Emerson iTone iP500 Portable Audio System for iPods (Silver)

• Portable, boombox-like portable sound system designed for "dockable" iPods
• Built-in, front-mounted iPod docking station; digital AM/FM tuner
• Heavy-duty, wide-ranging 3-inch speakers; credit-card-style remote control
• Auxiliary input connects to older iPods, MP3 players, and more
• Measures 12.6 x 6.4 x 3.0 inches (W x H x D); 90-day warranty

I went for this speaker system after looking at lots of others. Overall I am very happy with this item. Sounds good, easy to use, lightweight. My only complaint is that the clip for the nano will not fit. The nano will fit in the clip, but the nano will not attach to the plug with the clip on it. The nano is secure for the most part, but if you plan on doing a lot of traveling with the speakers you should procede with caution. If you are looking for good sound and a good price, then this is it.

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This is a very portable Ipod player (which is just what I needed for my hubby). It has an alarm and plays the radio or ipod. It has great sound, not tinny at all. It's great because it can run off of batteries or the wall charger (which also charges your ipod). The only thing I wish it has was a treble and bass equalizer options, but this is really a great product.

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I bought this item to replace my GE Space Maker CD am/fm radio. It's very light weight and sounds great for a small boom box. I have a newer itouch 3G and it does not charge it. I was not listed as compatable but I liked it so much, I did not send it back. The am stations sound pretty good too.

I have not mounted it under my cuboards yet since I'm always bringing it outside and in different places in the house. The only con is that it does not charge my ipod, but I can live with that it only takes 30 min or so to charge it and I only seem to charge it a couple of times a week. Nice little remote control too!

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This is a great way to utilize your iPod. It easy to set up, portable, and the sound is excellent for the price you pay. I highly recommend this for anyone with an iPod.

Total thumbs-down on this product. Sound quality was terrible, which surprised me, because other reviewers had had nice things to say about it. The straw that broke the camel's back was the adapter that was supposed to fit the iPod Nano. It simply did not work. The only way we could connect the Nano was without any adapter, and that didn't look or feel right, too fragile. I spent a little more on the Altec Lansing iM600, which sounds fantastic, although that product's clock/alarm clock, supposedly integrated to the iPod's, is bad engineering. for one, you set the alarm and you have to leave the unit on and there's a hum you have to listemn to all night. We're keeping the iM600 for the sound, but using a little clock radio for the alarm clock. Too bad we couldn't find a unit that did everything for the $100 we spent.

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HMDX Audio HX-B440 Cube Bluetooth Alarm Clock

• Connects wirelessly with smart phones, laptops and most notebooks,
• Full-Function dual alarm clock with snooze, nap, and gradual wake feature,
• Digital FM Radio, USB port for charging your devices, Clock syncs with time on apple device

I've owned this alarm clock for over a month. It's too late for a return now, but I've thought many times about just putting in the kitchen as a remote speaker instead of using it as an alarm clock.

First the good parts:

* Bluetooth: This is great. I can put my phone or tablet anywhere in the room and have the music come through the speaker on the alarm clock.

* USB charging port: I love that I can plug my phone in on my desk at night without any other device needing to be available. I can charge my phone every night and don't have to think about it.

* Display: I love the big numbers and the quiet light. You can adjust the display level from super bright to super dim. I believe there are 4 light levels that can be chosen, and you can choose to have the nightlight or not. If the nightlight is on it reflects the same level as the display. I chose to have it off.

* FM Reception: This gets much better reception than my previous clock.

Second the "meh" parts:

* The speakers are not bad for alarm clock speakers... but they are still obviously alarm clock speakers.

* The tuning and volume nobs could use an indentation to make them easier to turn. As they are you can't comfortably push to turn, but there's not quite enough to grasp to turn either. They aren't horrible, but they could be better.

* If you want to snooze, and you hit the snooze button then you are good to go. If you miss and hit some other button then the alarm turns OFF. I haven't missed yet, but I can see how this might be a problem on a very early, groggy morning.

Finally the bad parts:

* Auto time set just didn't work, and not just because of a time zone. It could be because I have it running through a surge protector or something, but the minutes portion wasn't even close, whereas if it was a time zone issue the minutes would have at least been correct.

* Gentle wake just doesn't work. It's supposed to slowly get louder over the course of 2 minutes so you are gently awakened. The first morning I expected to be soothed awake (is that possible?) with gentle music or talking from my selected FM station. It was about 4 seconds and this thing was blaring. I have tested it when awake to be sure I wasn't so soothed I slept through the quiet part. It is literally around 4 seconds before it's so loud you are ready to just kill it. I would even be ok with that if I could set the maximum volume level, but it disregards any volume level you have set and just starts yelling. I guess as an alarm clock it works because I find that I'm so worried about waking my wife that I regularly wake 10-15 minutes before the alarm goes off and lay in bed waiting for it to go off so I can get to it quickly.

* Customer support. I emailed them regarding the volume and the gentle wake feature. This was several weeks ago and I have not heard back from them. I don't suspect I ever will.

I've used this with Nexus 10, Nexus 7, and Nexus 4 devices without any issues.

0 stars because of the wake feature. The main function should be the alarm since it's an ALARM CLOCK, and I consider it broken. I give it one star for the bluetooth, and one star for the USB charging port.

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The HMDX Audio HX Cube is a bluetooth enabled alarm clock. Your bluetooth music device will sync with the system and you can play your music through it. Out of the box, it contains a completely self-contained system with a power cord and antennae cord.

As soon as I opened it up, I tested out the syncing capability. I used my iPhone 4S to sync to it. It was extremely simple and straight-forward and found my phone in under a minute. Once it was synced, I could hit "play" on my phone, and it streamed directly to the clock. It says it has a 30' range, but that is a clear range, meaning no thick walls between your device and the unit. At 20' (the most clear distance we had) and around a corner, it responded instantly.

Sound-wise, I thought it was pretty good for a "clock radio". It is certainly not as good as some of the higher end direct sync systems, but it isn't bad, by any stretch. I know another reviewer had trouble with the radio part, but for me, the radio feature worked fine. I do live just outside a big city and get a lot of power from my local radio stations, so I don't know if that is a factor.

Other features: It has a USB port on the back, making it able to charge multiple types of devices. As we are pretty much i____ people, we use it to charge our iPhones and iPods. I like having the USB plug in the back, as that way I can charge whatever I want, as long as it connects with a USB cord (it doesn't have to be a bluetooth device). The USB port does not sync the phone, so it is only a charger. There is also an audio port on the back where you can hook up any non-bluetooth devices. The sound quality through that port is not as good as the bluetooth connection (weird), but it may be the quality of the cable (included). I haven't tried other cables, so I can't comment.

Clock: As a clock, it is like most other clocks in its features (alarm, snooze). I do like that the alarm settings can be set different for the weekday, weekends or all week, for those of us who have different weekend and weekday schedules. It will sync to the correct time when you use Bluetooth, which I like. It is bright (bright!), but I don't have it near my bed, so it doesn't bother me. It also comes with this cool "undercarriage" light that will light up the bottom of the clock. Not sure what it is for, but it looks really neat in the dark.

Overall, I was satisfied with the product. I wasn't expecting great sound quality, but for a clock radio, it was better than average. The only drawback is the price, as it seems a bit pricy for what it is. I own a Sony clock and iProduct docking station that cost more, but it had huge speakers and wasn't as good in terms of its clock features. The sound from the Sony is much better, but then there is no bluetooth capabilities. So, overall, it is a trade-off, but I still am enjoying this bluetooth alarm clock.

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You can buy this radio for $39.00 at bed bath and beyond. Just purchased mine and it works fine. Good buy

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I honestly couldn't find a single good thing to say about this clock. Ok, it has a nightlight on the bottom.

The biggest problem we ran into was the fact that the controls frequently and completely locked up on multiple occasions. Unplugging it didn't reset it, but unscrewing the cover and removing the button sized backup battery did. For a few days, then it would lock up again.

The last straw was when the clock went off this morning in my kid's room -woke up my daughter and my grandson in the adjacent room. At 5:45AM. The clock froze and wouldn't go into snooze or off.

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Product is good as far as its specification goes.

It has a straight, clear, design.

And that is the end of the "good" part of it.

Display stopped working after 2 weeks of use. It just went dead, which makes the alarm clock totally useless.

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Etón Raptor NSP200WXB Solar USB Charger and Weatherband Radio (Black)

• Monocrystal Solar Panel with Solar Charge Indicator , Solar Powered USB Cell Phone Charger (5V, 500mA)
• Compass Chronograph AM, FM, WB Digital Radio Tuner NOAA Weather Alert 10 AM /10 FM Station Presets Digital Clock with AlarmIPX-4 Splash Proof
• Audio Line Input DC input with mini-USB plug (5V, 500mA) 1800mAh,
• Digital Display Altimeter (altitude information)
• Rechargeable Lithium Ion Battery Battery Charge Indicator Bottle Opener Thin Form Factor

When I first got this unit, I thought it didn't work at all. I couldn't get the radio to turn on, or get most of the unit to function properly. It wasn't the Raptor, it was the horrible instructions! I sat on the back porch playing with it and figured out how it was supposed to work. Seems the functions were activated, but they have to be turned off BEFORE you can turn on the radio (*AM/FM/Weather) The unit should have been set to off. Then you can turn on the functions, or the Radio, but not at the same time. Once I turned off the functions, I turned on the radio without a problem. In the off position, it shows some info on the main screen, like the time, etc. The solar charger doesn't work on my Palm phone, but the solar charger does work well on keeping the unit fully charged. My unit seems well built and took it on my first camping trip and it worked well. It saved a lot of space and I am quite happy with it. Eton really does need to make a decent instruction manual and they might start by putting one on-line.

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I bought this even though I couldn't find any reviews because I figured it was worth a shot due to all the features it had. I really wanted to like it but I was completely disappointed. Right away I noticed the antenna was loose. I figured ok, not that big a deal and went into the quick setup book. Everything seemed easy enough to set. It was only until I got to the full instruction book that I started to get frustrated. Contrary to how this thing looks, it is not rugged at all. Right away they tell you that it's not splash proof or can even be used in high humidity. Also if you think you're getting a practical solar charger, radio, compass, etc you're wrong. They tell you takes 18 hours to get a full charge on the battery! And if you think you're getting a decent radio you'd be wrong as well. There were no instructions on how to start the radio! Not in the quick setup book or in the main instruction manual. The simply tell you turn on the radio! I played with it for an hour and could not get the radio to work! The instructions on how to power on and off the device were the same as the radio. The simply tell you to press the power button to turn the device on and off. I tried holding the power button down for 3 seconds, then 10 seconds and nothing! Great work Eton! You should stick to making Red Cross emergency radios. If you want a solar charger get a solio classic. If you want a radio get any old one with a hand crank. If you want an altimeter, barometer, thermometer, compass go to campmor.com or REI and you'll be able to find a clip on style device that does all that. I'm never buying another eton product unless I get the chance to check it out in person.

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This product arrived in fine condition. It has a rugged anodized rubber outside and it is splash-proof NOT water-proof (they do not claim it to be water-proof).

Pros:

-Great radio with great sound

-Compass works accurately once set

-Barometer is actually accurate, along with temperature.

-You can save radio frequencies that stay even if battery dies

-Solar panel is extremely sensitive and is great at charging, though will take about 18 hours to charge from empty (though it can be charged via USB)

-Aluminum clip is sturdy

-Illuminated background and clear screen make reading the screen easy on the eyes

-Flashlight is VERY strong, despite my initial worries (a metal strip built in ensures this)

-Can charge phones and iPods, and can be used as an external speaker for your iPod or other MP3 player

-Aesthetically pleasing (to me anyhow); it looks rugged and cool (not to mention I've dropped it several times with no resulting problems)

Cons:

-Antenna is a little flimsy-feeling, though has held its own through rigorous use

-Solar panel takes about 18 hours to charge (but come on, you can charge via USB, so even WHEN you go with it, you can use it until the next day, and just leave it in the sun to get back to full)

-Speaker may sound a bit tinny at times

-Only splash-proof, not water-proof (though I've taken it into heavy rain and never experienced any problems)

-Battery dies quickly if charging a cell phone or iPod (though most products that do multiple things do die quickly)

-Poor instructions (though not incompetent; I was able to figure everything out with them)

-User interface could have been made more laymen (though I am not a simpleton and am able to figure out everything)

Despite these cons, I must still give it a 5 star, for I paid for it knowing what I would get, and it works just as instructed (not to mention Eton's fantastic customer service). I love this thing and take it with me wherever I go.

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I ordered this after seeing a review in Wired. It would not charge. Tried USB charging to computer, AC outlet and solar. Would not take a charge so returned it for another one. Same problem. Might be a good product but getting two bad ones in a row was enough for me.

I previously owned the Eton Scorpion and I've been watching the prices for this Raptor model. When it got down to $58 shipped for the green accented model I made the purchase. After reading the reviews here I was expecting a few issues, but after receiving the Raptor and putting it to the test I found it to be better than I expected. Without reading the instructions it's not easy to figure out. You couldn't just hand it to someone and expect them to use it. Reading the directions is a must! One problem with the directions is they don't mention the importance of the FN (function) button until page 7. It needs to be the first feature understood in my opinion. The FN button is used to switch from the standby mode (where the radio can be turned on and off), to the other eight features (time settings, temperature, altimeter, etc.).

Radio receives well in all bands. The power button is sufficiently recessed to prevent accidental activation.

The edges of the casing are rubber armored. When resting it on a flat surface in most positions only the rubber will touch.

The display is backlit and automatically turns on with any key press of the front buttons. Backlight remains on for 10 seconds after the last key press.

The bottle opener works and in my test didn't scratch. I was a little hesitant to try it as who wants to put a scratch on a new radio.

The flashlight consists of three 5mm LEDs with a reflector and optics to produce a focused moon beam. Not bright, but meant to be power efficient which is what you want in a device like this. The button is a simple on/off forward clicky, meaning you can use it as a momentary light without clicking it on first.

The Li-Ion battery is definitely a step up from the previous Scorpion radio's NiMH battery. Li-Ion has a low self discharge rate and holds a storage charge far longer than NiMH. The lack of a crank to recharge the internal battery isn't an issue to me. I've had crank devices before and find they are way too much effort for what they can do. The Scorpion's crank took over five minutes of cranking just to raise my iPhone's battery level up 1%, and the Scorpion's solar panel couldn't charge an external device. The Raptor has no problem charging my iPhone from it's internal battery, and this can be done overnight. Basically you can charge the Raptor in the day's sun, and slowly transfer that power to your phone while you sleep at night. That feature alone makes this a valuable tool when there is no other way to charge your phone.

As far as other issues mentioned in other reviews I tend to see it differently.

The antenna really isn't flimsy. It's solid until you extend the last half inch revealing the pivot point. This type of antenna will normally have just a little play in it when fully extended.

The speaker doesn't sound tinny to me, but keep in mind it's what you'd expect for the size.

The concern that the solar recharge time being 18 hours (more than the sun is up in a day) isn't such a problem when you think about it. It's not likely you'll run this radio down to empty in a day. The radio itself is supposed to last 30 hours continuously on low volume. Most likely all you'll need is a few hours of sun each day to top off the battery from the previous day (and also maybe night) use. I could see if you charged your phone overnight the Raptor will probably need at least a full day of sunlight to get back to 100%.

All things considered I really like the Raptor. I think Eton put a lot of thought into it and packed it with so may features it became a little too complex for the casual user. For me the Raptor will be a backup radio receiver, a backup phone charger, a backup flashlight, a backup compass, an external speaker for my iPhone, a replacement for my travel clock (it has two alarms are they are sufficiently loud), and I suppose a backup bottle opener. Oh, it's also nice to be able to check the temperature at your campsite. You might think of the Raptor as the Swiss army knife of outdoor electronic gadgets.

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Sony LBT-ZX66i iPod-Ready Mini Shelf System

• Made for iPod: charge, play and control
• 5-disc CD changer with play exchange CD-R/CD-RW and MP3 playback
• 3-way, bass reflex speaker system
• Game sync via front AV input
• AM/FM tuner with 30 station presets
• 3-way, bass reflex speaker system: 6.7" (17cm) dual hybrid woofers and 1" (2.5cm) horn tweeters
• Game sync: front A/V input
• Made for iPod - charge, play and control

I've been listening to my new Sony LBT-ZX66i for the past 3 hours. It does everything it claims to do and does it well. Unlike last year's equivalent model which had a (now obsolete) cassette deck, this year's model gives you a much more useful iPOD dock.(for most full-sized iPODs, such as my iPOD Classic, you can insert your iPOD directly into the LBT-ZX66i's dock. Some older or smaller iPOD's may require an adaptor)

The Sony features a 5-disc carousel-type CD changer, an iPOD dock & AM/FM radio, plus the ability to do Karaoke(there's two microphone inputs via quarter inch plug) and a headphone output which uses full sized quarter inch headphone plug.

This system is powerful and clean, and the "X-Groove" button will provide the outrageous thumping that your disco,rap, hip-hop & Dance music enthusiast craves. But here an important difference: unlike many similar systems from other manufacturers, when the thumping mode("X-Groove") is switched off, the LBT-ZX-66i can provide clear,natural sound, with crisp midrange and highs for those of us who prefer rock, pop,jazz and other types of music. Believe me: even without the added thumping, the LBT-ZX-66i is no slouch in the bass department. The 3-way speakers(with horn-loaded tweeters) are better than you would normally get in a system of this type.

There are number of effects modes optimized for various types of music(Rock,Pop, Salsa,Reggae,Dance,Jazz,Samba,Tango). "Rock" seems to yield the clearest and most natural sound. There's also a simulated surround mode(which I have yet to try), and a 3-band digital equalizer(you can create your own custom E.Q. settings in the unit's memory). I'll eventually experiment with these features. And if you have a turntable, there's a phono input. Programming the FM/AM tuner was easy and the reception and sound quality was fine.

My only complaint is this: the remote control is a bit too basic. There are too many features of the LBT-ZX66i which can't be controlled from the remote control. These features(including the effects modes) can only be selected from the main unit's front panel.

I normally wouldn't comment on the merchant here in a product review,but I'll say this:I've had a great experience buying from "J&R Music World" for the past 29 years, whether directly, or more recently through Amazon. After buying a Plasma T.V. from J&R(via Amazon) and seeing J&R drop the price $200 lower ten days later, I contacted J&R, who gave me a $200 store credit, which I used towards this Sony compact stereo system.

One other thing:this system is fairly large. It is not exactly a shelf system, but if you've got room for it, then go for it. You won't be disappointed. Not that many companies are making this sort of system anymore(JVC doesn't make systems of this size & power any more), but Sony can make this sort of system better. The manufacturing quality is excellent, and it's got enough features that can either be used or not used, so it can be tailored to produce good sound no matter what your musical tastes are.

AS AN UPDATE TO THE ABOVE:The effects modes CAN be selected on the remote control, via a button called "EQ".

Important additional note: if you are planning on playing CD-R's on this unit, I would advise you to try a few of your CD-R's on this unit before buying. While the LBT-ZX66i had no problem playing CD-R's that I recorded on my rack mount pro audio CD recorder or CD's that I recorded on my iMAC computer, I have hundreds of CD's that were recorded by my friend on several PC's that he's owned over the past 5 years. None of these discs can be played on the LBT-ZX66i(which cannot read the table of contents on these discs). The LBT-ZX66i is one of 14 pieces of equipment(and one of four Sony products) in my home which can play CD's, and the only one that can't play these PC-burned CD-R's. All of these CD-R's feature standard CD Audio.

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I just got this system yesterday, but not on Amazon, and I definitely regret it. (I originally ordered directly from the website...and it was a HUGE mistake. An absolute nightmare, more like it...I strongly suggest to anyone considering it NOT to buy from SonyStyle. It is extremely disorganized and second-or-third-rate or worse service) To make a long story short, the order ended up being cancelled, so I bought it directly from Best Buy (no complaints there however).

Now to the system it is amazing. The sales rep at Best Buy tried to talk me into building my own system with speakers, a receiver, etc., but I was really just looking for the simplicity and convenience of an all-in-one system. And I got it. It sounds just amazing; the x-groove shakes the walls with bass, but turn it off and the clarity really comes through with still more-than-adequate bass. Lots of settings and effects to choose from, still haven't used the iPod dock but looking forward to it once I get my new iPod Touch.

The system is pretty beefy and large, more so than any system I have ever owned, but really beautiful and aesthetically pleasing. The other lesser models of shelf systems in the store (Sony and other brands) just didn't even come close to this one. They had a couple in the MHC-xxxx line and they sounded horribly muffled and inferior in my opinion.

I will be using this almost solely for music, and it seems to be everything I could want and much more. The price tag is pretty steep, and could probably come down a little bit, but I am satisfied that I got a really nice quality system for my money that will (hopefully) last a long time.

If I have any problems, I will update here, but so far I am throroughly impressed with this system.

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I have purchased several "mini" type systems over the last few yeaars, looking for that perfect combination of iPod play / control and sound quality. Most fell flat in the sound quality department, especially bass response. This sytem is far from being "mini" in any respect.

However, this system sounds brilliant. I don't have to blast it to get good sounding / feeling bass. The bass boosting function (X-Groove) really puts out rich, thumping bass. Regardless of what my friends say, I still love my Disco tunes from the 70s they sound great on this system.

I was quite surprised when the item arrived the box is HUGE. The system is pretty big as well. I was worried, however, when the box arrived as it seemed very badly damaged / ripped and re-taped. I was afraid to open the box, but did, and the unit was fine, and plays perfectly.

It took a bit of learning to use all the controls and settings, and I had to refer to the booklet several times, but have gotten used to the layout and remote. It's pretty easy to use / control the display is easy to read, especially with my aging eyes. I have finally found the perfect system for my bedroom. It just fits on the chest that I have kept all of my previous units on.

The radio reception is great, as is the karaoke function. But -it would have been nice to have the center channel, which is where most recordings place the main vocals, lowered when the MIC(s) are connected. I don't think I'll have use for the Game mixing feature, but it's nice to have inthe event I would ever need it. I have not used teh CD functions yet, as all of my music is on my (several) iPods. I have an iPod classic parked permanently in the unit.

This is the most exepnsive system I have purchased of this type, but is well worth the price.

Things I love about this sytem:

Great sound and bass response

Easy to read display

Full iPod control

Will charge the iPod when the unit is off the other systems I had will not charge the iPod when the unit is off

Easy to operate

Adjustable EQ, although only Bass, Mid and High

Phono input

Easy set up. Once I got it out of the humongous box, it took all of 5 minutes to set up and get running.

Things I don't like:

There's only one, and I consider it a BIGGIE -for the price paid, they could have supplied some dock connectors! Even my cheap 119.00 system came with 9 iPod dock connectors. Why are they not included? It may seem nit-picky, but at close to 500.00 for the system, Sony could have thrown in an assortment of dock connectors. It is advertised as iPod ready, so should have included the connectors.

In conclusion, I am extremely pleased with this purchase this one's a keeper.

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We nicknamed it the Beast, and I will admit the name fits. This stereo is labeled "Mini Hi-Fi" in the manual, but I'm no audiophile so I'll take their word for it. First off, like other reviewers have said, it is large and very heavy. It might fit on a larger bookshelf than the ones I have, but their filled with books anyway so I don't care. As I stated I'm no audiophile but I do know a thing or two about sound quality and this system really delivers, so much that everyone who hears it is blown away by the fact it was around $320 new, it sounds better than my brothers stereo that cost twice as much. It has a TON of features that I'll never use, except the Ipod dock which works great with my Ipod Touch 4G that is controlled easily with the included remote, and I find it much more convenient than compact discs.

Now all I really care about is sound quality and in my opinion this stereo is great. Subtle nuances in the music come through that are left behind on other stereos I have owned, and I listen to a variety of music. My Ipod has the Beatles, Led Zep, Boondox, Blue Cheer, Wagner and a witches brew of metal, space rock, punk and country, but it all sounds great on the Beast, in fact I have Electric Wizard's Dopethrone on right now. It is a truly earth-cracking album, but if the X-Groove feature was on the windows would be shaking and the neighbors would be calling the cops. Listen to Boondox's Inbred Evil with the X-Groove on and you can FEEL the menace of the Skarecrow stalking his victims, it made my neck hair stand up!

Psychopathic Records aside, I never listen to rap and most rock sounds better with the bass effect off, especially music along the lines of Rubber Soul or Bo Diddly. Anyway, if your looking for a killer system without spending a grand or more I would say get this one, I have absolutely no complaints. I will in all likelihood use it until it is so old I have to replace it.

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I cranked up the the shelf system and was immediately impressed with the sound quality. That is, after I fiddled with the buttons and controls for a while, somewhat frustrated, until I determined it was time to read the instructions. They were concise and easy to follow in a step-by-step fashion, in English only (Spanish in a separate booklet, thank you) then enjoying the system became much easier. I was disappointed only sightly: my music preference is Classical, and the buttons to select the tone preference offers every thing but. Then my wife came in the room, took a look and asked "where do you put the quarters in?" It does look much like a slot, or perhaps an oversized booth juke box. A little more pleasing aesthetics would not draw so much attention away from the music in my home. Then there was my big error. The "mini shelf system" description led me to assume the control box would fit in my entertainment shelf system. After all, the shelves are adjustable. Well, height was no problem, nor was width. But the depth was a no-fit. Check the measurements before you order, dummy. Price was right at J&R through Amazon, and delivery on time by UPS. Now can enjoy hours of Classical music such as Beethoven's beautiful 8th Symphony (in the Reggae, or should it be the Salsa mode?) in superb, crisp, clear sound. Other features such as the iPod dock and FM/AM are useful and outstanding, too. I'm assuming I can hook up my old turntable or tape player when I get around to it, and can find the space. If I could only find a place to put it other than my cluttered desk. Buy it. Worth the money.

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SpongeBob Clock Radio

The SpongeBob Alarm Clock was picked out by my 4.5 year old son. He viewed many on Amazon, and settled on this one. I was a little hesitant due to it's price tag, but he loved it so much, I decided to purchase it.

The clock is cute and squishy. It's adorable how SpongeBob pops up at the sound of the alarm. I like the blue backlit face. (You can adjust this setting...off, low, or high). I also like how the snooze goes off every 5 minutes, as opposed to a longer time between snoozes.

Some downfalls...

1. I cannot get the radio to operate. It does not function at all. I know that I could return the product due to this malfunction, but it isn't terribly important to me.

2. If you are purchasing this as a 'first' alarm clock for a preschooler, beware. He/She may be scared of it, even though it is a beloved character. When the SpongeBob pops up, it actually made me jump a bit. My son is a little weary of it being in his room.

3. The instructions are so poorly written. The English grammar is quite hysterical. For example, here is a sentence written verbatim: "If set radio as alarm sound, alarm on keep last 15 minute."

I would have given the alarm clock more stars if the price was about $20 less than it currently is. Overall summary: not worth $50+.

The color is very dull and not as picture. You get a couple of choices for the alarm sound, the radio doesn't work well for me, and I wish the alarm was louder. Oh and the plug is very heavy...that thing could be a weapon!!!!

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I got this for my grandson for his birthday and he truly loves it. The "eyes" come up for him to push down when the alarm goes off, therefore he wants the alarm set every night. He likes getting up for preschool by himself.

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iLive IT202B 2.1 Channel Stereo Sound Bar with FM Radio(Black)

• 31 - Inch horizontal sound bar, Connect to a TV or your favorite audio/video devices, Includes RCA stereo audio cable, wall-mount hardware and instructions, Remote control: requires a CR2025 battery (pre-installed), Power adapter included

I started out with 5-speaker and sub-woofer system--after I installed in a basement den--wires through ceiling, wires climbing up walls, etc., I didn't like its performance--just too much oomph for the space--returned item and went for this sound bar. Had confidence in product already because have had another sound bar (same brand) for several years on main TV--both work great.

Easy hook-up, good performance, and a great alternative to stringing speaker wires all over or spending mucho money for wireless systems. If you just want reasonable sound for movies (forget the speakers on ALL HD TVs!) and CDs, this is the way to go for the money. If you're an audio/videophile with a theater room like Tony Soprano's, you won't be satisfied anyway until you spend upwards of 3 or 4 K.

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LISTEN THIS PRODUCT IS GETTING SOMEWHAT OF A BAD WRAP. I PURCHASED THIS SOUNDBAR TO GO WITH A NEW COBY HDTV. THE AUDIO OF THE COBY TV WAS TERRIBLE AND THIS SOUNDBAR WAS THE ANSWER. IF YOU ARE OF AVERAGE TO LITTLE KNOWLEDGE (AS I AM ) OF ELECTRONICS AND THIS IS YOUR FIRST PURCHASE OF A SOUNDBAR, YOU WILL BE SATISFIED. AT A SMALL COST THIS PRODUCT SAVED ME FROM HAVING TO RETURN THE COBY HDTV THAT I HAD PURCHASED, THE SOUND WAS SO MUCH BETTER THAN THE TINNY, TOTALY BASSLESS SOUND I WOULD OF BEEN LEFT WITH! ALSO THE BASS IS PLENTY POWERFULL FOR A ROOM THAT MAY NOT BE SO LARGE!

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I don't know where to begin since there are so many problems with this product. But let's start with the subwoofer. One of the reasons I bought this model is because I would not have to buy an external subwoofer since it has one built-in. The box states that the subwoofer has deep bass providing a full range of sound. This could not be further from the truth. You can not even tell that there is any bass in the sound and this product has preset EQ so you can't adjust the bass. Adjusting the bass on the TV also did not help. Then the cord provided with the soundbar will not work for most modern TVs. Newer TVs only have a headphone jack or an optical digital audio output to connect to, and the soundbar comes with a cord that has L and R RCA plugs on both ends. This is fine for connecting another external device that has L and R RCA audio outputs, but todays TVs don't come with them. So I tried connecting the soundbar to my TV using an optical digital audio cord and once again there was a problem. The cord fit easily into the output on my TV. But after I removed the dust cover for the input on the soundbar and tried to insert the optical digital audio cord into the soundbar's input it would not go in. The dust cover that goes over this input sticks into an object embedded inside the input that is not removeable. This object sticks out so far that it prevents the Cable from being inserted. I tried calling the company's customer support number and got a foreign speaking person sitting in a call room in some third world country. After explaining the problem with the optical digital audio input on the soundbar he spent several minutes shuffling through his manual of answers and then declared that I would have to use the soundbar as is. I said, "no thank you!" and told him I was returning the product and that they had lost a sale. Needless to say the item is going back to the store first thing this morning and I will never buy anything made by this company again.

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This is a good addition to our flat screen. The sound is pretty good and the size is perfect. The only negative is the wireless volume. The steps between each volume movement are too large as the sounds seems to jump.

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We have several ilive soundbars and this unit is just as great as the others. Easy to set up and use. The sound is full and the unit is efficient with regard to energy use.

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Onkyo TX-SR505 7.1 Channel Home Theater Receiver (Black)

• 75 Watts per Channel Minimum into 8 Ohms, 20 Hz-20 kHz, 0.08%, FTC (2 Channels Driven); 100 Watts per Channel Minimum into 6 Ohms, 1 kHz, 0.1%, FTC (2 Channels Driven)
• DTS-ES Discrete/Matrix, DTS Neo:6, DTS 96/24, Dolby Digital EX, Dolby Pro Logic Iix
• 2 HDMI Inputs and 1 Output (1080p Pass-Thru to HD Ready Displays)
• Color-Coded 7.1-Multichannel Inputs (Receive 7.1 Surround Sound from Compatible Blu-ray and HD-DVD Players)

-Start of 10/15/07 update --

I have now moved my home theater setup into the new 20x20 room. I installed the new 4 Polk Audio RM6751 surround speakers on the side and rear walls and reused the Energy speakers up front. I ran the receiver's Audyssey 2EQ automatic speaker setup which did a surprisingly good job at determining the size and distance of the speakers from them main TV viewing position. It was perfect, off by a foot for some speakers but very close. I proceeded to test the entire home theater using some action space sequences from Star Wars Episode 3 which has a Dolby Digital EX 6.1 audio track. All I can say is WOW. The new room and 7.1 speakers has really allowed this Onkyo receiver to shine. It sounded good in the old room but was somewhat limited by the poor room layout. In the new room it sounds nothing short of amazing. The surround effect sounds very well blended and non-localized as they should. This is an excellent sounding entry level 7.1 receiver.

The ONLY reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because of the quirky behavior of the HDMI video switching. Not because it doesn't switch audio over HDMI but because of the few problems it caused with my cable box and DVD player when they were connected through the HDMI of the receiver. I now connect them directly to the TV as I did with my old receiver and everything works great.

-End of 10/15/07 update --

I'll start by saying that overall I am very pleased with this receiver and I would recommend it to anyone looking for an full featured budget priced receiver. I am NOT an audiophile. I'm just a guy who enjoys watching movies in surround sound. As such I try to buy components that offer the features I need without all the extra stuff I don't need at a low price. This receiver fits that description perfectly.

This receiver is an upgrade from a 7 year old Pioneer VSX-D608 5.1 receiver. The main reason for the upgrade was that I plan to move my home theater system to a larger 20x20 room and felt that a 7.1 speaker arrangement would be really nice in that room. I'm currently using the new Onkyo in the old room with 5.1 speakers. The move into the new room is a few weeks way.

Since I'm still in the old temporary room I didn't use the Audyssey automatic setup system instead I manually configured all the speaker settings and distances. I found the controls and menus to be fairly easy to navigate and use.

When shopping for a receiver one of my top priorities is a clean low distortion amp which gives you very nice and detailed sound. Be careful when shopping. There are some receivers with 1% THD which IMO is too high. You can tell the difference in sound between 1% and the Onkyo's 0.08%. The SR505 is excellent in this regard.

The SR505 supports the standard formats like DD (Dolby Digital) 5.1 and DTS and also supports many new formats such as DD EX, Dolby Pro Logic IIx, DTS 96/24, DTS-ES, DTS-NEO6 and others. Even though many of these are 7.1 formats they work just fine in a 5.1 setup. The SR505 automatically handles the missing 2 speakers. These formats give a lot of versatility to the audio because they allow conversion of 2 channel audio up to 7.1 and 5.1 up to 7.1. It all works very well. It also remembers what listening mode you have selected for each kind of source audio signal. For example I have it set that when I'm watching TV through my cable box (digital connection to receiver) any channels in 2.0 stereo are converted to DTS Neo:6 and any HT channels in 5.1 stay in their native DD 5.1 format. As I switch channels the SR505 automatically uses the correct listening mode based on the source audio signal. The only negative is that the SR505 makes a 'click' sound whenever it changes listening modes. It's not really annoying but is loud enough to hear.

Regarding video connections the SR505 does allow video switching but does NOT do any conversion between different types of video inputs. For example if you have a DVD and cable box connected to the SR505 with Component inputs then the SR505 will switch the video on it's Component output to your TV. However if the DVD was using S-Video and the cable box Component then the SR505 will NOT convert the S-Video up to Component. It will only output the S-Video over it's S-Video output. The more expensive higher end Onkyo models will do that type of conversion. You just need to decide if that feature is worth the rather large increase in cost. For me it wasn't worth it.

If you read other user reviews on the net for the SR505 it seems the HDMI switching is an area of confusion. The bottom line is that the SR505 will switch ONLY video over HDMI and NOT both video and audio. All this means is that in addition to the HDMI connection you will also need a separate audio connection between the device and the receiver. So between your cable box and SR505 you would need an HDMI connection for video and a coax or optical digital for audio. Full HDMI audio/video switching is available on much more expensive higher end receivers. Again the buyer needs to decide if this feature is worth the extra money.

I have also found the HDMI to be a bit quirky so I decided not to use those connections myself. For example, when I add my cable box connected to the SR505 over HDMI the display on my cable box would flash 'd00' every few seconds whenever the SR505 was turned off. I found the flashing annoying so I connected my cable box directly to my TV. The only other HDMI device I own is an upconverting DVD player. The player doesn't show any usual behavior when connected through the SR505 but I noticed that whenever the receiver is turned off my Sony TV forgets which wide video mode it was in for the DVD player input and I have to change it back manually the next time I play a DVD. I don't know if it's a quirk with my TV or what but it doesn't happen when the DVD player is direct connected to the TV over HDMI so that how I have it connected now. The bottom line is that I tried to use the HDMI switching on the SR505 but because of the unexpected side effects I mentioned above I decided to not use it and went back to direct to TV HDMI connections.

The SR505 includes a nice manual a fairly good remote which will also operate your other devices.

Overall I'm pleased with my purchase. The SR505 is a great receiver for the price. I have no regrets. Recommended.

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I purchased this receiver because it offered all the features I required. My current setup is 5.1 but this system will allow me to easily transition to 7.1 It comes with three connections. My only gripe was that it required an additional conection for audio. The HDMI cable would only passthru the video signal, audio has to come through a separate connection. There goes the simple setup solution. Other than that, this is a wonderful unit that offers many highend features of more expensive units.

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I hooked this up to a new Infinity speaker system (pair of Primus PC362s, PC350 center and 4 CS60 in wall speakers) for a 7.1 setup for my new basement home theater. Sound is absolutely amazing. You hear effects in movies and music that were not there before. My other setup is an older Sony model receiver with older Infinity speakers and this does not even compare.

The need for separate audio setups for HDMI connections is not a huge deal to me, I have the cables already so why not use them. Even so, to spend $30 in cables to save $150 on the receiver (compared to the Onkyo 605) seems like a deal to me. I personally would not be using the analog to HDMI up-conversion so that is another reason to go with the lower cost of the 505.

The auto speaker setup was a snap. Gone are the hours or measuring and tweaking speaker setups!

This system has more than enough wattage to rattle the windows in my house.

IMHO, unless you desperately need the up-conversion of the 605, get this model and put the money you saved into better speakers. Speakers have a MUCH longer life than receivers anyway!

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Again Onkyo has produced a low to mid priced unit that produces great sound and has very good functionality . The 2 main limitations on this unit have been mentioned a number of times in other reviews :

1) Only 2 HDMI inputs (1 HDMI output ,you only want 1 output)

In North America most devices come with high quality HDMI outputs nowadays . So a receiver takes all the HDMI devices into it's HDMI inputs and then sends the HDMI signal over the 1 HDMI output connected to the TV (HDMI output only accepts signal from HDMI inputs , component inputs will have to go out over component output). So you have only 1 connection to the TV (simple!) and switch between input devices in the unit ..HDMI 1 you're watching the DVD , HDMI 2 you're watching the HDMI enabled cable box .

As this unit has 2 inputs you can only attach 2 devices via HDMI ( fine with me = DVD and satellite box) . Extra devices will need to be atttached via another high quality input ..like component , and go to the TV via another quality output like component . Not a big deal but more cabling and switching TV inputs on the TV .

2) HDMI passthrough only

HDMI signal comes into the receiver from your DVD player say ..but you can't split the audio signal out and play it at that point as this unit just passes the whole signal (audio and video) to the TV . So you have 2 choices to get the HDMI audio back to the unit for playback :

a) Let the TV split out the audio and send it back to the unit over digital (optical) cable . Set the unit to "listen" to digital audio in .

Then ALL HDMI audio sent to the TV will play back over digial audio in . Simple ..IF your TV has a digital audio out . You'll want a high quality/fast digital/optical cable .

b) Send all sound to the unit via another audio input e.g component inputs on the unit and set the unit to "listen" to component audio . Works if your devices have the outputs but it means more cabling / less simplicity .

Summary

For around 250 bucks this unit is a steal bearing in mind the caveats above . If it doesn't work for you for those reasons then the 605 removes those limitations for 200 bucks more (and it's a little taller) .

My first receiver with the auto speaker setup feature--very cool. Has plenty of power for my basic set of JBL bookshelf 5.1 speakers with Yamaha subwoofer. Note: this version does NOT up-convert signals from one input type to another. Thus different sources (component, HDMI, composite, etc) must be switched at the TV. The 575 and up seem to convert signals if you need to do that. Plenty of inputs, automatically set up for my 5.1 system although it can do 7.1. Can do stereo in another room but uses two of the 7.1 channels to do it. I am very satisfied with this unit, good value in my opinion.

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