Love This Clock Radio
Written: Dec 07 '05
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Pros: able to change alarm time forward and backward; digital tuning w/presets; rich sound
Cons: not able to view how many minutes remain while in "sleep" mode; no battery back-up
The Bottom Line: I recommend this to anyone who appreciates a great-sounding radio with an accurate radio tuner.
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| weatherdj's Full Review: Sony ICF-CD863V Clock Radio |
After reading the "Thrilled With This Clock Radio" and other reviews, I decided that my next clock-radio would be this model. I am a local truck driver, and I wake up at different times each morning, depending on where I need to be for that day. I was looking for a clock where I can change the alarm setting forward and backward. This model has it. Another thing I like is the great sound that comes through the speakers. Nowadays too many clock radios have tiny speakers with a tiny sound, that only are capable of receiving only the strongest stations. Another plus to this radio is the digital tuner, which has no problem picking up distant stations. I live 100 miles north of Sacramento, but can easily get KNX 1070 AM out of Los Angeles at night (over 400 miles away). I get a lot of FM stations from Sacramento, which very few radios can do from that distance. Also, you have 5 station presets (like a car radio) per band (2 bands for FM, for a total of 10 FM presets). That is one of the best features! I like the variable bass control on this unit, and that it displays the alarm set time just beneath the current time. I am able to pull in the audio for 4 local TV channels (the radio only receives the VHF portion (channels 2-13) of TV audio. I'm a little disappointed with the weather band---barely audible, but then again, I am more than 60 miles from the closest weather radio transmitter. (I have my Realistic scanner still plugged in to receive weather broadcasts.) Contrary to the reports I've read about the backlighting being too bright, I keep it on Auto-backlight (3 levels of backlight), and it works just fine. Since it is a liquid crystal display (LCD), as opposed to the light-emitting diodes (LED) of most clock-radios, I've had to tilt the unit down a little to get a clearer view of the display. My wife has a hard time reading the display; she still uses her red LED clock-radio. The CD player is super. Full, rich sound comes out of those speakers. The triple alarm was a little confusing at first, but the owner's manual is very clear on how to program it and use it. You can set up to 3 wake-up times, but you can have only 1 wake-up time for the radio, only 1 for the CD player, and only 1 for the buzzer. You can mix and match any combination of alarms, i.e., 1 alarm, 2 alarms, or all 3 alarms, for a total of 7 alarm combinations. To change the alarm set time, you need to press a button in front to put it in "set" mode, then the actual "+" and "-" buttons are on top. Still, very easy to set. If I designed the next model, I would like to put an option in to wake up to a different CD track each day, without having to program a new track number manually. Also, when we switch to/from daylight saving time, all I need to do is press one button to display/remove DST (or Summer Time, as it is called in Europe). The buzzer alarm starts off quiet and gradually gets louder. I love this feature, mainly because I'm a light sleeper, and I don't need a jackhammer to wake me up most of the time. (Waking up to a loud buzzer alarm scares me, and puts me in a bad mood.) There is also a nap feature, which will wake you after a specified duration of time. I haven't used this feature yet, but I'm sure I will in the future. The "sleep" feature is controlled with just one button, and it gives you the option of 90, 60, 30, or 15 minutes of CD or radio, in that order. Also, on the final minute, it will gradually fade out the music, rather than just shut it off abruptly. Unfortunately, there is no way to view how many minutes you have remaining in "sleep" mode. Finally, the most common complaint is that there is no battery backup. So, I have written down all my radio station presets, just in case. Supposedly, if the power outage lasts for under a minute, there shouldn't be any memory loss. Finally, I got a great deal on this unit. The outside of the box was a little damaged, so it was marked down to $59 at Costco. I understand that this radio retails for $90-$100, so I did not hesitate to buy it at that price. Overall, I am very happy with Sony and this clock radio.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 59 plus tax
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Epinions.com ID:
weatherdj
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Reviews written: 1
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