iSoundSpa: Unique Features; Poor Tuner Performance

I don’t know about you, but around the house I have plenty of alarm clocks of varying ages and abilities that will get the AM wakeup routine done. I also own an iHome iH5 with which I am satisfied. So why did I buy the HoMedics iSoundSpa with iPod Dock (model SS-7000)? For the addition of the “Sound Spa” feature — digitally recorded nature sounds including brook, waterfall, sunrise, rainforest, rain and ocean. The nature sounds are great for creating a peaceful ambiance without tying up your iPod or buying full-length nature CDs!

While all iPod docks and radio/alarm clocks share a lot in common, the HoMedics SS-7000 offers a number of unique features. In my particular case, having purchased this model specifically for the addition of the nature sounds, I was pleased to find, thanks to the stereo speakers, that the nature sounds are much more realistic on the iSoundSpa compared to the other nature sounds products manufactured by HoMedics or Conair, most of which offer only monaural output. The HoMedics iSoundSpa’s six nature sounds are easy to select because the buttons are mounted in a semi-circle on the top of the unit. To the best of my knowledge, only one other iPod docking station, created by The Sharper Image, offers a nature sounds feature. If you haven’t awoken or fallen asleep to nature sounds it is a feature that will prove handy by blocking out annoying environmental noises so you can study, relax, read or sleep more soundly. Similarly, the SS-7000 is the only iPod dock that I know of to include a projection clock. And like the nature sounds, the advantages of projecting the time on a ceiling or nearby wall become apparent over time. Projection clocks, for example, are great for eliminating the strain brought on by craning one's neck to read a conventional bedside clock.


Positive aspects of the iSoundSpa SS-7000 include:

the availability of HoMedics product manuals in PDF format from www.homedics.com. [Viewing the product manual before you buy the product will enable you to view a diagram of the product and its button/switch placement, and satisfy any specific operational questions you may have before you shell out your hard-earned cash.];

compatibility with just about all iPods;

a line-in, cable included, by which to connect an iPod Shuffle, CD players or alternative MP3 device [it will not charge these, however];

a CR2025 lithium battery, installed at the factory, will keep the time backed up for approximately three years before requiring replacement;

dual alarms that can wake you to iPod, radio, buzzer or nature sound;

a hi/lo dimmer switch to control the brightness of the blue LCD numerals and the blue iPod dock;

a blue projection beam that doubles as a night light; if desired you may also switch the projection off;

a nice change from the more common red or green LCD digits. [HoMedics stuck to the tried-and-true lighted digits on their LED screen as opposed to the backlighting that seems to be commonplace on alarm clocks and other recent electronics — a thoughtful design given that backlit LCD clocks are oftentimes too bright and/or virtually unreadable at night, even with good vision.];

a 15-, 30-, 45- or 60-minute sleep/nap/timer function;

a continuous play option for the nature sounds;

audio quality that is better than a typical clock radio — though not quite as crisp as my iHome. [iSoundSpa is no Bose Wave Radio, but the audio is not overly bright and fairly well balanced considering the small speaker size and the fact that HoMedics is not known for producing stereo equipment.];


Unfortunately, the negative aspects of the HoMedics SS-7000 were deal breakers. They include:

a strong blue light from the projection clock arm [soothing for some but sleep depriving for others];

bass reflex technology that imparts a hollow tone that lacks bass "punch" [At certain volumes and frequencies the audio resonates with the plastic housing.];

no remote control was included in the box or referenced in the product literature. [There is, however, a listing on the HoMedics Website for a remote with a similar sounding model number: SS-7000RMT. Unfortunately, there is no picture and little information beyond the link. HoMedics fails, for example, to indicate if the remote is available for purchase or if it is even designed for use with the iSoundSpa SS-7000 in mind. Given the complete lack of documentation, there is little choice for purposes of this review but to assume that the present generation of iSoundSpas are not designed for use with a remote. Be it an omission of the documentation or a product design decision, I suspect the absence of a remote control will cost HoMedics more sales than any other drawback mentioned here.];

a focusing ring on the top of the projection arm that is too loose to remain fixed in place in the event that you accidentally brush against it;

absolutely no AM/FM presets;

absolutely no jack by which to hook up an external antenna;

the glossy black plastic housing displays every fingerprint and factory scratch it has ever received;

a clicking noise in the speakers when rotating the volume knob;

the absence of a gentle wake on the alarm for the purpose of gradually ramping up the volume;

the fact that both alarms must be set for the same wake up mode;

the fact that both alarms are seven-day alarms that do not provide a separate weekend wake time;

the absence of atomic time circuitry. With digital clocks on everything from microwaves to home theater equipment, it sure would save a lot of time if manufacturers would auto sync to a single, always-accurate time source! HoMedics presets the time at the factory and the iSoundSpa offers time zone switches on the back of the unit so that daylight savings time will adjust automatically once you have selected your time zone; however, this is not to be confused with the ability to intercept atomic time radio signals. [IMPORTANT NOTE: Daylight savings time, at least in states that observe DST, is being observed differently than in years past. This means that all electronics, old or new, that fail to include updated daylight savings data will not self-set on the correct date, which puts consumers in states that observe DST back to the task of updating the time manually twice a year. To my knowledge, HoMedics makes no attempt to state whether their DST-enabled electronics contain updated circuitry.];

poor AM/FM tuner performance, especially on the FM band. I am uncertain whether or not the speakers are shielded. If not, it may explain the tendency to pick up static in the radio reception despite my proximity to strong urban-area transmitters.


Closing

Although I've come across complaints regarding the HoMedics iSoundSpa radio reception elsewhere on the Internet, my initial impression was that static interference could be attributed to poor antenna placement, local geography, weather conditions or a bad apple here or there. Having personally experienced the same problem reported by others, however, I'm beginning to think the poor tuner performance is not the fluke it first appeared. Even so, this unit offers a lot of features that other alarm/iPod docks do not. As a result, I'm giving the HoMedics iSoundSpa SS-7000 three stars — partly on the assumption that HoMedics will improve upon the iSoundSpa's sub par AM/FM tuning circuitry. There is, after all, precedent for design changes. When first-generation iHome iPod docks generated complaints about overly bright LCD clock backlighting and ear-blasting, ramp-up alarm volume levels, the problem was corrected in later production runs (though the model numbers remained unchanged). HoMedics would be wise to do the same. For now, though, I have no choice but to review the performance of the product I purchased. And while I can live without digital presets or a remote control, a shoddy tuner I cannot.


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