iHome iH16G - Portable Stereo Alarm Clock Speaker System

I want to start off by saying that I've bought hundreds of things on Amazon.com and I ALWAYS read reviews before buying. I'm a smart buyer who always does his research and gets the best deal. I've never even written one bad review here and I've been very successful in making good purchases.

Unfortunately, I was misled a bit on this product. It saw all the stars, read the reviews, but when I got this thing, unboxed and turned it on, it immediately struck me as a device not worth $40, much less its list price of $50. The main reasons for my complaint are the position and size of the speakers as well as the dock design. This device is listed as "iHome iH16 Portable Speaker System for iPod" whereas my impression of it now is "iHome iH16 Simple Alarm Clock for iPod."

If you're looking for a simple, relatively inexpensive alarm clock that allows you to plug your iPod into it, this is a good buy. However, if you're looking for a quality portable audio system for your iPod, you will be disappointed. This is a simple 2 speakers facing out on the side of the device. This makes true sound quality hard to attain because no matter where you are in relation to this thing, you will not have direct stereo sound because it's impossible for both speakers to be facing you at the same time. This was a big disappointment for me.

The dock also has room for improvement. When I pulled the iH16 out of it's package, I read the instructions and tried to put the dock together for an iPod Nano. You have to hook 2 pieces of plastic into the back of the dock to support the Nano, the second being a bit small and flimsy. Although I got the Nano docked, the support was lousy and left me wondering if I even did it right. When I had my Nano 3G plugged in, it was extremely uncomfortable to use the click wheel as the bottom of the wheel was almost flush against the surface of the dock. I overcame this by simply using a 3.5mm AUX cable, but then I lost the charging function.

However, on the plus side of things, it's a nice looking device that does what it says and does it good and with simplicity. The clock and alarm are extremely easy to set, it does have an AUX cable input, it does charge the iPod, and it does play music. The sound quality for the size and position of the speakers IS actually good. I won't be returning this, but I've definitely learned a valuable lesson from it.

I want to finish by saying that I am a guy who usually gets the best or close to it in audio. I don't ALWAYS get the most expensive stuff, but when it comes to my music, I usually go all-out. Music is very important to me and I have the ears of an audiophile. If you're simply looking for a little portable device to play your tunes or, as aforementioned, an alarm clock that supports the iPod, this product is fine for you. But if you're looking for a little more on the audio side of things, seek elsewhere. And even then, $40 still seems a bit steep for this.

Worked great for 3 months, and a few days ago the speakers just stopped working for no apparent reason.

I got this to do two things only: tell me the time (without me needing to put my glasses on) and read me a bedtime story (audiobooks ripped from CD). It is almost perfect for those purposes, but I'm surprised at all these glowing reviews, because the unit is not without real flaws. The only two that concern me are that the display, while large and clear, cannot be seen if you're lying down and your bedside table is at the same level as your head. From all other angles the display is perfectly clear, but to see the time without sitting up, I need to lean the unit towards me at a sharp angle.

The other niggle that bothers me is that the [Sleep] button is on the back (Why?) and is the middle of three identical buttons, so care is needed. Did the designers think that people would confuse [Snooze] with [Sleep]? If so, they could have come up with more unambiguous labels, like [It's too f*?#!+@ early!] and [Drift Off...]

Two other flaws that don't concern me but would probably matter to most people: In terms of volume, it doesn't exactly "go to eleven"; all it can manage is about four. The other one is that, though the sound quality is as excellent as reported in the other reviews, there is a serious lack of bass, leaving it sounding only like a set of five dollar computer speakers.

It does everything else just fine, is truly portable and lightweight, takes up very little space, and is constructed really well.

(I can't comment on the alarm function because I would never rely on anything this complex to wake me up: if I absolutely, positively have to be awake at a certain time, my yard-sale Westclox gets wound up, armed, and placed on the other side of the room. I then go to sleep, serenaded by its hellacious loud tick, secure in the knowledge that - come Hell or high water (or power outages) - I will be awake and standing at the right time next morning.)