Home > Consumer Reviews > Sony ICF-C143 Dream Machine Large-Display AM/FM Clock Radio with Digital Tuner

What I was looking for was a clock radio that had a digital tuner and a simple alarm on/off system (I seem to have a problem with pushing switches too far and not waking up.) When I got the sony home and played with it's features I was floored, this is one of the best designed clocks I've ever seen. They put a lot of thought into this one, for example, you can set which preset radio station to wake up to. So if you want to use the sleep feature and go to bed listening to Beethoven's 5th on NPR but would rather wake up to some AC/DC you can do it!Also, the nap feature allows you to quickly set the alarm to go off in 15,30,40,etc minutes so that you don't have to reset your alarm time. And if you hit the snooze button it adds time, so instead of 10 minutes more sleep you get 20, or more! However, I'm an insomniac, and find that I can only sleep well when the room is dark. If you are like me and can't handle any light in your room, then this is not the clock for you. SERIOUSLY. On the highest brightness level you can make shadow puppets on the wall. And on the lowest you can use the clock as a reading light (if you hold it close enough to your book). So, even though this would have been the perfect clock for me I had to return it. Hopefully one day clock manufacturers will realize that a simple on off switch for the back lighting is all that's needed to let millions of people enjoy their products.

This is a great radio, but i'm taking it back. It has a nice small footprint, taking up only a little room on a nightstand. The nap feature and dual alarms are very nice features too. My primary reason for returning this radio is that the display is too bright, even at it's lowest setting. It's bright enough to keep me awake at night. At it's highest setting, this clock radio could double as a nightlight. Second, there is no battery backup. Third, the power cord is black. A very sharp contrast for a white clock radio. It just dosent look right.

This is a great upgrade to my old Sony Dream Machine that I bought 8 years ago. ICF-C143 has basically everything you need for an alarm clock radio, and some major improvements over my long-time discontinued model. Evidently, #ICF-C143 comes with two different LED display colors: green & orange. Don't bother to look for something else.

Pro:
Small-sized cube (similar to #ICF-C121, but more edgy & stylish looking)
Large LED display with adjustable background lighting (3 levels)
Power backup {my old one never had this}
Very fast forward/backward clock adjustment {great improvement}
Digital radio tuner (15 presets: 10 FM & 5 AM)
Strong-radio-signal-reception antenna - Sony electronics is usually bad at this! Any Sony audio enthusiast should know this.
Dual alarm (3 modes: radio, buzzer, or combo)
Cool "Nap Timer"
Easy & cool Day Saving Time (DST) button
Price

Con: None so far :-)

As others have stated, the LCD display is very bright, but that's not that big of a deal for me. This unit has surprisingly good sound for being mono. I like the nap feature and the direct tuning buttons. Reception is very good, as I have been able to pick up a station in Charlotte, which is 90 miles away. I agree that it is odd that the alarms are limited to one being buzzer and one being radio. I listen to the radio when I go to bed, and keep it at a low volume. Luckily, I am a light sleeper, and the volume is enough to wake me. While shopping for clock radios I noticed that the majority of them have a traditional "dial-type" volume, even though the tuner is digital. If the volume were digital as well, then the user could set a preferred volume level for the alarm. I also thought it was unfortunate that Sony did not include a battery back-up.

I love this clock, find it very easy to program. The only drawback I have found is that the LCD display is a little bright for me even in the lowest setting. Do wish it had a battery back-up!