RCR-30 FM-RBDS/AM/Bluetooth/Aux-in Digital Tuning Clock Radio with USB Phone Charging and Sound Soother, Gray

I was frustrated with the ease of use with my $20 alarm from Walmart. I wanted foolproof Snooze and Off buttons, digital tuning, dual alarms, decent sound, and ease of use. I hoped to also get the HWS and USB charging, and auto time sounded neat. I poured through many sources, reviews, and comparisons, and settled on this. A little more than I hoped to spend, but worth it if it met my needs. What a pleasant surprise! Out of the box, I plugged it in and concluded it was ‘dead’ - nothing came on, the display was black. After trying a few things, I found that the dimmer was set to off - one click on the snooze bar and I was in business! The Snooze button is easy to hit, the Off button is lit and easy to find to turn off the alarm. It was easy to tune stations and you can get up to 10 presets on AM and FM with the remote. Dual alarms with weekday and weekend options and separate options for desired station and volume on each alarm. Both types of alarm (buzzer, audio) have the HWS (gradual volume) for a gentle wake up. The dimmer allows a good nighttime brightness for sleeping. Morning one, my wife said it really sounded nice. Haven’t tried the louder volumes yet. Did I mention that it has Bluetooth and NFC pairing for audio input? That’s from the phone that can charge on the USB port. There is also an AUX input. One disappointment - the auto time from radio stations seem to be 15 or 30 minutes fast. The instructions say that if it doesn’t work, the problem is the station. I set it to manual. That was not a requirement FOR ME, but might have cost a half star except ... People said this was hard to set up - it was not easy until ... I started using the remote control - much easier and can do everything the radio buttons can do, including snooze. Guess I could put the radio across the room and do everything using the remote. That made it a solid five stars for my needs, wants, and hopes. I love it!

I wanted to replace my old am/FM clock radio that I have had for years. Well before I got married....The fast forward button to set the clock or alarm was broke, so I would have to continually hit the slow button forever until it got to the time I wanted. I started looking for something to replace it, and came across this item. I LOVE IT!!!!! It came with actual directions on how to set it up which was great. Once I figured it out, it was pretty easy to do. Not hard at all. What I love about this radio is it actually has AM and FM on it. Most that I looked at only had FM. I listen to AM radio more, so I really wanted AM as well. I also like that to set the clock or alarms, you turn a dial. No more clicking buttons forever. All of the buttons are lit up so they are easy to see. I think the directions forgot a step when connecting the radio to Bluetooth. The radio does have to be turned on to do this. Then you need to hit the "source" button. I also like that I can plug my phone into the radio to charge. I was skeptical on paying $90 but it is worth it. The sound is good and once you know how to set everything, it isn't hard at all. I also like that you can dim the display if you think it is too bright. Another great feature is the alarm clock settings. You can set your alarm for "once", "daily" or weekly. So if you get up at the same time each day, you can do daily. It has 2 alarms, so that is nice if you need another alarm for whatever reason. It also has a remote, but I haven't used this yet since getting it. This really is a nice radio. I'm not disappointed in it at all. If you are thinking about getting this, go for it. I don't think you will be disappointed.

I almost didn’t buy this clock radio after reading several of the negative reviews. Two problems I read about were the clock doesn’t keep good time, and the device is hard to operate. I ended up buying this unit because it is similar to my old iHome iP87BZ clock radio. The form factor is similar, the controls are similar, and it has good sound quality. I had to replace the iP87BZ because it died. I thought that the wall adapter broke, so I bought a new one. That didn’t fix the iHome device, so I opened it up and discovered to my disgust that almost all the electrolytic caps on the main board had leaked their guts out. Electrolytic caps can fail when they get old, but picking good quality parts and having a good design margin mitigates this. The fact that so many caps leaked on the iHome unit really soured me on the idea of purchasing anything else from iHome…ever. So after a long search, and finding not other contenders but iHome products, I crossed my fingers for luck and bought the Sangean RCR-20. With the negative comments about the RCR-20 clock accuracy, I decided to check it. I set the clock via time.gov. After 6 days, the RCR-20 clock is still within 1 second. As an aside: I initially tried to set the time via the FM radio RDS system. This sort of worked, but the local station I used was five minutes off. My speculation is that radio stations use the RDS technology via some PC which accurately provides the song information, but that never has the clock properly set. Your mileage may vary. I recommend using the RDS to quickly set year, month, day on the system, but then change to manual mode to set an accurate time. This gets to the second complaint about the RCR-20: it is complicated to operate. If you are not comfortable with computers and/or remote controls there may be some truth to this. I found that I was initially somewhat confused. After I understood that the controls have dual setting modes, things made more sense. What is confusing, is that most controls on electronic devices do something if you press them briefly, and do something more complicated if you press and hold them. On the RCR-20, there are two extended modes. For example, pressing and holding the alarm setting for two or three seconds, results in a beep and then the alarm is toggled on or off. If you keep pressing another five seconds after the beep, another beep occurs, and the alarm enters the settings mode. I oversimplify this in my mind and think of it as the double-tap system, but in truth there is just a double-beep system. I was compelled to deduct a star in my rating, because I think not everyone will be able to easily adapt to this. Another complaint I saw in the reviews was that having the AC adapter too close results in AM radio interference. My AC outlet is a bit less than two feet from the RCR-20, and I didn’t notice any issues with AM reception. Here are some additional observations with the RCR-20. The unit has a high quality look and feel to it. The tuning and volume dials are particularly nice. The dials are dampened and have a good feel. (For reference, the feel is noticeably better than my dead iHome iP87BZ.) Something I noticed during the unboxing is the wall adapter. Almost all wall adapters I’ve seen have flimsy wires. It’s an easy way to cut cost, and people don’t complain about it. The adapter for the RCR-20 has a nice thick cable to the radio. This gives me a sense that the engineering team for the RCR-20 made an effort to design and produce a top quality product. More good things about this clock radio have been covered in other reviews. The time display is nice and big. The sound quality is as good as you can get for something this size. The alarm buzzer is nice as it starts off soft and then gets louder. It also has a secondary beep pattern, if you haven’t turned it off after the volume has ramped. In summary, this is a great clock radio. It appears to be well built, and it has all the features I wanted. The only minor negative point is the unorthodox setup system. I’m fine with it after getting used to it, but I think it’s the only valid complaint I saw in the other reviews.

The important thing to know is that this little radio/alarm clock does so many things well. The negatives really are minor. The sound is rich and silky smooth, not bright and punchy. I listen to mostly classical music radio or digital files, and so this is perfect. It is not all that powerful, but is adequate for listening at a moderate distance. It won't fill a large room, but in the bedroom, it is an improvement over almost anything out there. The radio is wonderful. I haven't hooked up any outboard antenna, and I get good reception on FM and AM. The rotary tuning and volume dials are nice. I listen quite a bit through the bluetooth feature which pairs quickly and intuitively with my phone. No setup necessary. The controls are not exactly intuitive, and i wouldn't drop this on your 95 year old grandmother, and expect her to get the most out of it without a tutorial. That being said, it is not exactly difficult either, and most people will be able to get it up and programmed how they like it with only a little trial and error. The specific combination of features, that includes bluetooth and AM radio, is difficult to find out there, trust me. Add to that a dimmable display, multiple alarm buzzer options, separate treble and bass adjustment, etc. is amazing. To Find it under $80 at this quality is astonishing. It is truly more than the sum of its parts. It is a great value, but also a great product easily comparing to machines at multiples of its price.

Review updated 10-26-2019: New problem. The LEDs that are under the buttons are starting to go out and no longer illuminate the buttons at night. I cannot trust this product lasting for extended time. Manufacturer support website does not load. One star! Original review: My biggest problem is the clock function itself. This is also the reason I decided to write a review. After all this is a clock-radio but the RCR-20 does not do a good job of being an accurate clock. I am writing this review today, March 11 2019, the day after Daylight Saving Time (DST) took affect. In the RCR-20 the clock does not resync automatically and also does not update for DST as I expected it to do at 2am last night (March 10, 2019)! I left for work at 3 am and the time did not adjust for DST at 2am. It also was not adjusted when I came come at 1:30pm. I had to do it myself so I looked in the manual and DST does not appear anywhere in the manual! So guys forget about DST! Having the radio set the clock automatically would require you to follow several MANUAL steps from the manual below so I hardly call this automatic. ***** The following taken straight from the manual on Sangean website ***** When you set the clock time using the RDS function, your radio will synchronize its clock time whenever it tunes to a radio station using RDS with CT signals. 1. When tuning to a station transmitting RDS data, press and hold the Info/Menu button to enter the menu setting. 2. Rotate the Tuning control knob until a clock symbol appears on the display. Press and release the Tuning control button to enter the setting. 3. Rotate the Tuning control knob until “RDS CT” appears on the display. Press and release the Tuning control button to confirm the setting. The clock time of the radio will set up automatically according to the RDS data received. 4. When the action is completed, the RDS icon will appear on the LCD display indicating the radio time is RDS clock time. The radio clock time will be valid for 2 days each time the radio time is synchronized with RDS CT. ***** I do not understand the last line above at all! Do they mean that the radio is only guaranteed to be accurate for 2 days? Do they mean that if you listen to that same station it will automatically readjust the time every 2 days? I don't know. I do not listen to the station I used to set the clock initially. In my experience the clock has lost approximately 56 seconds in 5 months since initial setting when I received it Nov 9 2018. So it is approximately 1 minute behind my other clocks that reset themselves automatically on a regular basis (cell phone, atomic wall clock and computers). Of course this would not matter if the radio would self adjust the time every so often like the other devices I mentioned. The radio has good quality sound but is behind on the technology to keep the time accurate. I have not tested the NFC and Bluetooth functions so I cannot comment on them and I assume they work otherwise the radio would not get over 4 stars from other reviewers as it has now. I would not recommend this radio for time accuracy.

I bought one in 2023 and another in July 2024. Great radio sound. Both units have LEDs in the buttons on the top of the units that have already burnt out in less than 2 years. Makes me wonder about the quality of the internal components and how long before something else breaks.

Got the Sangean brand for sound quality and product quality. Got the RCR-40 instead of earlier models for Bluetooth 5.0 upgrade, dial-driven user interface, and real wood veneer. Very solid-feeling unit with perfect fit and finish. Sound is excellent for this classical/jazz musician/audiophile! It is only a bedside clock radio, so don't expect to host a dance party with it. Tone is a bit "boomy", but bass and treble controls go from +5 to -5. I have treble at +5, bass at -3, and turn on loudness to boost both. The sound is far superior to my cherished (and broken) Sony Dream Machine of 30 years. If the RCR-40 lasts for even 5 years it will be well worth the high price tag over cheaper off-brands. You can listen to radio, Bluetooth, or aux. Two convenient front charging USB ports (not for USB input - charge only). I imagine there are USB-to-aux adaptors out there if you really must hardwire a USB source. Wake to buzzer or radio, two separate alarms with daily, weekdays, weekends, or once - plus individul wake-up volumes and station selection. Sleep to radio or blue tooth (or aux I assume). Cautions: 1. The "buzzer" is actually a chirp, and pitch is kind of high, so may be too high for some seniors to hear even at full volume. If so wake to radio at loud volume. 2. User manual is excellent and extensive, so plan to spend at least 2 hours with your unit on the kitchen table getting used to the interface and many great functions. Keep the manual handy - you will need it for reference. The large top knob is volume control in normal mode, but acts like a mouse in menu mode (press down on knob to "click" an item, rotate knob to scroll through items and settings - be sure to click to cofirm a setting or it will revert). If you are impatient or easily frustrated learning new things then be prepared - but it's really impressive once you get the hang of it. 3. "Sleep Timer" instructions are misleading. You have to press and KEEP HOLDING DOWN the Power button. While you hold it down, the power will switch off, then it will enter sleep timer mode, then it will scroll through 60 mins, 45 mins, etc. Only release Power button when it at long last gets to the sleep time you want. Kind of a pain to figure out and use, but I'll get used to it. 4. Two AA backup batteries are not included (not necessary for operation, but to hold settings and time in power outage). Two AAAs not included for remote (again not necessary for unit operation, only if you want to use the remote). 5. The large display is very easy to read, although the dimmest setting is a bit too dim and the next step a bit brighter than I would like.

I am so pleased with my new Sangean RCR-20 clock radio, I wondered what others were unhappy about. The biggest complaints were poor AM reception, and low Bluetooth playback. I compared the RCR-20 with two AM radios and found it generally comparable. Radio-Locator.com lists six AM stations I should receive in my zip code, and the RCR-20 picked up five; the sixth came in when I rotated the radio for the best reception. However, only four were noise free enough for regular use. For AM, you'd want to listen to a strong local station. The low Bluetooth complaint is justified. I needed to set the RCR-20 and my Galaxy smartphone near maximum volume, but then got clean, room-filling sound. Another complaint was difficult programming. I am very sensitive to that and returned another model because it was too confusing. The RCR-20 is digital, and therefore more complex than older radios. You need to hold some buttons down, and that is not intuitive, but I learned the pattern quickly. Some complaints are personal opinions about appearance and sound quality. I find the radio good looking for any room, and the sound exceptionally clear for a small radio, even at maximum volume. The RCR-20 does not have an atomic clock--it does not receive the government time signals from Fort Collins or Hawaii. Instead, it receives less reliable time and text signals from some local FM stations. If you tune the RCR-20 to one of these FM stations, you will see text under the time on the display and the clock and calendar will be set. The setting is retained if you then tune to AM or to an FM station that does not transmit these signals. The time will be wrong if you tune to a station in another time zone or to a station that does not transmit time signals when Daylight Saving Time changes. For more information, read the Wikipedia article on Radio Data System. An advantage of the RCR-20 is that it displays RDS so you can read the station name, programming type like Rock Music, and the title of the song. To explore complaints about backup I did some experoments and came away very pleased. The RCR-20 wakes you up on time even if the power is off and has been off for hours. If you set it to wake up to radio,and the power goes off, it buzzes instead (beeps really). One quirk: It the radio is playing when the power goes off, it won't turn on until you press the On/Off button. Finally, some users complained that they could not locate the buttons by feel. Three suggestions: use the remote control buttons, don't touch any buttons and the radio will go off in an hour, or fasten a small shirt button on top of the RCR-20 button (but don't let any glue get inside). In conclusion, no buyer's regrets--I'm very satisified with the RCR-20.