Customer Reviews

Zenith Z250B Redi-Set CD Clock Radio (Self-Setting)

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

 

 

I'm really happy with this CD alarm clock.

The best features are:

the ability to set the alarms for weekdays only, weekends only, or all week;

the fact that it has two separate alarms which don't need daily re-setting;

the remote control that lets you hit snooze from across the room (as well as controlling other functions);

the ability to wake to one of three pre-programmed sounds (that start off quietly and gradually increase to wake you gently) OR the CD (and choose your track) OR the radio OR a buzzer;

the ability to choose from pre-programmed time limits to fall asleep to any of the above (the three "sleep sounds" being different from the "wake up sounds!");

that one can use the three relaxing "sleep sounds" not only to mask outside noises but for therapeutic qualities (they're gently repetitive but long enough to be unpredictable, and they're musical in nature);

the adjustable brightness display (so you can use it as a night-light); and the radio preset buttons.

It also comes with a lithium battery pre-installed and already set to the correct time (you may have to change your time zone simply by pressing one button on the base.) Plug it in and you're set.

The negatives? There aren't many... the display is a little too bright on the lowest setting, and would be less intrusive at night if it were red instead of green. The sound quality isn't that of a stereo, but it beats the average boom box, and there is a bass boost feature and "wide sound" option (but no EQ functions). As with a boom box, at very low volumes you can hear the CD mechanically spinning. The manual isn't written very clearly, and since there are a LOT of options, it might take a second run-through before you're comfortable with everything.

But for the price, you can't beat this little clock! The sound is very, very good at mid- to high-volumes, and it takes up virtually no table space. I'd definitely purchase it again and am very pleased with the quality.

I bought this clock radio for my husband for his birthday several months ago. We are very disappointed with its performance for several reasons: 1) As stated in another review, the clock's glow is too bright. If you are used to sleeping in a very dark room, this clock will annoy the heck out of you. The lowest setting is still too bright. Also, sometimes it would switch to the brightest setting at midnight, waking us out of a sound sleep; 2) If you play a CD to go to sleep, you CANNOT wake to the alarm. This is really a terrible defect. It even says in the manual that if you wish to wake to the alarm you must "make sure there is no CD inside it." So, if you want to go to sleep to a CD, you either must wake to the CD (gradually) or wake up to take the CD out the night before. We cannot imagine why they would make the player like this; 3) We also noticed the spinning noise created when the player is at a low volume. We should have immediately returned the item but we ended up keeping it - we moved it to the bathroom for use with showers and are much happer with it in there. And for the clock radio? We went and bought a Sony (which was cheaper), and it is working out great. My advice? Don't bother with any Zenith clock radios, they should stick to making TV's!

I bought two of these. Features are great. But the CD player did not work on either. Penney's took them back without a murmur.

I was a little hesitant after reading a review that said another persons CD player didn't work, but at this price I thought I'd take a chance. Mine works perfectly. I checked out 4 or 5 with similar features at a Fry's and this one was my favorite of the group and at Fry's they were all about twice this price. The feature I like best is that you have 12 FM presets and it lets you go to sleep listening to one station and will wake you up to another one and another volume. I'm very happy with it.

I've had one of these for just under a year, and I'm ready to replace it. Why?

<u>Cons</u>:

1) The wake-to-CD feature is annoying: it always starts at the beginning of whatever track you choose, so if you hit the snooze bar, you (and anyone else nearby) hears the same few seconds of the track each time. If you don't reset the track choice daily, you hear the same bit of that track every day. Also, the CD player starts up with a "kachunk" sort of noise; if you're a light sleeper or you have the unit close to your pillow, that's probably what will wake you up.

2) The "soothing sounds" are annoying: they're hokey, the sound quality is poor, and they're on short digital loops (you can hear the "seams" clearly).

3) Setting the alarm is annoying: it's not the least bit intuitive, and I've overslept several times after making mistakes.
...a) The "indicator" on the screen doesn't indicate anything but that alarm #1, #2, or both, are set; it doesn't say for what time, day, alarm type, or volume, so if you've accidentally set your workday alarm to the weekend, or to 0 volume, you won't know until it's too late.
...b) Plus, while setting the alarm, it announces your having finished doing so with a nice loud beep -- so if you want to check the tricky thing while your bedmate's asleep, the bedmate may not be asleep for long. (You can skip the beep if you wait an extra few seconds for it to go back to regular mode, but I often forget or get impatient.)
...c) There are 20-odd buttons, all with multiple functions, none with clear labels. I have to get out the manual every time I set the alarm.

4) "Redi-Set" is annoying: it's NOT ATOMIC TIME (that is, not set by picking up the super-accurate radio signal from an official atomic clock, now aka WWVB), and it's not all that accurate. In less than a year, it's gained seven minutes. It seems to gain the most after a power outage, which is, of course, exactly when the feature would be most useful, if it worked. As far as I can tell, Redi-Set's cutting-edge technology consists of a preinstalled backup battery.

5) The "off" button is annoying: this may not bug you, but I'm not all that awake when I wake up. The off button is (in my opinion) too close to the snooze button. They *are* different shapes, but what I need is for the snooze button to stick out way more than anything else near it, and for the off button to be hard to hit by accident -- preferably on a different side of the unit altogether. My previous radio's snooze bar was wide enough for me to stick some of those little rubber feet to (usually used to keep knickknacks from scratching your nice furniture), so it stuck out more. This one's too narrow for that.

<u>Pros</u>:

1) I didn't think I'd ever use the remote, but I discovered that if I'm listening to NPR on this radio while getting ready for work, the remote is a sanity-saver during Pledge Drive Week.

2) The separate antenna helps radio reception a lot. I wish all clock radios came with one, or at least with a clearly-marked spot to plug in the one I'll keep from this unit after the unit itself goes to Goodwill.

3) It's got dual alarms with 7/5/2 day choice. This is wonderful -- I'm spoiled by it and may never be happy without it again.


Oh, how I wish someone would make the clock radio I really want... true "atomic" time, decent FM reception, dual alarms with weekday/weekend option, intuitive buttons, a CD player that starts up silently and picks up where it left off, and a snooze bar no one could miss.

It does what it is intended to do, better than any other clock radio I have seen - it wakes you up in the morning with gentle sounds. The guy who wrote the Amazon.com product description did not know what he was talking about. Neither did the manufacture's website last time I checked. This unit actually has two alarms not three. But each of them can be set to wake you up weekdays, weekends, or both. This is what makes this clock/radio/cd so useful. You can set it to wake you up at different times for workdays and weekend days! No more waking up Saturday morning at 6:00am because you forgot to turn the alarm clock off! The unit also turns on it's alarms gently. I particularly like the simple note sequences it can play to wake you up.