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Jan/103
Jan/103
iHome iH5BR Clock Radio for iPod
With its built-in docking station and clean, contemporary design, the iHome iH5 clock radio is the perfect complement for your Apple iPod digital music player. Not only does the iH5 let you listen to your iPod music free from cumbersome headphones, it also lets you fall asleep or wake to music you’ve loaded into your iPod. You can also wake or sleep to FM/AM radio or wake to a traditional buzzer. The compact unit measures roughly 9 x 3 x 6 inches (W x H x D) yet comes complet…
Buy iHome iH5BR Clock Radio for iPod at Amazon
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9:12 pm on January 2nd, 2010
I bought the iHome after recieving a Black Video iPod for Christmas, thinking it would be the perfect companion to my new toy. I have had a number of alarm clocks in the past including many CD alarm clocks, and the important thing for me was (1) that I could choose the song to wake to, and (2) absolute reliability of the alarm. On those two counts, the iHome is a champ. Simply cue up your iPod to the song you want to wake up to, hit pause, and it will start right in when the alarm hits. And if power should be lost, the iPod unseated, or if you forget to plug in the iPod, no problem. It switches to a “beep” alarm which is loud enough to wake you, but not so obnoxious that you wind up in a bad mood all day. Sound quality is SUPERIOR. And the controls are pretty obvious, and nicely lit with a gentle red glow for night useage.
However, there are a few gotchas with this product that probably will mean I will be going back to my old CD alarm clock. First, the LCD display has no “lights off” feature. For some, this will be nice as it means the display is visible even in pitch blackness. But I have a sensitivity to light that sometimes makes it hard to sleep if there is too much of it. Even the lowest light setting (there are three) is sometimes too much for me. Second, there is not a whole lot of iPod integration as far as controls go. You can turn on the iPod, wake to it, and turn it off. That’s it. If you want to change the song, you will want to pick it up OUT of the iHome, change the settings on the wheel, and then plug it back in. Not a bigee, but a step down from the integration that most iPod accessories have. Third, this is NOT a “portable” solution. If you travel, this unit will be too big and bulky to bring along.
Overall, a good product which I recommend if the gotchas do not worry you. But neither of these are mentioned anywhere on the packaging or any of the reviews I have read. Buyer beware… and then enjoy!
10:20 pm on January 2nd, 2010
First off
this is the best integration I’ve seen of a speaker/alarm/iPod trio!
The iPod plugs in real easily, and it is charged while in cradle —- from there, the music, for the most part, sounds great, and all the functions are very easy to use
I was also impressed that it came with batteries, so if the power goes out, the batteries will serve as a backup
and of course, the alarm is loud as heck!
The reason I purchased the iHome though is because of its ‘gentle wake’ feature, which plays music at a low volume, and slowly increases to wake the person up
Phillips was the first to introduce this feature into their alarm clocks, and I loved it! — I hate waking up to a jarring sound, first thing in the morning
however, the gentle wake functions on this alarm are not as solid —– don’t get me wrong, the music does start out at its lowest setting and gradually increases
the music, even at its low setting, starts out too loud, and then gradually increases way too quickly
compared to regular alarms though, this is a HUGE difference, and I don’t find the iHome’s alarm to be ‘jarring’ in any way, but it can definitely be improved upon
for the most part though, I’m pretty happy — its great waking up to one’s favorite iPod songs and playing them while getting ready in the morning —- in addition, every alarm, on this clock, automatically uses Gentle Wake, in comparison to the Phillips, which had to be set manually within this feature
if the ‘gentle-wake’ feature is more important though, then I suggest going with Phillips
otherwise, if you’re looking for a great alarm/stereo package, then look no further!
HAPPY BUYING!!!!!
12:12 am on January 3rd, 2010
Pros- I have had this thing for a year. It has been in a combat zone and some of the hottest weather on earth. It still works as good as it did the first day and sounds great. I thought the sound would be mediocre when I bought it but this thing packs a punch. I love the dimming light feature on the front, it is very nice when you have a dark room. You can have it bright blue, dim blue, or off. You can wake up to your favorite song viathe iPod or just have a pleasant buzzer wake you up. It’s not pleasant in actuality, its an annoying beep, but it wakes you up with a gradual volume shift. If you are a light sleeper it wont be as annoying. I recommend buying the $11 remote. It is very convient if you are using it to jam in the kitchen or even in the living room. I haven’t had one problem with this like I said in a year and give it 5 stars. There are no complaints other than my black color attracts lots of dust. Weekly wiping keeps this from being a problem. I hope this review helped.