I bought this to replace a GE clock radio that was having a hard time picking up my favorite NPR station since it turned digital, and in that regard it works fantastically. I began using the FM whip antenna, which was adequate, but when I switched to using the large T antenna (now embedded in my wall with thumb tacks) that also came with the unit, it tripled the number of stations available and made some HD stations more stable. There basically isn't any AM, HD or otherwise, that I can get with the useless little AM antenna they give you.

The sound is pretty awesome compared to the last radio I had and the surround simulation works pretty well. I really don't have a good base point to compare against sound wise, as my last radio was really bad.

Pretty much all settings can be changed with the remote, from back-light intensity (three levels) to sound levels, to alarm on/off, snooze on/off, HD and normal scan, presets and so on. The usefulness of the remote has really been icing for me.

I've not used the ipod/phone cradle, though a friend tested it for me and it worked fine. I do use the standard audio in with a normal mp3 player and it was better than expected, deeper base and a generally nicer sound than the speakers I had been using.

Annoyances: The remote requires line of site. The back-light can't be turned off. The alarm only lasts for one hour; it would be nice to be able to set it for two or three hours duration, or to stay on until turned off. There's no speaker output or headphone jack. There aren't enough presets available.

I have to say that I very much like this radio, it was worth every penny and I can live with the annoyances.

Excellent looks and sound

Rating: 4 (2010-08-28)

When I unpacked this radio I was suprized by its size, weight and feel. I realized that it was a higher quality product than I expected. I hooked up the AM and FM antennae and read the instructions. The only downside of this SONY radio was that it took a little time to understand the operation via the remote. However I continued practicing with it and soon was able to program all of the stations I wanted. I found out that some local stations were brodcasting three channels on just one frequency. Previously I thought there was a limit of two. HD is better than I thought. The sound quality is excellent and there is an input jack so you can play music from other sources in addition to the IPOD dock. I have a home office and I use the radio for both talk and music while I work. The bottom line is that this radio is the best product for the money that I have purchased in the last year.

Iphone 4

Rating: 1 (2010-08-22)

Worked fine with iPhone 3, does not recognize iPhone 4! This is the only dock so far I had a problem with the iPhone 4.
Never had good luck with any Sony product, why should this be any different.

Lots of bang for the buck

Rating: 4 (2010-08-14)

I listen to lots of news, sports and talk on AM. When I found out most of the programming I consume (The Ticket, Ranger baseball) was simulcast in HD in FM I made the jump to HD. I live in the western half of the Dallas/Ft Worth metro area and have no problem picking up HD stations that I want to listen to. For this reason alone, this Sony is indispensible now. Fighting through low wattage AM broadcasts is no longer an issue.

Sound quality is pretty good for a bedroom or kitchen unit. It's not quite as good as nice mini-stereo or a boombox, but for my purposes, it's more than acceptable. Classical music comes out clean. Modern music lacks the low end that only a larger speaker could provide.

The clock and display light is very bright when it's time to hit the sack, as other reviewers have stated. Sony should just call this a clock radio, iPod dock and night light. Fan noise is not that noticeable to me and I sleep about 5 feet away from the unit.

I just got an iPod but don't use it much. Using the Sony's remote to control the iPod might get easier over time but for now, I fumble with it. The sound quality of my MP3's is more than acceptable.

As I write this, (Aug 2010) the unit is on sale locally at BB for $90. That is such a steal I bought a second one to put in another part of my house.

Great radio station

Rating: 5 (2010-08-07)

My wife loves classical music. We live near Appleton WI and the WPNE HD 2 was listed as 24 hour classical music. The radio has worked fine with just the single wire antenna provided. A second better antenna is provided, but was not needed to get this Green Bay radio station. This is the only HD radio station in our area. WPNE HD1 is the same as WPNE analog.

This sound is good and the radio works well. I was disappointed when I saw the radio has a small fan. But I do not hear the fan when it is running.

I would buy this radio again and my purchase a second one for another room

Listmania!

ipod