GPX CRCD-2806 Clock Radio and CD Player with AM/FM Radio and Alarm

(I'm not a kid! Don't tell anyone)
There were absolutely no reviews anywhere when I bought this item, so it was a bit of a gamble, though for $[...] you can't go wrong. I'm still amazed by that price. I've only had it for a day so I'll write this review under the assumption that the device doesn't break down tomorrow.

The radio is circular in shape and a bit bulky. If you tuck it in under a shelf it looks great, otherwise it looks a bit old fashioned. It's basically a small stereo.

This will play burned CD's. The audio is nice and clear, though slightly muted. But I doubt you'll be critical about that in your groggy early morning state. If you turn the volume up, it's perfect. There is only a very faint whir of the CD player, it's not distracting and you can't hear it at all over the music.

This device allows you to wake up to a buzzer, the radio (which is clear), or a CD. It's very simple to set. You cannot choose which track on the CD...Read more

I purchased this CD clock radio because I found it difficult to sort through all the mixed reviews on everything else.

On the whole, I am very happy with it. It is easy to use, has a dimmer so I can sleep and am not bothered by the display, and the CD seats securely so that it does not bounce around as they can sometimes do in these small, inexpensive devices. It woke me right on schedule and was easy to wake up to.

The only drawback, and I guess you can't get everything in a device in this price range, is that the sound quality, particularly at the low levels I often use in my bedroom, is quite airy sounding.

If you want good sound -- or you "want it all" -- this is not the device for you. If you want a workable and inexpensive CD clock radio, this is a good choice in my opinion.

I bought this unit to replace a Sony Dream Machine that I'd bought used which no longer had a functioning CD player. I didn't want to pay $60 or more for another Dream Machine, so I took a gamble with the bargain-priced GPX CRCD-2806.

Here's how the two machines stack up:

1) Display. The Dream Machine has a very subdued display which can be hard to read, day or night, especially at a distance. The GPX has a bright red display with a dimmer option. My feeling was that the GPX settings were either "quite bright" or "insanely bright," with "dim" not really being an option. I am very sensitive to light in my environment at night, so I prefer the Sony on this point, but someone who likes to be able to glance at the clock and immediately know it's 2:38 a.m. might prefer the GPX's high-visibility display.

2) Sound. They're both clock radios, and as you'd expect, neither one is going to blow you away with its audio performance. Both are adequate,...Read more