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.

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

The unit does not come with an adapter to fit the new 4 or 8 GB nano ipods. There are a bunch of adapters supplied that allow the many older ipod styles to fit the unit. I called JBL tech support and parts and both indicated that it indeed did not support these new ipods. One agent indicated that he thought that the product may be at 'end of life' and that they probably would not supply the adapters. So if you plan to use the unit with current generation iPods you might consider something else.Otherwise it sounds great. The controls are 'ok' but take some getting used to.

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 screenCons:-Overdone styling-Complicated menus/setup-LCD screen is small and hard to readWell, 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.

A good sounding unit on I-Pod and AM modes but very poor FM reception. The unit was returned.

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 !!!).

I just got this a week or so ago and have been thoroughly enjoying the soundstation. the product itself was a little smaller than i expected [bought it online didnt see it in action as the specs made sense to me]-- but sound quality is fantastic [given the size]. though not at serious audiophiles standard, its great to use in a bedroom or office setting. i like this better than my bose wave radio.stylish in its looks and the ambient light at night looks really cool -- too bad one sleeps through it.the previous commenter mentioned that the unit didnt start off from where it was turned off -- and i havent seen that at all. maybe it was a defective piece, but i dont believe that's the case for all of them [you might want to return for a new one].three other folks who have seen and experienced it at my office have gone out and bought it. i recommend the clock version [slightly more in price but definitely worth the extra features].