Alarm Clock Radio with USB Charging

I like nearly all the features of this clock except the display is way too dark. At it's brightest setting it can be seen at night but not in a brightly lit room in the daytime.

I ordered this clock radio because my old one always lost time and the FM reception was terrible.Shownis the model CR63 Magnasonic I got.Following the instructions, I set the time zone and saw that the time was behind by a couple of minutes and I had to correct it. Hopefully, it won't keep losing time, but so far, so good. I'll come back and edit this review if it does.PROS:¶ Radio reception and sound is decent, reception with my old one was bad and often non-existent before dawn.¶ PLL Digital Radio Tuner, accurate, never drifts. My old one had a thumb wheel, constantly needed adjustment.¶ Scans for stations to preset.¶ Screen is easy to read.¶ Day, month and date display is a bonus.CONS:¶ Inadequate brightness adjustment, only the Hi setting can be easily seen from across the room. All others are too dim.¶ The display is dark and almost invisible when viewed at eye level on my bedside table. You have to view it vertically perpendicular to the screen or higher because the screen tilts back at about 15°. See picture. I have to prop the back of it up on something so I can see it at night.MINOR ANNOYANCES¶ Other than the date, etc., the screen is a bit cluttered.¶ I wish there was a way to optionally disable the fade-in feature of the alarm and radio volume.As with all dual alarm clock radios, the play time is 30 minutes instead of 60 like the older ones. To get an hour, I set the two alarms consecutively, which is where the fade-in of the second one is undesirable.

It took me two times with the alarm clock to learn how to set it. You also have to pick a day for the alarm to work, like Mon, Tues, Wed, etc. Now I'm happy with it. It also has a unique dimmer. You can choose high light, low light or no light. That's right, nothing at all will shine if you don't want to see the time at all. I kiinda want to know what time I wake up during the night sometimes. It's also smaller than all the clocks I've used, so it takes up a small space on the night stand.

works amazing,,,,,,,, just right

Even set to the highest brightness level, the display is dim and not visible at all when viewing from some angles. I liked the features of this device, but the visibility issues render it effectively useless.

Great clock radio

This is a great alarm clock. I really like the display and not have glaring red, green or blue colors staring at me in the face. I also like that the internal battery can be replaced. This wasn't so in a previous brand I used as time was being lost almost immediately after purchasing a different brand. I appreciate being able to adjust the starting volume of the alarm clock. I can't stand the ones that punch you in the face upon wake up (LOUD). I can set the alarm for just the weekdays which is convenient. Very happy with this purchase and I'm glad I went direct to manufacturer for purchasing. Very nice people at Magnasonic.

I'm a fan of the design aesthetic of this clock and will probably use it for a long time.I don't expect super audio from a small radio alarm clock or I'd have purchased something more along those considerations. This may only be the one I have but, it does not get very bright. Mine's not even as bright as the one pictured but, I can see it in a darkened room and unlike the last couple I've had.. I don't have to put something over it because it's dimmest is too bright to sleep by. The design is very clean and has a modern retro Black & White CRT feel to it though it's LCD. I had hoped for more dynamic dimming range from somewhat brighter down to maybe as dim as the one I have's brightest. Still, it does the job and looks good doing it. I have no real complaints with it as a bedside alarm clock radio.And, it's still pretty slick with it's clean lines and design.

Easy to read

This item is elegant, of excellent quality, price point, workmanship and is functional as described. I am very happy with my purchase.

I bought this clock 4 months ago, now the display is so dim you cannot see it in the daytime and can barely see it at night, even with the display set to 'Hi' Disappointed because I have missed the return window by less than a month.

I purchased the CR63 version of the alarm clock with the black background.Mangnasonic claims the clock has automatic time set - it does not. It is set from the factory to something close to the correct time, but not the actual correct time. I assume in China they use the 'the sun is approx. overhead, so it must be noon' time standard. There is no automatic time setting feature.Frustration-free operation - Not even close. You must make sure you watch the display when turning on the alarm. It is way too easy for the slide button that turns on the alarm to go too far and go into set mode. Set mode should have been the first click on the slide button not the last.Ideal visibility - Nope, they fail on this one too. The display is tilted back. If you look at the display at an angle perpendicular to the display or above it appears okay. But when lying in bed and because the display is tilted back, the display appears to be blank.The alarm is stupid. Instead of having an assenting volume alarm, the start with a beep followed by a longer pause. About 10 seconds later it turns to beep beep followed by a shorter pause. They keep adding a beep unit there is no pause. The volume of the alarm stays constant. The alarm disable button is on top with the snooze button, so it is easy to disable the alarm instead of snooze. When setting the alarm, it defaults to M-F instead of everyday. If you aren’t paying attention when setting an alarm, you may wake up late on a weekend.Radio reception is poor even with the wire antenna stretched out.The only thing I like about this alarm clock is way the information is displayed. I really like seeing the time the alarm is set without having to push a button.With so many bad decisions in the design of this alarm clock and the dishonest claims, I would recommend never buying anything with the Mangnasonic name on it.

Love the clock, however setting the alarm and having to do it every day by changing the calendar day is a bit of a nuisance. Would not purchase again.

I like that it is small and doesn't take up much room. Numbers are bright and easy to readLove the day light savings option .

Very happy with the auto-dim feature that dims the display when ambient lighting is low and brightens the display when ambient lighting is bright. The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is that the viewing angle is such that it is difficult to see the display if you are even slightly lower than the clock, such as when lying in bed with the clock on a night stand that is higher than the bed.