Price Paid:  $100.00 from Harvey Electronics

Summary:
I originally bought this clock radio, then took it back to the store because I wasn''t completely thrilled with it, then I went back and re-bought it once I tried everything else and realized it''s about the best there is. I could only find four two-piece stereo clock radios in my search: Sanyo RM 85. The remote speaker has no controls on it and the cord is too short. Panasonic RC-CD600. A huge disappointment. Small sound, and the second alarm can only be set to buzzer, not radio or CD, which defeats the entire purpose of the design in my opinion. Nakamichi Soundspace 3. This was the runner-up. I only heard it in the store, not in my home. The sound seemed no better than the Proton though, and a lot of other reviews complain of too many cables that aren''t long enough. It''s also $100 more. Proton / Sangean RS-330 with add-on RS-332 speaker. Very good sound but I can''t quite call it "great" - it''s a bit lacking in presence and true deep bass. Good mid-bass though. NO BATTERY BACKUP - a big minus - although it has a short-lived capacitor backup system that will hold the time for an hour or less during a brief outage. Better keep a battery-operated clock around as a true backup, just in case. No built-in CD. You can attach an external CD player to its AUX input but of course you can''t set it to wake to CD. When you wake to the radio, it always defaults to preset #1 of whichever band you left it on. No remote, but you can control all functions from either the main unit or the add-on speaker - very nice. The black cube styling is OK but looks rather 80s/90s compared to the sleek silver models offered by other companies these days. Big numbers make the display easy to read but it also looks a little cluttered with too much information. The gradual volume ramp-up rocks! I never even thought I''d care about this feature but once I experienced it I couldn''t live with the models without it. It takes a full minute to build up to wake-up volume, so you''re not so tempted to hit the snooze button because you don''t get jolted awake. Excellent radio reception. Lots of presets. 18-ft cord for the add-on speaker offers ample length to place it where you want. This model is being replaced by the Proton R5A, which is nearly identical plus adds self-setting time and battery backup, BUT it''s one-piece mono only, and won''t accept the add-on speaker.

Strengths:
Sounds better than all its 2-piece competitors. Great features, especially for two people on different schedules. Awesome ramp-up alarm volume.

Weaknesses:
Short-lived power failure backup, no built-in CD, and it forces you to wake to radio preset #1. If you don''t need the separate speakers, the Cambridge Soundworks Model 88CD sounds better (and costs more) in a one-piece unit. That model is also better than the Bose Wave Radio, which is ridiculously overpriced.

Similar Products Used:
Panasonic RC-CD600 Nakamichi Soundspace 3