Customer Reviews

Homedics SS-4500 SoundSpa Classic Clock Radio, Silver

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(18)
2 star:		(14)
1 star:		(18)

 

 

Usually when one needs a white noise machine they're sensitive to light too... the projection on this clock is like the landing lights on a 747 - and there's no way to dim it. Same thing with the clock face - it's so bright it's unusable.
As for the white noise aspect, the loops are so short you can hear a repetition of sounds - enough to give you a headache. It's more like a torture device than a sleep aid.
Avoid this product.

This clock is what we were looking for BUT it is too bright, it's like haveing a night light on your ceiling. I wouldn't recomend for a light sleeper. The beam of light that comes from the clock is so bright, I could see hair from my dog floating by in the middle of the night. we moved it across the room which made it a little better but STILL BRIGHT. Maybe I'll put it in my daughters room, she still sleeps with a night light.

This is a great product. The projection feature is great. No more sitting up to look at the clock, you can just look up at the ceiling while laying down. The sounds are very soothing. It has helped me get to sleep many times. My only gripe is that the projection is slightly on the brightside. But it has never prevented me from getting to sleep. In fact, sometimes it is nice to have a nightlight. I love this clock so much I bought one for every bedroom in my home.

I do love this clock but it just falls short of 5 stars for me.

Pros:
- Lovely to wake up to different sounds in the morning. Gentle ocean waves make me feel like I'm on vacation!

- The projector is great & I couldn't manage without it anymore. It's so nice to be able to see the time on the wall or ceiling without having to twist round & squint in the middle of the night.

Some reviewers have said that it's very bright but I find that projecting it to a further wall, while still at a good angle, dims it a bit so I haven't had a problem with that.
If you do project it to a different wall, it has a focus knob to make the image clearer, and you can rotate it also.

Cons:
- While I don't find the projection too bright, I do find the display too bright, even on the low setting. I've had to turn the display away from the bed a bit

- The snooze button is my biggest negative. It's very small and it's too easy to hit the Power Off button instead of snooze. The Power button is located where most clocks have the snooze, so half asleep at 6am it's just too easy to turn the darn clock off by accident and fall asleep. I do have to make an effort to hit the right button every morning. This keeps it from being a 5 star for me.

My wife and I have used a "white noise" generator as a sleep aid for years and when an electrical incident at home fried a bunch of necessary electronic devices, the clock radio w/surf sound went bye bye too.

I agonized over a dozen different models, test listening in stores when I found one and determined the Homedics had the most realistic surf and rain sounds. We actually ended up using the waterfall setting after all.

My parents had just gotten a model that had the atomic time feature, but I read that it was not reliable and decided against it for ours. The most important feature was the sounds. I got a gift card to Amazon for my birthday and used it for this clock. I paid a little more than today's deal, but still spent less than $30

I gotta tell you, everybody is dead on about the projected clock. It is way too bright. You can, however, take some really cheap broken sunglasses and cut a lens to tape over the projector to dim it. We just opt not to use it. The front display is more than adequate and the (almost round) shape allows you to orient it however you want.

All in all, this is a fantastic product and if this one breaks or dies, I will replace it with another of the same.

Which is why I'm here looking for a new clock. I bought this clock at a CVS pharmacy three months ago because I needed it right away. It was the only clock they had that wasn't a cheapo hotel throw away (or so I thought). As others have pointed out, the display is so bright it's irritating, even on the low setting. I have to turn it completely away to sleep. Which is bad, because the projection display is activated by this little sliver of a button on the front. I have to look at the clock front to press it, so what's the point? Even worse, that little sliver of a button is also the snooze button. It is difficult to press (its cheap plastic over a cheap switch) and if you accidentally press one of the buttons right next to it (easy to do) it shuts the alarm off!

This would make a nice Christmas gift for Freddy Krueger.

This is the coolest clock I have ever owned. I enjoy reading before bed and listening to the nature sounds. Being awakened by these sounds is so much better than a loud buzz or a blasting radio I've used before. I love the time projection on the ceiling. I can see it clearly without my glasses and know exactly how long I linger in bed without having to reach over covers and pillows to see a bedside clock. There will be several people getting this clock from me for Christmas.

SAM Cook

Who, in their right mind, would think that a display this bright is a good idea at night while you are trying to sleep? Lights up the whole room! Even on dim! I'm returning it. Sound is okay but who can sleep in a room that's almost bright enough to read?

I got this alarm clock for my boyfriend for Christmas, after hearing him rave about a similar one that had been in his hotel room on a business trip. The reviews for this clock were 50/50 either way, good and bad on Amazon, so I decided I may as well give it a try. When we set it up, the room was very dark. Couldn't see a thing with the lights off. All of a sudden, we plug the clock in, and we could see everything in perfect clarity. The clock worked perfectly, did everything it claimed to, so no defects with it. But the thing was so darned bright that there was no way that either of us were going to get to sleep, just like other reviewers said. I would strongly encourage potential buyers to consider how much light they can handle when they sleep. I also strongly encourage the company, who hopefully reads reviews on their products on a regular basis, to put a dimmer on the clock. I would have kept the product with that one simple feature, and I'm guessing lots of other people would too!

I read all the reviews and debated on purchasing this clock since several people mentioned that the projection and LCD lights were too bright. I am very happy that I decided to purchase it anyways.

My pre-teen daughter has been having issues falling asleep lately and I thought it would help to listen to calming and smoothing sounds while she tries to sleeps. Let me tell you, it has help a great deal. She is able to have the sounds play all night long and still have the alarm clock set to "beep" in the mornings. The ambient noises are crystal clear with no scratchy or static noises in the background. Very realistic sounding. The lights are a little bright but that is OK with her since she always uses a night light in her room. The only thing she did not like about he clock is that the radio dial is hard to read since the numbers are small and it is not lit, other than that she is extremely happy with the Homedics SS-4500 SoundSpa Classic Clock Radio.