iHome iP9SR Clock Radio for iPod, iPhone (Silver)
iHome iP9SR Clock Radio for iPod, iPhone (Silver)
User Ratings and Reviews
3 Stars Good so far but…
I just received my iP9 yesterday and mostly I’m very happy with it. I don’t have an iPhone but I’m thinking about getting one so I thought I’d buy the radio that works with iPods or the iPhone. I’m very happy with the sound quality and the radio reception. It’s definitely a few steps up from my old clock radio. I also like the fact that there’s a dimmer option.
My major complaint, and the reason for the 3 star review is that it doesn’t come with an insert for my iPod. It comes with 3 inserts, 1 for the iPhone, 1 for the iPod touch and 1 for the Nano. I have the 80 gig iPod Video and I have to order an insert. The insert is $6 plus shipping. It’s a little piece of plastic and they’re charging $6? I’m annoyed that I have to get an accessory to make it work and I wish I would have known in advance.
4 Stars Good Companion for iPhone
Before purchasing the iHome, I reviewed competing devices and concluded that the iHome was the one with the best reviews and the most/best features.
The iHpme is not perfect, but it is laden with a number of great features and certainly does the job well. The clincher for me was the ability to adjust the brightness of the display from a good daylight level to an ideal (just visible) night-time level. With such range, I wonder why an auto-sensor was not used !!
Having lived “on the road” I have used and woken to many hotel alarms. Compared to them the iHome is not the most intuitive to use, and after a couple of months, I still have to pull the manual out.
I love the inclusion of the remote control. However, I prefer remotes which have buttons of a different shape and color and which are laid out “logically”. Those on the iHome are way too small, and the graphics/titles unreadable in low light.
With these considerations, I recommend this product to others.
5 Stars Works as advertised
Well I have to say I was hesitant to buy this based on the wide range of reviews here…but I have to say that it has exceeded my expectations after two months of ownership.
PROS
-sound is great, fills bedroom nicely
-radio is crystal clear works as advertised
-alarm function has been working flawlessly for 2 months
-plays and controls my iTouch 2nd generation great( charges it too)
-comes with cradle for a nano and iphone as well as itouch
CONS
- the remote is poorly laid out and leaves a lot to be desired
- selecting a radio preset from the remote is a chore having to go through them all each time, can’t select one (not a big deal)
- cradles are hard to remove once in place( seem to be fragile too)
Overall, all the functionalities work as advertised and this is well worth the money in my opinion.
3 Stars Good sound, but do not use if you rely on a pager for your job
Works well with the iphone except for one very important thing. If you get an SMS message or text page it does not play the sound that the Iphone 3G makes if it is undocked. It smply vibrates if in the doc so you could miss an important page or SMS message. I called the tech support at iHome and they acknoledged that it will not play the sound when you get an SMS message. If you use your iphone 3G like a pager keep this on mind if you are oncall.
One other thing I found out after buying this is that they do not give you the insert that fits the old 30 GB ipod. I had to order it from them and pay about $7 or so for the piece. When I am oncall for work I do not use the iHome radio as I might miss an important page from work.
4 Stars good product
I found this product to be of high quality.
I have another iPod dock station which was about half the price (and I liked fine) but I can tell this iHome product is of a much higher quality.
What I like is:
- high volume capability (which is nice if you use when showering)
- good sound quality (I’m not a sound quality snob but you can tell the difference between this iPod dock and a cheaper one)
- the remote; didn’t think it was important before but now I think it is vital
What I didn’t like:
- need to use iPod buttons if you want to control it when docked
- pricey at 100 dollars but I see the Amazon price is now lower
I cannot comment on the following features since I have not used them: iPhone capabilities and FM/AM radio.
Overall a nice product and definitely a good purchase when less than $100.
Filed under: Mp3 Players Reviews