Customer Reviews

Timex Nature Sounds Clock Radio w/MP3 Line In T158

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

 

 

This clock isn't all bad, it does have a few good features. I like the DST feature that allows you to switch to or from daylight savings time with a couple of buttons, rather than having to actually change the time. The alarm is loud enough, I like that you can set the alarm for weekdays, weekends, or all week, and it's very compact.

But, those good features just don't outweigh the bad, IMO.

1. I'd say the worst thing about this is that the snooze button, the reset button, and the button to switch it to your MP3 player are all right next to each other. Hitting either the reset button or the MP3 player button instead of the snooze button will reset the alarm for the next day. If you don't hit the snooze button, or you wake up enough to ensure that you hit the right button, this may not be a problem -- but I can't even tell you how many times I've meant to hit the snooze button one time and woke an hour or two later.

2. Although it says it has 2 alarms that can be set for different times, that's only true if you want to wake up to the buzzer with one and the sounds with another. You cannot set a "weekday" alarm and a "weekend" alarm that both use the buzzer.

3. The sounds are HORRIFIC. There is nothing calming or soothing about them. The "ocean" is screeching seagulls. "Wind" is high pitched wind chimes.

4. You speakers are horrible, providing a very hollow and tinny sound when used with your MP3 player.

5. The display is way too bright. Although it is adjustable (3 levels), even the lowest setting was so bright that I had to turn it away from my bed - which means I can't just glance over to see the time.

Although I like the size of the clock, it is quite complicated when trying to program the clock. As noted in another review, the snooze is difficult to figure out, even in daylight. Also, I have a hard time finding the button to even turn off the alarm. Also, there have been times that, for no reason, my alarm never went off. So, what good is an alarm that you cannot trust to wake you up? The nature sounds are not very calming, but are much more soothing than the blare of a typical alarm clock. It is great that I can control the volume of the alarm and the volume starts out really low when it first comes on, so it doesn't startle you awake.

This is a neat clock but it is very confusing without instructions. Go to [...] and print out the model T158 manual. It's easy to follow. I didn't want nature sounds, just something pleasant to wake up to. The wind has a windchimes sound I think is great--it chimes lightly at the beginning & gets louder as it continues to chime. The clock is fine--but the manual is a must.

I do love this clock & the fact that it has multiple wake up settings for Mon-Fri & weekends + wake up to buzz or sounds like wind chimes. The clock face even at it's dimmest is a bit bright at night - I need to put something in front of it. It is also VERY delicate! This is my 2nd clock. My son knocked my 1st off my nightstand and it was broken just like that. On a whole a great clock! Just keep it safe!

I love that the display is not black with red numbers. The gold with black is much more soothing. However, it's like a street light at night, even on the lowest setting and it's hard to read from across the room during the day. I miss my Indiglo Travel Clock (3502T) with it's black on gray that only lit up when you pressed it, and even then it was not eye-jarring. It was a cool, easy-to-read classic blue indiglo. But that clock finally died after 12 years and I decided this time I wasn't going to do a buzzer.

The sounds are not so soothing on this one (the ocean comes with screeching seagulls), but that's okay since I'm using it to wake up. Might be good to have two soothing sounds and two wake-up sounds instead of the four busy offerings here. Still, it's much nicer than a traditional buzzer. It's why I wanted this model. So for me, it's doing just fine except for the brightness. Would be nice to be able to turn the display light completely off.

Don't really get the MP3 "feature". Basically just small speakers you can plug into. Alarms don't work in MP3 mode so you can't wake up to music. I would rather have a radio option.

Also, setting up the clock is not very intuitive. I actually had to get out the directions more than once. I might expect that for the sounds feature which I'm not used to, but not for setting the clock.

Generally, it's an odd device but it won me over the first morning when I awoke to ocean sounds and hit the snooze.

One final note: while shopping for this, it struck me how little design has improved in 12 years. Do digital alarm clocks have to be so industrial looking? This one looks like R2D2. Why? Another "spa" clock I saw looked like a spaceship with a periscope (for shining the time on the ceiling -- go figure). Can no one make an alarm clock with beautiful lines or a different number font? Could we wake up to digital pictures and the recorded voice of someone we love? Could a clock have an actual water feature instead of just a recording? Could a digital clock be round or have a round analog-looking face? Could it be part of a bedside lamp, or on a small decorative storage box? Could it have downloadable apps? Pretty buttons? A sense of humor?

When one of you non-corporate geeks comes up with it, please send me one. Thanks.