Customer Reviews

Panasonic RC-CD500 Dual-Alarm CD Clock Radio

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

For being such a small device, it really does give nice sound. In fact, I popped in some obscure CD that had a recording of birds twirping to test it out, and my cat came running in the room. It's lightweight and compact, so if fits nicely on the stand. The numbers are much easier to read than you would think, judging from the picture here. The screen gives you all sorts of information as to what you have programmed, so when you wake up at 3:00 in the morning, wondering if you have programmed your alarm so you don't miss your flight, it's very easy to see whether or not your alarm is on and how you will wake up. The tuner picked up a station 60 miles away, too. The only thing I wish it had is a graduwake feature. But that's about it. It's easy to use. I had it all set up in less than four minutes. The doze alarm lasts for six minutes, and it's easy to find due to the good design. No worries about hitting the wrong button and shutting off your alarm.

The sound quality on this unit is good, the set-up is intuitive, and the buttons are well designed, but as an actual alarm clock it's a bust. The alarm is set VERY VERY LOUDLY - think "wake all the dead on this block", and there is no way to adjust it. If you use the radio or CD wake function, it uses the volume you last listened at. So no good if you listen to it quietly before bed. And because the numbers become invisible from the angle of (at least my) bed, it's impossible to do a quick time check while dozing.

I`ve only had it for a couple of days but I can`t believe what crisp and clear sound this unit has.If you don`t want to lay down big money on a Bose Wave Radio this gem is for you.

The Panasonic RC-CD500 is exactly what one expects, a clock radio, with dual alarms, a CD player. If one wants superior sound, buy Klipsch... It is as advertised, and it fills the bill of fare. Easy to set up, nice case, the lid lifts enough to be able to insert a CD. The only 'gripe' I have is the display. Now, NOT that it can't be read, it can, as I prefer the blue or green fluorescent, BUT, that takes power. The LCD display continues with the time under battery backup. But, all things considered, this radio is well worth the money.

>Update>

After two weeks, I moved the Panasonic to another room, because the time display is so hard to see. In its place I put a Lenoxx ... The Panasonic is still a good buy if one wants Bose sound, but if one wants simple, easy to read display (love the fluorescent), the Lennox is quite a buy. PLUS,
the Lennox allows repeat on a CD, full....

Even sitting here, about five feet from the Panasonic at a 45 degree angle, I cannot see the time display. Even with the backlight, it's hard to see. If you want sound, good buy, if you want easy clock and alarm, not.

What good is a clock radio if you can't read the clock? Everything the other reviewers have carped about concerning the display is correct. It's infuriating that the (too bright) illuminated display is totally unreadable when it is at eye level or higher in a dark room - the LCD characters literally disapear, leaving just the glowing background. Where else would you put a bedside clock radio EXCEPT at eye level?

The sound is pretty good and the controls are laid out fairly well (well, at least not as atrociously as on most units I've tried...)but the useless display ruins the whole thing.

I bought this one based on customer comments about the sound quality--and that lives up to the billing. This is not a Bose, but for the price it is much better than competitive offerings that I've heard. One beef is that it can't produce VERY low volume, which would be particularly nice for a bedside alarm. As another reviewer noted, the clock display, with the LCD background, is terrible. You either live with a bright green glow or nothing at all. However, the sound makes up for this problem, so long as I don't have to know what time it is in the middle of the night.
Update: A recent reviewer mentioned the buzzing when playing a CD: I have experienced the same thing. Frankly, I would not buy this unit again because of this defect. When I wake up in the morning, the first thing I hear is the feedback buzz, not the music. Is it poor grounding?

I bought one of these after returning a Timex T600B. This player sounds MUCH better than the Timex did. The clarity is better and the XBS function is great. The only annoying thing I notice about the player is that there is a buzzing noise (or hum, 60 hz) audible between songs when playing a CD. Its always audible when you are close to the player, like laying in bed when its on my nightstand. This can also be heard by playing a CD and turning the volume all the way down. Its a little annoying and I'm wondering if its normal for this unit? The buzzing noise is NOT present when playing the FM radio. Is anyone else experiencing this buzzing noise ? mskipatrol@aol.com

What was I looking for in a clock radio? First and foremost, it has to get me up in the morning. The dual alarm solves one of my most annoying problems - simply turning off the alarm, rolling over and going back to sleep, then waking up later with no memory of the alarm having gone off. The alarms also aren't particularly easy to turn off, which is probably a good thing. You can't just swat the alarm - you have to make some effort to hit the right button.

Not surprisingly, I'm also one of those people who is always trying to eke out a few extra minutes of sleep every morning. That means that the alarm has to be easy to set because I'm fiddling with the alarm settings all the time. This unit is only marginally user friendly in that respect. There are not separate adjustments for hours and minutes. If I want to change the alarm from 6:30 to 8:30, I have to scroll through 2 hours; I can't just change the 6 to an 8. For you disciplined types who get up at the same time every morning, this won't be as big an issue. The snooze button is easy enough to hit.

Getting the time is not as easy as it should be. My least favorite thing is that the time setting is between the settings for the two alarms - messing with it in the dark early one morning I inadvertantly reset the time instead of the alarm. As others have pointed out extensively, the LCD is inadequate. You can't see it from across the room, and if, like me, you can't see without your glasses, you all but have to put your face on the display to see it.

So what's good about this clock radio? The sound quality is very good and the radio and CD features are easy to use. I particularly like having pre-set radio stations. It also has a backup battery that is easy to change and is well-placed in the console. Despite my complaints, I'll be using this alarm for the foreseeable future.

I bought this radio because of all the great reviews. When I got it, I confirmed the sound and reception were great, as advertised. However, the backlit digital clock cannot be read from more than a few feet away. The image becomes fuzzy as your distance increases. At 15 feet, it is a total blur. This is a big problem for a clock radio. I want to be able to glance at it and know the time. I have returned the radio for this reason.

Depending upon the angle, the LCD goes from high contrast to no contrast (as LCDs often do). The problem is that the angle where the digits are invisible is from anywhere below the height of the clock. The result is that you can see it fine when walking around, but in the middle of the night from your bed all you can see is the green backlight. It may work OK if it is right next to your bed, but from the dresser a few feet away, it is invisible. Panasonic makes great products and this one is great in most respects, but as an alarm clock this flaw is pretty serious for me.