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 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: Good value; some shortfalls
Summary: 4 Stars
This unit gives a lot for the money, but does bring issues with it. As previously mentioned, the volume control needs a divot so you can get a grip on it with a finger tip. The AM tuner sensitivity leaves much to be desired. If you have any dimmers or other sources of electronic noise nearby, you'll probably not enjoy AM listening. The FM tuner, (at least in mine) is quite acceptable.
My biggest complaint is that the dock doesn't accept an iPhone with a case or cover on it. The instructions admonish the owner not to attempt to use it with the case on the phone, and with good reason: it won't fit the dock cutout. With the Seidio case, in particular, (which is nearly impossible to easily remove), that was a problem for me. The only way to get penetration with the case installed is to not use any adaptor. Unfortunately, the plug by itself isn't very stable, and the slightest pressure could break something. I solved that issue by making a wooden back stand which I attached with two sided foam tape. The "prop" gives rigidity to the phone, and helps guide the phone down onto the plug. Problem solved.
One feature that was a pleasant surprise is that the audio "ramps up", there's no shock, just a pleasant increase in whatever audio source you've selected for an alarm.
Overall, once you figure out a few oddities that the instructions don't mention, you'll probably really like the unit. It's feature packed and a very attractive value.
Customer Review: good ipod sound but otherwise a not so good product
Summary: 1 Stars
Pros: good sound on Ipod touch 2G (prob. good on others as well but I can't say), very adjustable settings on the alarm clock and sleep functions.
Cons: Horrible radio quality (I spent almost half an hour trying to find a spot to put the antenna before I gave up), short AC cable, NO REMOTE, can't take out ipod dock inserts, unstable ipod placement.
when i received my ihome the first thing i noticed was the shortness of the AC adapter cord. The cord hardly made it to the floor and then i had to run an extension cord all the way around the room to plug it in.
Next I had to pick a dock insert that would fit my ipod. Picking the insert was easy, getting it out when my friend came over and wanted to plug his ipod in was not so much. We tried everything short of prying it off with a knife (and we would have if i wasn't thinking of returning it). The dock inserts also were not very stable. Whenever i put my ipod on the stand i felt like i was going to break it one way or another. Other than the limited radio reception that after reading other reviews everyone seems to have trouble with the only problem was that the remote specified in the product details didn't come in the box and I bought it new. This became very annoying whenever a song I didn't like came on and I had to reach up to my ipod on top of the ihome to change the song. Some of you may be saying that i was just being lazy, but this got very annoying very fast.
Customer Review: Great alarm clock that does more
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought this clock on a whim, and am I glad that I did! I had just gotten a 160 GB iPod Classic, so I was rather worried about whether or not my iPod would fit with this clock. It was not a problem at all. When setting up, just be sure to carefully follow thie instructions for setting up the iPod charging cradle. Once that cradle is in there, it's very difficult to get it back out again - so if you have one iPod that you use more than the others and they are of different sizes, then you will need to decide which one you will use for the iHome iH9.
I live out in a log cabin in the woods and sometimes getting any radio station at all can be a challenge. Surprisingly, I am able to get my regular AM and FM stations with no hassle whatsoever and they come in clearly and sound great!
The alarm clock is great, I love the dual alarm settings that are easy to reset for those days when you are going to get up at a slightly different time than normal. I am not too crazy about the actual tone that the almarm uses. The various dimmer setting for the clock are really nice. I like the remote control that came with it, though I haven't had too much opportunity to use it, the reange is adequate enough to control the unit from across a large room. The ease of use of this clock is definitely a nice plus. A great clock radio for the price.
Customer Review: The IH9, nearly perfect
Summary: 4 Stars
I have a couple minor complaints with the iHome IH9, let's get those out of the way. First complaint: the AM reception, even with the external antenna isn't great. With the antenna it is "OK" but without the antenna it is non-existent. My previous inexpensive AM/FM clock radio (with digital tuner) did a much better job with AM. Second complaint: I wish the volume wheel & adjustment wheel (top left, top right) were "grippy-er". Laying in bed they are kind of hard to turn. Finally, with the iPod sitting above the clock it seems a touch funky and fragile, but I think it is probably fine - almost all the iPod clocks have this EXACT same design, so, I am just paranoid.
Now, for the things I like. The sound is really good. I don't think it is an "auto-set" clock, but it came from the factory already set. Keeps good time (so far). Readout is super easy to read. There are 7 brightness settings to the display, including OFF, and it fast and easy to switch between them. The fall asleep to (radio/ipod/line-in) is great, the dual alarms to (buzzer/radio/ipod/ipod-playlist/line-in) is great. The fact that either alarm can be 7-day, 5-day (weekday), or 2-day (weekend) is fantastic. The remove is somewhat useful, I guess - haven't used it much.
It is a touch pricey, I paid $90 - but I really love the features and sound. No plans to return it.