Sonic Boom Alarm Clock
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List Price: Our Price: $24.72 You Save: $14.23 (37%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Category: Health Care See more product details |
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Customer Reviews of Sonic Boom Alarm Clock
Customer Review: Sure beats hearing the radio blast on snooze repeatedly!!
Summary: 5 Stars
Ok, so I'm married to a man who (a) could sleep through a dinosaur tromping through the living room and (b) worships his ability to hit the snooze button. At 5:10am I'm rudely awoken by some screaming AC/DC or Motley Crue (oh, and I guess I didn't mention "c" that he's a old hair band metal head) that I have to listen to, on some totally inexplicable volume of 8 or 9 (inexplicable I say, because he couldn't hear it at volume 18 - if there were such a thing) I have stopped waiting to see if he'd wake up, because he won't. I start kicking and punching (gentle nudging won't work... trust me) He rolls over and hits the snooze. OH GREAT! NOW I GET TO ROLL OVER AND GO BACK TO SLEEP FOR EIGHT AND A HALF MORE MINUTES BEFORE I GET TO REPEAT THIS. SIX MORE TIMES!!! But of course I won't because every morning I still get mad and stay awake thinking about my stupid husband who refuses to consider even letting me wake him up in the morning. I do not have to get up that early... haha! Not even close!! And then this wonderful thing happened...
I discovered a vibrating alarm clock! OH MY GOD! IT'S AWESOME!!!!! Ok, so let's be honest. It still wakes me up... but it's not some giant rude awakening and I CAN easily fall back asleep. But on the MAJOR MAJOR MAJOR PLUS SIDE -- it wakes my husband up right away!! He can still hit the snooze a buttload of times and carry on his routine, but now he can awake to a gentle vibration instead of a mental kicking and punching woman. So, this thing works out great for both of us.
One thing I need to mention... We have a platform bed... no boxspring. So we've had to put it between our featherbed and the mattress, up near the pillow. It probably makes a little more noise just vibrating than is "normal" but it's still minimal.
BUT THIS THING IS A REALLY GREAT INVESTMENT FOR THE SAME PRICE AS A REGULAR ALARM CLOCK.
Customer Review: Most effective alarm clock I have ever had
Summary: 5 Stars
I am in love with this alarm clock. I like the large display, the ease of use, and the gentle way the vibrations wake me in the morning. I do not need, or use, the buzzer. I thought it was really loud and harsh. Plus, there is no way I could sleep through the buzzing of my mattresses.
As a law school student who works full time, my sleep is very precious to me. However, I had reached a point where I would often sleep right through my alarm, despite being a light sleeper. I would have dreams of evil armies attacking me with loud noises and I had no choice but to slaughter them in my sleep. Typically, what was really happening was that I was snoozing my other alarm clocks repeatedly, sometimes for hours at a time. When I was truly enraged (in my sleep), I would obliterate the offenses of the other side, meaning, I would actually just turn off the alarm clock. It reached a point where I knew I needed to find something that was more fierce than I, or that didn't seem like it was attacking me in my sleep. After hours of searching, I finally settled on this alarm clock.
I have a queen size bed, and I am not sure how it may affect beds of other sizes. When this clock goes off, I am not jolted out of bed, but I drift awake, similar to when your mom used to nudge you gently in the morning. Only, this nudging mother does not go away just because you yell, and she has no soft heart to give you pity. There is a snooze button, but I learned I have to put this clock far from my reach. The snooze button and the off button feel very similar to a foggy mind and it is easy to hit the wrong one. Plus, when this alarm clock wakes me, I am much more alert than when a buzzing wakes me. This means I snooze far less often.
For an effective, simple alarm clock, this one is superb and highly recommended.
Customer Review: Some Helpful Info
Summary: 4 Stars
I have purchased my second Sonic Boom clock. It works very well and is one of the best investments I've made though it does drive the roomates crazy! I had the first version for about 3 years and the speaker has blown (no doubt due to being on highest volume and multiple snoozes every morning!)
Several reviews mention that the device didn't last or didn't keep time. When researching different options for my Boom replacement I found this on a sister alarm called the "Sonic Bomb" but found it helpful as to what may also be the reason for other's issues with the Boom. Here is what the person said:
"Many people have posted that their units burned out or that it kept time incorrectly. This is because they failed to look at the directions. In the directions that come with the alarm clock there is information detailing a switch on the backside of the unit. It is labeled 24hrs 50hz, 12hrs 50hz, and 12hrs 60hz. This switch not only controls the time format(12 hour vs. 24 hour), but also controls the tuning of the internal electronics. In European countries, 24 hour time format is standard, and wall outlets alternating current runs at a frequency of 50hz. In America, most people use the 12 hour time format, and our electrical outlets operate at a frequency of 60hz. What this means is that if you have this switch in the wrong position, you run the chance of damaging your unit, and you will notice that the time will not be accurate(it says this in the manual)."
In the instructions for the Boom, I don't think it's that obvious, nor is the switch exactly the same (the 50hz vs 60hz behind the battery and the 12/24 hour switch above where you connect the cords), but if you can make sure the setting is corect then it may very well ensure the unit works as it should.
Hope that helps you.
Customer Review: It works great, but the vibration unit breaks easily
Summary: 3 Stars
In the beginning, I have bought two of these alarm clocks. One for my brother and one for myself. We are both heavy sleepers and this thing wakes us up very well. The tone and the volume of the alarm can be adjusted. The tone ranges from a high pitch sound like an awful bird to a semi low tone that isn't very pitchy. The volume is loud as hell, especially at max setting. But I normally use it at a low setting so that my parents or my neigbors don't wake up hearing it. The vibration unit also helps vibrate the bed or your pillow depending on where you place it.
Here's where the problem lies, the vibration unit can break easily. So far I have bought a total of 3 alarm clocks. One of them works fine, the second one I threw away the vibration unit because it stopped working and I opened it to see if I could fix it. So then I bought a third one and a few weeks ago that vibration unit also stopped working. I noticed that if you let the vibration unit run throughout the whole hour while the alarm is running, it will die out. Also, if you drop the vibration unit it will break as well. The alarm clock still works, but if I plug the vibration unit back in and the alarm goes off, the alarm will reset itself back to 12:00am and the alarm doesn't go off. I ended up being late for work 3 times in one month.
So I sent the whole SB200 back to Sonic Alert. I waited more than 2 weeks to receive it back in the mail. I just received it today and when I tested the alarm clock the vibration unit broke on the spot. Same problem where the vibration unit doesn't go on or it tries to and it ends up resetting my alarm clock.
I am a little disappointed that this happened to me 3 times. I'm giving them one more chance and if it still breaks. I'll just end up with a vibration-less alarm clock.
Customer Review: finally an alarm i cant sleep through.
Summary: 5 Stars
i dont know what it is, but it seems liquid builds up in my ears over night, while im sleeping. its not wax; its only there in the morning -- its like an evolutionary adaptation to alarm clocks or something. anyway, i cant hear well while im sleeping, and after getting up it takes me a couple of minutes to hear normally again. i had a very loud alarm clock before, but i managed to sleep right through the alarm for about 2 hours straight before. not a good skill if the point is to get to work on time... i havent been fired yet.
so this vibrating thingie gets me right up. the tones available for this alarm clock are pretty annoying too, but the vibrating thing is what really does the trick for me. it goes off under the mattress and im up instantly; its efficacy is such that i dont even mope around trying to hang on to my sleepiness after getting up. it kinda startles me so im alert immediately, but not in a bad way. ive only tried it twice so far, so ill update this if i adapt to it... but i doubt i will. i think ive found it. finally.
one thing i dislike about it, though... the vibrating thing has a short cord, its only about 6ft long. i put the alarm on a table about 5 inches from my queen sized bed, and it only reaches the middle of the mattress on a diagonal. they shouldve made it like 10 ft at least. i wouldve liked to have it under my head or torso, but whatever, it still does the job.
also, this doesnt have a radio -- in case anyone is wondering. oh, and i wouldnt recommend this for people who share a bed with persons who appreciate undisturbed sleep. lucky for me, my wife is usually up sooner than i am, and doesnt make a fuss if i wake her up when she isnt.