Emerson CKS3516 SmartSet Dual-Alarm Clock Radio with Time Projection System Review

This review refers to the CKS3528 model, which I purchased from Amazon's partner, Target. The only difference between my model and this one is that the clock projection has a selectable color filter on the CKS3528. This unit listed here does not.

I purchased this clock for the large digit display and projection functions. So far both are working out quite nicely. The display is not too bright at night, when the dimmer is set to low. It is still quite readable in a lit room. The projection is too dim to read if the room is lit, but it works nicely in the dark. I am nearsighted, but I have no problem reading the ceiling display with my glasses off at night. I'd guess the digits are about 10 inches high on my ceiling. The projection is also not so bright that it lights up the room or keeps me awake.

The smart set function is little more than a preset internal clock that lives off a lithium battery when it is not plugged in. The manual says the battery will last 3 years even if the unit is never plugged in, and should last 5+ years when used normally. The clock allows you to change the time settings yourself (if you like your clock 5-10 minutes fast, or if the time ever drifts) and the internal memory will keep the new time setting. This is a nice improvement over the RCA version that I replaced, which had drifted about 2 minutes off and could not be corrected.

The clock knows 7 times zones: Atlantic, Eastern, Central, Mountain, Pacific, Yukon, and Hawaiian. Since you can change the internal time memory anyway, I imagine it would be pretty easy to use this in any zone and just fix the time shift once. However, the clock obeys the 2007 US daylight savings time rules: starting 2nd Sunday of March, ending 1st Sunday of November. There does not appear to be a way to turn DST off. So, if your state or country does not follow these rules, you'll have to change the time or timezone every time the DST changes do not match your area.

The radio is set by an analog dial. The dial indicator lights up when the clock is plugged in, but it's still not easy to tell by the display what channel number you have set. It doesn't seem to drift very badly, but my chosen wake-up station is pretty strong in my area. I'd have preferred a digital tuner.

There are two alarms. Each can be set to wake by buzzer or radio. Each alarm can be set to run for 7-days, 5-days (Mon-Fri), or 2-days (Sat-Sun). The buzzer alarms wake by crescendo, that is, they start softly and increase in volume. I can't comment on how loud they get, since I don't use buzzer alarms. The wake by radio function works nicely, coming on directly to the volume that you have preset. To turn off the buzzer alarms, you have to find one of the tiny (1) or (2) alarm buttons among the many on top of the unit. To turn off the radio alarm, you can also hit the much larger Radio On/Off button on the right end of the unit. The snooze button is large and easy to find in the middle. Snooze is fixed at 9 minutes.

I recommend this clock to anyone who likes to wake up to a radio, and who lives in a US timezone following the new DST rules. My only complaint is the lack of a digital radio tuner.

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Product Description:
Enjoy true ease of operation and convenience with Emerson's SmartSet Dual-Alarm Clock with Time Projection System.With Emerson's exclusive SmartSet Auto Time-Setting Technology, the clock automatically sets itself to the correct date and time as soon as you plug it in.Not only does it feature an easy-to-read display, but the projection system also shows the time in brilliant red numbers on your wall or ceiling.Programmable dual alarms can also be set for weekday only, weekend only, or every day operation.

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Emerson CKS9051 SmartSet Dual Alarm Clock Radio Review

After days of researching, I finally found the best alarm clock for me and my wife! We are so happy with what we found.

I can't say anything bad about this alarm clock, it got everything we are looking for:
- Weekday\weekend\everyday alarms function for each of its 2 alarm. We set up alarm 1 @ 6a.m. on weekdays (for me), alarm 2 @ 7:30a.m. (for her) on weekdays, therefore no alarm on the weekend. We don't have to wake up by the alarm clock Sat. @ 6a.m ever again.
- Individual setting for each alarm wake up to a gradual buzz or radio.
- The clock has a high/low light setting. If you think the display is too bright, set it to low.
- The display is very clear, showing time and day of week.
- The radio is very clear compare to our existing radio alarm clock.
- The most amazing thing is that the clock will reset itself to the correct time in the event of a power outage. The alarm will preserve the alarms' settings. So in case of a power outage in the middle of the night, when the power comes back on, your alarm clock will continue to function as before. What a great idea! You don't have to manually reset it again, and worse, miss you morning alarm.

These are other alarm clocks that I looked at:

Made by Emerson also. I was going to get this one, but I tried it at a store and it can tip forward as you reach in from hitting the snooze button. Also, some of the button are small. CKS 9051's design is much more stable\sturdy.
Emerson Radio Jumbo Triple Display Dual Alarm AM/FM Clock Radio with SmartSet Technology

Too expensive.
Sangean RCR-22 AM/FM Atomic Clock Radio

Too small, for travle maybe.
RiteAlarm Triple Weekly Alarm Clock (R) for Weekdays, Saturday and Sunday, Automatic Extended Daylight Saving Time, Automatic Snooze, Adjustable Volume, Gentle Sound Pattern, Simple Buttons, Pushing Backlight and Battery Operated

This could work, but we prefer larger display and not background lit ones.
Timex Nano Color

Could work but couldn't find it at a store (Target\Sears) to try. Dispay might be too small.
Sony ICFC180 AM/FM Clock Radio

Might work but don't like the dial, display too small. A little expensive.
American Innovative Neverlate 7-Day Alarm Clock

Hope this help.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Emerson CKS9051 SmartSet Dual Alarm Clock Radio

Product Description:
With Emerson-s award-winning and patented SmartSet technology, the flashing -12:00- display is a thing of the past.The CKS9051 digital tuning clock radio automatically sets itself on the first use to the correct year, month, date, day, and time.The clock radio features a large, easy-to-read LED display with dimmer control so it is easy on your eyes in the dark.The dual alarm system features two alarms that can be programmed separately - one for you and one for your partner.Both alarms can be programmed to operate on weekdays only, weekends only, or all seven days of the week.Set the alarm to wake you to your favorite AM/FM music or news station, or to the buzzer.The clock radio adjusts itself automatically for Daylight Savings Time and Leap Year, as well as maintains the correct time when the power returns after power outages.Getting out of bed will no longer be a chore with the help of the CKS9051.

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Emerson Radio Jumbo Triple Display Dual Alarm AM/FM Clock Radio with SmartSet Technology Review

My husband and I went through 4 other alarm clocks before we settled on this one.This alarm clock provided everything that was missing in each of our previous alarm clocks.It has a large easy to read from across the room display (but can be dimmed or shut off and then on again w/a wave of the hand), has two separate alarm settings which you can set for weekdays only, weekends only, and weekdays and weekends also w/buzzer,or radio which each of the two alarms can be set to individual preference.Both alarms are displayed constantly underneith the time (which is suprisingly reasuring feature to have) and my husband likes that the alarm shut off button (radio on/off) is a big round button off to the very left side of the alarm which allows him to turn the alarm off every morning without first putting his glasses on and then hunting for the off button.I love it that once you tap the off button, it turns the alarm off for the day and then automatically resets itself to wake me up again the next day.I also have the option to not shut the alarm off and listen to the radio for an hour as I get ready for work, after which time it will shut itself off until the next day again.All in all a very good buy and well worth the money!!

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Product Description:
Emerson's patented SmartSet® Automatic Time Setting System. The first time you connect this clock radio to your AC outlet it will immediately set itself to the correct year, month, date, day and time in the Eastern Time Zone. If you live in a different time zone there is one simple Time Zone adjustment to make and you will never see the dreaded "flashing 12:00" display again. It will automatically reset itself every time you have a power interruption, and not just the time but your wake-up times as well. Daylight Saving Time and Leap Year adjustments are also done automatically through the year 2099.

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Jensen Interactive AM/FM Talking Dual Alarm Clock - JCR-290 (Black) Review

I was hoping that since this was made by Jensen that the sound quality would be better than the average clock/radio. Unfortunately, it was worse than average. Very tinny, I've heard better in the sixties. The price seems to be based on the voice recognition feature, a nice touch if you use the program wake up sounds. It can't be used with the radio setting. The time display is huge and makes a great night light even when set on the dim setting. On the higher setting, you can read by it. Manual controls are easy to use once you get the hang of them.

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Product Description:
The hands-free way to set your alarm clock.No more fumbling with instruction or pressing multiple buttons to set the time and alarm.Simply say the time or alarm time you want set.All clock functions can be performed manually or by Smart Talk.Wake to radio, alarm or nature sounds (ocean, rain or brook).Features a dual alarm, sleep and snooze with high/low dinner control.Includes an auxiliary input jack for connecting your iPod, MP3 or other digital Audio players.Power:AC 120V/60Hz.Battery back-up for clock:2 x CR2032 lithium batteries (not included).Size:3.5(H) x 7.37(W) x 2.5(D).

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Emerson iC172 iPod Dock Alarm Clock Radio Review

Since I just got it, I'll try to post a followup review in a few weeks.
There seems to be only 1 review on this product (everywhere, believe me I looked) and I have been tracking this for a long while to see if more review would come but alas.The price was down to $49 and since I had a 10% coupon I thought the time was perfect.I was so dubious I had to download and read the entire manual online before visiting the store to check it out.The manual made it even better than I first thought - it just doesn't make sense that the price was so low.
To be honest I guess the biggest hesitation I had about buying this was the fact that, being a gadget freak, a brand like Emerson isn't exactly one that gets me excited to covet said product.I have never owned anything with this brand.
Having said that - these are the features that changed my mind (ranked by importance):
- projection clock - the one that I had really been coveting was an Oregon Scientific one that projects during the day as well, looks really sleek, when it alarms you wave at it and it stops. It does the 180 to reverse display in case needed. And yes, atomic time was cool too for all the obvious reasons - but guess what, it costs $119. It didn't matter how much I told myself that I was 'worth it' - I just couldn't justify spending that much for something that does just one thing. No radio, no dual alarm (I think), no in/out jack.THIS ONE has all that, the projection is bright compared to my old one (I did a side by side) and the focus adjust works great.I am visually impaired so this was important. But wait, theres more!
- IPOD mode - a lot of the made for IPOD products out there do not have a projection clock.That's a deal breaker for me - so that starts to narrow the selection even further.This one has adapters for the various generation ipods and for added measure it has a line in (for shuffle or other mp3 players).So what made me give it 4 instead of 5 stars is the fact that the dock is not made for IPHONE.And I knew that when I bought it.Having said that, if you don't care to miss calls while charging, then just put it in airplane mode.Ah, but this is where the line in comes handy for me - I can't miss phone calls (because of work), so if I don't care about charging my IPhone, I connect it to the line in and voila! no more interference (the wire I use is long enough to keep the phone away from the clock).SO for IPhone, to charge - put in the ipod dock, to use - connect to line in.Its like, whoever designed this product read my mind or was in the exact predicament I was in - I really feel that ( in case (s)he happens to read this review. p.s. this product better be reliable! )
- The sound quality is decent - I mean for the price, its not really fair to compare it to the Logitach 5.1 surround setup that I have on my laptop with a Creative Audigy sound card.Like the previous reviewer, I listened to a couple of other made for IPOD gadgets and they were all pretty awful and the one that sounded decent was in the $150 - 300 range.This one to me sounded better when it was louder.The bass could be better BUT again its really not that bad.If you are such an audiophile, you probably won't feel bad spending a few hundred dollars but I bet you probably will not get all the features this $45 has.
- The dual alarms, the weekend, weekday, 7 day alarm mode, the Smart Set, Sleep Mode, headphone jack and backup battery got thrown in too and it still $45! Depending on who you are, these could be nice to haves or absolute musts. I'll take 'em - all of them!I heard horror stories about atomic clocks being iffy on the receiver's strength or the signal's strength relative to your location - so this Smart Set fixes that issue.Lets just hope that the president doesn't change the DST again in a long while - but given that this contraption is already a swiss army knife masquerading as a bedside clock I wouldn't be surprised if there was a way to adjust for future changes like that as well ,like the way Iphone does firmware updates...ok maybe not.
- Can't wait to try the hand wave snooze thing tomorrow when the 'weekend mode' on Alarm2 goes off at 9.Whee!

So the biggest gamble for me is gong with a brand I haven't used before.I am hoping to be lucky, my last projection clock radio is a no name brand JWIN and it has always been reliable since I got it as an elephant gift 6 or 7 years ago.I am so hesitant to replace it - but the lure of smart set, ipod and the 'wave' upgrade (not to mention the price point) caused me to cave.I guess once you use a projection clock you can never go back - so my little girl will get the old one in her room. (unless they can develop one that tells you the time when you want without you having to open your eyelids - kekeke, yes I am lazy, but apparently not lazy enough to write a short review).
Heck I'm on a roll, I'll continue on - what does it NOT have that I wish it did (as if all the features for $45 wasn't enough) - a smaller footprint like the Scientific Oregon, a weather sensor, a remote, a clapper, a kitty litter box cleaner, a masseuse...just to emphasize how absolutely silly it is to expect more for this price >.< I'll just be thankful if its reliable for a few years.

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Product Description:
The iC172 iPod dock alarm clock radio by Emerson features more than an iPod docking station.It features an integrated LCD projector which allows you to project the time in LARGE numerals onto your wall or ceiling.The large projected display is ideal for anyone who has poor vision or a difficult time seeing without the aid of eye glasses.The time also displays on the 0.9-inch red LED display located on the face of the clock radio even if the time is not being projected to your ceiling.The iC172 is compatible with all dockable iPod models and charges all iPod batteries when connected to the docking station.With Emerson's award-winning and patented SmartSet technology, the flashing "12:00" display is a thing of the past.On the first use the iC172 immediately sets itself to the correct year, month, date, day, and time based on the time zone you specify.It also adjusts automatically for Daylight Saving Time, Leap Year and after power outages.The dual alarm system features two alarms that can be programmed separately - one for you and one for your partner.Both alarms can be programmed to operate on weekdays only, weekends only, or all seven days of the week.Turn on the snooze button by simply waving your hand in front of the sensor - no need to press a button.Getting out of bed will no longer be a chore with the help of the iC172.

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Emerson CKD9905 Dual Alarm Clock Radio (Silver) Review

The radio works great but is a pain in the neck when changing the time or the alarm settings (hold down this button while pressing that button).My problem (and I think I'm a reasonably intelligent person) is that, since I don't have to change time or alarm settings with any regularity, I can never remember which of the numerous buttons to hold down and press.Therefore, I have to look at the instruction book each time.

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Product Description:
The Emerson CKD9905 Dual Alarm Clock Radio gives you lots of features and personalization options in a compact, stylish model. This clock radio comes with a top loading CD player with 21-track programmable memory and a one track/all tracks repeat playback. There's also an AM/FM stereo radio with slide rule tuning dial and LED FM stereo indicator. Thanks to two wide range, 3-inch dynamic speakers, you'll enjoy crystal clear audio whether you're listening to a song on the radio or from a CD.
The Emerson CKD9905 is designed to help you wake up exactly as you wish. First, if offers a .9-inch green LED clock display so you won't have to struggle to read the time. But perhaps the most important feature of the Emerson CKD9905 is its ability to let you choose how best to greet your day -- it gives you the option of waking up to the radio, CD player or buzzer alarm. If you need a little extra sleep, simply press the snooze alarm button. Or, if you need to hear the alarm several times, choose the repeat alarm option. Easy to use and operate, even when you're half asleep, the CKD9905 offers a push button power switch with "power on" LED indicator.
The Emerson CKD9905 comes with a 90 day warranty.

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Emerson AM/FM Clock Radio with CD Player and Remote Control - CKD2330 Review

This is such a bad product.I seriously want my money back, but it's not even worth the hassle.Luckily, I decided to use it as my CD player in my bedroom, and not as an alarm clock.I keep this thing all the way across the bedroom from my bed, and I STILL have to drape heavy clothing over it every night in order to be able to sleep, and I am NOT a sensitive sleeper.The display is so freakishly bright, it actually illuminates my entire (rather large) bedroom with it's horrible blue glow.There's some garbage about an "automatic dimmer" in the description of this product, but that is pure bull.It's supposed to dim when the lights go out, but if anything, it actually gets brighter.I cannot imagine how anyone can sleep with this next to their beds.Furthermore, what's the point of the horrifically bright time display if you can't ever read the time unless you're facing it directly face-on, and about an inch from the display?Whoever designed this is an idiot, as the bright blue background almost completely obscures the black numbers that show the time.The colors are too close in tone or brightness for there to be enough contrast to read what the display says.

Another problem, and this one is even "funnier" than the aforementioned: as we speak, my month-old Emerson clock-radio is speeding through the time, literally.It has some weird tick, where, if you use the remote control to control the volume, it affects the minutes part of the time as well as the volume.If you hold down the up or down volume buttons for any amount of time, the minutes start freaking out uncontrollably.For instance, as I write, my clock is going through 11 am over and over and over again at warp speed.It would be funny if I didn't pay for this piece of garbage.

All of that being said, the CD player in my experience is serviceable.Mine plays burned CDs as well as normal ones.The sound quality is decent for such a small player.

If you are thinking of getting this as a clock or alarm, please think carefully: the screwed up volume-time function, the horribly bright display, and the almost complete lack of contrast between the time digits and background make this virtually unuseable as an alarm clock.

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Product Description:
Funai Electric is engaged in the development, manufacture, marketing and distribution of information and communication equipment such as Internet Access Terminal, Computer peripherals, Audio-visual devices, Video, Television, TeleVideos, DVD Players, Home electrical appliances.

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