iHome iH9 Alarm Clock Speaker System with Dock for iPod (Black)
by iHome
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List Price: Our Price: $65.00 You Save: $14.99 (19%) 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 iH9 Alarm Clock Speaker System with Dock for iPod (Black)
Customer Review: The Perfect Alarm Clock
Summary: 5 Stars
Finally, the alarm clock I've been waiting for! The first thing I want to do is talk about the sound: it's just fine. Now I don't buy alarm clocks because I'm an audiophile. I DO want decent sound, however... and this unit does more than I'd hoped for. The FM sound is more than acceptable, and with the iPod the sound is just amazing. I haven't tried the AM, because I don't listen to that band. Even so, it comes with a pretty nice external AM antennal that looks like it would do a good job. All that said, if you're in the same place I was... seriously trying to find a perfect alarm clock, and totally frustrated by the experience, then read on. The rest of this review is for you.
I got sick and tired of my clock radio with its lousy analog tuner that can't hold a radio station. If you've ever had a clock radio fail to wake you because its tuner went off the radio station, then you know exactly what I mean. -And every clock radio I've ever owned did that more than once.
My last alarm clock/radio, an Emerson, had a display that was so bright on its dimmest setting, that I had to cover it with a cloth. Otherwise, it kept me awake. It had come with Smartset, which automatically adjusted for Daylight Savings Time... a real advantage, until they changed the dates of the time change. The clock had no way to accommodate that change, so it became a real pain four times each year (yes, FOUR, because that's how often I had to manually change the setting to cope with the time change). However, I liked its ability to have separate weekday/weekend alarm settings, because I never had to worry about making sure I remembered to set the alarm on Sunday nights.
I went on the nearly impossible quest of looking for a perfect alarm clock. It had to have a display that could be seen easily, yet not shine a bright light in my face from its place on the nightstand (this seems to be the most common complaint I've seen in clock radio reviews). After that, I just wanted an alarm that would NEVER fail to wake me ON WEEKDAYS with some music, instead of an obnoxious beeping/screeching noise. That alarm had to be 100% reliable, and not prone to the failure of either the tuner, the operator, or even our sometimes unreliable power grid.
This must be a lot to ask of an alarm clock, so if this is what you're looking for, good luck! I spent countless hours researching stores and the Internet, and was frustrated over and over again by running across several units that failed to deliver in at least one crucial area or another. I'm SO glad that one reviewer on Amazon.com pointed me toward the iHome in their review of another brand they found disappointing.
I bought the iHome iH9 and found something that surpassed my requirements and expectations. First off, it's so user-friendly, you'd think it was invented by Apple. Along with the features I wanted (especially the digital tuner), I found some other real plusses: great sound, very good FM reception, and dual alarms that fade IN gently. You can find that in lots of units, but only with respect to the beep/buzz alarm. The iHome is one of the few that gently increases the sound of the radio or iPod music. You can also customize each of the dual alarms with regard to operating 7, 5 or 2 days a week (every day, weekdays, or weekends). -Perfect. It's equally easy to customize each of the two alarms' preferences for using the radio, the iPod, or even the beep sound (which isn't all that bad, either). Oh, and the digits of the display are large enough to be seen easily, yet you have 8 brightness settings (all the way down to "OFF") that will easily let you find the perfect one for you.
I wasn't necessarily looking for iPod integration in my alarm clock, but it turned out to be a real plus. I am now awakened by random songs from a huge playlist of music I really LIKE! The remote control is also handy and easy to use in all modes.
The price of this unit at Best Buy was $99.00, and was worth every cent. iHome IH9 Speaker System and Alarm Clock for iPod (Black)
Customer Review: Well Near Perfect iPod Dock
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm impressed with this clock radio / iPod dock. This device shares a room with a Bose Wave Radio. $90 David versus the $300 Goliath. David wins on the critical counts, sound, radio reception, and cost. The iHome iH9SR is way better than I ever expected.
This is a complete rebuild (I think they threw out the horrible plans from the iH8) of the previous model. The controls are smoother, the display better, the sound infintely better (stereo to start with), and the heft is wonderful. I just spent 2 weeks with an iH8 in a hotel, it was good. The iH9 blows that older model away.
Honestly, I've read the other reviews of this unit, and I frankly don't understand them at all. The sound is clear. The clock is perfectly visible, the dimmer works exactly as reported in the owners manual. The AM and FM reception is way better than anything I own (including that Bose Wave connected to a roof antenna). The sound is clear and very tunable to your taste. iPod integration is wonderful. I love the two alarms with play list, radio, buzzer, or iPod; and 2, 5, or 7 day settings. The unit includes every battery you will ever need (two double A's in the base, and the remote battery). Even the remote - you almost have to close your eyes and not think to use it correctly. The remote is actually a nice size, not credit card thin, but not TV big - just thick enough, just large enough to be usable.
My only complaint? The wall wart is big and it is heavy. But if they made it smaller, the amp would be less powerful and the sound would suffer. So it's essential.
Oh packaging - this is hilarious. I think the company must own stock in 3M scotch tape. I've never seen so much tape in one box in my life. And the little iPod inserts (you know those nasty little plastic inserts for different iPods), come in two separate bags, and then each is individually wrapped in a bag. Kind of a waste.
The box says it big and bold - this unit will not charge or control a Series 3 iPod. Dec. 15 update: It will not control or charge the Third Generation iPod Nano, and it does not include an adapter for the iPod Touch (just got this from the www.ihomeaudio.com website). And after 6 months with this dock, we still love it. Would gladly buy it again.
Bottom line - I love this baby, great price, great sound, great iPod dock.
Customer Review: LOVE it!
Summary: 5 Stars
I have to admit that I was hesitant in buying an iHome because I've read so many negative reviews. The main thing I wanted was the brightness control on the LCD screen. That was the biggest thing for me. When I saw the the iHome 9 had it (and I think the iHome 8 does as well..) I decided to go for it.
I will admit, however, that the lowest brightness setting basically completely shuts off the backlighting of the LCD screen, and while that is perfect for sleeping, you can't see the time very well on the clock during the night. In fact, you can't see it at all in the dark. For me, however, it's better like that than really bright. The next brightest setting is still too bright for me. What I've been doing is putting it on the lowest setting at night, and then making it brighter when I wake up so that I can see it during the day. It's not hard to adjust the brightness setting, all you have to do is literally hit the dimmer button a few times and that's it.
Other than that, I LOVE this product. I bought it because of the alarm clock. I wanted to be able to wake up to my iPod. It was very easy to set up and it's very easy to use. Everything works beautifully! I woke up this morning on time to my iPod! There are two alarms, and as it says above, you can wake to the buzzer, the radio, the ipod, or a specific ipod playlist that you create yourself. It also comes with a remote control. It's very easy to move the iHome around so I've been using it in different rooms when I'm doing something and want a little background music from my iPod. It's great! It also of course charges your ipod while it is docked.
I love the sleek design of it too. I think it's a very attractive alarm clock.
Basically, I love this product, and I don't find the brightness of the LCD screen to be a problem, especially when you put it on the lowest setting which is basically no backlighting at all. The price of the item is a little steep, but I think it was worth it. I'm very pleased with my purchase and I love the iHome!
Customer Review: The Best You Can Buy
Summary: 5 Stars
A big step up from the last model. Just be careful when buying, since it's easy to get messed up with the two versions of the same item. There is one iHome that plays third generation, and one that plays second generation. So, if you get the second generation iHome, you will be unable to play the third generation iPods.
Pros
+ 6 radio presets
+ comes with remote
+ easy alarm functions; you can set an alarm up so that all you ever have to do is hit the power button when it goes off
+ charges iPod so you don't have to go through the hassle of plugging it into the computer
+ remote can control iHome from across the room
+ crystal clear radio reception
+ remote has practically every button you could ever want
+ louder volume settings
+ easy to set and use
+ can dock almost every kind of iPod with add on attachments
+ better display; numbers are easier to read and the light had just the right amount of brightness
+ more dimmer settings
+ can play cd's
+ AM and FM radio
+ can play the shuffle
+ seems to charge faster than before, if only by a little bit
Cons
- the softest volume setting is quite loud
- HUGE AC adaptor which gets sort of hot
- remote gets kind of confusing the way it's laid out
- still can't charge the shuffle
All in all, the pros outweigh the cons. It's THE best iHome yet. And the silver color looks amazing.
Customer Review: Really good option for an iPod alarm clock
Summary: 5 Stars
I wanted an option to wake to music, so an iPod alarm was a perfect fit. My son owns the Altec Lansing inMotion iPod alarm clock but when I saw the iHome in an Apple store I decided to give it a try. I have been more than happy with my decision.
I know that some complain about the sound quality but I find it to be just fine. Admittedly I'm not an audiophile, but with slight adjustments to the bass and turning on the 3D option the output sounds normal to everyone in my household. The more important factor to me is how easy it is to use and adjust. Compared to the inMotion alarm clock, it's a lot more user friendly. The click-wheel is fantastic for ease of adjustment and the display has large icons and numbers that let you know without a doubt what things are set at. With the inMotion, on more than one occasion my son's alarm hasn't functioned as he thought it would because he hadn't set it properly.
Other pros are that you can adjust the brightness of the display to eight different levels, you can set the length of snooze from 1-29 minutes, you can create an "iHome" playlist on your iPod and the alarm clock will randomly select from it each morning, and the alarm can be set to go off every day, only weekdays, or only weekends.