Boston Acoustics Recepter Radio AM/FM clock radio with dual alarms Charcoal

Rating:
Summary: My Favorite Clock Radio
Review: Boston Acoustics loudspeakers have been a part of my audio system for twenty years, but I bought the Recepter because the company claimed its FM reception to be good.

They weren't kidding. No other radio or tuner I've owned beats the Recepter in that regard, and most of them cost more. It's exceptionally good at picking out weak and distant signals from among closer and stronger ones. The radio has connections for specialty aerials, but I've gotten along fine with just the wire antenna that came with it.

The simple controls are nearly perfect. I like having rotary volume and tuning controls, instead of all those tiny push-buttons that populate a lot of electronics. The station presets and clock functions are very easy to use, and the display is informative and easy to read.

None of this would mean much if the Recepter didn't sound good, and it does. The vented cabinet and "BassTrac" circuit make for more bass than I thought was possible from such a small radio. Enough, in fact, that it can be a bit much if the Recepter is placed too close to a corner, or too far back on a bookshelf. Keep it a little distance from a wall or other boundary though, and the boominess goes away.

I'm an FM radio nut, and I tried out a number of other hi-fi clock radios: the Bose Wave, Cambridge SoundWorks 730, and Tivoli's Model Three. I liked all of them, but the Recepter was the best combination of features, sound, and price.

Rating:
Summary: Not so good as others said
Review: First the the deep base in this radio for music is pretty good. But when you tune into a talkshow, this radio's deep base makes the voice unnatural or sometimes even muffled.I want to hear the clear real sound of human's voice.
Secondly I compared this radio's reception ability with Sony ICF36, I can't tell the difference on AM and FM.

So think it over before you spend $150 on that. I think it may worth half of that price.

Rating:
Summary: Very good in most ways
Review: I am always surprised to find high-end radios, built for discriminating audiophiles who can detect subtle differences, in the homes of people (usually nouveau riche) who only use them to listen to very powerful, "classic" rock or top twenty stations that would sound great on a ten dollar radio because of the strong signal. I knew one rich woman who bought a very expensive Bose stereo to listen to her one and only music CD once or twice a week: a Reader's Digest reissue of Hawaiian music from the '60's recorded in analog. That is what she spent hundreds of dollars for. She never bought another CD or listened to the radio.
So what are you buying this expensive radio for?
Do not buy it for bringing in distant AM stations because it won't do that.
For FM music, this presents full, rich, perfectly balanced sound that will fill a room. This is where it excels. FM reception is good with the attached whip antenna.
Buy it for the sleek, techno/minimalistic look. It is well designed and will look sharp in most living rooms.
Buy it for the simple operation dials. It is very easy to use.
But think before you buy it. This is an expensive radio and you may be able to fulfill your purposes for a lot less money. And if you aren't the type of person who is listening to music for hours every day or who only listens to big rock stations you probably won't notice the difference in sound between this and a cheaper radio.

Rating:
Summary: GREAT for hard to reach radio signals
Review: I live in Broward County Florida and wasn't able to pull in the West Palm Beach radio station that Howard Stern is on now as I'm outside the stations standard range; not on my regular clock radio or even my stereo. However, the reception on this radio is so GREAT, the signal comes in nice and strong. If you want great reception and sound, get this radio.

Rating:
Summary: The Tender Trap
Review: I love this radio. Immediately upon opening the box, one perceives that this is a solid, well-made product. The design of controls is brilliiant in its simplicity. The sound is well above average for a radio of this size; and the FM tuner is excellent. The design, workmanship, and quality of this object provide real joy of ownership.
But there is a danger. The snooze button provides ten minutes when pressed once; but additional pushes increase the time allotted up to a full hour. On a dark chill morning one's brutish and uncaring semi-conscious mind will think only to stab repeatedly for relief and you WILL be ...
LATE FOR WORK.

Rating:
Summary: A slightly flawed classic
Review: I searched high and low to replace my black square Sony dream machine. What I liked about the dream machine was its simple black color and it bright clear display. What I hated was its cheap radio dial and poor reception. Nevertheless, I had it for 10+ years. When I saw this clock radio I was convinced I had finally found the perfect replacement. In many ways I have...

The pluses:

Great design- Simple, intuitive and classic. The size is very nearly perfect. It has the right weight and it feels extremely well built. Not to mention, it looks great on your bedside table. It was also very nice to find this in charcoal grey. Most clock radio's only come in cheap looking "high tech" silver.

Fantastic reception- I live in the Bay Area where the reception is notoriously bad but the BA performs like a champ.

Convenient controls- It's super simple to change the time and the alarm. The two alarm feature is really convenient as well. Plus, having a digital reciever makes finding the right station a snap.

The minuses:

Display- Although I really appreciate the LCD (versus LED which is impossible to see at an angle) the display is just too small. When I roll over I can barely make out the time even though its only 12 inches from my bed.

Sound quality-As mentioned elsewhere, this machine is very bass heavy. Unfortunately, this means that it can sound a little muddy. When I wake up I like to listen to talk radio and it kinda sounds like they are underwater.

Controls- While the programming controls are great , there is no way to adjust treble. In addition, when the alarm goes off, it locks in the preselected radio station so you need to turn off the stereo and turn it back on again to change the channel.

Expense- I got this as a gift. But frankly, it really is pretty outrageous to spend $150 for a clock radio. However, as I said before, it DOES feel incredibly solid and well made.

So should you get it?

If the price is not a hang up I would say "Yes". While the muddy sound is my biggest complaint, it's elegant look and fantastic features make this alarm clock stand out in a crowd of competitors.

Rating:
Summary: A clock radio for grown ups..
Review: It's a little pricey for a clock radio but it's easy on the eyes, has a good tuner and great sound quality. The build quality is subjectively very high. It has a nice heft and stays put on a bedside table. I find the sound quality as good or better than the Tivoli Pal but... it can sound a little boomy. There's a port in the back that can stuffed with a cotton ball to tame the bass. Regardless, I enjoy drifting off to the BBC more so than with the Tivoli. The added bass gives a little more warmth to voice. The only thing I find irritating about this is that there isn't an input for an external device. An mp3 player or cd player for example. It's a glaring omission for a clock radio at this price point. Bottom line, if you can live with out an input for external devices, you'll likely get many years of use out of this product.

Rating:
Summary: Great sound and easy to use
Review: This is a great clock radio, small footprint but BIG sound. Very easy setup and the external antenna connector lets my rooftop antenna pull in some great stations over 75 miles away. You will not be disappointed, it's worth the extra cash. The bass out of the single speaker beats the Bose FM/CD tabletop players hands down.

Rating:
Summary: Very Nice Sound in a Compact Clock Radio
Review: To my unsophisticated ear the Recepter's sound is full and rich. I like the way they've implemented the station pre-sets. They're accessed via a rotary knob, not a lot of hard to find buttons, and you can mix AM and FM stations among then presets. The clock radio shuts itself off after 10 minutes and can be combined with an alarm. In general, I like the Recepter's controls and user interface. I also own a Kloss Model One, another outstanding piece of equipment, and the Recepter has comparable sound quality, which is saying a lot. The Recepter has the edge in ease of use and the Model One lacks a clock radio. One drawback, the Receptor lacks an audio-in jack, so you can't attach an IPod. The Kloss Model One permits attachment of the IPod. Overall, I highly recommend the Receptor.