iLuv i168 HD Radio user reviews

5.0 stars

"A sleeper at this price. Delivers in all areas." on April 27, 2010 by caponsacchi

Pros: AM, FM and HD bands. Can choose monaural for greater sensitivity. Input and output jacks conveniently located on front panel. 2 alarms, graduating, start-up on HD. Sleep button and light-dimmer.

Cons: LED read-outs are difficult to read except from high angle.

Summary: I would have completely disregarded this unit because of brand and price, but after a night or two of learning my way around it, it's become my main all-purpose radio. The sound quality is right between the thin, "paper-ish," tiring sound of a 20-dollar radio and the resonant, bass-rich audio of a much more expensive Tivoli Model One, Boston Acoustics Receptor, or Sangean radio. It's not up to a Tivoli single-unit stereo (at 12 times the price), but it's not a cheap and plastic-like sound. I'm afraid I'd find the 3 times more expensive JBL HD dock-speaker disappointing. The iLuv unit is frequently priced below the Sony HD tuner, though with its front panel jacks and numerous features it's so much more useful and versatile that I've sold the Sony (just as easy to use the iLuv as a tuner, if you prefer). Only shortcoming is the difficulty of seeing the read-outs when they're at or below eye-level.

Updated on May 26, 2010

I'm sorry, but although I've found every other Jwin/iLuv product to be egregiously bad, this one is the anomaly--a winner, all the way up to a hundred. The carping about it is superficial--difficulty of seeing the LED read-outs from certain angles. I've owned it for half a year. It's solid as a rock, has no wall wart (the Sony), has both in and out jacks on the front panel (Sony has no headphone (out) jack!), the sound lacks depth and resonance but is solid and true (better than tiresome iHome sound), esp. for a compact unit such as this. If you live in an HD-rich area, or simply want a decent clock radio at a fair to even cheap price, you can't go wrong. I've tossed away Cnet-recommended Altec and Logitec units within a couple of months. This iLuv is built to last, and the aux in makes it ideal for use with an iPod. As for the absence of a remote, I can't think of a more welcome omission for a bedside clock radio!

Updated on Apr 21, 2011

I have 4 Tivoli radios, a Boston Acoustics, a Sangean, a Sony HD radio (spoiled by the lack of an output jack for headphones or pillow speaker), and the iLuv HD radio continues to be my favorite by far. In fact, it sees far more use than all of my other radios put together. Granted, the sound isn't rich and deep like the Tivoli, but it's "good." Its small footprint and dual front-panel jacks make it an all-purpose speaker-radio-alarm-iPod player that's always on my bedstand. It's stereo. The double-alarm system has never failed me. Presets are convenient (I have jazz 24/7 through multicasting capability of HD). Take the ten minutes (and a couple of nights) to become familiar with this dandy piece of equipment. I don't know what I'd do without it (and to think I once spent $200 on the wimpy Tivoli iPal).

Updated on Apr 21, 2011

I have 4 Tivoli radios, a Boston Acoustics, a Sangean, a Sony HD radio (spoiled by the lack of an output jack for headphones or pillow speaker), and the iLuv HD radio continues to be my favorite by far. In fact, it sees far more use than all of my other radios put together. Granted, the sound isn't rich and deep like the Tivoli, but it's "good." Its small footprint and dual front-panel jacks make it an all-purpose speaker-radio-alarm-iPod player that's always on my bedstand. It's stereo. The double-alarm system has never failed me. Presets are convenient (I have jazz 24/7 through multicasting capability of HD). Take the ten minutes (and a couple of nights) to become familiar with this dandy piece of equipment. I don't know what I'd do without it (and to think I once spent $200 on the wimpy Tivoli iPal).