Home > Consumer Reviews > iHome iH9 Alarm Clock Speaker System with Dock for iPod (Black)

I have a couple minor complaints with the iHome IH9, let's get those out of the way. First complaint: the AM reception, even with the external antenna isn't great. With the antenna it is "OK" but without the antenna it is non-existent. My previous inexpensive AM/FM clock radio (with digital tuner) did a much better job with AM. Second complaint: I wish the volume wheel & adjustment wheel (top left, top right) were "grippy-er". Laying in bed they are kind of hard to turn. Finally, with the iPod sitting above the clock it seems a touch funky and fragile, but I think it is probably fine - almost all the iPod clocks have this EXACT same design, so, I am just paranoid.

Now, for the things I like. The sound is really good. I don't think it is an "auto-set" clock, but it came from the factory already set. Keeps good time (so far). Readout is super easy to read. There are 7 brightness settings to the display, including OFF, and it fast and easy to switch between them. The fall asleep to (radio/ipod/line-in) is great, the dual alarms to (buzzer/radio/ipod/ipod-playlist/line-in) is great. The fact that either alarm can be 7-day, 5-day (weekday), or 2-day (weekend) is fantastic. The remove is somewhat useful, I guess - haven't used it much.

It is a touch pricey, I paid $90 - but I really love the features and sound. No plans to return it.

I purchased the IH9 after seeing a good magazine review. When hooked up to an iPod, it sounds spectacular. The sound is on par with any higher-end table radio or bookshelf stereo I've heard, such as the Bose.

However, the FM tuner leaves something to be desired. No matter which station I chose, no matter how strong or weak the signal, the audio was distorted. I adjusted the equalizer settings (the equalizer is a nice touch) as well as the 3D simulation and it didn't help. There was always some distortion, even at low volume levels, whether it was music or NPR.

It's clearly not a problem with the speakers because of the excellent iPod audio quality. I suspect an inexpensive FM tuner, or just a bad batch of FM tuners that wound up in my IH9.

I don't plan to keep the IH9, as much as I like it otherwise, because I listen to FM radio in a clock radio more than I'm likely to listen to my iPod Nano, and distorted sound is distracting. But if you're solely or primarily an iPod listener -- or don't care too much about FM radio quality -- this is a nicely designed and sounding unit.

It is a good ipod alarm clock but it has several issues I was displeased with.

Pros:
- Good alarm settings. Dual alarms, ability to wake up to a playlist or a selected song, can set the alarm to go off on weekdays only so there is no need to turn the alarm on/off
- Easy to use/set up
- Good interface and controls
- The remote can fully navigate your ipod and the other ihome funtions such as the radio and alarm.

Cons:
- Although there are 8 dimmer settings for the backlight, all of them besides the brightest and the darkest make an annoying buzzing sound. (its subtle but I can't stand it)
- The radio DOES NOT WORK. I live in New York City, can see the empire state building and I cannot get a station that is broadcast from it. If you plan to use the radio function at all do not get this alarm clock because you will be VERY disappointed. I get only 3 stations somewhat clearly from the middle of Manhattan.
- Does not work with some ipod models so make sure it works with yours.

In the middle:
- The sound doesn't compare to my bose sounddock. If you want great sound and don't care about the alarm features get a bose or klipsch igroove or room groove. If you do want an alarm clock to play your ipod I don't think there is anything better out there without spending a lot of money.

Overall, if you want a solid alarm clock to wake to your ipod (and only your ipod), don't want a radio, and don't care for a better sounding unit like a bose or klipsch then this may be for you. If you really want to spend some money check out the polk isonic or the chestnut hill george

iHome has fixed a few oversights in prior models like no radio station presets and the sound is better than the predecessors. The iH9 sounds very good, especially compared to other brands of similar price and fewer features. I echo the first comment - no need to get this through Amazon/TechNG since you can get it directly form iHome (with free shipping) for $30 less. My daughter really likes this unit.

Just set this up last night and I'm pretty happy with it. It's not perfect, but it's WAY better than the Homedics iSoundSpa and the Memorex iAwake. Here's what I like:

1) The eight different brightness levels for the display are really nice and you can easily read it from many angles. In my case, the clock sits next to my bed, above my head, and I couldn't read either of the other brands' display at all while lying down.
2) The buttons on the main unit are well placed, easy to feel without a light on, and intuitive.
3) The sound is good.
4) The remote is decent. It's no TiVo remote, but it's decent.
5) There are two alarm clocks and they have options to set them 7 days a week, 5 days a week (M-F), and 2 days a week (Sat & Sun).
6) Sleep mode will lower the volume incrementally as time runs out.
7) The clock sets itself automatically and there's a DST switch in the back.
8) The preset buttons for radio stations.
9) You can set the snooze length to any amount from 1-29 minutes.
10) The iPod integration is done well.

Here's what I don't like:

1) The lowest volume is still too loud for going to sleep to.
2) The FM tuner is horrible. I got really weird results, like finding 104.5 down at 101.7 and tuning one station across eight different frequencies while other stations came in behind it. There are also some local radio stations that it should get, but couldn't.

Since I probably won't listen to the radio nearly as much as the iPod, it's not that big of a deal that the tuner is so bad. Still, I expected more. The volume issue is a bit more of a problem, because it's just a little too loud for falling asleep to. Additionally, since you're already on the lowest volume, it can't fade anymore as the sleep timer runs down. I'll probably get used to it, though.

All in all, though, I like it and I'm keeping it.