Customer Reviews

SDI iHome iP99BR - Clock radio with iPhone / iPod cradle

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

With the "Logitech® Pure-Fi Dream" now an aborted project (a Logitech sales rep told me, point blank; no chance), and the ExtremeMac "Luna X2" getting pushed back AGAIN and AGAIN, iPhone and Touch users are finding it pretty difficult to track down a compatable alarm clock.

I bought an IH9 from iHome, and tried it out for a few weeks. A great unit, with one deal-breaking exception. Humming at low volumes!! I tried turning off the Wi-Fi...., lowering the backlight... but I still had this annoying hum. When the device is 3 feet from your pillow, and you use it for going to sleep, this flaw is unforgivable.

Returned the unit, and just received my iP99BR direct from iHome.

Well, I love it. The design is slightly less sexified than the IH9, but the sound seems slightly bolder. The remote is larger, and feels weighted; a comfortable fit. One disadvantage of the design is that the display is straight-on, whereas the IH9 seemed tilted up slightly, which gave a better visibility. Not really a major complaint.

The key difference is that the iP99BR appears to have corrected the horrid humming sound at low (and all) volumes that plagued the IH9. I suppose they shielded the speakers correctly, but in any case, my only real complaint has been resolved.

The bottom line is, for iPhone and Touch owners, the iP99BR is the only game in town.... certainly at this price-point.

I won't bother to go over the feature set. Just look at the product description and reviews for the IH9. They share identical features, which are legion, and are great.

The sound is fine. The looks are good. But the primary feature is missing.

The box boasts, "Works with iPhone" and "Airplane mode not required." However, as soon as I turned on the radio, I heard the familiar LOUD GSM noise we've all come to know and hate. How does the manufacturer suggest you rid the unit of the GSM noise? I'm quoting directly from the manual here... "Undock your iPhone or put iPhone in Airplane Mode. Note that Airplane temporarily disables the phone features on the iPhone."

Um.... that doesn't sound iPhone compatible to me. What about you?

This misleading dud is going right back where it came from. Stay away unless you love buzz.

We love everything about this clock radio, except the fact that we had to move some of our electronic equipment out of the room that it was in. The radio reception seems to be very sensitive to nearby EMFs.

Pros: It doesn't make that annoying humming noise when my iPhone (first generation) is connected. The sound quality is impressive. The display is large and brightness adjusts.

Cons: To avoid taking the iPhone out of the case I have to not use any of the included inserts. I don't know a product that doesn't have this problem but maybe someone will make one soon. Sometimes the iPhone is connected but I still wake up to the beeping instead of the iPhone music. To set the alarm/time, you have to use a wheel similar to the wheel on an iPod, unfortunately you have to go minute by minute which makes changes of more that 4 hours a little bit of a chore.

It is great for a bedroom next to your bed, however if you put this in the living room for music; you will be disappointed. The sound quality fills up a small room, but will not provide crisp booming sound. The Klipsch sound system for the same size unit is much better if you want to be in the same price range. I tried both and there is no comparison between the sound quality. The only problem is that the Klipsch will not charge your iphone at all, it will only play the music.
No static noise is heard on the IHome as I had with other sound systems (like sony).