Comments on: iHome iH9 Alarm Clock Speaker System with Dock for iPod

By: John Sledziewski

John Sledziewski — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 07:40:18 +0000

I bought the iH9 iHome clock radio for $112 at Best Buy. I was happy with it until 50 days after purchase. One morning the power on the radio wouldn’t work. Best Buy would not help me as their policy is 30 days return. The manufacturers warranty is 90 days but with me in Toronto, I have to cover the shipping to and from their El Paso offices which pretty well would nullify the $112 cost not to mention I need a clock radio now, not one month form now.

Stay away from this headache.

By: T. Mascarelli

T. Mascarelli — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 07:00:06 +0000

This companies customer service is poor as is the product design. The IH26 was used less than 6 months and the docking point failed. Without a solid connection at the docking point you get no sound, no charge – nothing. Customer service never responded (at all) to two emails. Their website claims that the day a sale is made is only the beginning of their commitment. Yeah, right! I’ll say it again – Never Responded!

I could have bought a similar product for about 25% of the cost of the iHome – Don’t waste your money – buy the cheaper one – at least it doesn’t hurt as much when you drop it in the trash can!

Some words to describe the iHome product – Junk, Garbage, Trash, Over-priced, Cheaply made but high cost, Great paper-weight, Poor return on investment, Zero value – You get my point. Save your money.

By: L. Schwartz

L. Schwartz — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 05:39:26 +0000

This product is great quality and a very good price. I really enjoy using it.

By: Peter Matthews

Peter Matthews — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 03:28:12 +0000

The IH9 comes with a huge power brick, an immediate sign of inefficiency. More efficient power supplies are smaller, partly because they need to dissipate less heat. For this one:

Input: 120V AC x 0.6A = 72W
Output: 12V DC x 1.8A = 21.6W
Efficiency: 21.6/72 = 30%

Annual Max Usage: 72W x 24hr x 365d / 1000 = 615KWH
Annual Max Cost: 0.20 * 615 = $123
Cost of wasted energy: up to $86/yr

Now it won't draw all that all the time. But it won't be sleeping, because it has to power the clock. These things are less efficient at low draw.

Power supplies of up to 90% efficiency are generally possible for a dollar or two more in manufacturing cost - well worth another $10 retail. However, I cannot find a generic one that meets these specs, so I'm taking the unit back to my shopping club.

The IH9 looks like modern upgrade of my 25-year-old stereo Panasonic clock radio, with digital tuning and i-features. I never plugged in the IH9, and don't have tools to measure actual power draw. For comparison, the old Panasonic says it draws 10W.

By: Amit Bartake

Amit Bartake — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 02:38:23 +0000

Love this product. Looks perfect on my corner table & the sound quality is amazing !!!