iLounge

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I got the SoundSpa Fusion AM/FM Alarm Clock Radio with iPOD Docking Station at my local Bed Bath and Beyond. It was an attractive price and was small enough to fit on my bedstand without overwhelming it. My iPod 3G Nano fit perfectly and the faceplate matched the iPod. I loved the nature sounds and the sound quality was just great for my taste. It did what it said it would do: woke me up to just about any noise I wanted. And though it didn’t offer a separate play list for my waking pleasure, it was a good deal more luxurious than what I was used to. I thought it was excellent. A great product for a great price.

Alas, I ended up taking it back and buying an iHome clock radio. Why? The blasting light behind the front clock face was keeping me awake at night. Kept my husband awake at night. It was a great nightlight but you had to turn the clock to face the room rather than face you sleeping if you wanted to sleep…and even then I had to put on a sleep mask to keep it down.

The clock radio does have a dimmer. It only goes from High (searchlight strength), Low (strong night light), Off (useless if you wake up in the middle of the night and want to know what time it is). I tried to cut out pieces of organza to dim it, that only made it hard to read the numbers. I tried to cut pieces of colored see through plastic to dim the lights, no dice…it was still too strong.

The problem is that HoMedics insisted on putting black numbers on a lit background. Of course the background is going to take precedence and that means light is going to be overwhelming you when you want it dark.

This is a shame. Everything else about this little clock radio was great. I was sorry to see it go, but I was not willing to wear a sleep mask for the rest of my life.

Posted by Fabienne on September 21, 2008 at 7:03 AM (PST)