Philips AJ3980 AM FM CD Clock Radio Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I spent ALOT of time looking at different models of radio alarms, and none of them had all of the features I wanted, so it seems like there is always a compromise. Since this slick little model was philips latest offering, I assumed it would have all the features of the previous models, it did not. It also has problems with the speakers, both were fuzzy and distorted on different operation modes, cd, tuner... I believe this to be a defect, not a by-design issue.
The Pros: The sound, when it did function correctly, was crisp and had a nice full range of reproduction. It wont replace a bookshelf system, but works quite well for bed side, although the opposite firing speakers do not reproduce stereo sound, it does have a standard mini-headphone jack. The display was large and quite readable from many angles. The touch screen display added some coolness value but you dont really want to have to look at a bedside alarm to operate it, you want to go by feel, fuhgetaboutit with the onscreen controls.
The Cons: Brightness control, why dont they make a light that you can turn off entirely and just press a button for momentary illumination? Even at its lowest brighntess setting which is about 30 or 40 percent dimmer then normal, its still not all that dim and could cause some annoyance at night, although the amber display is less obtrusive than the previous model's electrolumenescent blue. It only has five fm presets. no adjustable snooze, no weekend alarm defeat option, three minute internal power failure back-up, pathetic when my four year old laptop keeps better time when it has no power for a month. Those are my biggest complaints.
Overall it is a well constructed item with the obvious caveat for the defective sound ouput. I should also mention that I wasnt pleased with the cd latching mechanism. It uses a cheap plastic push down lock connector that doesn't seem to inspire longevity. Overall a well built item but I'm disappointed with the lack of certain features and ended up returning it due to the defective sound output, I ordered the previous model and am waiting for delivery now...

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Incorporating an LCD Touchscreen, this clock radio is intuitively designed for simplicity and appearance. The Philips AJ3980 is also engineered for optimal functioning for both comfort and assurance.Large, touchscreen, backlit LCD screen (with dimmer control) is easy to readSleep timerIntegrated side-mount speakers for stereo soundJack for optional headphone listeningErgonomically positioned snooze bar110-120 Volt AC poweredOne year manufacturers limited exchange warranty

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