Customer Reviews

Sony ICFCD3iP CD Clock Radio for iPod and iPhone (Silver)

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(40)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(16)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

I bought and returned the Sony ICF-C1IPMK2 a few weeks ago. You can find my review of it and my reasons for sending it back. In brief, audible distortion killed it for me. I subsequently ordered the ICFCD3iP with the expectation that sound output would be weaker.

I received the CD3iP today and I'm happy to say that it accomplishes its mission very well. It's not meant to be a Bose SoundDock, but it produces very well behaved sound. Let me see if I can explain it further...

First, there is absolutely no audible distortion. The sound is clean and well balanced; it has weight and is not as tinny as some would suggest. For a clock radio, the speaker does a remarkably good job. The volume goes up to level 20, which is loud enough for a single room but not loud enough to damage your ears. Realize that it's a small speaker and keep your expectations reasonable. Even at maximum volume there is no distortion and the sound is tightly controlled.

The FM tuner does a superb job of producing a clean and clear output with no listener fatigue. Small amounts of hiss or noise can quickly lead to fatigue, so it's particularly gratifying to have an FM radio to which I can listen at length. NPR (local 88.5) comes through very nicely.

The alarm and clock are thoughtfully designed. Large numbers are easy to read, the display has 3 brightness levels, and the dual alarms can be set for weekday, weekend, and wake-to-radio, wake-to-iPod, wake-to-CD, or wake-to-buzzer.

Alarm and radio presets are backed up by an onboard battery, so no flashing 12:00 after a power outage.

iPod/iPhone integration is the same as on the ICF-C1IPMK2. The remote lets you navigate your iPod.

Overall I'm quite happy with the design and performance of the CD3iP. It replaces a 12 year old alarm clock without taking any more space while adding CD, Radio, and iPod playback.

I've had this since just before Christmas and have no complaints so far. I wanted an alarm clock where I could wake up to my iPod but also have a CD alarm. I've used it to wake up to bought and burned CDs as well as my iPod and it's worked every time. There are a few neat things about the clock I like: 1) The clock sets itself 2) You can set two alarms and you can set the alarms to wake up on weekends or weekdays (and it displays the current day) 3) I can fall asleep to a CD and wake up to my iPod 4) It charges my iPod 5) The remote controls the iPod itself too. Also, for an alarm clock I think the sound is pretty good. Two things to note however. First, the display is kinda bright. It has a dimmer with three settings but even the lowest setting is brighter than a normal clock. It doesn't bother me but if you need your room pitch black to sleep, this is not the clock for you. Second, just a heads up, the default for waking up to the iPod is by artist in alphabetical order. To wake up to a playlist you actually have to go to your playlist, select the first song, pause it, then turn off the iPod. It says this in the instructions but it's not obvious. Overall, I really like this clock. Here's hoping it lasts, unlike the mini stereo I was waking up to before I bought this.

I like this clock/docking station, but I have one major complaint which almost made me return it. The clock face, even on its lowest brightness setting (there are three levels), was so bright that it lit up the entire room at night. I couldn't sleep while facing it. If it hadn't been for a friend's suggested remedy, I'd have had to send it back. What I did to dim the brightness was to put a piece of red transparent plastic film over the clock face. Now it is tolerable, but looks kind of cheezy. You'd think for the pretty steep price and the fact that it's a SONY, it wouldn't have to be tinkered with. If you don't like BRIGHT light shining in your eyes while trying to sleep, you may want to think twice about purchasing this item.

This product has a lot of reviews, I'm just writing to fill in a few questions I had when I bought it.

First off, the main display is the time, the day of the week above it (small), whether the alarm is on or off (Alarm A or Alarm B), and below it (small) what music is on (CD / radio/ iPod). If you hit the display button on the top, you get the date (eg 4 - 7) and hit the button again and you get the year (eg 2009).

There are three brightness levels for the display, off, low, and high.

Sound quality is fabulous (caveat: I am not an audiophile, and have never put money in super expensive speakers or headphones). Even on the highest volume, the sound does not crack. Classic Sony quality.

Love the little remote, the presets, the radio (am and fm) and the CD player!

iPod / iPhone slide out tray works awesome, initial impression is be gentle so you don't break it off. Comes with an adapter (presumably for Nano).

Problem: back up battery does not come installed, you need to open the CD player and install it yourself. This isn't a big deal, except the battery compartment is screwed shut, so you need a tiny phillips screwdriver (the plus ones) to unscrew it, which I don't have. So the battery (which comes with the clock) is a bit of a pain to install.

Love love love the display, very clean design, attractive, does its job well and with flair.

Can't imagine my life without the little clock (small footprint is a plus!).

I have an old iPod (3G) which is on its way out, this clock charges it, and is kind of life support for on-their-way-out iPods you no longer have a use for.

I haven't tested it with my iPhone (not the 3G one) but will update my review when I have.

Hope I've helped your purchasing decision!


EDITED REVIEW (OCTOBER 16, 2009):

(Amazon does not let you change your star ratings, which is unfortunate. Count my review as three stars, then, as of today).

I've used this alarm clock, radio, and iPod/iPhone music player every single day since I purchased it.

Problems:

1) iPhone interference. This model of the clock radio is supposed to be resistant to iPhone interference. It IS NOT.
2) Slide out trade is FLIMSY.
3) Back up battery COMES WITH the clock radio and I still have not been able to put it in my clock radio because I do not have a screwdriver that would be compatible. Eyeglass and computer screwdrivers (PC or MAC) will not work.
4) Display is very bright. So bright it bathes my room in a blue light. Which I no longer find a positive experience.
5) Sound is very one-dimensional. It's not awful, but it's not that great either.
6) CD player makes funky noise when it works.

AND MY BIGGEST PROBLEM:

7) The alarm clock GETS STUCK. For example, you set the alarm for 7am, hit the snooze for 10 minutes. Okay, it turns off. It goes off again, you hit the snooze again. Problem: it DOES NOT TURN OFF. You hit the "alarm off button" instead of the snooze. Problem: IT DOES NOT TURN OFF. You end up having to unplug your alarm clock to get the buzzer off, which means you have to redo all the settings. Because the battery could not be installed.

Did I get a defective product because of the alarm clock snooze button / off button problem? I do not know.
Did I contact Sony? Not yet. I will update this review when I do. I will contact both Sony and Amazon and see what they can do.

The inability to use the snooze button because of its malfunction is the worst thing in the world.
The WORST THING IN THE WORLD.
I have tried it on buzzer, radio, CD and iPod. Fail, fail, fail, and fail.

Most people review the product within a week of getting it.

I would be curious as to whether more long term owners (I've had mine just SIX MONTHS, it is already malfunctioning) have the same problem. Is it a defective unit, or just a design flaw?

I still like this clock, but because of the not working, I would probably not purchase it again.

I relied heavily on the idea of "Sony Quality". Maybe because of the times we live in, Sony no longer has the sterling reputation for quality that I remember from my childhood. I am very disappointed by this fact, and will have to consider very seriously if any Sony product in the future is right for me.

I will keep you posted on my attempt to have someone fix my defective / design flawed product.

Thanks!!


UPDATED REVIEW (DECEMBER 2, 2009):

My alarm clock is outside its Amazon.com return period. I purchased the item on March 31, 2009. The return period ended May 8, 2009. The snooze button started malfunctioning after the return period ended. So Amazon won't exchange the item for a non-defective item, and won't accept a return. The best they can do is take the item back as a defective product and credit (at max) 50% of the purchase price to me (and the CSR emphasized that that is in the best case scenario). The CSR also recommended that I contact Sony because, after all, it is their product that is defective, and they must have some kind of warranty on it, right? (Of course, the reason I purchased the alarm clock from Amazon was to avoid Sony's customer service, because it is awful.)

Well, maybe Sony's customer service is not as awful as I remember it being. I will contact Sony and update this review with what happens with my defective alarm clock.

Worst case scenario I can return it to Amazon for a pittance. (The CSR said that the fact that the alarm clock was working initially makes it look like I abused it and that is why it is not working, so I probably wouldn't get the 50% back anyway). (The CSR also said that Sony might have designed the product to break in a few months, knowing it would be outside the return period and I'd be stuck with a $100 mistake - and would be forced to purchase a new alarm clock). Out of the frying pan and into the fire with options like those!

Wish me luck!


UPDATED REVIEW (DECEMBER 2, 2009):

I called Sony Style at 1-239-768-7547

I spoke with a CSR named Cesar, who told me that I would send the alarm clock in for service, but could not exchange it or return it. He said the service process takes roughly 7 - 10 days, that I would have to pay shipping costs to get the clock to Sony, and that they would pay the shipping cost to get the (repaired) clock back to me.

Alternatively, I could take the clock in to a service center with a copy of my receipt and the product warranty and get the clock repaired.

This is not ideal and this alarm clock is not worth this headache.

Three stars and falling. Do not make the mistake I did of purchasing this product.


ANOTHER UPDATE:

For those in my situation, here are some links that might help:

Sony Service Website
[...]
(where to get a work order number)

Sony Product Website
[...]
(where to get a copy of the warranty of the product)

I think this product is great in every way, except one... it doesn't work with the latest iPhone 3GS model. I bought it and was very excited about the product. But every time I put my iPhone in the dock, it would tell me that it wasn't compatible, and would ask if I'd like to turn on "Airplane Mode". If I clicked 'no', and tried to play it, it wouldn't be able to play through the speaker in the clock radio. It would just play it through the iPhone's internal speaker instead. I contacted Sony technical support, and they confirmed that it is not compatible with the iPhone 3GS. Too bad. Now, if only they had listed that in the product description. It says it works with an iPhone (and that it is even iPhone 3G certified), but apparently not for the latest model - you'd think that would be pertinent information.

Had high hopes for this product, but my review is mixed.

Pros:
1) As some others have said, the sound is decent compared to other iPod docks I've tried of similar price. Plenty loud for a bedroom.
2) The display is very easy to read.
3) The alarm functions are convenient for setting weekday only or weekend only alarms.
4) The remote, though tiny, works well from almost any distance.

Cons:
1) I'm sure it depends on your location, but the FM tuner is pretty weak. I can't receive even the most powerful stations in my area without static and loss of signal. Any previous radios I have had pick up the signals easily.
2) The display is WAY TOO BRIGHT, even on the lowest setting it lights up the room. I have to put a book in front of it, which sort of defeats the benefit of the nice large number display.
3) It might not seem like it from looking at the photo of the product, but every convenient surface has a button. I dare you to try and pick or move the thing up without turning something on or off. There are even buttons on the back. Frustrating.
4) Battery backup is nice, but mine arrived without a battery even though the instructions said it would arrive with a battery and pre-programed.
5) Waking up to music from your iPod is a great concept, but it isn't as cool a feature as it sounds. The alarm only starts your iPod, opens the main music folder, and begins playing songs from the top of your library. I've experimented with shuffle modes and other attempts to get it play a playlist or randomly, but nothing has worked so far.
6) Sadly there is no "Nap" function.

Overall, I wouldn't purchase this as a stand-alone alarm clock, and I wouldn't buy it if I was looking for a great sounding dock. But if you want a less than perfect version of both in one package, I guess this might work for you.

I ordered the dream machine in November and received it promptly from Amazon a few days later. I have always been a fan of the dream machine since the late eighties and have continued to upgrade w/ a new dream machine over the years. This product works well as a docking station and charger for my iphone and its not as big and bulky as my previous alarm clock (The I-home). It has a contemporary look and very easy to set up. Also the digital display isnt too bright which was a huge problem with my other alarm clock. Absolutely no complaints with this product.

I just bought this clock radio about a week ago. It functions well as a clock radio, has a small footprint and looks pretty good. The sound quality is average to poor if you are used to listening to stereo speakers, but if all you want to do is wake up and listen to the radio, a cd or your ipod for short periods, it will do fine. I also really like the fact that it will charge my iphone right next to my bed. No more transferring the USB cable from computer to charge my phone!

This unit just replaced my old Sony CD/Clock Radio that had a much better sound, but was alot bulkier. Overall I am happy with this purchase, but will still use my other systems when I am serious about listening to music.

I actually bought this for my 6-year old daughter when her archaic and bulky cd/stereo player bit the dust. She loves to listen to music or storybooks at night before bed. Since it integrates so well with iPod I figured we would give it a try. The controls are very intuitive even for my daughter. She can control the iPod (5th gen) with the remote, go to her playlist, pick the song she wants, etc. Volume control is easy with the remote. It even serves as a great mini-TV/movie player using the older iPods. The buttons are a great size. Having a CD player is a great option for just popping in a storybook CD.

The sound is perfect for my daughter. If you're looking for top quality sound, this unit is just too small to produce that level of quality and you should look elsewhere. If you're looking for a small clock/radio/cd player with very tight iPod integration, this is a fantastic little unit. Highly recommend.

This clock radio looks very good on my night stand, with very easy to read digits. It also has all functions, like CD, radios and ipod, etc. However, the not so good sound quality withdraws it from a perfect clock radio. Due to its small speakers, it sound like a small portable radio.