I have nothing but praise for the Sangean RCR-5 clock radio.Specifically, here are the most noteworthy aspects of this truly amazing product:
Display
Here is where the RCR-5 truly shines, as it incorporates a backlit LCD with adjustable intensity:one may adjust the backlight to suit your needs, so you have a perfectly legible, yet not too bright display (at night) which can never be "washed out", even in direct sunlight.The display even has a clever feature whereby it will illuminate to full intensity when any of the buttons are pressed, after which it returns to the user's preset intensity after ten seconds. As you can see from the product photos, the display is of a soft, warm color, most conducive to a good sleeping environment; other clock radios using bright blue or green illumination, IMHO, should be avoided if you want to get any sleep.
Auxiliary Input
Very useful for listening to my podcasts at night; when an external source is attached, the Band button will cycle through AM/FM/AU; when none is attached, only AM/FM are available, thereby eliminating "clutter" for those who do not wish to enable this feature.(Note:I'm old-school, and prefer using this method over a "Dockable" iPod solution, as I prefer to completely run my iPod's battery source to zero before recharging...)
Flexibility in Programming
Only found on more expensive clock radios, this model will allow you to use the "Sleep" feature to listen to a particular station (or podcast with the Auxiliaryfeature) at night, and then to wake to radio on a different station.In addition, all alarms allow Daily, Mon-Fri, or Single, with the Audible Alarm using a gentle "ramp-up" feature.
Reception and Speaker Quality
The radio's receiver portion of this product is very good, rivaled by only my Sony short wave receiver (a great radio, by the way!); what looks like a 3-inch speaker provides a very warm, intelligible output, very suitable for the spoken word, adequate for music.If you need a strong system for powerful music, I would suggest purchasing an additional desktop speaker setup (such as for a computer) which can be attached to the headphone output by means of a standard mini-jack connection.
Finally, a no-nonsense Sleep function
Sangean has cleverly incorporated the Sleep function into the Power button (which is gently illuminated when the radio's off); to turn the radio on or off, press the button.To use the Sleep feature, press and hold the same button to select up to 120 minutes.Simple, effective, "it just works".
Final Recommendation
Well, what more can I say?This product works for me (and I'm purchasing three more for gifts) and has a lot going for it, including high value (very reasonably priced!).Is there anything that you should be aware of?Yes:
>As described in the previous customer's entry, setting the alarm may require a few extra key-strokes, as this product offers many options when it comes to waking by either the alarm or the radio; if you do not need all of these features, you may wish to consider something of simpler means.That being said, it took me only about 22 seconds to set the alarm; for me, it was relatively intuitive and logical.
>The built-in battery back up feature only works for about ten minutes worth of backup, according to the manual; in my neck of the woods, this is not a big issue, but should be noted if you experience many nighttime blackouts where you are located.
>Even though this model is referred to as an "RCR-5", it should be noted that it does not employ an automatic time synchronization feature as is found on Sangean's higher end clock radios.(Not a big issue for me, and may actually be desirable for those of us who prefer to set our clocks 5, 10, or 15 minutes fast to "keep us on time"!)
I hope this helps you in making the right decision!All the best!
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Sangean RCR-5 Digital AM/FM Clock RadioProduct Description: Sangean's latest digital RCR-5 AM/FM clock radio is as attractive as it is unique offering features and performance generally found in the most expensive clock radios. Dual Alarm Timers for both "Waking Up to Radio" and/or "Waking up to HWS Buzzer" at different times for week days, weekends, daily or just once. Has both "Sleep" and "Nap" and "Snooze" timers if you need a little extra sleep. "Aux" input allows listening to your CD or any audio device through the RCR-5 radio.
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I got this station not even a week ago and its the worst money that I probably spent. Granted it was only around $50 but trust me you will regret every penny. Its impossible to set the time on this thing since the button that you are supposed to hold onto it doesn't work 90% of the time. When you have it pressed it just literally doesn't move the clock hands and as you take the batteries out and reinsert them it magically starts moving again and when you push the clock set button again same thing happens and it doesn't DO ANYTHING! This is the worst thing Honeywell made...I would not recommend this thing even as a useless piece of firewood or anything you could potentially take out your aggression out on, otherwise you'd be wasting your money.
