iHome iH8 Clock Radio for iPod (Black)
by iHome
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List Price: Our Price: $40.00 You Save: $59.99 (60%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Network Media Player See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of iHome iH8 Clock Radio for iPod (Black)
Customer Review: Decent Sound and great for iPod sleep mode
Summary: 4 Stars
After checking out all the features of this system, I am pleased. Some nice features include; an automatic setting clock, an unadjustable sleep function that slowly reduces the volume (15,30,60,90 minutes), a number of different dimmer setting (4 levels and off). I really bought it for the sleep and wake functions and for the most part, they are good.
The sound quality is decent but don't expect too much. Its a simple ported speaker system. You won't get good bass due to the relatively weak enclosure but for an alarm clock, the sound is actually pretty good.
As far as the iPod control... The remote is nice but it is not that sensitive to your input. What that means is, you have to hit the button for about 1/2 second before it registers. The remote is a nice added bonus but I don't expect you would use it much for an alarm clock. I would not use this as a primary sound system (maybe ok for kids) so I don't expect to use the remote too often since its sitting on the night stand anyway.
One missing feature that would have made this a 5-star would be a weekday/weekend alarm system that is getting popular with new alarm clocks. but it does have 2 separate alarms so it has a decent level of alarm options.
The build quality is ok (for a 100$ device) as long as it does not break I will be happy with the look and feel of it. It does not look too cheap but it also does not look expensive.
The backlight options are very good. I believe there are 4 levels plus off so most people should be happy with that. The dimmest setting is pretty hard to see unless the room is very dark which makes sense.
All in all, its a decent product which is great for falling asleep to the iPod and a pretty good all around alarm clock. The price is a bit high for an alarm clock but not many alarm clock can charge you iPod. If you really want that ability, this one should fit the need pretty well.
I live in a location that has very bad reception so I have no way of knowing how good the FM reception is. Seemed about as good as my other cheap alam clock but not that much better.
+ iPod features, decent sound, good sleep and wake functions.
- a bit pricey for an amlarm clock and no weekend alarm.
Customer Review: Good purchase with a couple of shortcomings
Summary: 4 Stars
Generally, this is a great item. I bought this one after staying in a hotel that had one in the room. I was very impressed with the sound quality and the ability of that unit to charge and operate the iPod. I purchased this when I got home from that trip.
PROS: Charges iPod well; operates iPod perfectly; remote works well and has a great range; good looking design; easy to see and understand the display and buttons; easy to operate; sounds extremely good for such a small unit.
CONS: I have two major gripes about this unit:
First, the unit I used previously in the hotel I stayed at (same brand, but apparently a slightly different model) had a much better cradle for the iPod. The unit in the hotel had a screw-type locking mechanism to keep the iPod snug in the cradle, whereas the iPod just sits in this unit held only by the charging/data connection plug. It stands up fine in the cradle and works fine, but if you hit the unit, the iPod can fall out of its cradle. This has already happened once or twice to me.
Second, the reviewers are correct that the radio is pretty much useless. I can pull in some of the stronger AM stations with the AM antenna, but the FM antenna doesn't pull in anything clearly at all. My old alarm radio in the exact same location as this one pulled in stations perfectly that this one will not pull in at all. Of course, as one reviewer said, you aren't likely buying this for the radio. I always have the iPod playing in it now.
Overall, I still like it. I am glad I purchased it. I would give it 3 1/2 stars out of 5. As Amazon only grades in "full stars", I will round up to 4.
Customer Review: Very nice product
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought this radio after getting tired of CD alarm clocks that the CD player stops working after a year or two. I'm hoping this one will last a lot longer. My last radio had a more colorful display and a few nice features, but this one is pretty good overall.
I'm not sure a backlit display is right for a clock radio. My previous clock had an auto-dim feature so you can read it during the day without having a spotlight at night. I really wish this radio had that feature. If I set it to a dim setting that I can handle at night, I cannot see it during the day. If I set it bright enough to read during the day it is too bright at night.
The radio sounds real good, lots of volume and I really don't think the optional extension speaker would be necessary unless you put the clock on one side of the bed and want clear sound at low volume on the other side. We have a bookcase headboard and put the radio in the middle. My one complaint about the sound is that it is almost too loud for an alarm clock, I have the volume set to 2 or 3 so we don't get blasted out of bed. Perhaps a separate volume setting for the alarm would be helpful.
The two alarms are fixed as ipod and radio, you cannot decide to have alarm 1 be radio, it is always ipod. Sometimes I wish I could select which function to use for each alarm setting because I use alarm 1 during the week and alarm 2 on weekends.
Customer Review: iHome IH8BR Clock Radio for iPod
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought this ihome clock radio after researching the internet and reading reviews and wasn't disappointed. I haven't had any problems thus far. The sound quality is good for a bedroom clock radio. When waking up to the ipod it starts at the song that it left off from, the alarm has options to wake you and they work great. You can wake to ipod, radio, or buzzer. It charges my ipod without any problems. Set up was easy. The only negative I have seen is the clock radio face is sometimes hard to read (I am older) from across the room. Wish the numbers were bolder. You can adjust the light emitted from the screen, and you can set to play until you fall asleep and the volume lowers as the time you set it to play for gets nearer the end.
For the money and the little space it takes on my dresser, it is a great value. I am still getting used to the wheels for the volume. Once you get the hang of that it is no problem. The remote also works well. No, it isn't a bose, but it does play well and picks up radio stations well.
Customer Review: Awesome Buy!
Summary: 4 Stars
I really like the iH8 ihome!
PROS: it's small and compact and well fit good on a dresser or a desk. It has good sound for how small it is. The radio works really good. I live in the country and I could never get any radio stations I like, but the ihome lets me listen to all the stations I love. The buttons are easy to use and are straight forward. You can set the backlight of the screen to be how ever bright or dim you want it. I also like the fact that if I set my alarm to go off with my ipod classic and it's not in, a buzzer will go off instead. All the buttons light up too and they won't keep you up at night either. This unit is really easy to use!
CONS: The remote control sucks! You have to point it right in front of the unit and you can't be more then 8 feet away from it. The way the ipod is sent up to sit on the top can mean that if you hit it with something the port could get damage or the ipod could fall off and break.