iHome iH5 Clock Radio and Speaker System for iPod (Black)
by Sound Design, Inc.
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List Price: Our Price: $39.99 You Save: $60.00 (60%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: CE 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 iH5 Clock Radio and Speaker System for iPod (Black)
Customer Review: Not bad for a bed-side radio
Summary: 4 Stars
Well, bought an Emerson CD clock radio only to have the CD motor fail after 3 months. So I figure that maybe this time I'll try something with no moving parts...
Pro:
-Works with a lot of electronics besides iPods
-Dimmer has 3 levels, bright as the sun, dim, and pretty darn dim. I like the lowest setting because my Emerson which was a freakin' beacon
-This sucker is surprisingly heavy... it stays put
-Great sound for a clock
-Date displayed with automatic daylight savings
-Actually tells you it's PM on the display, not just a "dot" like other radios
-Wake to shuffle, artist, genre, whatever... I have a special wake playlist friendly to my wife. My old CD radio drove her nuts because I didn't change it enough.
-Thought that the remote was a gimmick, but I gave it to my wife so that she can shut it off if I've left the alarm on after getting up or while traveling... a really handy feature!!!
-Buttons on top are lit, so you can see clearly what you're doing
Con:
-Not able to have 2 alarm settings programmed at one time
-Volume and "set" knobs are more stylish than easy to turn... totally smooth and flat, poor attempt to copy iPod wheel
-Gentle wake ain't gentle, but I keep the volume low to nullify the effect
-The power cord in the back comes unplugged real easily so be careful when moving the radio. I've added tape to the back to secure the cord.
-The iPod sticks straight up and is exposed without protection
-While the buttons are lit and you can clearly see what they all say, except for the snooze they all feel the same
-Huge plug, crowds out other power plugs in my surge protector strip
Neutral:
-Radio... I live in a remote area so I cannot test for you, sorry.
Bottom line: I love this unit and I mainly use the wake to iPod feature. I recommend this item.
Customer Review: Good, but could be much better
Summary: 3 Stars
First of all, I'd like to say that the iHome is not a bad product. It's a great product and I love the fact that I have it. However, there are a few annoyances that are hard to overlook. For starters, the LCD display can't be turned off. It can go to low light, medium light, or bright light. That kinda bothers me a little bit, as it'd be nice when I'm trying to sleep to be able to turn this light in my bedroom off. Another annoyance is how unusable the iPod is when it's plugged into the iHome. It's fairly difficult to navigate through menus when the iPod is mounted as it's fairly difficult to get your hands around it properly. The third annoyance I found, and this was the biggest one for me, is that I can't get the remote to work properly. I don't know what it is, as I tried maybe the remote doesn't work if you're over the iHome but only under it, from any angle I could think of, but it seems I have to press buttons like three times to get it to do what I want. The remote also feels wonderfully cheap and gets fingerprints all over it very quickly (being black and all.)
However, the grievances, if you will, are outweighed by the benefits of the iHome. It's a reliable clock that has yet to lose the correct time even through fuse-blowings or power outages. The volume and set dials are AMAZING to have, as my last clock I had to click a button 60 times if I wanted to set the correct minute but accidentally went one too far. The dial is appropriate though, as you set hour and minute together, not separately. It's very easy to pick the song you want to wake up to, just choose it and then pause it and plug it in. The iHome will then play that song if you choose to wake up to the iPod.
All in all, it's a great buy and it's better than any other iPod clock product I've seen to date. If you have an iPod, and you need a clock, get the iHome.
Customer Review: Very Solid!
Summary: 4 Stars
First off
this is the best integration I've seen of a speaker/alarm/iPod trio!
The iPod plugs in real easily, and it is charged while in cradle ---- from there, the music, for the most part, sounds great, and all the functions are very easy to use
I was also impressed that it came with batteries, so if the power goes out, the batteries will serve as a backup
and of course, the alarm is loud as heck!
The reason I purchased the iHome though is because of its 'gentle wake' feature, which plays music at a low volume, and slowly increases to wake the person up
Phillips was the first to introduce this feature into their alarm clocks, and I loved it! --- I hate waking up to a jarring sound, first thing in the morning
however, the gentle wake functions on this alarm are not as solid ----- don't get me wrong, the music does start out at its lowest setting and gradually increases
the music, even at its low setting, starts out too loud, and then gradually increases way too quickly
compared to regular alarms though, this is a HUGE difference, and I don't find the iHome's alarm to be 'jarring' in any way, but it can definitely be improved upon
for the most part though, I'm pretty happy --- its great waking up to one's favorite iPod songs and playing them while getting ready in the morning ---- in addition, every alarm, on this clock, automatically uses Gentle Wake, in comparison to the Phillips, which had to be set manually within this feature
if the 'gentle-wake' feature is more important though, then I suggest going with Phillips
otherwise, if you're looking for a great alarm/stereo package, then look no further!
HAPPY BUYING!!!!!
Customer Review: A Great Clock Stereo Radio for the Ipod
Summary: 5 Stars
I must say that I love this iPod Clock Radio. The sound is surprisingly good considering that this is a 15 watt unit, and its rich resonant sound will fill a bedroom or a small office. The iHome will charge your iPod while it is playing (or even when it is not playing), and the alarm buttons and the forward/reverse buttons are backlit in the dark.
I also appreciate the brightly lit digital clock on the radio. It is pristine and clear and easy to tell the time. You can even dim the time if it seems too bright.
The iHome also comes with small FM and AM antennas, a 15 volt DC plug, and multiple slots so that it you can fit any iPod onto it.
The unit also comes with a small line in plug so you can hook up other non-Apple mp3 players and play them through the iHome.
My one note of criticism is that it doesn't come with a remote. You will have to pay an additional $19.99, and even then, it will only control the volume and where you are in a song. It will not be able to switch albums or files.
Also, the unit comes with two AA batteries so that the time will not go out when you have to unplug the iHome to switch outlets.
This unit sounds better than almost any other clock radio I have ever heard. The only one I have heard in this price range with a fuller sound is the iPod clock stereo radio made by TEAC, which you can get at Costco. But it is bigger and heavier, and not as portable nor as pretty as the iHome. Moreover, the clock is harder to read on the TEAC.
Note: If you get the iHome at Sams Club, you can get it packaged with the remote for $89.99, eight dollars cheaper than the one Walmart sells without the remote.
Customer Review: Waking you up isn't it's only intention.
Summary: 4 Stars
Pros:
-Wonderful sound quality (after adjusting my iPod Nano's built-in equalizer a bit), even in my large bedroom w/high ceilings. This little device's intention is not only to wake you up, but provide you with as much entertainment as your iPod can provide without being turned off by the standard muddy or tinny quality of your typical alarm clock radio/cd.
-Auto setting clock.
-If you forget to plug in your iPod, the alarm clock will wake you with it's buzzer.
-Seems like every alarm clock I've purchased in the past 10yrs had 3 levels of backlight illumination: 1.) Bright, 2.) Really Bright, and 3.) Don't plan on getting any sleep tonight. The three levels of the iH5 are just perfect.
Cons:
-No dual alarm feature. Often a necessity for couples and those who need to wake at a different time on weekends. This could have been remedied had they let the iPod's internal alarm clock play thru the clock's speakers.
-You can't directly choose which song you wake to. Looks like I have to wake up to whatever I last played.
-$100 for an alarm clock and they can't throw in the remote control? C'mon, most people would probably lose it and have to buy a new one anyways.
-1hr snooze limit. Could spell trouble for excessive snoozers like me.
-Really large power block for an alarm clock.
I've never spent more than $20 on an alarm clock. If it woke me up, it was considered money well spent. But this looks like it's going to be so much more to me than an alarm clock. I can see this thing staying on from the moment I wake up, to the moment I leave.