Sony ICF-C1IPMK2 Speaker Dock and Clock Radio with iPod Dock
Posted by Notcot on Apr 4, 2010 in Portable Sound & Vision |
Product Description
The ICF-C1IPMK2B combines Auto Time Set and Automatic Daylight Savings Time Adjustment along with a dual alarm and the added bonus of being able to dock your iPod as well as your iPhone1 and listen to your favorite tunes on your clock radio.
- Audio
- Frequency Range : FM: 87.5 – 108 MHz AM: 530 -1710 kHz
- Sound Enhancer : Mega Xpand Bass Reflex Speaker System
- Station Preset(s) : 10 FM 5 AM
- Tuner Type : Digital AM/FM Convenience
Sony ICF-C1IPMK2 Speaker Dock and Clock Radio with iPod Dock
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.
Rating: 4 / 5
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.
Rating: 3 / 5
Hi Just had this SONY iPOD DOCK a short time, and I must say I’m thrilled to bits with it….
1) it fit’s Most IPOD’s especially the iPOD TOUCH v2 and iPHONE 3G together with the new 120GB iPOD CLASSIC and 4th & 5th GEN iPOD’s.
2)its Lovely to look at, and is built very solid indeed, it looks a lot more expensive than it actually is, also has a Built in Remote Clock that sets its own time, when I took mine out of the box and plugged it into the mains it had the correct time.
3) The sound has got to be the most impressive feature its got 2 speakers with tweeners and bass. (Grade A+ sound Quality) – Tho its not really loud, but it would certainly fill a medium to large bedroom comfortably without the speakers vibrating. The sound quality is as good as some models at over £100 quid +Plus, so don’t worry its perfect.!
4) it has its own easy to use remote control, quite simple no need for instructions, and it lets you control your iPod Music from lying in you bed, which is great.
5) I was worried that it was gonna be too small, but oh NO – its a fair size and looks cool sitting on top of your drawers in the bedroom, the clock lights up at al times and if you wake in the dark you can clearly see what time it is without need for a light.
6) has a cool Alarm clock which lets you awake to your favourite ipod track, or simply a buzzer or even FM Radio.
7) Got to be the best value for money ipod docking station there is here on Amazon, I spent over an hour going through them all – Im now glad I chose this one, perfect. Its also a really easy fit for my iPod Touch v2, just slips in very nicely – with support at the back of the ipod, there is a wheel for adjusting this at the back.
8) it dose charge the iPod while playing, excellent 10 outa 10.
Amazon have also the best price with Free delivery.
Rating: 5 / 5
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).
Rating: 5 / 5
I got this as a birthday gift from the wife, and she had had a real difficult time finding a docking station that said it supported the latest generation of iPod Nano (I have th 8Gb Silver model).
Well I can confirm that this product plays and charges the latest Nano.
It’s also a doddle to set up and use, sounds great and looks pretty cool too.
So if you own a latest gen Nano, you could do a lot worse than get one of these!
Rating: 5 / 5