Customer Reviews

Sony ICF-CD837 AM/FM Stereo Clock Radio with CD Player (Black)

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

 

 

...there is no digital tuner so no 5 station presets; no "birdsong, gushing river" or any other nature sounds; no headphone jack; and sure as heck no freakin' subwoofer (not that any subwoofer small enough to fit in a clock radio wouldn't sound like crap)! WAKE UP, Amazon, and check your facts!!!

However other than that, this is the best fifty dollar CD clock radio on the market (which says a lot about how sad the CD clock radio market is, at that). For one thing, it actually has a fairly attractive (or at the very least, inoffensive) form factor, compared to the gaudy-colored cutesy round models Sony and other makers have come out with in the past---are these industrial designers smoking crack or what?

Also I was impressed at how easy all the controls were to use---didn't even have to look at the instructions, it was that intuitive and also very ergonomic. This is about the main thing that Sony still does better than anyone else, provide ease of use. The green LED display is just the right size and brightness, and a big improvement over the horrible backlit LCD displays that many other clock radios have. There is an external FM antenna that helps somewhat---better would've been a detachable external antenna so you could hook up a better one to it. The adjustable "nap" timer is a very handy feature, as was the wake-to-CD alarms (2 of them) allowing you to choose which track you want to wake up to on the CD. I just use George Winston's "Winter" CD, it's nice and soothing. Even the buzzer on this thing is fairly pleasant.

I bought this mainly because I was tired of being jolted every morning by my Phillips clock radio's air-raid siren of a buzzer, and also because my city (Houston) has the absolute crappiest FM stations you could imagine.

What I really wish though is that Sony, Panasonic and other audio makers would just start putting alarm clocks in their minisystems so you could wake up to some half-decent sound quality music. This Sony is still way better than the Timex (hopeless!), Emerson, and other cheap generic garbage that Walmart sells but what can you really expect from tiny 1 watt per channel speakers?

Keep your expectations low though and this clock radio won't be too bad. I still could never bring myself to fork over three hundred bucks for the Cambridge cd clock radio.

What I really wish this clock radio had: 1. a 9V battery backup like my Phillips had, 2. having the CD, radio, or buzzer gradually increase in volume early in the morning, 3. MP3 capability (the box says it can play CD-Rs but don't know which format exactly), and ESPECIALLY 5. a headphone jack so that I could hook up this thing to some cheap self-powered computer speakers which would be a HUGE sound quality improvement.

The description of this product claims it will wake you up with a buzzer, radio, CD, or "the sounds of birdsong or a rushing river". It also claims to have 5 station presets, which implied to me that it must have a digital tuner. Neither claim is true. The fancy wakeup sounds don't exist and the tuner is the inferior analog style with a big dial and pointer that really can't pull in a clean FM station. Needless to say, there are no preset buttons.

On a positive note, it's a pretty good sounding small CD player and the clock has nice big numbers. But I was hoping to have a nice radio also -(

I'm a big fan of Sony products. This Sony clock radio is worth every penny. The am/fm reception is very good. The cd player is not only user friendly but sounds great! Although, this is not a high end table radio costing hundreds more! For @ $50 bucks you can't go wrong!

This has decent sound for a clock radio and the display is large and bright. It has a simple appearance which I like. There are no birdsongs or gushing water sounds.

Really like the large digitial clock display. Enjoy all phases of music with the cd player. Worth the money

Looking for a bedside radio/cd/alarm clock, I searched through many brands and read the reviews from customers about the products' strengths and limitations. I selected the Sony and have been pleased with the purchase. Attributes I particularly like are: 1. Good sound quality with speakers pointing outward rather than upward; 2. Compact size, black color, and curved features; 3. Large time display; 4. Intuitive, easy to operate controls located on the top so that they are easy to access; and 4. Options for setting each alarm to wake to a different sound (radio, cd, or buzzer). The Sony has all the basic features I wanted. I would hope the next version would have a few improvements, however. These are: 1. Digital tuning, not the current analogue; 2. An MP3 input; and 3. a more substantial feeling CD cover.

I have purchased three of these units over the past couple of years. We use one at work, in the office, and one in our massage room -- and now I have one at home. It is nice to have a small unit that looks good and sounds great.

The CD Player doesn't work right. You insert a CD and it will start to play whatever song on the tape it feels like it, maybe #8. I shipped the product back to the seller and noticed him that I shipped it back on 09/10/2010. It took me awhile to find his email. I paid a $156.98+tax and I have nothing. I've sent him an email to ask what he is going to do, but haven't received a word.
Purchased from Talus

I read the other reviews on this cd clock radio alarm before purchasing. It is exactly what I was looking for at a very reasonable price. My only complaint is that the alarm buzzer is rather quiet (I am a sound sleeper), however, keeping the alarm on radio mode does wake me up. The light in the face can be adjusted (unlike other models I had purchased) so it won't light up your entire room. Excellent product! Very happy with my purchase!