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: Great clock radio for your iPod, but don't get it if you have an iPhone
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought one of these for my son, who has an iPod Nano. It looks and sounds great! You can wake up to an alarm, the radio, or your iPod. If you choose to wake to your iPod, you can create a special iHome playlist if you like. My son loves it!
However, I also purchased one of these for my husband, who has an iPhone. Big Mistake. I based my purchase decision on info I found on the iHome website which states, "The iHome iH9 is compatible with all the latest iPod models, and includes inserts for the 3rd generation Nano, iPod Touch and iPhone." But when I received his box in the mail, a big "red flag" went up when I saw that the outside of the box doesn't mention the iPhone at all. Before opening it, I researched online some more and found that you must dock the iPhone in "airplane mode", meaning that you'll miss every call. That's simply unacceptable, so I returned the iH9 (with no reimbursement of my shipping costs because I didn't buy it direct from Amazon) and bought the IP99 direct from iHome for a lot more money.
The upshot? This is a very good clock radio for your iPod, but don't get it for your iPhone.
Customer Review: Planned on rating it higher....
Summary: 3 Stars
It has so many wonderful features (all mentioned prior to my writing) that it really should be a five star gadget.
But I have to rate it down because our TV remote (Verizon, if that matters...) changes the brightness of the clock (not THAT big a deal) AND turns the alarm on/off each time you click the remote.
Turning the alarm on/off IS a big deal. I'm a teacher, and had set my alarm to wake me in the morning. It didn't go off. Thankfully I made it to work on time. I quickly learned that when my husband watches TV before bed, it will turn my alarm on and off.
So, I don't use it for the alarm. I still have my very old faithful alarm clock plugged in across the room. I make sure to set it each night as I know it can't be turned off.
The other "con" is that the volume just doesn't go low enough. When I'm reading at night I like to listen to music as well. But I like it low. REALLY low. This just doesn't cut it for me.
I'm thrilled with the sound quality (at least from my iPod...I don't use the radio) and the fact that the lights can be turned all the way off.
Customer Review: Great sound, two usability flaws
Summary: 3 Stars
Lots of others have sung the praises of this clock radio. It has great sound quality, the remote control is nice, and having two separate alarms is a bonus. However, I do have two quibbles with this product. If neither of them matter to you, consider my rating a 5 star.
1) The clock display is back-lit, with dark symbols, instead of a dark background with light symbols. Basically, it puts out a lot of light. There are 8 different dimmer settings, but even the dimmest one illuminates my entire bedroom. I have trouble sleeping with a lot of light, so I ended up turning off the display entirely. It still wakes me up in the morning, but besides that moment, I can't tell what time it is. If you like to sleep with a nightlight, this is the clock radio for you!
2) You can set the alarm to wake you up with a custom iPod playlist, as advertised. However, it randomizes the order, and there's no way to change that. I expected to be able to set a specific order to the songs that wake me up in the morning. Variety can be good, I guess, but it was a bum-damn-er when I realized it wouldn't play in the order I wanted.
Customer Review: Power Waster
Summary: 2 Stars
The IH9 comes with a huge power brick, an immediate sign of inefficiency. More efficient power supplies are smaller, partly because they need to dissipate less heat. For this one:
Input: 120V AC x 0.6A = 72W
Output: 12V DC x 1.8A = 21.6W
Efficiency: 21.6/72 = 30%
Annual Max Usage: 72W x 24hr x 365d / 1000 = 615KWH
Annual Max Cost: 0.20 * 615 = $123
Cost of wasted energy: up to $86/yr
Now it won't draw all that all the time. But it won't be sleeping, because it has to power the clock. These things are less efficient at low draw.
Power supplies of up to 90% efficiency are generally possible for a dollar or two more in manufacturing cost - well worth another $10 retail. However, I cannot find a generic one that meets these specs, so I'm taking the unit back to my shopping club.
The IH9 looks like modern upgrade of my 25-year-old stereo Panasonic clock radio, with digital tuning and i-features. I never plugged in the IH9, and don't have tools to measure actual power draw. For comparison, the old Panasonic says it draws 10W.
Customer Review: Great iPod sound, poor FM sound
Summary: 3 Stars
I purchased the IH9 after seeing a good magazine review. When hooked up to an iPod, it sounds spectacular. The sound is on par with any higher-end table radio or bookshelf stereo I've heard, such as the Bose.
However, the FM tuner leaves something to be desired. No matter which station I chose, no matter how strong or weak the signal, the audio was distorted. I adjusted the equalizer settings (the equalizer is a nice touch) as well as the 3D simulation and it didn't help. There was always some distortion, even at low volume levels, whether it was music or NPR.
It's clearly not a problem with the speakers because of the excellent iPod audio quality. I suspect an inexpensive FM tuner, or just a bad batch of FM tuners that wound up in my IH9.
I don't plan to keep the IH9, as much as I like it otherwise, because I listen to FM radio in a clock radio more than I'm likely to listen to my iPod Nano, and distorted sound is distracting. But if you're solely or primarily an iPod listener -- or don't care too much about FM radio quality -- this is a nicely designed and sounding unit.