Home > Consumer Reviews > Roberts Idream CRD42 DAB/FM Stereo Clock Radio with Dock for iPod

I disagree with the above review.

I received this for Christmas and have had great pleasure in using all its functions, from the sleep timer, the two different alarms, and the choice of using either Ipod, buzzer, or radio to wake up to. The design and sound are perfect for bedside usage and I personally have not had any problems with either the rubber buttons or the remote. In fact, I use the remote for all my requirements.

It does not have the buzzing associated with the pure Chronos iDock and my DAB and FM reception is perfectly fine. Both my husband and I have different iPods and both work perfectly fine with the iDream.

I am very happy with my product and would recommend it.

I was getting so fed up with the interference on my Logic3 iStation Alarm Clock Radio whilst listening to the radio in the morning that I started looking for a DAB replacement.

After looking at the sensibly priced options I was left with the two main contenders - the PURE Chronos iDock and the Roberts Idream CRD42.

My main criteria was simple -2 alarms, DAB radio and an IPOD dock.
The Pure option with 4 alarms, and better display was appealing, as was the Roberts with the better buttons, price, and seemingly less noise problems.

I finally made my decision and plumped for the Roberts. Figuring that the `Roberts' name would mean something, and more importantly as I was on a budget, that it was a little bit cheaper.

Good choice? Well..

The positives of the unit are -

* I found the unit a doddle to set up - switch on - wait a moment and it's done
* The DAB reception is great with no interference or noise even with the IPod docked
* The alarms are easy to set up and I have had no problems with them being missed or coming on twice or anything else reported.
* The buttons work just fine and the unit doesn't slide about too much - and I have big hands.
* The unit is neat and compact
* It does exactly as it should and works just fine as a bedside unit.

The down sides (hence 3 starts)

* The sound has zero depth - I was expecting better from a `Roberts'. It's OK for conversation but music is soulless and it has zero bass (the Logic3 unit was 10 times better)
* The display brightness is either off and un-viewable by day or too bright and lights up the room
* The remote functions are limited.
* The display is blocky, basic and shows limited information.

Should I have chosen the Pure unit? I really cannot say.

I am happy with my Roberts purchase but should I need to buy another item I will definitely find the time to go and have a good look at the options in the flesh first & listen to them too. The internet is good for buying goods, but not that good.
I hope this review was of some help to you.

I was specifically searching for a DAB Digital Clock Radio with good sound quality and IPOD Dock, but preferably priced under £100. This was a present for my 25 year old son and he knows exactly what he wants, so it had to be spot on. I'm pleased to say that it does exactly what it says on the tin and he is totally satisfied with the quality. He's delighted that he can fall asleep to his own choice of music; the IPOD can be set to switch itself off after a set time. The only slight complaint that he has is, whilst all other functions can be controlled from the remote control,the display light cannot. As someone who needs his alarm to be out of reach of the bed in order to encourage him to leave his pit in the morning, he has to get out of bed to manually alter the daytime display light, as it is too bright for through the night. All in all though, a great buy.

I like ROBERTS products. They are always well built and thought out. This Ipod dock alarm clock is well built and sounds good for a bedside unit, but I just can not fathom out why the designer would overlock one small yet annoying factor. I am one of those people who use's an alarm every day, just in case I dont wake, but I always seem to wake just before it goes off, so I turn the alarm off not to wake my partner; but with this product you have to first turn the unit back on, out of sleep mode, to set the alarm back to off, but this also turns the radio on as well, waking my partner. I have looked for another way to do this, but there isnt one, so you have to try to turn the radio volume down quickly before you set the alarm to off. Very annoying.

These two units do very similar jobs (DAB, FM and ipod) but have different pros/cons:

PURE Chronos idoc
+ Better DAB & FM reception
+ Nicer looking display
+ 4 separate alarms including separate Sat and Sun (Roberts has 2 alarms including a 'weekend' option)
+ Smaller remote
+ Headphone socket at front (Roberts put it on the back so it's hard to use in the dark)

Roberts idream
+ Rubber feet mean it slides around less
+ Buttons don't have to be pressed as hard as on the Pure
+ Better speakers
+ No interference on the radio when the ipod is charging (Such a big problem with the Pure that it went back)

Both work with my ipod touch 2nd generation and allow music on the ipod to be controlled with the remote. Both screens dim to an acceptable level although the Pure has a few more options for this.

Overall the PURE would be better if the interference problems were resolved and the speakers improved a bit. The interference alone means the Roberts is my choice.

**UPDATE** The alarm goes off twice, about 60 seconds apart. Strange but it does make sure you wake up!