192 of 193 people found the following review helpful:
The IH9, nearly perfect
I have a couple minor complaints with the iHome IH9, let's get those out of the way. First complaint: the AM reception, even with the external antenna isn't great. With the antenna it is "OK" but without the antenna it is non-existent. My previous inexpensive AM/FM clock radio (with digital tuner) did a much better job with AM. Second complaint: I wish the volume wheel &...
112 of 112 people found the following review helpful:
Great iPod sound, poor FM sound
I purchased the IH9 after seeing a good magazine review. When hooked up to an iPod, it sounds spectacular. The sound is on par with any higher-end table radio or bookshelf stereo I've heard, such as the Bose.
However, the FM tuner leaves something to be desired. No matter which station I chose, no matter how strong or weak the signal, the audio was...
This review is from: iHome iH9 Alarm Clock Speaker System with Dock for iPod (Black) (Electronics)
I have a couple minor complaints with the iHome IH9, let's get those out of the way. First complaint: the AM reception, even with the external antenna isn't great. With the antenna it is "OK" but without the antenna it is non-existent. My previous inexpensive AM/FM clock radio (with digital tuner) did a much better job with AM. Second complaint: I wish the volume wheel & adjustment wheel (top left, top right) were "grippy-er". Laying in bed they are kind of hard to turn. Finally, with the iPod sitting above the clock it seems a touch funky and fragile, but I think it is probably fine - almost all the iPod clocks have this EXACT same design, so, I am just paranoid.
Now, for the things I like. The sound is really good. I don't think it is an "auto-set" clock, but it came from the factory already set. Keeps good time (so far). Readout is super easy to read. There are 7 brightness settings to the display, including OFF, and it fast and easy to switch between them. The fall asleep to (radio/ipod/line-in) is great, the dual alarms to (buzzer/radio/ipod/ipod-playlist/line-in) is great. The fact that either alarm can be 7-day, 5-day (weekday), or 2-day (weekend) is fantastic. The remove is somewhat useful, I guess - haven't used it much.
It is a touch pricey, I paid $90 - but I really love the features and sound. No plans to return it.
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This review is from: iHome iH9 Alarm Clock Speaker System with Dock for iPod (Black) (Electronics)
I purchased the IH9 after seeing a good magazine review. When hooked up to an iPod, it sounds spectacular. The sound is on par with any higher-end table radio or bookshelf stereo I've heard, such as the Bose.
However, the FM tuner leaves something to be desired. No matter which station I chose, no matter how strong or weak the signal, the audio was distorted. I adjusted the equalizer settings (the equalizer is a nice touch) as well as the 3D simulation and it didn't help. There was always some distortion, even at low volume levels, whether it was music or NPR.
It's clearly not a problem with the speakers because of the excellent iPod audio quality. I suspect an inexpensive FM tuner, or just a bad batch of FM tuners that wound up in my IH9.
I don't plan to keep the IH9, as much as I like it otherwise, because I listen to FM radio in a clock radio more than I'm likely to listen to my iPod Nano, and distorted sound is distracting. But if you're solely or primarily an iPod listener -- or don't care too much about FM radio quality -- this is a nicely designed and sounding unit.
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This review is from: iHome iH9 Alarm Clock Speaker System with Dock for iPod (Black) (Electronics)
It is a good ipod alarm clock but it has several issues I was displeased with.
Pros:
- Good alarm settings. Dual alarms, ability to wake up to a playlist or a selected song, can set the alarm to go off on weekdays only so there is no need to turn the alarm on/off
- Easy to use/set up
- Good interface and controls
- The remote can fully navigate your ipod and the other ihome funtions such as the radio and alarm.
Cons:
- Although there are 8 dimmer settings for the backlight, all of them besides the brightest and the darkest make an annoying buzzing sound. (its subtle but I can't stand it)
- The radio DOES NOT WORK. I live in New York City, can see the empire state building and I cannot get a station that is broadcast from it. If you plan to use the radio function at all do not get this alarm clock because you will be VERY disappointed. I get only 3 stations somewhat clearly from the middle of Manhattan.
- Does not work with some ipod models so make sure it works with yours.
In the middle:
- The sound doesn't compare to my bose sounddock. If you want great sound and don't care about the alarm features get a bose or klipsch igroove or room groove. If you do want an alarm clock to play your ipod I don't think there is anything better out there without spending a lot of money.
Overall, if you want a solid alarm clock to wake to your ipod (and only your ipod), don't want a radio, and don't care for a better sounding unit like a bose or klipsch then this may be for you. If you really want to spend some money check out the polk isonic or the chestnut hill george
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This review is from: iHome iH9 Alarm Clock Speaker System with Dock for iPod (Black) (Electronics)
iHome has fixed a few oversights in prior models like no radio station presets and the sound is better than the predecessors. The iH9 sounds very good, especially compared to other brands of similar price and fewer features. I echo the first comment - no need to get this through Amazon/TechNG since you can get it directly form iHome (with free shipping) for $30 less. My daughter really likes this unit.
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This review is from: iHome iH9 Alarm Clock Speaker System with Dock for iPod (Black) (Electronics)
Just set this up last night and I'm pretty happy with it. It's not perfect, but it's WAY better than the Homedics iSoundSpa and the Memorex iAwake. Here's what I like:
1) The eight different brightness levels for the display are really nice and you can easily read it from many angles. In my case, the clock sits next to my bed, above my head, and I couldn't read either of the other brands' display at all while lying down.
2) The buttons on the main unit are well placed, easy to feel without a light on, and intuitive.
3) The sound is good.
4) The remote is decent. It's no TiVo remote, but it's decent.
5) There are two alarm clocks and they have options to set them 7 days a week, 5 days a week (M-F), and 2 days a week (Sat & Sun).
6) Sleep mode will lower the volume incrementally as time runs out.
7) The clock sets itself automatically and there's a DST switch in the back.
8) The preset buttons for radio stations.
9) You can set the snooze length to any amount from 1-29 minutes.
10) The iPod integration is done well.
Here's what I don't like:
1) The lowest volume is still too loud for going to sleep to.
2) The FM tuner is horrible. I got really weird results, like finding 104.5 down at 101.7 and tuning one station across eight different frequencies while other stations came in behind it. There are also some local radio stations that it should get, but couldn't.
Since I probably won't listen to the radio nearly as much as the iPod, it's not that big of a deal that the tuner is so bad. Still, I expected more. The volume issue is a bit more of a problem, because it's just a little too loud for falling asleep to. Additionally, since you're already on the lowest volume, it can't fade anymore as the sleep timer runs down. I'll probably get used to it, though.
All in all, though, I like it and I'm keeping it.
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This review is from: iHome iH9 Alarm Clock Speaker System with Dock for iPod (Black) (Electronics)
I've been using the iH9 for about a month now and I'm very happy with it. Other than the obvious iPod compatibility, the things I particularly like are the separate volume level for Sleep mode and the ability to customize the length of Snooze. I also like using the dial to adjust the alarm time -- much easier to use than other mechanisms (other than digital entry).
I haven't used the Radio portion other than just to test the antenna placement (reception wasn't great, but acceptable).
There is support for using a custom iHome playlist for alarms, but I have not yet built such a playlist and have just been using the regular "iPod" setting that uses all music.
As with most such devices, connecting an iPhone without switching to "Airplane" mode will result in speaker buzz whenever the iPhone checks email receives a call or anything like that -- even if you aren't using the radio. My wife used to have the same problem when setting her non-iPhone GSM phone near her non-iHome clock/radio. I'm often amazed by how much interference these GSM phones generate in speaker systems and am glad my CDMA phone has no such problem.
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This review is from: iHome iH9 Alarm Clock Speaker System with Dock for iPod (Black) (Electronics)
I was intially very pleased with this radio so I purchased a matching one for my wife. After a few months, the iPod would no longer charge. I returned the unit and received another. That one worked for about 6 months and would no longer play the ipod or radio. The alarm buzzer was the only sound I could get out of it. Being a glutton for punishment, I returned that one and got another. I opened it up, plugged it in and found that half of the display characters do not work and you cannot tell what time or day it is. This one is going back and I'm searching for another product. Incidentally, my wife's radio is working fine. I'm very frustrated in how much time I've spent trying to find a iPod clock radio that I can depend on.
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This review is from: iHome iH9 Alarm Clock Speaker System with Dock for iPod (Black) (Electronics)
I was given this as a gift a couple of years ago. At first, I was madly in love with it. As other reviewers have said, the iPod dock is a bit fragile. This made me nervous at first. After about six months, the dock just plain stopped working. I don't know if maybe one of the teeny weeny wires in the exposed dock got bent, I don't know what happened. It doesn't recognize the iPod. This is really a shame, because its little speakers aren't bad. Particularly for small home dwellers, this is a great alternative to having a full stereo. I always feel the sound quality is good.
As a clock radio, it is really good. It has three brightness settings, a readout visible from some distance, date and time, and- LOVE THIS- a switch on the back to easily set from Daylight Savings to Standard Time and back. No more rolling all the way around the dial to set the clock back one hour.
After frequent use, the button for setting the alarm became worn out. It required holding it down and wiggling it around to get it to make contact so the clock would go to the mode to set the alarm. Now it's just plain dead.
As a clock and as a radio, I would definitely purchase this product again. For the price, I don't know if I would purchase this again as an alarm clock, and I would not purchase this as a listening device for my iPod.
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This review is from: iHome iH9 Alarm Clock Speaker System with Dock for iPod (Black) (Electronics)
I wanted an option to wake to music, so an iPod alarm was a perfect fit. My son owns the Altec Lansing inMotion iPod alarm clock but when I saw the iHome in an Apple store I decided to give it a try. I have been more than happy with my decision.
I know that some complain about the sound quality but I find it to be just fine. Admittedly I'm not an audiophile, but with slight adjustments to the bass and turning on the 3D option the output sounds normal to everyone in my household. The more important factor to me is how easy it is to use and adjust. Compared to the inMotion alarm clock, it's a lot more user friendly. The click-wheel is fantastic for ease of adjustment and the display has large icons and numbers that let you know without a doubt what things are set at. With the inMotion, on more than one occasion my son's alarm hasn't functioned as he thought it would because he hadn't set it properly.
Other pros are that you can adjust the brightness of the display to eight different levels, you can set the length of snooze from 1-29 minutes, you can create an "iHome" playlist on your iPod and the alarm clock will randomly select from it each morning, and the alarm can be set to go off every day, only weekdays, or only weekends.
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This review is from: iHome iH9 Alarm Clock Speaker System with Dock for iPod (Black) (Electronics)
The sound on this is great. I love having the opportunity to wake up to music. The only thing about buying this on Amazon is that it is more expensive. I found it on the iHome website for $99.
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