I searched a while to find a radio/alarm/clock AC powered WITH an LCD display. All the ones I could find were powered via batteries only.. I finally found this one at my local "canadian tire" store on sale for 24.99$ (plus tax), and originally sold for 29.99$ (can).
I was surprised to see all the functions available on such an affordable compact unit.
Its shape is unique, very petite (5 inches wide x 4 inches height x 3 inches depth). I've never really seen anything shaped like that, so it's not easy to compare it too.. The front is flat, the back is round. Although it is packed with tons of features, it remains very compact. Its weight gives it a sturdy feeling.
Another good aspect is that it wont tip over when you use it. Even if you are not careful. It is very stable. Its colors are metallic grey and silver alumnium. Mostly made of plastic.
The backlit light is a pale-green, numbers are black. They look dark black on day light, but a bit paler at night. The snooze button is also lit with that same green light. The backlit display is very nice and fancy. Has a hi-tech look..
I personally set the brightness light at maximum, it does not bother me. It is not that bright, just fine for me.
Features
Dual wake alarms displayed all the time.
Choice of alarm or radio for both.
11 preset storage for radio stations.
Graduwake ramp-up alarm volume
Digital tuner
Backlit LCD display with 3 brightness settings
What I like
2 independant wake time readouts, display indicates both wake time settings at a glance.
Battery back up holds time and alarm settings in memory for up to 8 hours (require 9v battery). The backlit light shuts off in battery mode.
There is power failure indicator. It will blink to indicate that power was interrupted.
1 year limited warranty
Radio/tuner
It is digital, so, tune in the precise channel frequencies and you are right on! Or use the "automatic station search" to find the stations automatically.
That is MUCH better than an analog tuner... I can never get it right with those.. and they seem to never be on the right frequencies. PLUS .. how often have I mistaken that button with the volume.. it happens way too often. BUT not with this ONE....
receptivity
Good. Better than my previous radios. I have no problem finding all my favorite channels.
It has 11 memory stations; 10 Fm presets plus 1 Am preset.
Sound
The speakers are located in the front. Quite unusual. But the unusual shape of the unit permits it. It has this oldies speaker look.
As for sound quality, for such a small affordable unit, not so bad. Actually, all my radio clocks sounded way worse. I would say the sound is decent. I am sure there is better out there.. but for the price and my usage, it is good enough. I use it to wake, not to listen to music per say.
Controls
Many buttons for a total of 14 to be exact. Easy to identify. Easy to program.
One for SET (shows a clock)
2 for rew or fwd or tune/time.
3 for wake time settings
One for volume.
One for brightness control (off, high, low)
Two for radio on/off
2 for nap and sleep
Two for radio memory channels
Snooze is the biggest one, it is backlit as well same pale green color..
Instructions(manual)
The manual is a bit vague. I had to re-read a few times to understand correctly. I have never owned a radio-alarm clock with so many features.. so this was all new to me.
I had no prob setting the time. I had to check out the manual to figure out how to select radio stations and save the presets.. same thing for setting the alarm-time.
I had mistakingly set a "nap" time, and I could not turn it off.. I had to read 4 times the small sentence that mentionned how to turn it off..
WAKE TIME
You may be woken up by music or alarm. I use the music as my alarm. I hate the beeps of alarms.. they stress me out and make me grumpy.. not to mention scare the hell outta my tomcat! When music is selected, a musical note appears next to wake-time. If alarm is selected, a "bell" icon appears.
The alarm is "graduwake", the volume gradually climbs up to its maximum in about 30 to 45 sec. When you turn off the alarm/music by pressing OFF, it will turn back on at the same time tomorrow, quite practical.
Wake settings at aglance
I like the fact that both wake-times are permanently displayed, no need to push any buttons.. you can check out the alarm time while sleeping, open one eye and it is all there. If the alarm is set to off, the word "off" is shown instead of the time readout.
Turning the alarms completely off is not so obvious though.. on week-ends or whenever you do not need a wake alarm, you have to disable the alarm by pressing "Set" and then CANCEL, then wake ONE ... same thing for wake 2.
To simply shut it down, press OFF and it will work the next morning, no need to re-set it ON.
I keep my radio close to my side of the bed (although I live alone). I can see the numbers fine but.. it is a bit blury, the contrast is not as sharp as the usual radio clocks. The color of the numbers is a bit pale at night, but still readable. I imagine it would be too small for far sided or elderly people ... (I wouldnt know why an elder would need an alarm clock for.. but I thought I'D mention it.) It shows 12 hours numbers, AM or PM.
The unit may display in seconds but you have to press and hold the tune button to do so, release to return to normal.
The snooze is located at an easy place to reach, no danger of hitting wrong button PLUS it is backLIT.
Both "snooze" and "nap" functions can be programmed separately,(from 1 to 30 minutes for snooze, and 10 min to 2 hours for nap)
Weaknesses
Only one radio station can be set for WAKE 1 and WAKE 2. Not possible to set two diff radio stations, one for each wake-time.
A bit difficult to read the time at night. Even with the bright setting. The numbers seem to be a bit pale..
The display could be larger.
I read many reviews mentionning inaccurate time. Mine works quite well so far.. I will update to tell if it remains ok over time.
Final thoughts
I am still impressed by all the functions and features this radio/clock posesses. It is reliable, fashionable, compact ... does its job well.. I certainly recommend it.
UPDATE 17/03/05
The radio clock still works GREAT! It holds time perfectly!
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