Sony ICF-C1IPMK2 Speaker Dock and Clock Radio with iPod Dock (Black)

I've had this Sony ipod alarm clock for around 4 months now and I must say I am relatively impressed. Sure you may think it is quite pricey for an alarm clock but rest assured it does so much more. I personally was sick of the horrible tin can sound of my old alarm clock and decided that I wanted to wake up to something that actually sounded decent. Don't let the 3W RMS fool you, this alarm clock packs a punch and surprisingly a decent amount of undistorted bass (providing you don't crank it up to its maximum volume - and even then distortion only occurs in songs with a prominant bass track. The sound is also surprisingly expansive for such a small unit and would happily fill a small room - though you wouldnt want to replace your hifi.

This clock has dual alarms which can be easily changed through the press of one button corresponding to alarm 1 or alarm 2 - ensuring you don't get rudely awakened at 6am on a non-work day. You can choose to wake to Buzzer, Radio or any track on your iPod. Unfortunately you have to pause the ipod on the track you want to wake to, which isnt really ideal but I think its all the other alarm clocks do. A nice feature is the fact that the unit comes with a fully functional remote allowing you to change between FM/AM or ipod, and then control all functions of your ipod from it. I must say though that from a distant any more than a couple of feet, the text on the ipod screen itself is so small that you can't really see the menus you are selecting. (I have mine at the foot of my bed).

There have been alot of complaints about the brightness of the clock display, and I must say it is quite bright even on the lowest setting. This is because the whole LCD is backlit instead of just the numbers/characters that need to be displayed - which isnt really the best design, but you do get used to it. Be warned though, it will add a good deal of light to your room, so if you can only sleep in the pitch black - you should consider covering the clock at night or buying a different product!

All in all though, if you are looking for an alarm clock radio with added ipod functionality, or even if you are just looking for a small unit for the kitchen that allows you to "whistle while you work" - you can't go far wrong with this.

I bought this item as a present and have had a good chance to listen and use it over the last couple of weeks.

There are many dedicated alarm clock units out on the market but only a handful that could be used as a Hi-Fi system and fill a small-mid sized room with decent sound and volume. In this respect the Sony unit delivers with a respectable performance considering the price band it lies in.

The music is reproduced with a good vocal clarity, showing impressive mid range bass, however the compact size does compromise the low range bass and you won't get as much "punch" as a Hi-Fi with larger speaker enclosures. The overall volume is restricted to a level which won't distort the sound, but it will also struggle to fill a room over 5m x 5m in size. You could definitely use the unit at a small party and not be embarrassed by the quality or volume.

The design is neat and inoffensive. Good quality materials have been used and it should age well with the black colour. A nice touch is that there is an adjustable wheel which supports the back of any thickness of iPod - a problem with a lot of other sound docks on the market. This enables the iPod to be used without any front-back movement as you press the buttons.

As with most Sony products the functionality is very good, it's easy to program the radio and 2 alarm times and the remote control is well designed.

The display is too bright for night-time use if you like a dark room at night, even on the darkest setting. Be prepared to cover the display with something handy - we use a sleep mask! This isn't too bad but it does lose half a star because it provides a lot of illumination.

For the money I think there isn't anything else on the market that comes close to the sound quality of the Sony unit that is designed primarily as an alarm clock (at least at the end of 2008).

I purchased this item to replace my alarm clock radio. (I originally purchased the Logic 3 I-Station, but that was not good as an alarm clock, - The volume control to wake with was either too loud or not loud enough such was the difference between volume setting - so I sent it back. It also mucked up the volume control on my I-Pod touch). Whilst, in my view, the I-Station looked nicer the Sony is much more functional for my purposes as a morning alarm.

It is very intuitive to set up and whilst the display is fairly bright is does not effect my sleep. A decent quality display - nice and crisp. The display contains the time, plus it shows the active alarm settings, (there are two alarms), including the time and method of waking, radio, buzzer, or I-Pod. In the I-Pod and radio alarm function the both stay on until you turn them off. So in the morning when the radio wakes me I just hit the sleep button and the radio stays on for 90 minutes which means I can get ready, whilst listening to the radio and forget about having to turn it off. (A useful function for my purposes).

The I-Pod docks very easily and is controllable from the remote control. You can set the sleep function and drop off listening to your favorite tracks or even the radio. Also charges the I-Pod.

The sound quality is good, but not the normal above average Sony sound. There is a mega-expand function, but I don't think it improves the sound at all so I don't bother with it. I don't think you would want this as your main music player - its not very loud and the sound quality declines above say number 10. The radio reception is mostly good but I think the FM ariel wire could have been a bit longer to reach the extra reception quality.

The control and setting buttons are located on the top so easy to access and use, even in the dark you can feel your way around.

In conclusion, there are much better looking alarm clocks than this, but if you want a quality clock display, a decent sound to wake up to and drop off to, either with a radio or I-Pod, that is really easy to use and charges an I-pod touch, I don't think you will go far wrong with this. I have spent a few hours looking for the above criterion and this plus the I-Station are the only ones to fit the bill.