Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great radio! Recieves both AM-HD as well as FM-HD., August 5, 2008
I don't typically write reviews, but i am writing this as a response to a particularly malicious review which claims that this radio is unable to receive AM-HD radio stations.
The radio arrived in attractive, high-quality packaging, with both AM and FM antennas (zero reception without them.) I haven't read the instructions (it's a radio...) but they are included as well.
I quickly unwound the power cord, plugged in the FM antenna, and plugged the radio in. Right away i was impressed with the overall build quality. Nice new-electronics smell, the display is really really beautiful, and unique (inverted black/white LCD is quite eye-catching.) The buttons feel sturdy, and give good feedback when pressed (a nice 'click' or notchiness.)
I've found more than a dozen of stations in my area that have HD stations available. There's a few 'hidden' stations in my area, as well. I was treated to a comedy station (106.5-2) as well as a 50's/60's oldies station (105.7-2.) Besides the 'hidden' stations, and the COMPLETE lack of noise or distortion when listening in digital, the sound quality difference is negligible through the small speakers, but is amazing through headphones. The lack of distortion, and perfect tuning is worth something, tho.
The real benefit is in the AM stations. The only station in my area (that i could find) that is broadcasting AM-HD in my area is WTAM 1100 out of cleveland. It takes a few seconds to kick in, but when the radio recognizes the digital station, and switches over, the quality difference is AMAZING. The difference in quality is literally the difference between traditional AM and FM reception. I really can't stress how incredible the difference really is. The radio personalities i've listened to every evening suddenly sound so much more real, and completely different, as they're now crystal clear (as well as completely free of typical AM noise/interference.)
The overall sound quality is ok. It certainly wont replace a stereo or bose-esque bookshelf system, but it's really a clock-radio at it's heart, and in the realm of clock-radios, this is among the best i've ever heard.
If you need a (nice) clock radio, or if you're like me and just wanted an inexpensive HD-radio to play with, you can't go wrong with this product. The price is right, and if the thought of listening to HD-Radio through such small speakers is making you hesitant, the headphone jack is GREAT.
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31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointing, July 4, 2008
Wow, how disappointing this clock radio was, in just about every respect. First off, let me say I've been researching these HD tabletop radios a lot, and I've already purchased a Sony XDR-S50 and a Sony XDRF1HD. Both of these units have filled their niches wonderfully. The XDRF1HD is a *tuner only*, but at that it does a great job. The XDR-S50 is a great-sounding tabletop radio, only the screen is really bright for the bedroom, and the alarm functions are limited. Hence, it makes for a bad clock radio. In search of a clock radio for the bedroom, I landed on the iLuv i168, for a couple reasons: 1) the price and 2) the large clock display looked appealing, considering most sub-$200 HD clock radios have really small time displays.
Let me start by saying: The display sucks! Sure, it's inversely backlit which is better than the sony since it doesn't light up the room. However, you have to view the clock straight on (vertically) or it's illegible. The horizontal viewing angle is fine, but the vertical viewing angle is bad, especially when viewing from below. This issue is amplified by the fact that the LCD screen is tilted up at maybe a 30-40 degree angle. So if you're like me and you keep the clock radio on the opposite side of the room, level with the bed, you will have a hard time reading it from bed! It's like taking a laptop screen and tilting it way up - the image is all inverted and hard to read. This thing is not nearly as easy to view from an angle as my 30-year-old GE clock radio!
As if the viewing angle wasn't bad enough, iLuv's LCD technology is way inferior to my two Sony's: text scrolling is slow and stuttered. The LED simply has a very slow response time. Unacceptable for a $100 radio!
And now the third display-related issue: when the radio is turned on, the time doesn't show. This CAN NOT be adjusted in the menu. Oh wait - there IS no menu system at all. Seriously? Not showing the time when turned on doesn't sound like a big deal, except that it's a clock radio, and so for me at least it serves an *equally important* role as a CLOCK as it does a radio. It's especially annoying when I wake up to the alarm in the morning, and when I look at the clock, the time doesn't show! I want and need to know exactly what time it is when I wake up, and I don't want to have to walk over to the radio to find out. Again - unacceptable for a $100 clock radio!
Other annoying perks: the radio doesn't show when it's acquiring an HD lock, nor does it show signal strength. Also, there are no tone adjustment options. What you hear is what you get. The radio sounds okay, but I wish I could boost that bass a little - or a least have the option to! No stereo expansion, no surround sound emulation, no equalizer settings, nothing. These are features present on my Sony tabletop radio that I really miss!!!
In conclusion - this radio sucks. The reception is good, but that's a bout it. I was really gambling when I bought this, seeing as there were NO REVIEWS out there except for CNET, and I lost. I hope someone out there will heed my advice when I say: get something - anything - else for a clock radio. Sure you may not need an IPod dock or a remote control. Sure you don't want the smaller clock display. But who knows - maybe that remote will come in handy one day. And reading the time in the morning is a nice thing when you're waking up to your alarm! Those features are worth an extra 50 bucks. That or forego the HD for now. Sorry.
Returning this internet-purchased unit may simply not be a reasonable option for me - we'll see. But assuming I do, I'll probably take my next gamble with the Jensen JIMS-525. It's more money and more features than I need, and it has a smaller LCD. But it can't be worse than this P.O.S.!
PS - the photo above is totally deceiving: this iLuv unit is pretty deep, fyi. You might wanna check the dimensions. And I don't know where that remote came from in the picture above. That doesn't exist - just check any other online retailer. Just a couple more ways Jwin tries to get you to buy this POS.
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?, July 15, 2008
I agree with the first reviewer and would like to add somethings as well...
Cons
It is HUGE, easily takes up half the night stand
Needs external antennas
Read out is tiny (only uses 1/10 of the front surface area)
Read out is bright even dimmed to its lowest setting (lights up dark room at night)
Read out won't scroll through station info automatically (artist, title, etc)
When the radio is on, you can't see the clock
It has a weird button set up, where the power should be is the volume, etc, not intuitive at night.
HD signals must be super strong to be used otherwise, radio won't let you (perfect analog signal doesn't guarantee digital reception)
The speakers are so-so/quiet and you can't hear the difference between an HD station and a clear analog one which leads me to my next point...
It's $40+ dollars AR for a CLOCK RADIO!
Pros
It has great analog reception (w/ external antennas), I got 54 total FM stations CLEARLY
If you use an external speaker source (I connected some powered computer speakers through the radio's headphone jack) the HD sounds great
Overall, I wouldn't buy it again. It was my first attempt to get in to HD radio, but this thing is just not impressive, it's just a clock radio that is too big for over $40 and I would rather go with a cheapy one for maybe half the price as it would have all of this ones features minus the HD radio part (which in my area equals only 6 digital stations).
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