Sirius. This is a major inconvenience. Clarion technical support said that "they are working on it" but it is "a problem with the Sirius tuner" and a software update "probably won't fix it." This is a major inconvenience.
3) My navigation antenna broke after 6 days. I pulled the cord out and it was not pinched or damaged in any way. Clarion offered to replace it (if I paid shipping) but this was my last straw and I decided to return the headunit. Why should I have to pay for shipping and send a part back if it's 6 days old?
4) Here and there, the iPod jitters and has a 1/2 second lag. It disrupts the song. This has been reported on other reviews. I have tried three iPod cable and another iPod with no success. It is most definitely a software error.
5) This headunit is BLUE. Absolutely everything is blue. For a retail price of $1,000, I should be able to adjust the color to match my dash. When the unit boots, the LEDs turn red so they actually used multi-color LEDs but didn't give us the option of changing them. In addition, you CANNOT change the wallpaper for iPod, Sirius, BT, etc. You can only change the source wallpaper which you are never on. Also, if you import a wallpaper and select a default wallpaper, you automatically lose you imported wallpaper forever. I called Clarion and they said no update is planned--Blue is here to stay.
6) Dimming works fine, but you cannot dim the buttons. At night the bright blue buttons are distracting and strains your eyes.
Minor issues:
It takes 4-5 clicks to change the subwoofer level. This is dangerous if you want to turn it down for a bass-intensive song while driving.
You cannot change the splash screen.
Nav is slow to start (music starts very quickly)
The previous model, the NX500, has no firmware updates so I doubt Clarion will fix these issues with their new model. I'm looking into a competing product (X930BT, NT3HDT, DDX series) and will never consider Clarion again. That is how disgusted I am with all of these issues.Originally posted on crutchfield but they won't let me edit it or update my comments.
I love this head unit. It sounds fantastic has all the options i wanted the navigation
features and speed alerts come in handy, I've had it installed for 3 weeks and Just really
got used to the menus. Would have gotten 5 stars except today the navigation function
wont load. i was out using the system it was finding all the places i needed to go
but on my 3rd stop of the day after i started my car the nav software loaded, asked
me for the language preference and when i selected English it proceeded to boot
then hung and rebooted the entire radio.
I have reset defaults, disconnected the power to try and reset no go. Everything else
still works only the navigation wont load. I am restoring my memory chip (made a backup)
hopefully it's just the chip (windows reported an issue when i plugged it in) if that
dose not work i will be calling clarion and square trade to see what's up.
Update
Restoring the original micro sd programing from the backup I made resolved the problem. The radio and navigation has worked flawlessly since then as long as I did not try to apply the updated map pack. Every time I tried updating the micro sd chip file system becomes corrupt. And I am unable to create a new backup and the nav function stops working again.
This unit seems to be very sensitive to usb thumb memory as well. It has been about 4 weeks since I resolved the navigation issue and after switching from a 8gb mushkin usb (exfat) thumb drive to a larger 16gb centon (fat32) data stick pro the unit reboots every 6 or 7 min min. It works fine with the 16gb chip disconnected or using my 8gb or 2gb lextor. I'm going to try formatting the chip to exfat and try a different stick maybe I got a bad one (I have 2)
Other issues. On power up the head unit misreads the usb drive contents and shows it as blank. Resulting in having to turn it off or select a different source then reselect usb audio to reset the file lists.
The random function only plays the files in the current folder randomly so unless you lump all your tracks in one folder you have to navigate to other albums manually As other users have noted navigating the menus while driving to select songs is somewhat buggy and takes a bit of practice, it would have been nice if the remote up down and left right toggles could navigate the folders. I used to do that with my previous clarion radio and the wireless wheel remote. Attached to my stick shift, But the remote won't do that.
updated, reboot issues were due to 2 defective usb keys, they have been replaced with a different brand and no issues. interface issues still remain after updating all firmware to latest versions. overall im very happy with the unit, if just still needs a bit of refinement.There were mixed reviews on this unit, but I've been pretty happy with it. It is more responsive and not quite as laggy as other units I've researched. The maps are decent, but not quite as detailed as I would like them to be. The startup time could be greatly improved in my opinion, but I have a remote start on my truck, so that tends not to be a problem for me.
The thing I absolutely hate the most is that when you are navigating somewhere, the music just cuts out, then you hear the voice guidance with the faint sound of your music in the background, then the music comes back on... then two seconds later, another prompt comes up in the same manner (if you are approaching a turn or exit). It wouldn't be nearly as bad if the music was mixed with the voice prompts in a better fashion.
If you buy this, be sure not to put anything on the SD card that came in the unit, you will then need to buy a new one from Clarion. You cannot, as far as I know, use your own SD card with loaded content (media/music), you would need to use a USB drive or iPod.
My iPod hooked up nicely, and the unit supports music out of the box through USB. You will need another adapter to get the iPod/iPhone video working.
The unit played DVD's fine, and while the DVD menus are not touch capable, controls will pop-up when you need them.
I have a steering wheel and OnStar adapter (Axxess) hooked up and they both work great. The radio lacks some common steering wheel input commands, but the basic functions are there.
I got the unit from Amazon as it was the cheapest place I could find. Shipping was quick and the product was problem free... so far.
I would recommend this unit to those that are looking for an alternative to the common Kenwood (slow), Sony (buggy) and Pioneer (crappy interface) units.The NX501 has been installed now for three weeks. I'm using the GPS, HDTuner and External Mic. I also installed the Steering Wheel Controls and a SW Relay.
Installation took about 3 hours in my 2008 Tacoma. Configuration of the settings was very straight forward. I'm streaming Pandora from my BlackBerry and also have a USB drive in the glove box loaded with 4 GB of audio.
Bluetooth for both audio and phone are very clear and syncing is very simple. It was worth every penny even though I only budgeted $400 originally for the head unit.
Audio is clear, it switches between functions seamlessly and the touch screen is very functional. There are two issues that I'm working on: 1) Nav audio seems muted even though the audio setting is turned up all the way and 2) The head unit dimmer doesn't seem to integrate with my truck even though there is a wire for dimming...I was so happy when I bought this. I snagged it for $630 and it was worth every penny. The UI is great, the feature list is deep, and the performance is stellar. The GPS is the best I've ever used, and that's coming from a Garmin Nuvi which I didn't think could get any better. The sound is incredible. My stock speakers in my Ford Explorer sounds so awesome now. I can only imagine what it would sound like if I had good speakers. If you buy one, make sure you get a new version. Major fixes to the problems that other reviewers have mentioned have been implemented.
FIXES:
I bought this about 4 months ago when it first came out and the external mic from Clarion did not work with it. I had to send it in and they replaced it with a newer version. The external mix now works and it is perfect. I haven't had a complaint yet from people on the other end.
There has been a firmware update. Before, if you turned off the radio when the input was NOT Sirius, you had to reset the unit after turning on again because Sirius wouldn't work. Sirius now ALWAY turns on, no matter what the input was.
General Bluetooth connectivity is much improved.
CON
The only real con I have is the screen. While gorgeous, especially at night, it is HIGHLY reflective. I've had to experiment with the angle of installation in order to get the best viewing angle. With my polorized sunglasses on it was almost impossible to read. Now it is passable. Granted, it isn't ALWAYS in bright light, so that is not the worst. This is the only reason I gave my review 4 stars. If the screen was a little less reflective, 5 stars easily.
This is really a great radio. I couldn't be more happy.
Panasonic SC-HC30 Compact Stereo System
- Compact, wall-mountable stereo system for the home or office; provides 40 watts of total power
- Integrated iPod dock for playback and recharging
- Advanced bamboo cone speakers with a dual passive radiator design that cancels unwanted vibration
- Plays CD, CD-R and CD-RW discs as well as MP3 files; AM/FM radio (with 15 AM presets and 30 FM presets)
- Measures 7-29/32 x 19-11/16 x 4-1/32 inches (HxWxD); 1-year warranty
After attaching the AM and FM antennas, the various stations were easy to preset and sounded good. I have yet to play the CD player, however with the IPOD, I don't really plan on using it much. The system can be mounted to the wall if you want to put holes in your walls and have the power chord hanging down from it, however it takes up so little space, I didn't really feel the need.
The system looks high-tech and it sounds great. The bass sounds much better than you would expect given the slimness of the speakers. It has an AUX-In port on the back of it if you have an MP3 player as well. The only minor negative is accessing the IPOD dock. The first thing you need to do is hit the IPOD button which slides the front panel to the right exposing the IPOD dock. Once open, it has a lever that needs to be pushed and then it tilts out toward you for easy removal. While not difficult, it all takes time which I'm a little concerned about when I get my IPhone and I hear it ring. If you leave the IPOD dock open the silver CD portion of the front panel covers more than half of the right speaker and there is a noticable difference in sound.
All in all, I'm very happy with it and when not in use, it just sits there and looks cool! If you are only concerned about the quality of sound, I'd suggest a boom box with larger speakers such as the Sony MHC-EC69i Mini Hi-Fi Shelf System which is much cheaper, has an additional 60 watts and has a deeper bass sound that fills up a room (I have one of these as well).
7/19/10 UPDATE: Received my pre-ordered IPhone 4 and it is not compatible with the dock in the Panasonic. It displays "NODEVICE" despite being snuggly fit into place. Plan B: Buy an IPOD dock and an audio cable and plug it into the AUX port on the back of the unit. Still sounds great!
Buy Panasonic SC-HC30 Compact Stereo System Now
It is a beautiful design, great sound for a little unit, convenient that it plays radio, CD, ipod, etc. and love that it can be wall hung pretty and discreet for a bedroom.BUT! I purchased this to replace a CD/clock radio alarm unit, and would have liked to have known that this unit DOES NOT display the time! You can use the remote to display the time, and it will momentarily display the time when you turn it on, but once you've stopped listening, i.e. turned the unit off, there is no time display, which means that you can't use it to see the time in the middle of the night/early morning. This seems like a huge design oversight on the part of Panasonic most portable models even 20-30 years old routinely display the time.
Also, Panasonics customer service cannot tell me how to turn the alarm OFF if I want to sleep in! This seems like it should be very basic to figure out from the manual, or an easy question to answer for a tech rep, but no....30 minutes on the phone, and then disconnected with no answer. I am a university professor and am fairly adept at reading the english language, and the manual does not contain this basic information. Still deciding whether to return it or not (I purchased it elsewhere). Maybe someone out there has figured it out?
Read Best Reviews of Panasonic SC-HC30 Compact Stereo System Here
I bought this to replace a JBL OnStage iPod dock speaker that was malfunctioning. Today's bookshelf stereos like this one, that include iPod docks, make it totally unnecessary to buy a unit that can *only* function as a speaker for your iPod. This unit is quite thin--thin enough that it can be mounted on a wall and not look weird. It does include wall mounting hardware. In spite of this, it produces satisfactory sound; output is around 30w per channel. The sleek design is nice, and I especially like the motorized sliding front panel. It slides one way to allow you to insert a cd, and the other way to allow you to plug in your iPod. iPod controls from the remote are intuitive and straightforward. Minus one star for the quirks with the clock and alarm as another reviewer had mentioned. Don't buy this unit to replace your alarm clock.Want Panasonic SC-HC30 Compact Stereo System Discount?
We were looking for a compact CD/Radio player for our bedroom that also had and Aux. channel for our XM radio unit. After looking all around our small town we came to the conclusion that what we wanted was either priced too high or was not in stock (which happens a lot here) we found this system on Amazon. The company offered a fair price and great shipping. The stereo was shipped right away and when it arrived, we found that the sound quality was excellent. It also comes with a remote and a "sleep" option of 30 minutes or 60 minutes or longer, which is great for the bedroom. It also comes with a wall mount if you want to use it, although it doesn't take up much room on top of a dresser. One other great feature is that the display lights can be dimmed down so if you are bothered by lights in the bedroom, you can turn them way down. (We have an alarm clock that has display lights so bright, even on the "low" setting, that I swear you can see them from outer space.)Weak tuner. Radio reception is horrible. I live in a big city, and unable to get stereo, just static filled FM.This unit replaces a sony in the kitchen, that did not require an antennae. Even the wire antennae supplied with this one, strung to the ceiling, will not get me stereo reception.
RCA RP5405 Single Wake Clock Radio
- AM/FM
There is one quirk: When you wake up and turn off the alarm you have to switch it from alarm or radio, to radio on, and then to off. So, if you are setting your alarm at night and your significant other is already asleep, your radio will be on for a fraction of a second. If your spouse is a light sleeper, this is not a good thing to deal with.
Tuning the radio utilizes an analog dial. 9 Volt battery back up is available (battery not included). No antenna wires to break or get into the way.
Construction is a matte black finish and the footprint is small enough for travel and space savings on the night stand.
This is a good value in the current market of Ipod clock radios which sell for 4 to 10 times the price of this unit.
If you are looking for a simple clock radio with a small footprint, look no further.
Buy RCA RP5405 Single Wake Clock Radio Now
Bought it for the cheap price so was not expecting much. Every thing works fine except for the radio. Time set, Alarm set, Snooze, etc. all work easily.However, the radio tuner is slightly worse then lame and the sound (at least on my unit) will only go down so low before it just drops off. Since I wake up at just the sound of the radio turning on I would like it to be able to use a very low volume. Not my unit.
Will stick it in the camper and will be fine for that.
Clarion NX409 6.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator
- DVD-Video/DVD±R/DVD±RW/CD-DA/HDCD CD-R/RW Ready
- Built-in Navigation (2 GB Flash Memory Map Storage/Map Coverage: US 50 States and Canada)
- 12 Million Built-in POIs
- TTS (Text to Speach) for Street Announcements
- MP3/WMA Compatible with ID3-TAG Display
Navigation:
The GPS doesn't update fast enough so that the vehicle position indicator is not correctly displayed on the map relative to the cross streets especially at speed. The turn by turn voice guidance sometimes says to turn right when you actually are turning left. Many of the POI's are not accurate both for location on the map and also that some don't exist. If you can get beyond the robotic tone and poor text to speech pronunciation...the voice guidance also truncates some road names. Two of the features listed in the GPS menu don't work at all (like the alert tone option when you are approaching your turn). This may be a software bug as they won't even stay selected.
Sirius Radio:
Mostly works well except way too often you'll power the unit up and all the presets you spent time getting just the way you want are gone. That gets old after about the 5th time.
Ipod:
I plugged in my Shuffle to the USB port and it says "unrecognized file format". So I thought I'd check that it's on the list of supported Ipods on the Clarion site. Click on Ipod compatability list and gee..."page not found". At least there's some synergy between their products and the web site.
Other:
The Bluetooth BLT 370 option is a waste of money. Way too often when you start the car it will lock up the radio with a "phone in use" displayed( even when there is no cell phone within a mile of the vehicle)...you then have to shut off the ignition and open the door to get it to power down then restart the car. It sync's up with the phone great but everyone says I sound like I'm calling from the Mariana trench.
The clock setting can only be set manually. When you select your correct time zone and DST to sync the time using the GPS it's off by two hours.
Last but not least Clarion's support both on the web site and by phone is a waste of time.
On a positive note the quality of the audio is very good as is the DVD display.
Buy Clarion NX409 6.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator Now
Well, here I go. After 4 months owning the unit ( prof installed ) the screen went blank. Nothing worked. Sent back to Clarion ( my expense having unit removed and shipped to the other coast) and several weeks later received my "repaired" unit back. Clarion claimed corrupt files and a software issue. Ok, fine. Unit worked flawlessly for several more months ( Minus the worthless GPS; if im traveling from Maryland to California I dont want to stop in Orlando along the way. You other owners know what Im talking about) the unit started acting up with the following malfunctions :1-volume control goes nuts: the unit mutes itself ( in any mode) and changes volume on its own.
2-Dvd's take multiple loadings/ejections/load again before playing. Once your happily through half a movie it just freezes forcing you to eject and start over. When the unit is feeling generous it will eject the disc uncommanded.
3-The info icons across the top ( "mute, antenna strength, etc) have all gone blank
4-The unit emits strange clicking noises while power is on (any playmode)
5-GPS worthless. You will have better navigation by using a sexton and imaging stars in the sky and for you day-walkers, a Cracker-Jack prize compass/ring.
Upon contacting Clarion again, they kindly informed me I was 14 months into proud ownership and no more warranty for me. The owner of the audio shop who installs ( and uninstalls) says he stopped carrying the Clarion brand 18 months ago due to poor performance and reoccurring problems such as mine.
FOR SALE-Clarion NX409 14 months old, works on mondays, thursdays and saturdays, except leap-years, during daylight hours only. Willing even trade for girlfriends, pre-1995 VCR, Michael Bolton front row tickets or a 6-pack of Cherry 7-UP. You pay for shipping/airfare.
Read Best Reviews of Clarion NX409 6.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator Here
I got my from Crutchfield for ~$350 and am just copying and pasting the review... Some of this may not apply to Amazon.Just set mine up yesterday after getting some connection accessories from Home Depot. Actually just installed the whole thing in the parking lot of Home Depot. I have a 2005 Nissan Altima and I was able to do the whole job with:
1) Philips screwdriver
2) Electrical tape
3) Exacto knife (because I didn't have wirestrippers. I'd recommend wire strippers because the wires in the NX409 harness are not pre-stripped. If you're desperate, you can use your teeth, I've done that before in the past too. )
4) Wire nuts (not necessary, I just wanted a cleaner install. Electrical tape should work just fine)
The adapter that came from Crutchfield was a little too simple. All it was is literally just a trim piece between the dashboard and the headunit, no brackets, no screws, nothing else. Just a plastic border. So I had to reuse the factory brackets to mount/secure the NX409. Placement was a little tricky too on the factory brackets to the NX409 because there are a variety of hole alignments. I had to try a couple of times to get NX409 centered with the dashboard hole for the double-DIN radioslot.
Items connect:
All speakers
Radio antenna
GPS antenna (the GPS antenna came with a really long wire which I assumed that I should run somewhere to with line of sight to the sky, but since I was in the Home Depot parking lot, I just rolled the wire back up and threw the antenna in the back of dashboard. After turning the GPS on, there seemed to be good signal with me getting a lot of bars and the bars being green, instead of red)
USB cable included in box
Dimmer wire
After installation:
Everything seemed to work fine. The tuner worked and gets clear reception and presets work well. The CD feature works, but it takes a really LONG time to load. I'm talking probably about a full 40-60 seconds to load the CD. On the bright side though, the NX409 does read the song track names and artist names off the CD and display it. The GPS features did take a while to figure out, but you'll get used to it. (But the first address I inputted and actually tried driving to, it got me to a destination that was 2 miles from where I wanted to go....so GPS update is topic that I'm really concerned about. The other 4-5 address that I put in, got me to the correct destinations.) I can't get the damn clock to store right time!! This is driving me nuts. I haven't studied the manual at all regarding this issue, but how hard can it be? Oh and the time on the GPS is different than the time on the tuner...neither of which is the right time I haven't tried the DVD player mainly because I left the green wire from the NX409 (supposed to be connected to the parking brake) unconnected.
It was fairly easy to install but I didn't complete the job 100%:
-Still need to run a USB extension cable
-Still need to go back in to figure out a way to use the DVD player (more research needed)
Want Clarion NX409 6.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator Discount?
Owned over 2 years now, happy but no more.GPS out of date, very slow respond, old style graphic, lost signal time to time, accuacy is incorrect.
RADIO good signal, just like all the other ones.
CD/MP3 Random sorted (annoying), easier if alphabetically sorted songs and albums, but not in this one.
iPod Just like you pay on iPod, the best thing in this unit.
DO NOT Update with NX509 firmware, it will destroy this whole thing and your Warranty wont cover it.I spent 1,000 dollars with all the options. Biggist problem a no brand $100 gps works this gps dose not find anything or take you any where. I now have a Garmin GPS over it so my wife can get to where she needs to go. Everyone says Clarion service is bad. I say what service?
Howard Miller 625-236 Techtime II Wall Clock # 625236 NoPart: 625236
- Includes clock.
Sentry MBBRC AM/FM Mini Boom Box Radio
- Lightweight AM/FM radio with twin speakers and built-in clock
- Carrying handle folds down
- Rotary volume and tuning controls
- Telescopic antenna
- Uses four AA batteries (not included)
Buy Sentry MBBRC AM/FM Mini Boom Box Radio Now
I was surprised when this arrived and it was so tiny. My brother had provided a link to this as something he might like for Christmas but even he was surprised...I did not read the description when ordering from the link. It looked like it would play CDs but it does not and didn't claim to! It does have an auxiliary input jack which is nice you can hook up your MP3 player if your radio station isn't coming in.
My brother says it works well. Just make sure you want an itty-bitty little boombox!
Read Best Reviews of Sentry MBBRC AM/FM Mini Boom Box Radio Here
Ive had another mini radio and it got all the stations on the radio. This mini radio did not.Want Sentry MBBRC AM/FM Mini Boom Box Radio Discount?
it looks like there's a CD player and it come up under the portable CD player search, but there is none!!! read this carefully before buyingIt's small and handy to carry with me. Sound is good. Convenient.Sound not as good on FM as is on AM. Otherwise I like it.
SANGEAN WR3 DIGITAL TABLE-TOP AM/FM/CD RADIO WITH MP3 PLAYBACK (WR3) -
Sound X Alarm Clock Radio - Pink
exactly like the picture`s show,
Snooze button lights is very good, easy to setup!!
Highly Recommended!!
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I was very disappointed with this alarm clock. I bought it for my daughter for Christmas. In looking at it on the web page it looked larger, but there were no dimensions on the site to confirm this. When it arrived, I then knew it was just a small cube. That would have been ok still, but the tuner and volume adjustment wheels were so touchy which made it very difficult to get a station at the right volume level.The radio will only tune in clearly if you turn the volume up to a somewhat loud position. We bought this item to help introduce time to our 3yr old and to use the radio as an alarm to wake her in the mornings. If you don't cank up the volume, you will only hear static. Annoying!!This alarm clock radio gets horrible reception. Even with the antenna out it can't get clear reception, everything has some static and cannot have a low volume at all. Not worth the money.
