Home > Consumer Reviews > iLuv I177 Stereo Audio Dual Alarm Clock - Black

I've recently bought this model radio alarm, and am very impressed with it. I did consider a few options before I bought, but this one won, and has proved a good choice.
It comes with a host of different docks to allow you to connect most types of I Pod (although it took me a while to find them in the packaging)so there was no problem with connection. The dinky remote control allows you to alter the volume of the unit, skip through songs playing through your I Pod, change between I Pod and radio, and even has a snooze button, just in case you can't reach the unit from your bed!
The unit has two alarms, which you can set to wake you up to buzzer, radio or I Pod, it even has a feature which starts the alarm off on low volume and increases it until it either gets to the pre-set level or you turn it off. The unit also has a "gentle" sleep function that slowly fades the volume to soothe you to sleep.
I've noticed that reviews for other radio alarms often complain about the light from the alarm display being so bright that they keep people awake. However this is not a problem with the iLuv i177, as it has four brightness settings, including no display light at all.

I'd recommend this product to anyone wanting a radio alarm which can wake them to the favourite songs on their I Pod, I'm very happy with mine :)

I have recently been looking into purchasing an Docking Alarm Clock system for my iPod Classic for quite a couple of weeks now as I have been getting tired of listening to same old radio show day in day out.

The iLuv is actually my second iPod alarm clock I have purchased now after originally deciding to buy a iXSRE ID18L which was quickly returned for a refund after being a total let down of gigantic proportions. I found the iXSRE to be very tempremental suffering from issues such as: failing to recognise my iPod Classic half the time when it was docked, Alarm failing to go off & even when it did I found it miles too quite & the Backlight being far too bright (honestly, it still lit up the room on the lowest setting & I really dont like having to switch the back light off completely)

I am releaved to say that these issues are something which the iLuv i177 certainlly does not suffer from.

Overall looking at the alarm clock, it is quite clear that the manufactures have designed the unit with a great deal of attention to every detail.

Pros:
1) Sound quality is absolutely superb. The volume of the iLuv ranges from 0 - 40 and even when boosted right up to the later, the sound quality is absolutely crystal clear with no sign of distortion. I can truthfully say that the sound quality is so clear that I could quite happily use this little system in place of my big stereo as it has the added bonus of your entire music collection being right at your fingers,

2) The time & alarm clock are easy and straight forward to set up that no manual is really required.

3) The iLuv features 2 x Alarm settings which really comes in handy so I can set one for week days at 7:00 and the other for the weekend at 10:00 with both at different volumes (obviously with the week days being loudest)

4) The alarm clock comes on at roughly volume 10 and can be set to gradually build up to a a pre-set volume cap of your choice which goes right up to 40, this feature is quite handy as the iXSRE only went up to the default level of 18 meaning you then hand to crank it up further manually.

5) The back light has 4 settings of which even the brightest is not a distraction when trying to nod off.

6) As an added bonus the iLuv i177 also comes complete with a component av-lead which allows you to watch the videos stored on your iPod on your tv, which is handy for owners of the Video & iPod Classic models.

7) The system comes packaged which a docking attachemenet for ever type of iPod released to ensure you player fit nice and secure.

Cons:

There is only one minor con I could think of which is

1) Unfortunately the remote control only features basic features such as: Power, Band/Radio Select, Aux, Snooze/Dimmer, Play/Pause, Previous/Next Track, Volume & Volume Down. A lot of other systems I have seen feature more remote functions such as enter menus, equalizer select and more. I would say this is only a minor gripe realy, but the i177's older brother the i277 does actually feature more remote functions, so it would have been nice to have.

Before I close my review, I have to comment on a couple of reviewers which have expressed problems with the iLuv i177 whilst being used with the iPod Classic

After reading the comments regarding the problems regarding using the system with the iPod Classic, I decided to visit iLuv's website to see what trouble shooting tips they had in the event of experiencing problems and here's what they have to say.

"Please update your iPod classic, iPod nano 3rd Gen to the following iPod software version(s) for the alarm function to operate.
· iPod classic (80GB / 160GB): Version 1.0.2 or higher
· iPod nano 3G: Version 1.0.2 or higher.
· On i177 (only), the alarm function is not currently compatible with iPod touch. This is not a defect and is expected to be addressed in future iPod software updates"

Lucky enough my iPod Classic is software version 1.1.2PC so I have experienced no probs at all, but if you do I recommend making sure you have the latest software version and it should be ok.

The only thing I have to concern myself now is which album or playlist to wake myself up with each day :D

All in all, I would say that I think iLuv have produced a fantastic little iPod docking alarm in the i177 and I would definitely recommend it to anybody looking to wake up to their favourite tunes.

I have had my iLuv ipod docking system for two days and i love it! It is easy to use, the ipod fits in the system really well. The remote control makes it all a lot easier. You can alter the light on the system, even turn it off, if that is what you want at night.
The alarm works well, and the volume is independent from the main volume, so you can how it coming on lower to wake you.
All in all i would highly recommed the iPod docking system.

I bought this alarm clock radio as a birthday present for my husband and he really liked it. The first morning we used it the alarm nearly blew us out of bed, so that evening we got the manual out to look at making it quieter to find that the lowest setting you can have it on is 10, which isn't very refreshing to wake up to, no gentle wake up call for us. We have stuck with this now for a few weeks but unfortunately it is going to have to go, which is such a shame as the concept of waking up tothe music of your choice from your ipod is great. If you don't want this as an alarm clock but just something to play your ipod from then it's a great buy.

The iLuv i77 may be a very good alarm and docking station, I agree very good sound quality. BUT the system also comes with Video out socket so you can connect to your TV, the problem is the system does not support iPod classic/nano or touch with Video and the alarm will not work with touch becouse of software problems. I would look to other products if you want what you pay for!