Sangean RCR-22 AM/FM Atomic Clock Radio
by Sangean America, Inc.
|
List Price: Our Price: Calculated in a shopping cart Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: CE See more product details |
|---|
Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Sangean RCR-22 AM/FM Atomic Clock Radio
Customer Review: Just a plain `ol clock radio...which is a good thing.
Summary: 4 Stars
I'm not sure how some other reviewers were befuddled by the owner's manual to this clock radio. It seemed pretty straight-forward to me, except that some of the english language instructions seemed like they were "lost in translation." Other than that, setup was easy, the automatic time receiver picked up a signal within five minutes of me plugging the radio in, and I was able to set up the alarm to the time I wanted (awesome function = being able to select which days of the week to have the alarm sound). I set my AM/FM presets, and placed the radio on its new home...the nightstand.
This is by no means a hi-fi clock radio, a'la Bose or Tivoli, but the single speaker has a slight bit of low frequency "kick" to it. Classical music sounds a lot better on this radio than my old RCA clock radio, which this Sangean replaced.
I have not had to wake up to this clock radio as of yet, so I will update this review once that happens. I suppose one minor gripe that may come up is that, when you wake up to the radio, it will only stay on for one hour. To me, that might not be a good thing, as I easily fall back asleep. As I don't see any use for the second alarm, I might set that to sound the hour after the first alarm goes off.
This is my second Sangean radio (the other is their H20 shower radio, which is awesome...totally waterproof), and this one seems built to impress those of us who don't want a radio with an iPod dock on it. It does have an AUX jack if you are so inclined to plug something in. It also has a headphone jack.
Customer Review: Better than my Timex clock radio
Summary: 4 Stars
I had two criteria when looking for a replacement for my Timex clock radio:
1) dual alarm capability; and
2) a humane waking system.
The Sangean RCR-22 delivers both. The fact that it also syncs with the atomic clock in Boulder was a bonus but unfortunately, however, my clock did not sync automatically. I have an Oregon Scientific which does, and I set the time by it. Unlike my Timex clock radio, the RCR-22 hasn't lost time yet.
Another bonus feature is the fact that you can whack any button on top when the alarm goes off to put it into snooze. (I've always fumbled for the right button on my other clocks to the point where I've thrown one clock across the room just to shut it up!) The humane waking system is almost Pavlovian - it doesn't have to get loud for me to wake up, merely because I know it WILL get loud.
The only knock I have is one others have mentioned - the user manual. One reviewer notes that it was written by engineers. If I didn't know Sangean was a Taiwanese company, I'd think the manual was written by German engineers! It's written clearly for the sole purposes of function and efficiency. And a word of caution: the instructions for setting the days for the alarm were not accurate for my clock. In reality, I had to do Step 5 (choose the days) as the THIRD step (right after hitting the Alarm1 or Alarm2 and then the Set button).
But I still give the clock a solid thumbs up. It's a feature rich model that does what it says.
Customer Review: Bull's Eye ...almost
Summary: 4 Stars
I have a running joke with my wife about clock radios -- I seem to feel the need to change mine every year or so because I get frustrated with them for various reasons. Too bright (sony), poor reception (Timex), too complicated to set up (Sony again)...
Enter the Sangean RCR22. So far it's the best CR I've ever owned. The cool blue display can be dimmed to virtually invisible, but pops back to bright mode for a few seconds when you're actually using the controls. I usually tune to AM news/talk radio- and the tuner on the Sangean is by far the best I've had in a clock radio. In NC, I was able to get stations from NYC, Chicago, and Pittsburgh last night. My old Timex barely got some of the weaker local stations. Setting the alarms and the desired days of the week couldn't have been much easier.
I do have a few minor quibbles:
a. The size of the clock's digits could be a little larger. It seems a bit lost on the display.
b. Other clock radios (Timex I think) have a cool 'sleep timer' feature that this one lacks. If you like to fall asleep with the radio playing, but also wake to the radio instead of the alarm, the Timex let me reduce the sleep timer radio volume to a modest level, but still allowed the alarm radio volume to be more substantial. Sangean would do well to add that feature.
All in all I'm happy with the Sangean... great reception, easy to set up, and good dimming features-- it gets the big issues right!
Customer Review: love the alarm features and digital radio presets
Summary: 4 Stars
I love my clock except for a few quirks.
Pros:
1. The alarm flexibility. 2 different alarms, choose what band/station you want to wake to, choose the days of the week you want to have the alarm come on. You can clearly see when the alarm is activated or not, and even see when it's scheduled to come on the next day (red light comes on).
2. The digital tuner makes it very easy to select a radio station. Store your favorites and change the station with one button. I love not having to turn the dial and pray to get some reception every time I want to change the station. Radio quality (FM & AM) is much better than my last clock radio.
3. Crisp, very readable display shows hour, minute, second, day of the week and date.
Cons:
1. Way too bright at night. I cover it up.
2. The setup isn't very intuitive and the manual leaves out important things. Most importantly, WAIT for the automatic time to sync up. It might take awhile. I gave up on the auto sync and set my clock manually, then came back later to find that the time had synced with the transmitter. The manual doesn't tell how to manually set the day of the week. I never figured it out even after searching online for info. If my auto sync hadn't kicked in, my alarm wouldn't be working properly because the clock wouldn't know what day of the week it was. When setting the alarm for radio, you must have the radio turned ON, but the manual doesn't mention this.
Customer Review: Disappointed
Summary: 1 Stars
I had this clock for 3 years now and I was actually thinking of replacing it because I've grown tired of some of it's shortcomings. I'll make this quick and concise:
Pros:
-Daytime display is nice
-Being able to set the days of the week individually for the alarm is nice
-Atomic Clock setting is nice
-Looks nice
Cons:
-There is no auto light adjustment. I have to manually dim it at night...then make it bright in the day. If your room is bright in the morning, you won't be able to read the display if it is dimmed. This alone is frustrating enough not to buy the unit.
-The "off" button for the alarm along with the sleep and many other button are tiny. It's very hard to select them in the dark or half asleep. Even after 3 years...I sometimes turn on the radio instead of silencing the alarm.
-After 3 years, when I set the alarm time, sometimes the days cancel themselves. It looks like the electronics are starting to fail. I'll be setting the time and the days change...(two separate functions...buttons).
-Atomic time is nice...if you are in full range of the signal. I'm on the fringe...one day the antenna fell behind the nightstand and I didn't notice...sure enough the next time the time changed...I assumed it auto-adjusted and was almost late to work...it hadn't picked up the signal.
I would recommend staying away from this unit...if anything based on the button size and the manual dimming.