Customer Reviews

JBL On Time 200ID High-Performance Speaker Dock with AM/FM Radio for iPod (Black)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The On Time 200ID has very clear, powerful sound. Very good FM radio reception with fully extended pigtail antenna. It has tons of features:
1. You can fully customize your alarm settings (wk day, wkend, spec day) and the buzzer has an ascending volume feature that gently wakes you up (same as in radio/i-pod settings)
2. Because it is digital, you can see the station info (e.g. current song, artist, call letters) and it simultaneously show the current time in bigger font than the radio station
3. fuly illuminated controls that I don't have a hard time finding them. the brightness is adjustable but some people may have some difficulty with it's lowest settings.
4. Although it doesn't have any bass or treble controls, it responds well when I adjust the EQ setting from my I-pod, AND the remote is a FULL FUNCTION remote (e.g. has menu and enter buttons) other Ipod radio remotes don't fully control the Ipod ( I have a 4G nano)
This is an excellent bedroom clock/radio/I-pod speaker system If you don't mind some brightness that looked like a night light beside your bed

Any would-be purchasers of this who intend to rely on the system as an alam clock--take note! The volume level for the alarm is pre-set in the factory to a VERY high level and cannot be changed. I nearly had a heart attack the first morning when it sounded. After much fiddling with the controls and a more review of the manual (and several more near heart-attacks), I finally e-mailed JBL directly to ask how to set the volume lower. Their response was very succinct: "Unfortunately, the volume level is fixed for the alarm. It cannot be changed."

First and foremost, this dock has huge sound for such a small device. Almost unbelievable how JBL got that big sound with plenty of bass. I was able to listen to this unit at a store with many other similar units - most of them much larger, but the 200id sounded way better. At home, the sound continues to amaze.

But what is even better is that this is the best alarm clock I've ever encountered - ever. Considering alarm clocks have been around a long time, that is saying something. It has 7 separate alarms - one for each day of the week. You can set each alarm separately for any single day of the week, every day, weekdays, weekend, and once only. Perfect for anyone whose schedule isn't the same every day - like a college student. Maybe other alarms can do this now, but I've not seen one, especially one with this great sound and that plays your iPod.

You can choose the alarm from a radio station, your iPod, or a pleasant beep. Don't know what the other review was talking about, because the beep alarm starts out quietly and gradually gets louder and louder. Perfect. You can set snooze from 1 to 30 minutes.

It is not totally perfect - the display has auto brightness, but it never gets as dim as a lot of people would like. I think you can turn off the back light completely. The manual has about 500 pages - but only 6 or 8 are in your language, and they are pretty crappy. Fortunately, it is pretty easy to figure out how things work because the display uses menus, and doesn't take much time to figure out.

JBL On Time 200ID High-Performance Speaker Dock with AM/FM Radio for iPod (Black)

I sign everything verbatim the reviewer Kal Grant "IItax2000" wrote. I had the exact same experience. I set up the unit to wake up via iPod thinking I would be awaken by a soothing song with a volume set before turning off the iPod (per their manual) very low. Instead, the volume started so loud I jolted!! Way louder than the buzzer!! I called JBL and after their attempts to reset my iPod and my On-Time unit, their final answer was that the Alarm Volume FOR IPOD was pre-programmed. I am mad simply because their manual clearly states that you set the volume yourself before shutting down the unit (putting iPod to sleep). Listen, I understand that this is more of a precaution issue since JBL probably thought better to jolt someone than have them oversleep because the volume was too low, but they could have a) have the volume progress from a very low setting to louder b) be more specific in their manual. The reviewer that mentioned the buzzer gradually getting louder is correct- the buzzer does start fairly low and gets louder ( I am actually using that setting now). However, that is just for the buzzer and not for the iPod setting. If I wanted to use an alarm clock unit with a progressive buzzer, there are waaaaaaaaay cheaper units than this one out there. I do not understand why the pre-programmed volume has to start so high knowing that this thing will be on people's night stands aka. very close to their head.
Another thing with the volume (apart from the alarm) is that even at the lowest setting, it can still be pretty loud so the whole "sleep" timer is tricky since it is either a slightly too loud or muted (nothing in between since it is digital)
Also, not to forget, the display is way to bright even at the lowest setting. There are a few settings for the display (brightness, contrast, auto) which is great but I wish it could be dimmed even more. Luckily, it doesn't bother me as much but it sure lights up my bedroom even at the lowest setting.
The good part is that the sound of this unit really is pretty amazing. I already own the JBL radial speakers for the iPod and I think those are the best thing. I am torn to return this unit because the sound is excellent and the wireless remote will allow you to browse through the ipod menu (not just tracks and volume). If you are thinking of buying this unit primarily as an iPod speaker station and buzzer alarm clock second, by all means- get it. As I said, the buzzer alarm is cool. It does start low and get louder. However, if you want to wake up to an ipod, be ready to get shocked.

Overall, i'm pretty satisfied with this product. It has most of the features that i'm looking for: very good sound quality(but still incomparable to Bose ipod sounddock, perhaps to other higher end ipod speakers), alarm settings for each day in a week, auxiliary-in so you can enjoy songs or movie from your desktop or laptop and a remote control. What i like about this speaker is the sound emitting from the speaker. The speaker produces clear and good low frequency response sound. On top of that, it can get very loud without any distortion or sort which is kind of amazing for such a small speaker.

What i dislike about JBL On Time 200ID is its somewhat average build quality. First, i found the button located at the top part of the speakers quite cheesy. The buttons produce an annoying clicking sound each time i press the button. Secondly, the LCD display looks a bit outdated, not modern looking in my sense, though i have no complaint about the screen brightness and ease to read issues. Another issue with this speaker is the average radio signal reception, but i'm not very sure about that.

Move on to the remote control, the remote control is also average in terms of build quality because the buttons are quite firm to press and i'll have to point directly to speaker in order for it to work. I prefer a remote control that has backlighting like the logitech pure-fi dream speaker, has softer touch, bigger buttons and can perform without having to directly point it at the receiver at the speaker. Basically, I want it to be designed just like pure-fi dream remote control. Despite the shortcomings, it does have full ipod control function

Pros: Very good sound quality for such a small speaker; small and space-saving; can go very loud; charge your ipod even in sleep mode
Cons: average build quality of remote control, buttons on the speaker itself, average radio signal reception quality

I highly recommend this speaker for those who are looking for a budget ipod speaker with alarm clock function. It's really worth the buy.

I just finished setting up this speaker/radio/ipod dock and I'm very pleased all around. Sound is good, ease of operation is okay and I haven't found the lighted clock too bright. One thing tho..........break out that handy magnifying glass if you don't have kryponite vision to read the instructions. The type is extremely small and hard to read. I guess that is because it is written in several languages and they had to limit it to one volume. Anyway, I plan to enjoy my Ipod Touch without earphones for a change. Discovered a small problem. The ipod touch insert that is provided for the Ipod and Iphone has a support at the back with a small rubber cushion. This support did not hold my Ipod straight enough and I had to add some tape to get the proper support. Otherwise, the remote wouldn't work. All is well now except I get riled when I have to fix a new toy first off without really having played with it.

I bought this alarm clock last summer and it is a wonderful little stereo. It has great sound and I would recommend it for that. However, I have not tried the alarm with my ipod just the radio. I am glad I did not as I would not want to be jolted like the other users in the review. My biggest gripe is the lack of customization also. I wish and hope JBL pays attention. I almost brought this back when I realized I could not turn the backlight down so it doesn't have the blue light shining all night. The end user should be allowed more conrtrol over the sound of the alarm and the brightness of the clock. Those issues are the only problems I have with the product, that resulted in me almost returning it. I sure hope JBL pays attention as this product deserves 5 stars if these issues are resolved.

I bought this recently thinking I'd use it at my office but thus far I've been enjoying it at home. The controls are intuitive and the sound quality is very good. The remote is a great feature and as I mainly bought this as a way to play my ipod nano 5th gen., the alarm and radio are secondary features. If you need an alarm clock buy an alarm clock (I like the zen clock myself). The only issue thus far is the remote control seems a bit frail and I wonder how long it will last. Since I need something with a small footprint for my office I will probably order a second one. By the way, I did do some research before making my purchase and it seems at all price points there are products that do not fully satisfy all people. I am glad I did not spend more because the jbl suits my needs very well. I am glad I did not underspend because for a little more this product offers more features. In short, if you want something cheap go cheap; if you want something high end go expensive. If you want a simple, true sound quality, and relatively inexpensive option (given the features and sound quality) for playing your music the 210id from jbl is a viable option.

Edited to add: I paid $109 for the one I purchased on amzn less than a month ago. At $179 (the price on 12/31/2009) I am not as enthusiastic about this product.

I purchased this speaker to be used with my new 2nd iPod Touch, worked perfectly... and friends with nice Bose speakers were amazed on the sound quality and all the STANDARD features.

It worked with my 2nd gen iPod Touch and with my friend's iPhone; no distortion with the iPhone AT ALL!

I acquired this product at a very good price - and thank goodness because its really not worth the $200 retail. I replaced an older iHome system with this one. The bass on the iHome was better but I would say that the JBL sound is a little more clearer, more high fidelity (but comes at double the price). As an alarm clock, having the buttons placed at the top of a somewhat tall unit is a bit inconvenient. The clock sits beside the bed and a bit higher so while sleeping, its impossible to see anything. You have to feel your way to the snooze button. If your room is pretty dark at night, this will light it up - which I find very annoying. I just can't see how anyone can sleep next to this brightly lit display, even on its lowest setting. Did anyone from JBL take this home and test it? I thought the iHome was bright but this is ridiculous. I had to put a few layers of window tint on it just to make it useable. It works much better as a nightlight rather than a display... what a disappointment. The bottom line in my opinion is that you can find a clock radio that sounds almost as good but much more ergonomically geared toward a true alarm clock. I think the JBL is probably more suited for use as just a regular radio.