Sony ICF-C1IPMK2 Speaker System and Clock Radio with iPod Dock (Black)
by Sony
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List Price: Our Price: $40.00 You Save: $59.95 (60%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Network Media Player See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
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for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Sony ICF-C1IPMK2 Speaker System and Clock Radio with iPod Dock (Black)
Customer Review: Great product but not for light sensitive sleepers
Summary: 4 Stars
I recently got one of these from Amazon, the unit looks good and is actually not as big as you might think from the product photo. With an iPhone in it the top of the iPhone is level with the top of the unit. An additional advantage is that with the adjustable support instead of the dock inserts I did not have to remove my Agent18 hard case from the iPhone for it to fit securely in the unit.
The sound quality is good for a unit of this size, it does not have a ton of bass but it doesn't sound tinny like some units in this size range either. The two alarms are straightforward to set and turn on and off and the radio tuner works quite well. The remote is a nice touch and offers full control of the unit except for activating snooze when the alarm is going off.
The big issue for me is the display. There are three brightness levels but even the lowest one lights up my room well enough to see and walk around in. For some this wouldn't be a problem but although I sleep through noise no problem I have an extremely hard time to fall asleep if the room is not dark. I finally had to get up and unplug the unit before I could fall asleep, if not for that I would be very happy with it. Luckily Amazon was happy to let me return it and I will be getting the iHome IP99 after verifying with a demo model at the Apple store that it can be dimmed much lower than the Sony.
Short version: For those who need their room very dark to fall asleep or those who want to activate snooze using the remote you should look elsewhere. For everyone else I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this unit.
Customer Review: Nano 4G compatible
Summary: 4 Stars
As the guy at Best Buy told me, the Sony ICF-C1IPMK2 system can be confusing because it has a lot of buttons, but once you figure them out, it's easy to use. It has great audio, and turning it up louder than I felt was appropriate in my apartment, the quality didn't suffer.
The brightness of the display has 3 settings, and on the lowest, I don't think it's too bright - however I did use to have a floodlight outside my window (not by choice). If you want total darkness, this isn't it. And since I can't read most any clock display without my glasses, the display size is fine.
The most important feature to me, is that the system IS compatible with the new Nano 4th generation. I couldn't find ANY reviews that said whether it was or not, but it is. if you use the dock that came with your nano you kind of have to jam it down in there to make sure it's connected all the way, but only the first few times.
The little back plate that you can dial in or out doesn't reach all the way to the nano 4g while using the dock, but I don't think that is necessary since you have the dock. One thing that I found works great is that I have my nano in a SwitchEasy Clear case (the hard one), and then you can either not use a dock, or use the one that comes from Switch Easy. Either way, it rests nicely against the back plate because of the added thickness.
Also, the system will charge the Nano 4G as well.
I like it, it's a good choice, especially if you get $10 or $20 off the list price.
Customer Review: Good value & pretty good product - with some problems
Summary: 4 Stars
I got an ipod nano 3rd gen. as a gift a few weeks ago, and was wanting to find a good clock radio/dock at a good price. Well, this IS a good value for the price, if you don't have the problems I had (&still have) with it. First though, It's got great sound -- I've heard more expensive speaker systems that don't deliver nearly the sound quality of this one. I like the little adjustable back brace for the ipod, I don't have to worry with getting it into the dock right. It seems to charge the ipod fairly rapidly, although I do leave it on the dock overnight anyway. I love the remote. Even though I'm not sitting that far away from it when using it, it's still nice to be able to point and click. The remote gives you full access to all the ipod functions, and is easy to figure out how to use (even for someone like me who isn't very electronics friendly.
The big downside -- this thing is very particular about the order you do things to set the alarm. I've had this thing for 2 or 3 weeks and I still set another clock as a back up, 'cause half the time the alarm doesn't go off on this thing. The ipod has to be on the dock before you set the alarm, and you have to go through steps in a particular order or the alarm won't go off at all.
Value for the price, ignoring the alarm problems, I'd give it an A. Sound quality I'd give it an A+, as this unit really delivers. But sony really needs to re-think how you set the alarm and make that a little more workable for those of us that aren't electronics genuises!
Customer Review: Sony ICF-C1PMK2 iPod Docking Station Review
Summary: 4 Stars
I have owned the Sony ICF-C1IPMK2 Speaker System and Clock Radio with iPod Dock (Black) for around a week now. The other reviewers who said the display is too bright are correct - I had it in my bedroom as my clock radio and had to remove it. Even on the lowest setting the light is too bright. I gave this unit 4 stars however since there are a lot of positives to it. I needed an iPod docking station (iPhone to be exact) for my downstairs living room, so have moved it there (where the bright light won't keep anybody up!). The sound is very nice on this machine compared to other clock radios.
In summary:
Pros:
- Great sound for this price range and for a clock radio. The speakers are very nice
- iPhone works perfectly here. I can even receive calls - no going into airplane mode because of interference.
- nice remote control, has all the functions I'd need on it
- small "footprint" - this unit takes up about half the space as my previous clock radio
Cons:
- probably the one and only I've encountered is the brightness of the display light. Since a clock radio typically sits on a nighstand next to your bed, not sure why they don't consider this light may be too bright to sleep by. It has 3 settings, and even on the lowest I found it to be too bright. I also have an iHome ipod docking station and it has 6-7 brightness settings which is perfect. I don't think the sound on the ihome compares though to this Sony.
Customer Review: nice, but not perfect
Summary: 4 Stars
There are plenty of detailed reviews on this product, so i will try to keep mine short. I find that Sony products often get close to designing a great product, but always fall short in some obvious detail. This is no exception.
Pros:
Really nice sound quality
Good contrast display
Smart docking adjustment for various thickness iPods
Sleep and alarm volume can be set independently
Aux audio input.
Cons:
Alarm doesn't ever automatically shut itself off (if the alarm sounds at 8 am it will still be going off at midnight)
Setting 'wake to iPod' plays the alphabetically first song in your iPod unless you navigate to an album and put the iPod in pause before you go to sleep (i like 'accident waiting to happen' by Billy Bragg, just not everyday, can you say groundhog day?)
Sleep function reverts to volume 8 for the iPod each time you start it
The iPod sticks above the top of the unit right in front of the snooze bar so i always whack the iPod trying to hit snooze
I dented the metal front grill with my thumb picking it up