Please help me find a new AM/FM clock radio.

Hello all. I am in the market for a new AM/FM clock radio with an alarm.

I have looked at a few replacements and I am finding either SUPER cheap items ($12 -$20) and poor everything, or quite expensive ($150 and up) yet still poor in apparent quality.

I would like a simple machine that gets good reception, has a digital clock readout, a selectable alarm of radio or buzzer of some sort and possibly a bit better sound output...but I am NOT expecting any real sound quality.
Just something better than the tin box cheapies I have heard recently.

I don't need docking stations, chargers, projector lamps, blue tooth, soothing mood lights, or 57 different nature sounds. I just want a simple clock radio that sounds okay.

Lastly I don't want anything too large. Think standard rectangular box of Kleenix as the largest box and you are very close.

If you have any suggestions please let me know.
I appreciate any and all helpful suggestions.

 

I have a Sony ICFC414 dual alarm that hasn't failed waking me up for work since 2011
Auto daylight savings time. I see they have some nice newer models on Amazon

 

I bought a new in box 1964 Admiral AM-FM tube type clock radio. 4" speaker with tube audio provides excellent sonics. Clock is sync'ed to 60 cycle AC 120 volts thus never loses any time, not even a second over months. Back lighted dail is easy to read in the dark. Faithfully wakes me up for work.

 

The Nakamichi TM-1 clock radio has 8 digital presets, and is about the size of a kleenex box. It also has an option for stereo speaker, with the Companion TM-2 add-on. I really can't think of any digital clock radio that's better, as long as it's in good working order and the speaker isn't blown (which isn't likely, but that should always be asked about in advance.) The reception is strong, and the sound quality is very high.

I'm only referring to the 1980s-1990s era TM-1 clock radio, here. I can't speak to the quality of more recent Nakamichi models.

 

I use my echo dot now for my alarm. Super easy to set...”Alexa set my alarm for 6 am”. Done. She streams music for me too via a music library or radio station.

 

I have one of these, has all of those features and works well but I don't use it except as a clock now
Vintage GE Digital Alarm Clock Radio Model 7-4624A - Tested | eBay
search "ge clock radio" for all kinds and vintages, some with cassette!

 

I've got a Boston Acoustics Recepter radio, which has pretty good audio quality, while also giving you some music before it slowly gets insistent with its beeps to wake you up.



Similar, and still made, are various radios from Sangean.

 

With all those criteria, I’d be inclined to search out a Cambridge Soundworks radio like their Model 88.

 

This thing sounds great, and goodness knows, I enjoy a nice piece of vintage gear, but I suspect you purchased the LAST new in box version when you scored the one you now own.

 

I'm guessing without a battery backup, it just wakes you up as late as the amount of time the power has been out.

 

NOS shows up on ebay once in a while. I bought mine two years ago. Voices do sound like in the room on radio talk shows. But, I do have a full range audio 11 tube 1935 Montgomery Wards (Airline) console radio. I did rebuild it due to age.

 

I put a cheap UPS on it I bought from ebay. But, if power is out at the radio station I am out of luck. Has not happened yet. If I do wake up late, hell I will just stay home that day- no big deal.

 

Okay, time for an image of this wonderful machine you are teasing us with...c'mon...c'mon...lemme see.

 

I have not ever been able to upload an image on this site with any hosting site.

 

If you can find an image, even a similar image, on Google images it is pretty easy to copy and paste in a thread here.
This does assume the image being copied is hosted somewhere but most are and they work quite well too.
If you can not find an image of the sacred Admiral I guess I will have to continue with my day using only my imagination.

Unfortunately that means my image of the radio will be a mix between literal Admiral radio images, Dr. Seuss drawings, and H.R. Giger art gone amok.

 

I just grabbed this image to show it works.
I typed in "vintage Admiral radio" in Google.
Went to images and viewed various radios.
Picked an image and clicked on it.
Clicked on the image and the box has options, one of which is "copy" and I clicked on that.
I came back here and in my post reply I click again to get the option box and chose "paste" and it will paste where my blinking icon sits in the post.

 

Here's a picture of more likely one from 1965 that actually has FM like you discuss, 1965 was the introduction of more plastic-looking solid-state Admirals.





("Sorry I was late, one of my radio tubes went out...")

 

Sony must not make the ICF-C740 model anymore because I couldn't find it on Amazon. But e-bay had one for $13. I've had that model for - gosh, I don't know how long, at least 17 years - and it's a great clock. Good reception, backup battery, dual alarm, sounds decent for a mono tiny speaker set up, snooze, and can be very loud if you need that. I don't think it has a line-in/output capability, so if that's important to you, this won't fit the bill. Green display is bright but can be dimmed. But most of all, it is easy to set the times and the alarms. I don't know how many times I've stayed in a hotel and had to look up on the internet how to set the alarm. Clocks shouldn't be that difficult to understand.

Disclaimer - this is not my ebay listing, it was just one I found as an example.

Sony Black Dream Machine FM Am Dual Alarm Clock Radio ICF-C740 | eBay

 

That's the same one I tossed when I got the Boston Acoustics. No comparison, and the buttons to adjust the time were nearly unresponsive anyway.

 

Mine still works very well but I can understand that the button design of the Sony may be susceptible to wear. I have two newer Sony clocks in the guest rooms upstairs and I have NO IDEA how to adjust the times. They're supposed to set themselves accurately by picking up signals from the airwaves, but neither of them are even close to the real time.

 

I can cut & paste, but cannot find my all white plastic radio.

 

Best of luck. The last two radio alarm clocks have worked fine for a while then the radio component has either died or survived in buzzing or crackling form. I now use my current one purely as a clock. (TEAC if you want to know.) I used to like the luxury of being woken up by music instead of loud buzzing, but I figured I can live without it. If I need to wake at a particular time I set my little battery operated alarm clock which is about 5cm square and is an extremely effective waker-upper - and the batteries last forever. And of course it still wakes me if there is a power outage.

 

This GE model is very nice. Dual alarm, AM FM/FM stereo, super easy and fast time set, low/high brightness and the green is much nicer on the eyes than the intense red. I have one and bought a couple as gifts.

General Electric GE 7-4664A | eBay

 

I had a Bose wave for a long time. It was the oldest model. It really worked great but new are grossly overpriced. $100 or so usedwould be a great price. I have no idea what they go for.

 

If you have a local FM station you like that is reasonably strong and easy to tune in, a vintage Proton on eBay can be had in the $35-50 range. It has ok sound on such stations. Mine is hard to tune but once tuned is steady. It looks unobtrusive.