JBL Time Machine Alarm Clock/Dock for iPod (Black)

The JBL Time Machine sits in my living room and serves as the sound system for that section of my home. This machine is powerful on it's own. But I added the JBL Creature II powered speakers to spread around the sound. I've had both pieces for 3 months with zero problems. I'd recommend (and have recommended) this system to snyone with an iPod. The sound is amazing.

Before purchasing this item I read many of the reviews posted on amazon. Many said what I am about to say, but I chose to ignore them. I should have listened! This clock sounds good and looks good, that's where the good stops. It is supposed to increase in volume when the alarm function is used. Mine did not. Only came on at a jarring volume. No way to control it. I sent it back to amazon for a replacement. The new one worked the same way. I now sent it back to JBL for a replacement, and am waiting arrival of that one. It really needs a remote control. Using the ipod controls while it is docked in the unit is a pain. I bought my son a $70 Memorex ipod clock radio. It came with a remote. And the alarm volume increases automatically like this one is supposed to. The display points up so it is hard to read from bed without lifting your head up. Sound quality and appearance are the only reasons this unit rates three stars.

Pros: -Dual alarms -Progressively increasing volume of radio alarm -Good overall sound quality -Easy to use basic features by touch -Informative LCD screen Cons: -Overdone styling -Complicated menus/setup -LCD screen is small and hard to read Well, I've been living with this for about 3 weeks now, and I'm pleased with the purchase. I needed to replace an 8 year old Philips CD-radio with dual alarms mostly because the sound quality was like listening to AM radio through a drive-through restaurant speaker. One of my top priorities, other than sound quality, was a dual alarm. I can't tell you how helpful these are if your schedule changes day to day. Not only does the JBL have dual alarms, it does it better than any other system I've seen. It has a separate on/off button for each alarm AND you have the option to have each alarm set to go off on weekdays only, weekends only, or all 7 days. This is also the first alarm I have had with a progressively increasing volume on alarm. It will start playing the music fairly soft and gradually increase the volume over the next 30 seconds or more. This is much gentler than the jarring way most alarms go off (or worse, the dreaded BEEP). Be sure, though, that if you do not respond to the alarm, it continues to get louder and should be enough to wake up even heavy sleepers. If that's not sufficient, it does have the obligitory BEEP alarm, too. As far as sound quality goes, it's as good as your average, similarly priced "boom box." It gets plenty loud, has decent bass, and the highs are clear. It won't hold a candle to a good home theater/stereo system, but it's more than adequate for a bedroom. It's the best clock/radio I've ever heard and is easily the best iPod-specific speaker system I've tested out (though I have not listened to the Altec Lansing inMotion 7). It's not good enough to allow a sharp-eared listener to really notice the compression artifacts of the MP3s being played through your iPod. Other nice touches include an LCD screen that is able to display a good amount of useful information. It can display Radio Data Sytem (RDS) information, though no RDS stations exist in my area so I couldn't test this out. Similarly, the LCD has an autoadjusting brightness based on ambient light (which can also be manually adjusted instead, if desired). The clock can be autoset by scanning through radio stations (assuming, of course, the station has their own clock set correctly), and a battery backup will rescue you in case of a brief power outage in the night (though the manual doesn't say if it will allow the alarm to go off if power remains out). Finally, the unit has the world's easiest-to-find snooze button. It's the big circle on the very top of the unit that looks like part of the speaker grill. On the down side, I personally miss having a built-in CD player. I hate having to remember to take my iPod out of it and put it back in the car every day. A CD player would be a useful feature. The LCD screen is relatively small and is angled away from you towards the ceiling in such a way that trying to read it from bed is difficult due to contrast issues (blue numbers on a slightly less bright blue background). You can adjust the contrast, but it makes it that much more difficult to read when you are standing (e.g., getting dressed). Some people may also be put off by the brightness of the LCD. If you require absolute darkness, you will not appreciate the little blue alien spacecraft sitting on your nightstand staring at you all night. To make it worse, there's a little blue LED light in the top of the circle facing down, which reflects off the unit's base in interesting ways. I would suggest that the black unit if either of these light issues are a concern. Next up, the buttons. All of the immediate functions (volume, source select, snooze) are easy to use, even with your eyes closed, mostly because there are only a few buttons and they are distinctly laid out. However, if you have difficulty programming a VCR, you will hate trying to configure this JBL. The relatively limited number of buttons means that all the settings of the system, and there are quite a few, are buried in a hard to use interface. It consists of a series of nested menus, most of which don't make a lot of sense. It may hold an iPod, but it's nowhere near as easy to use as one. Unless you're very comfortable with obfuscated menus, or are willing to take the time to learn, you'd be better off getting something else. I know it has garnered raves for its styling, but in reality, it doesn't really work. Sure, it's beautiful sitting on a laboratory table, but unless you're George Jetson, the unit will not match your bedroom decor. The unit stands out like a zebra in a herd of horses. It is also bigger than you think judging from the pictures, and it takes up a fair amount of nightstand real estate. I'd suggest checking out the measurements before jumping in. Overall, I find that the positives outweigh the negatives. I'm glad the price has come down considerably from it's initial [...] to the current sub [...] range. It's the best-of-breed for iPod alarm/clock radios and makes a fine stand-alone unit even without the iPod functionality. Now I've just got to get another iPod to leave docked permanently.

Sound quality excellent ... can't complain here. Menu is not so good, and integration with iPod sucks (you cannot program what you want it to play in the morning if you have latest software on iPod or Gen 5 iPod .... that really sucks !!!).

It was the second one that i ordered and it was defective. I sent it back.

JBL Time Machine is a nice bit of industrial design. I have a U2 iPod, and have no integration problems, but then I like to get my money's worth and plan on keeping both for a long time. Sound quality is pretty good. I navigate the iPod with the clickwheel, just like when using earbuds. The major downsides? First, the "antenna" is a joke. It's a coated wire with a square aerial at the end. Looks like something you'd use to fly a kite. JBL should offer an accessory retractable antenna that plugs into the back of the unit (maybe they do and I just don't know it yet). I like listening to the radio while working and reception is only good on some stations. Also, stretching out and draping the wire antenna across a stand is not a brilliant solution. Makes me think I'm back in a dorm room, and that was a long time ago. Marconi would not approve. The other negative? No remote, so if I want to change stations, I have to get up from my desk and push buttons on the base. All that said, I'm very happy with the piece. It's compact, a great bit of design, sound reproduction does the job, it keeps the iPod charged, and if I choose a lengthy playlist, I'm good for hours. It came with a bag full of iPod adaptors, but I didn't need those because my iPod is "ancient" by Steve Jobs' standards, meaning it's more than 12 months old. In time perhaps JBL will answer my minor criticisms and also make one that integrates with an iPhone. Clearly that's the next best step and that's when I'll get an iPhone and a new JBL Time Machine.

the uncompromising quality of sound is truly amazing Programming the machine is not easy though and sometimes frustrating .forget the fm frequency reception,non existent.it blows the ihome clock away though

The size is small and compact but has awesome sound. I is hard to move room to room because when you unplug it you then need to reset all the settings once again. Also, when you turn it off the songs start at the beginning and needs to be reset to where you left off. However it is an incredible machine and I really like it.