Home > Consumer Reviews > Boston Acoustics Recepter Radio - Clock radio

I recently purchased this little clock radio and it brings a little smile to my face when I turn it on. The sound is very good. It's even a bit better than my Tivoli PAL radio which surprised me. They seem to have a similar design goal which is simplicity and sound quality with good looks. The radio has a nice little heft and excellent tactile feel on all of the controls. I use a small FM transmitter in my house to transmit XM to this radio (and my PAL). The sound is wonderful. There is built-in equalization that boosts the bass depending on what volume level you're at. That and the cabinet design account for some fine bass. It has excellent frequency response despite it's small size.
Highly recommended...

I have used this radio in my bedroom for two years. Every time I turn it on I marvel at the quality of the design, engineering and construction of this product. The sound is deep and clear. The combination of AM and FM in the list of preset stations is logical and convenient. The display is attractive and ideal for bedside use. The reception for both AM and FM is as good as I've heard. I simply enjoy owning it.

It's a small package with a big sound and a very strong performer.

My only regret about this radio is that I bought mine before Boston Acoustics added the auxiliary input, so I can't play my iPod through it.

Great design sometimes means uncompromising designers. That's why there's no headphone jack. That's why there's no tone control. The designer knows best. And I think he or she just might.

I am recently married and my wife objected to my siren-like alarm. I did my research and bought the Boston Acoustics desktop radio about a month ago. Overall I am very happy with the purchase. It only gets 4 stars because it the sound quality is not quite at the level of the Tivoli radio I bought as a gift for my dad.

With that said - the quality is quite good. FM reception is great. I love the digital presets and I really the design of the alarm. Music plays for about 5 minutes and then stops and an alarm comes on - quiet at first and the progressively louder. I am now mad only that I lived with my old siren alarm for as long as I did.

To my unsophisticated ear the Recepter's sound is full and rich. I like the way they've implemented the station pre-sets. They're accessed via a rotary knob, not a lot of hard to find buttons, and you can mix AM and FM stations among then presets. The clock radio shuts itself off after 10 minutes and can be combined with an alarm. In general, I like the Recepter's controls and user interface. I also own a Kloss Model One, another outstanding piece of equipment, and the Recepter has comparable sound quality, which is saying a lot. The Recepter has the edge in ease of use and the Model One lacks a clock radio. One drawback, the Receptor lacks an audio-in jack, so you can't attach an IPod. The Kloss Model One permits attachment of the IPod. Overall, I highly recommend the Receptor.

I searched high and low to replace my black square Sony dream machine. What I liked about the dream machine was its simple black color and it bright clear display. What I hated was its cheap radio dial and poor reception. Nevertheless, I had it for 10+ years. When I saw this clock radio I was convinced I had finally found the perfect replacement. In many ways I have...

The pluses:

Great design- Simple, intuitive and classic. The size is very nearly perfect. It has the right weight and it feels extremely well built. Not to mention, it looks great on your bedside table. It was also very nice to find this in charcoal grey. Most clock radio's only come in cheap looking "high tech" silver.

Fantastic reception- I live in the Bay Area where the reception is notoriously bad but the BA performs like a champ.

Convenient controls- It's super simple to change the time and the alarm. The two alarm feature is really convenient as well. Plus, having a digital reciever makes finding the right station a snap.

The minuses:

Display- Although I really appreciate the LCD (versus LED which is impossible to see at an angle) the display is just too small. When I roll over I can barely make out the time even though its only 12 inches from my bed.

Sound quality-As mentioned elsewhere, this machine is very bass heavy. Unfortunately, this means that it can sound a little muddy. When I wake up I like to listen to talk radio and it kinda sounds like they are underwater.

Controls- While the programming controls are great , there is no way to adjust treble. In addition, when the alarm goes off, it locks in the preselected radio station so you need to turn off the stereo and turn it back on again to change the channel.

Expense- I got this as a gift. But frankly, it really is pretty outrageous to spend $150 for a clock radio. However, as I said before, it DOES feel incredibly solid and well made.

So should you get it?

If the price is not a hang up I would say "Yes". While the muddy sound is my biggest complaint, it's elegant look and fantastic features make this alarm clock stand out in a crowd of competitors.