SangeanRCR-22 Atomic Clock with FM-RDS / AM / Aux-in Digital Tuning Clock Radio, silver, one size

I was looking for a high-quality alarm clock after about 12 years with an unimpressive Sony Dreammachine. This clock delivered on that front, and unlike most consumer electronics devices I've purchased in the past several years, it is clear that lots of thought was put into this device (and very little into the manual).PROS:There are tons of little nuances that the manual does not detail that I've discovered using the clock for a few weeks. For example the display can be dimmed with a dial on the bottom (which on my unit did not take effect until my alarm goes off the first time). The clock remains dimmed at your preset level, but goes to full brightness when the alarm goes off, making the clock easier to find. Combined with the pleasing blue light and the HWS (makes the alarm bell go from soft to loud) it's really nice to wake up to.Another thoughtful touch is that alarm indicators only light within 24 hours of your alarm. Either alarm can be set to go off on particular days, with any combination of Su-Sa set for each alarm (i.e. alarm1 can be set for Monday, Thursday and Sunday, no weekday/weekend restrictions like some others). The alarm indicators however only light up when your alarm will ring the next morning. Very nice.Other functions like the snooze, nap timers, etc. all work well. Like most alarms you need some time to figure out how it works, but after a few mornings most functions were intuitive.The radio functions well, and pulls in way more stations than the Dreammachine. The speaker is fine, that is to say neither exceptionally good or exceptionally poor. If I want the ultimate music experience, I have an expensive stereo for that.The clock is a true atomic time clock (not just a "preset" clock like many others). I don't know all the nuances of atomic cock synchronization, but the weather and location of the antenna seem to affect the two atomic clocks I have at home. Try moving the antenna towards the window if you have problems.CONSIt is nicer than average plastic and construction, but still not going to win any design awards. I can't figure out why all alarm clock designs are frozen in 1992.The manual was clearly written by a bunch of engineers. It is no nonsense, and explains how to set/use everything, but does not mention any of the usability features I noted above. For example if it's Monday and you set an alarm for thursday, You might wonder why the alarm indicators do not all light up. No mention at all in the manual. I thought the clock was broken since the dimmer did not function until the first time an alarm went off. Again, no mention in the manual of what turned out to be a very nice feature, and one I almost returned the clock for!Another example is the unwieldly "Time Machine" antenna for the atomic clock. It is big and odd looking, but fits nicely to the back of the clock. Again, no mention in the manual save for a single line drawing.When I initially plugged the clock in, all kinds of crytic numbers flashed on the display while it synced the time, again, no mention of what was happening or why in the manual. The manual does tell you how to DO everything, but does not explain WHY certain things work the way they do, or explain the various nice features someone clearly took time to think through.Overal a great buy, especially for something you'll likely use every day for 5-15 years. I would like to see a better manual, autodimming of the display (it is BRIGHT when set to max), Sangean using a designer that is somewhat current, and perhaps a user manual rewrite, other than that, this clock works very well and will be on my nightstand for years to come.I agonized over what to put on my nightstand (everything from Bose to Timex) and am very happy with my choice.

I guess I just got tired of my 15 year old Sony Dream Machine. It worked, but, somehow, I thought maybe someone would have built something better. All clock radios seem to be pretty much the same. So I searched, and was willing to pay good money to find something that at least tackled how to make a clock radio better. Seemed like almost every clock radio was cheap and basic. The Sangean is what I came up with. Better, but could use a few improvements to be perfect.Pros:1) Atomic clock. Finally! Accurate time! I want the radio to go off at just the time the 6:30 news starts. For one reason or another, over the course of a year, there are least a couple of periods when the clock has to get reset and the time ends up being either too early or too late. Then you get too lazy to do all the button pressing and watching your other clock, assuming it's right, to get it set to the exact time, if you can, and you end up saying to yourself every morning, I've got to set the clock right!, until you finally do it and it never seems to be exact even then. This thing has a detachable antenna thing that catches the correct time by radio waves, or something. I don't know, or care. It works. You may need to move it around, though, and it may take a long time to actually update, but you don't have to do anything once it starts.2) Radio reception. Probably as good as it can be for me, in my bedroom. One of the main reasons I started looking for a new clock radio was the frequent "fuzzy" reception periods my Dream Machine would go through (must be because of weather conditions). No matter how much I moved it and the antenna (electrical cord) around, the radio would stay fuzzy for weeks at a time. This one has better reception and the separate cord for the radio antenna is easier to position. Also, the tuning wheel is a fine tuner, so it is easier to zero in on a station.3) Set alarm once and forget. I am not going to complain about how difficult it may be to learn how to set up a new clock radio. They are all hard; too many things to do with too few buttons. Clock radios are something you will learn to use over time. That being said, once I did figure out how to set up my alarm schedule, I haven't had to touch it since. I don't have to turn it on or off each day. It can be set up by days of week and then works according to the schedule you set. After the alarm goes off, you can either hit one button to turn it off for that day, or do a snooze. It has a lot of customization options, too. Nice not to have to think about it. Eliminates days I forgot to set my Dream Machine alarm and got up late. (Even though I don't use it, the buzzer has a pretty cool sound and varying loudness pattern to wake you up more gently.)Cons:1) Brightness. The face is bright, but you can turn it down. Even at the lowest setting, though, it is relatively (and I mean it is only at night it seems bright) bright. I do not consider this a deal killer, though. You get used to it. It isn't like you left a light on. I still go to sleep just fine. Still, some people may find it too bright.2) No tone adjustment control. This is something that would make it closer to perfect. I don't know why they didn't include bass and treble adjustment control. The default radio is good, but some people like it adjusted differently, especially for waking up in the morning. Again, not a deal killer. I only use the radio to wake up to.3) Instructions could be better. They cover the needed settings, but it doesn't talk about other things, like how long it takes for the clock to actually pick up the correct time (I called customer support, a number they don't seem to want you to find, and the guy told me it usually takes hours for it to set), and it doesn't give you much info how to contact them.Overall, I like the way it looks and works. The feet are sticky enough so that when you push a button, it doesn't slide. When you look at the face it has a bunch of information to look at: Hour, minute, second, whether the alarm is scheduled and when the next one goes off. When the alarm isn't scheduled it shows the month, date and year, something I wish was displayed all the time (and make it closer to perfect). It displays when daylight savings time is active (and you can turn that on and off depending if you follow it where you live). It shows the radio station.To me, it is at least an attempt to advance the state of clock radio design. From what I read, Sangean has been improving their offerings with each new model, so I will keep an eye on what they come out with and hope they eventually create something more perfect.