Best Clock Radio

[Aage]

My wife got one for Christmas a few years ago that our son bought for her at Radio Shack. Knowing my son, it wasn't too pricey, but it has three features that make it Top Notch in my book:

1) The volume of the alarm starts softly and gets progressively louder until you shut it off
2) It sets its clock automatically using something that radio stations transit (never really looked into the technology). Even takes care of DST and all that carp.
3) It shows the time on the ceiling (or not, depending on your choice).

I think those three features should be on EVERY clock radio made today (but they aren't, of course).

Couldn't tell you what the radio sounds like, I can't recall ever hearing it. When the alarm goes off, I get up. I know that's a radical idea, but it works for me

 

[bluesky]

The very best!! Sony Digimatic 1970. You would have to come up with something un-pucking-believable to beat this unit!!

 

[Tinyelvis]

my iPhone

 

[CUlater]

Lessee,

Proton 320 is what I'm using now.

If not for worry for the lifetime of the nixies, I'd rather be using my GE digital from 1974 - first thing I ever bought with my own significant dollars (IIRC, it was somewhere north of $150 then!). Model C4690, I think. Cool, 70's 'the future will be digital' look. I believe this was the second digital clock radio, being preceeded in 1972 by the C4390, with essentially the same design.

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=58143&d=1187575332

The GE 4885 is a cool one too - first digital with a keypad for direct time and frequency input. 1978 or so, IIRC.

Finally, when away from home, my Blackberry, using the 'crystal' chime sound - repeats three cycles, each one progressively louder. Nice.

 

[eThink]

Klh 200

How about KLH this I just got. Remote speaker, fantastic sound, made c.1985.

Manufactured by Kyocera in the mid-1980s. I bought mine used in 2000. It has been in continuous use, on average 2 hours per day, for the past 9 years. :thmbsp:

More on KLH and Henry Kloss -designed and -inspired table top radios http://audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=4914

 

[KentTeffeteller]

The Burk remote control calling me at 4 am with Alarm Conditions Pending please enter password! That's always guaranteed to wake me when little else does!

 

[drknstrmyknight]

I'm using a Squeezebox boom.
Get's it's time from NTP (Naval Observatory Cesium Clock).
Plays internet radio and your digital library.
Ethernet or WIFI.
Sounds as good as my Boston Receptor, has an AUX in and SUB out, remote.
No internal battery though.

 

[Bogframe]

My wife has an Emerson cube with a CD, two alarms and a nap timer. The sound isn't too offensive, but the clock loses a minute a week somehow.

I use a PioneerDT-510 with a TX-6800 and a SA-5800 plugged into it, pushing a pair of Fisher SM-330s. It gets me out of bed.

 

[zenithfan1]

I'm using a 1963 Admiral AM/FM clock radio. I've been using it since 1997 and have only had to change two tubes, all caps are original. I think it's a pretty damn reliable radio that gets used every day. Oh, I did find a solder bridge from a factory mistake on the selector switch that made it play fm in the background on am, I repaired that when I discovered it during the first tube change in 1998 or 9. Great bass (from a clock radio) from the 6" speaker and strong tuner, I often DX with it at night.

 

[Yamahalic]

How About A Ferrari

Here is the clock radio that I want...

Ferrari F80 by Meridian

 

[Goodwill_HiFi]

Does it matter?
I only listen to mine for like 5 seconds a day........

Ugh..... morning people

 

[Goodwill_HiFi]

......I've since replaced the cheap boom box with a car alarm siren. It's less annoying than the bad morning DJ, but I can still sleep through it sometimes.

When I was a kid, I thought about hooking up a car battery and a horn to my alarm clock, but never followed through with it. My mother didn't think it was such a good idea, either.

 

[Goodwill_HiFi]

I use an old Panasonic...... I think it's from the late 60's or early 70's. It's solid state, but does have plywood in the case. Before that, I used a 78/79 Sears special (made in Hong Kong)...... it had been my mothers and I remember my parents buying it onsale. The funny thing is that I remember it as being kind of a big purchase I finally threw it out (or maybe recycled it) as it was a pain in the butt to set, and I was kind of rough on it in high school...... it was just time. I think my dad still has the paperwork for it.

 

[Arkay]

My favorite is a Marantz AT-5 Digital Audio Timer, with your choice (in my case, an Esotec SC-4000 cassette deck through an Esotec M4 Amp) of vintage stereo system plugged into it.

However, I don't use it as an alarm clock. I don't need an external alarm clock at all: if I tell my brain to wake me at a given time, it will do it accurately to within +/- a few seconds, literally. If I'm way too exhausted, I risk falling back to sleep again soon after, but I will always wake up at the time I've told myself to. I have no idea how; if you ask me what time it is during the day, I'm not very accurate, but some part of my brain sure is, when I'm asleep. I'm always concerned it might not work, so sometimes I use an obnoxious funky little Japanese clock that wakes you up with the loud sound of machine gun fire and a bomb falling and exploding, but actually my natural "built-in alarm clock" has never failed me, yet. It's more accurate than the little Japanese clock, so usually I'll wake up a few minutes before the alarm goes off, allowing me to turn it off before it goes off, and thus to avoid that noise.

 

[Arkay]

Zenith R733

That Zenith looks REALLY COOL! I LOVE the look of it! :thmbsp:

 

[hwirt]

SQUEEZEBOX BOOM

My Squeezebox Boom tunes in thousands of internet radio stations including BBC, VOA, etc. Also steams my music collection from my PC and has multiple programmable alarms. I can wake to a music selection, radio station or regular beep alarm. The music wake up can be set to fade in gradually which is what I prefer. The Boom also serves as my bedroom music system, the sound quality is excellent.

Here is a link which describes engineering behind the audio system:

http://www.logitechsqueezebox.com/attachments/download/26/Logitech_Squeezebox_Boom_Audio_Design

 

[rollei35guy]

Maybe not the best, but my favorite ... re-capped, cleaned up and re-commissioned

I'm going to use it to start my electric percolator in the morning

 

[zenithfan1]

Maybe not the best, but my favorite ... re-capped, cleaned up and re-commissioned

I'm going to use it to start my electric percolator in the morning

Nice! I love the ones with the timed outlet on the back.

 

[bobbyrae]

I just got a Sangean WR-2, and absolutely love it. Mine has the walnut finish case and is really attractive. The sound is also warm and rich with plenty of bass. This is really a new model but there is plenty of info on the web. These retail for around $160.00 but can usually be had for around $140.00.

Now, isn't that an HD radio? I know Sangean is of the few who make stand alone HD tuners.

 

[bobbyrae]

Lessee,

Proton 320 is what I'm using now.

If not for worry for the lifetime of the nixies, I'd rather be using my GE digital from 1974 - first thing I ever bought with my own significant dollars (IIRC, it was somewhere north of $150 then!). Model C4690, I think. Cool, 70's 'the future will be digital' look. I believe this was the second digital clock radio, being preceeded in 1972 by the C4390, with essentially the same design.

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=58143&d=1187575332

The GE 4885 is a cool one too - first digital with a keypad for direct time and frequency input. 1978 or so, IIRC.

Finally, when away from home, my Blackberry, using the 'crystal' chime sound - repeats three cycles, each one progressively louder. Nice.

And the follow-on model, which I purchased in 1984 and still have, is the GE Small Wonder.