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Audioholics 2012 Get Together - We Can't Wait! No, Seriously.

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Sonnet AM/FM Clock Radio - Our First Listening Session?

Sonnet AM/FM Clock Radio - Our First Listening Session?

Summary

  • Product Name: AM/FM Clock Radio
  • Manufacturer: Sonnet
  • Review Date: October 27, 2012 05:20
  • MSRP: $TBD
  • First Impression: Mildly Interesting
  • 2" woofer
  • AM/FM radio
  • Frequency Response: 500Hz - 6kHz +/-24dB
  • On/off button
  • Sleep/Snooze
  • Power reserve not included

We're here at the 2012 Audioholics Get Together Event in Tarpon Springs, Florida and, you know what? We just can't wait for the event to get started. Now, technically most of the listening rooms don't start until Saturday, but we found a way to get up and going the first evening. You see, at Audioholics we're all about getting to work and being diligent. Looking around we found that there are plenty of things to review right here in our hotel room: a flat panel television... the coffee maker... but one thing caught our attention. One thing turned our heads and got us wondering about it's sound quality... it's styling... it's functionality. And that one thing was the Sonnet AM/FM clock radio that sat at our bedside.

You see, this clock radio is unique. It has a feature that's called "Power Reserve". And while, to the rest of us, that may just be a fancy name for a 9V battery, somewhere there's a smug marketing guy patting himself on the back for a job well done. In any case, we decided to begin our adventure here at the 2012 Audioholics Get Together by reviewing this clock radio and doing it right.

The features include an on and off button, both AM and FM radio, and a snooze/sleep alarm function. It even has a massive 2" woofer built right into the top for maximum sound output. The Power Reserve was just icing on the cake... that is until we flipped the unit over and realized that both Sonnet and our hotel had forgotten to include the essential "power" part of the Power Reserve - a 9V battery. SO much for that feature.

Sonnet Clock Radio

Sound quality was... um... tolerable. My left ear really enjoyed the sound that was apparently bandwidth limited so as to save me from having to listen to any "unnecessary" frequencies that may get in the way of the unadulterated distortion that was the emanations of this 2" paper driver under plastic.

In the end, we knew that we had not found sonic bliss, but we could, at least, while away the hours as we counted down to what would likely be a stellar day of listening tests and audible feasts for our ears. We're looking forward to tomorrow - and if you're not here and can make it you should consider stopping by for a listen. We, Emotiva, EMP, Epson, Hsu Research, Angel City Audio, Salk Sound, Oppo Digital and Severtson Screens would love to see you!

Unless otherwise indicated, this is a preview article for the featured product. A formal review may or may not follow in the future.

About the author:
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Clint Deboer was terminated from Audioholics for misconduct on April 4th, 2014. He no longer represents Audioholics in any fashion.

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