Dead Tools

Boston Acoustics Recepter Alarm Radio

Intuitive clock radio

I’ve spent years looking for a clock radio alarm that I wouldn’t hate, either because of poor design, lousy tuning, awful audio, or too much wood-grain. I finally found it in the Boston Acoustics Recepter Alarm Radio. This beauty is exquisite. Great sound. Every control is perfectly intuitive: knob-twist digital tuning and clock setting with built-in acceleration. The thing I like about the alarm-off button on this radio is that it’s all by itself, right above the best-tuning-knob-ever. (Whether in a car or an aircraft, nothing beats a twist-knob digital tuner….) I’ve never had a problem threading my fingers through the various water bottles and night-table crap to stab the button, first try. It’s even made with a tacitly pleasant more-rubbery plastic for good finger traction. The snooze button is an example of what makes the device so sweet. It’s just the right size, well proportioned without being a Huge Snooze Bar. And get this: you tap it once and you have ten minutes of snooze. Tapping it again within three seconds adds five minutes. Each successive tap adds five minutes up to a total of 60. Then, once it’s in snooze mode, it becomes a count-down timer! Hit the button and you see how much time you have left!

It is a gorgeous utility package. Ever buy something you like so much you want to buy another, and then another? I like waking up in the morning just to look at this little clock. Picks up NPR from the fringes too and the audio quality is shockingly good for its small size. There’s nothing I would change about this little appliance.

-- Tom Parker 11/9/06

(Boston Acoustics has discontinued the Recepter Alarm Radio. If you have any experience with the Solo II Radio or another clock radio that's comparable, please let us know. — editors)

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