Home > Consumer Reviews > Sony ICF-CD815 AM/FM Stereo CD Clock Radio with Dual Alarm

The old clock radio finally died and my husband and I thought it would be nice to have a CD player in the bedroom to listen to audio books in bed now and then (yes, I know, but it depends on the book!!). We've found the sound quality on such an inexpensive item to be extremely good, it's easy to tune the radio in and we like the huge time display - I can even see it without my glasses at night!! So far, it's awakened us at our ridiculously early get up time during the week without fail. No complaints - very happy with this clock/radio/CD player.

I read the positive reviews on this Sony so I thought I would buy it for my 18 year old daughter who is going off to college in about a month. While this Sony does sound good and has a decent alarm, CD player, and MP3 input, the radio is not only analog, but the dial is off to the side is very tiny. It also has no battery backup!!! If listening to the radio and tuning in stations is not important to you I say go ahead and buy this clock radio. I expected that the radio part of this clock radio would have been much easier to both see and use for the price.

I have not purchased this unit, but studied it closely in a local store. It had all the features I liked except two which is why I am writing: (1) no headphone jack; (2) no battery back-up in case the power goes out. Other than that, I liked the size, price, features, and MP3 line in. Just wish it had two more features.

This product has really been a great asset to my bedroom. The controls are easy to use and I can receive most of my favorite radio stations. This clock/radio/cd player allows you to select specific tracks and setting the alarm is very simple. You can wake up to your favorite track, radio station, or the buzzer. The only thing I may not like about this product is the fact that the buzzer has a low pitch sound, but it increases in intervals. Specifically, the alarm sounds in five seconds and then gradually goes to three, and finally every second. The product also allows you to adjust the brightness of the clock in three settings. Overall, I'm happy with this product.

As a owner of an earlier Sony Dream Machine, this falls a little short. There is no battery back-up for the time. Also the radio does not really support MP3, you can play mp3 files through the aux input, but the CD player does NOT play MP3 CDs. I tried recording the MP3 files in a number of formats and dircetory structures, nothing worked. The only good news is that Amazon has an excellent return policy. Bottom line I still have faith in Amazon as a vendor, but this radio is not much more than that.