Customer Reviews

Sony ICFC180 AM/FM Clock Radio

5 star:		(62)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

My wife and I have been using the same clock radio for the past 20 years - It's a dual alarm Panasonic and it still works pretty well. Some of its features such as individual up/down alarm/time set for the minutes and hours are not even available on clocks today. And it has a 10 minute snooze - not nine minutes, another feature hard to find these days. But it's lacking in other areas such as no battery backup. So we decided to replace the old clock.

Some research was necessary. For the most part, only Timex, RCA and Sony have competitive products. My requirements were simple - AM/FM dual alarm, battery backup, 10 minute snooze, easy to read display, and not too bright. I did not need a CD or MP3 option. Here's why I bought the Sony ICFC180 and rate it so highly:

Form Factor and Buttons: This is not a large clock radio - it's about six inches square. The case is pretty much all white. Buttons are well spaced and nicely shaped. You can easily learn to use this clock in the dark or by feel alone.

Display: The backlit LCD displays not only the time, but both the alarm settings, each in its own quadrant. This is a great feature. The time is large enough to read from across the room although it could have been a bit larger. The alarm displays are smaller, but fine for viewing bedside. Viewing from different angles seems fine. It has two manual brightness levels and here Sony cheaped out a bit - an auto dimmer with sensor would have been nice. The high level is fine for the day and the low level is acceptable for the night, but who's going to move the tiny switch each day? I leave it on the low setting. I really like the room dark when I sleep and I would have preferred the low level to be a bit dimmer. The display is mostly green, with orange for the weekday alarms. The green is fine, but the orange is just a bit too bright. But again, it's acceptable.

Time Features: Auto time set - well not really. The auto time set feature prominently displayed on the box is a bit misleading. Unlike other clocks (such as from RCA) which can set the date and time and change daylight savings automatically, this clock is just set at the factory and uses a lithium battery to keep the time. If you happen to live on the east coast of the United States, then the time is correct when you first plug it in. Otherwise, you need to adjust the time zone. Since the clock doesn't know the date, daylight savings is also manual, but here at least Sony provided a single button to change the 1 hour offset. My only complaint is that the daylight savings button is on the top and could be accidentally pushed - the display does show an icon for the 1 hour offset, but it's really tiny. I would have made the daylight savings feature a toggle switch (not a push button) and put it on the back - you only use it twice a year.

Radio: Old style analog display and thumb wheel for tuning. Digital with presets would have been nice, but let's not forget, this clock only cost $25. The tuning wheel is stiff enough that it won't be accidentally changed when pickup up, moving, or just dusting the clock.

Alarm: Here's where this clock really shines. The box says it has two alarms, but in reality it has four individual alarms! The thinking by Sony is that two alarms are for the weekdays and two are for the weekends, but since the weekday/weekend feature is a manual push button, you can really use the alarms however you wish. My kids have Timex clock radios with a 7-5-2 feature which lets you determine if the alarm should be used for weekdays, weekends, or both. This is nice because it's automatic, but on the other hand you only get two alarms and have less flexibility. I think the Sony solution is excellent. The clock also makes it totally clear which alarms are active - orange background for weekdays, green background for weekends, and no display in the quadrant when the alarm is off. Setting the alarm time is also very easy with a separate twist knob for each displayed alarm. The time can be adjusted forward or backward one minute at a time. Holding forward or backward changes the minutes quickly and after a few seconds, switches to 10 minute increments. This is a much better solution than just increasing the speed as most other clocks do. In fact, the only other clock that works better is my old Panasonic which has separate forward and backward buttons for both the minutes and the hours. Regardless, this clock has excellent time set controls!

Snooze: What is it with 9 minute snooze alarms? My theory is that increments of 9 are much harder to add in your head and all that thinking wakes you up - but in reality I think it harks back to a limitation of the old mechanical alarm clocks. Anyway, I needed a 10 minute snooze and this clock has that. Plus, if you continue to press the snooze button (which is big and easy to find without looking), the snooze can be increased in 10 minute increments up to an hour - a nice feature. The clock even blinks the alarm set time after you press snooze to indicate you're beyond the original wake up time.

So that's about it. There are some other features (nap timer, alarm melodies, no power no problem), but I haven't really used these much. If you're looking for similar features and also need a CD player, Sony makes another Dream Machine alarm clock (ICF-CD843V), but that one costs $70 and looks like a weird space helmet. All in all, this is an excellent clock radio with well designed controls, tons of features, and a low price.

After my dog spilled water on my last Sony clock, i was on the hunt for the new one... What sold me on this was compact size, "no power, no problem" and the fact that you can see what time the alarm is set at right on the front and know that its on or not... no guessing....

The bonuses that add something extra is the ability to set two alarms each for both weekdays and weekends and each has their own optional melody instead of radio or buzzer. I also like the way this buzzer works, which starts off infrequent and builds up to more annoying the longer it goes off... that gives me a chance to turn it off or hit snooze before it goes hog wild.

Unlike other reviews, I think the back lights are perfect... the dim at night and bright during the day are exactly how I would like them, although I noticed that my backlight is orange where the one pictured is green. Maybe that makes a difference. One last bonus is I found this at Target as part of the "liv" series which are tan in color... usually you are stuck with white or black and the earth tone was a nice touch.

Overall, I'm glad my dog ruined my old one!

I've had a Sony radio alarm for about 15 years. I got it from my Grandmother for Xmas, and it has served me well. I decided it was time to upgrade and Sony has earned my loyalty over the years with things from computer monitors to a 27" Trinitron from 1983 that still works like new.

This clock radio does what it advertises, but it isn't awesome. The controls for alarm adjustment feel like they will break eventually, and the display is hard to read if you don't have eagle eyes. The radio tuner is weak, even near my window, I can't tune in all of the stations that I want.

However, those are they only downs that I've found thus far. The radio has a small footprint, which is very nice in my closet-sized room, and the dual alarm feature is great, as is the push on/off feature. As mentioned above, the knobs used to set the alarms feel somewhat cheap, but they are nice because you can go up and down, as opposed to some alarms that only allow you to move forward. The display brightness can be adjusted, which is nice because on full blast it is VERY bright. The controls are logical and simple to use, and the audio quality is marginally above average.

Two features I really enjoy are the sleep button and the 'weekend' function. The sleep button increases the minutes each time you hit it, which is great for those of us that need an extra hour but don't want to program the alarm for it. The weekend function turns the alarms off, but keeps the setting saved... pretty cool.

Overall this is a fine alarm clock. It wasn't too pricey, it works well for what it needs to do, and it is attractive and small.

Edit:
After a few more months of using this alarm I've come to realize that the viewing angle is only good if you are at eye-level with the clock, or you are above it. This means you can't have it up high on a dresser because the LCDs will be unreadable and very faint. Otherwise still happy with it.

I've been through a lot of clock radios, even trying some vintage ones lately just for variety. But the dial light burned out on my 1970 Sony and I decided to get a modern one. I found this one at the big discount store with a bullseye logo. Mine is identical except the large LCD is orange, and the alarm ones are green. Oh and it was cheaper. This clock is great for a budget clock radio. Average radio reception and sound quality (I don't expect much), very easy to set the alarm, and it automatically sets it own time from the factory. It addresses all the issues of other clock radios: small footprint on the nightstand; 2 alarms; a powerful, replaceable backup battery that will preserve the alarm all night; reasonable lighting on the face (some think it's too bright, for me it's just this side of acceptable, maybe the switched colors made a difference); and the numerals are visible when viewed from a lower position. They dim somewhat, but are still visible and actually help tone down the brightness a little. I'd say that so far, it's one of the best I've ever owned.

I bought this alarm clock to replace a Coby dual alarm clock. I was always annoyed after a power failure when I had to reset the clock and my alarms. Here's a summary of what I like a dislike about it:

Pros:
-4 alarm times! The clock has the usual 2 alarms plus a weekend mode for 2 more alarm times.
-The alarm times are very easy to see. They are displayed in their own section which makes it very easy to tell what time the alarm is set to.
-The alarm time is only lit up if the alarm is on, making it very easy to tell if you turned it on.
-The knobs on the sides make setting the alarms very easy. Rotating a knob quickly back and forth advances the time 1 minute at a time, while holding a knob makes the time advance by 10 minute intervals.
-the display is dimmable
-The radio reception is decent (better than the Coby I had)
-The snooze bar is nice and big
-There is a 'nap' setting which counts down 90,60,30,15 minutes and then sounds the alarm
-There is a choice for alarm sounds: radio, buzzer, and a melody ("Morning")

Cons:
-Just one, the degree of visibility could be better for the display. With my head on my pillow, I see the clock at an angle and can just barely make out the time. Not a huge problem since I know that if the alarm isn't going off, I should be sleeping.

I really like this alarm clock. I would recommend it to anyone - whether they need a dual alarm or not.

When my old alarm clock broke, I set out to search for a new one and had a lot of requirements. After much research online and talking to friends, I settled on this one. The reasons I think it's a great alarm are because of its features:
1) nap timer (10, 20, 30, 60, 120 min.)
2) 4 alarms
3) flexible snooze button (you can snooze for up to 60 min. in 10-min. intervals)
4) backup battery in case of power failure

These features in themselves don't justify getting this alarm, though. The best feature, though is that there are two separate alarm dials on either side of the clock for easy setting of alarms, and that you can easily tell which alarms are set by looking at the clock. First the dials--so many times before I've been frustrated when I set the alarm, only to realize that I had actually changed the time! The dials on this clock ONLY change the alarm times, so that problem is avoided.

Also, while many other clocks have separate menus for each alarm (ie, you hit a button and Alarm #1 shows up on the screen, and you hit another button and Alarm #2 shows up, etc.), this one has it staring right at you along with the time. Yes, it may seem cluttered, but it's really helpful to be able to glance at the clock in the middle of the night and be reassured that you set the alarm for the right time (and that it's set at all). That's because the two windows in the bottom are designated only for the left and right alarms. If there's no time shown, the alarm won't sound; if the time is shown, the alarm will sound. That simple! The weekend setting basically allows you to switch to 2 other alarms, so there are in essence 4 alarms.

I was concerned about a some of the comments in a few of the less favorable reviews and I'll address those questions in a moment. Before doing that, though, I also wanted to add that one nice thing about this alarm clock's interface is that I can easily set an alarm as follows: Alarm #1 on the weekday sounds at 7:50am with a low radio to slowly wake me up. If I don't wake up by 8am, Alarm #2 goes off with the louder buzzer. If I decide when I go to sleep that I'd like to sleep in a bit (since my job has flexible hours), then I can hit the "Weekend" button to switch to the other 2 alarms, which are set likewise, but just an hour later. It's been a great joy to be able to wake up gradually, but to have the security of knowing that I'll wake up at the buzzer if I sleep through the radio.

Turning off the alarms before they sound is easy--there are 2 also specially designated buttons to turn each alarm on or off. The alarm time no longer displays when the alarm isn't set. Ever wonder if the alarm is still going to wake you up after you hit the snooze button? This clock displays the amount of time you've requested to snooze (press it again for more time), and then the alarm that will sound blinks until the alarm sounds. That's reassuring--sometimes I hit the snooze button and forget whether I actually hit it or turn the alarm off. A quick glance at the screen's blinking alarm time reassures me that the alarm will wake me up after the snooze.

No alarm clock is perfect, though. Here are a few concerns that other people pointed out, along with my thoughts:
1) The display is too bright. This is true for many people who are sensitive to light--indeed, there are only 2 brightness settings, and both are fairly bright. You could get a shaded plastic sheet to cover it, or set it further from you. While I think this is a legitimate concern, it hasn't bothered me at all. I actually like being able to see the time very easily without having to press a backlight button.
2) The Daylight Savings Time button. Some have complained that while trying to turn the alarm off (by pressing a button a top), they've pressed the DST button, which pushes the time back an hour and causes one to be late for work. True, there are a lot of buttons on top, but I think that (a) the alarm off button is far enough away from the DST button, and (b) just don't use DST time at all. Instead, change the alarm time manually when DST roles around; that way, if you accidentally press the DST button, you'll wake up an hour early instead of an hour late. No real harm done. But realistically, I don't foresee ever accidentally hitting the DST button, and even if I were to, the sun symbol on the clock would alert me to that.
3) Can't set the time. I noticed that some reviewers wrote that you cannot change the time on the clock. This is wrong, and I'm confused as to why they would write that. Although the clock comes with a factory-set time, you can change it to any time at any point, just like any other clock.
4) Display is hard to see. Yes, from below, the numerals are hard to read, so consider whether there's somewhere at eye-level or lower that you can place the clock.
5) Doesn't keep track of dates. I saw a complaint that the clock doesn't automatically kick into the "weekend" mode when the weekend actually roles around. While I can understand why somebody might desire such a function, I actually like the fact that it doesn't automatically restrict the "weekend" mode to the weekend. This way, I can essentially have 4 different alarm clocks set for various different situations, and on any given night I can switch pretty easily.
6) Alarm is too soft. The buzzer alarm setting is soft, but the melody alarm setting is really loud.

In addition to the comments above, there are a couple additional things that I wish Sony had thought of:
1) The alarm set dials -- The dials to set the alarms should have been the type that can tell how far you're rotating it, so you could make the time change faster or slower. Instead, the dials are basically big buttons--you rotate it up, and it clicks, and the time begins to move up by minute. After holding it up for a bit, the time then moves up by every 10 min. That's it. You can't go faster, and the only way to slow down is to stop and start again. It doesn't make sense to have dials if you can't change the time more precisely.
2) Nap function -- When I press the nap button to choose the amount of time I'd like to nap, it displays the nap duration and then returns to the normal time. Sometimes, I'll wake up in the middle of a nap and want to see how much time I have left on my nap--but there's no way to do that. Instead, I have to do the mental math in my head based on the time, and by that time I'm wide awake.

I'm still giving this product 5 stars because it's a clean product with a great interface that's easy to use when you're awake and when you're half asleep. The clock itself looks great and it's not too pricey. The square shape is slightly big, but it also means it takes up less space width-wise on the night table. I've seen a lot of different alarms--many value function over form, and others value form over function. This one hits the spot in the middle: elegant but very functional.

In all, I'm very impressed and I look forward to going to sleep every night knowing that this thing's going to wake me up!

A terrific idea: Show the current time AND the alarm times all at once. Very intuitive, very helpful. Unfortunately, the backlit LCD display just doesn't make the grade. The numbers do not stand out against the bright background enough to be easily readable. The manufacturer's photo makes the numbers look sharp and clear, but the customer image from wickedpete is much more realistic. The numbers just wash out.

It's interesting that the customer image shows the orange and green backlights reversed from the manufacturer's image and from the unit I got. I think that would be a slight improvement, because on the one I got, the orange (backlighting the alarm times) is about twice as bright as the green (backlighting the current time), and it just looks weird.

Also, FM radio reception is quite poor. The line cord is supposed to serve as the antenna, but that just doesn't work well no matter how I orient the cord. I can't tune in a strong station just 10 miles away. So back it goes.

Bought this clock to replace an old, well-loved Sony Dream Machine. The supposed innovation here? The time is set at the factory and kept by an internal battery; the owner chooses his/her time zone and voila! Only problem: Should the backup battery die before purchase, as mine did, there's no way to set the time, even if one replaces the battery. In this event, one is to take the clock "to a Sony dealer"! I'm sending mine back to Amazon. Personally, I never found setting a clock all that onerous.

Needed a dual setting clock radio to replace old dual setting clock radio that finally died. Had to be dual set as my wife and I have different work schedules. This clock allows us both to wake to radio (as opposed to some that let one wake to radio and the other has to wake to buzzer or nature sounds). This clock is also nice in that it allows you to quickly and easily see in passing what time both alarms are set for, and that they are set and on, without having to push buttons or slide levers. Alarm times are very easy to set, and alarm displays are clear as to wake time, AM or PM, and the wake mode that is set. Another nice feature is ability to quickly change to regular weekend wake times (we regularly need to get up at the same time on Saturdays and Sundays). If the alarm is not needed, it is easy not only to turn it off, but to see that it is off. The clock has a nice-sized display. The bright mode was too bright, even across the room. But the dim mode is just right. If you want a clock that you can use as your radio, this is probably not the one for you, as the sound is pretty shallow. But for an alarm clock, especially where you wake to the news, as we do, the sound is just fine. Reception of the less than powerhouse station we listen to was also fine. And for all those good features, the clock has a very reasonable price. The only reason for 4 stars is that while the clock is very functional, it's not much of an asset to room decor. It gets the job done, though, and we are satisfied with the purchase.

Great Clock. Easy to setup, and use. Screen is easy on your eyes especially in the dark or low light. I really like the fact that the alarm settings are visible on the screen. This eliminates having to press additional buttons to double check if the alarm is set to the correct time.