iHome iA91 Alarm Clock iPhone-iPod Speaker Review

Sound:
From classical to heavy metal, the sound is rich and clear with nice highs and lows. If you need to adjust the tone, just tap the ‘EQ’ button and you can adjust the treble, bass, or balance (left / right speaker volume). The controls are very easy to understand and adjust.

The iA91 also comes with a ‘3D Sound’ option. We were able to notice a slight improvement with the 3d sound on but not much. 3D sound can be turned on and off through the ‘EQ’ menu. For our review we left 3D sound on. We expect that most people will turn it on and leave it on.

The weight of the device is primarily due to the magnets on the speakers. Just by lifting it, one can tell the speakers are high quality and well constructed.

Alarm Clock:
The system comes with dual alarms. For each alarm you can specify the time of day, days of the week and how it should sound. The alarm can wake you to the Buzzer, Radio, iPod or Playlist.

My favorite feature with this alarm clock is the introduction of the ‘Nap’ button. Say you get home from work and want to rest for 30 minutes before working out. The Nap button puts your device to sleep and wakes you with an alarm after 30 minutes passes (You can program it for 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 45, 60, 90, or 120 minutes).

Like other iHome devices, it has the Bedtime (sleep mode) and Wakeup buttons. Bedtime dims the light and slowly fades the music volume to 0. The Wakeup button turns off the alarm clock in the morning.

Design:
The iA91 has the classic iHome alarm clock look. Nice clean lines, with a large easy to read display and the most used controls on top. Unlike the other iHome alarm clocks the iA91 is supported with a silver colored stand in front, which slightly raises the display making it easier to see from across the room.

The buttons are backlit making them easy to read at night. The button brightness is in sync with the brightness of the display. So when the display is fully lit so are the buttons. If you need a dark room to sleep in, use the dimmer to lower the light level for both the display and buttons.

Controls:
The controls are very easy to use. When we review a system we try not to look at the instructions. We were able to figure out how to set alarms, play the radio, listen to our iPhone all without reading the manual.

The iHome+Sleep app takes the ability to personalize and use the iA91 to a whole new level. The app is free to download and is available for the iPhone and iPod touch.

The app allows you to track your awake/sleep time, adjust snooze times as well further customization of the bedtime settings. We are not sure how many people will use all of the extensive functionality but it is nice to know that it is there.

Remote:
The remote is easy to use with good tactile response. All this means is that when you press a button you can physically feel the button being pressed. It remote has all the buttons you need to control the alarm clock. On/Off, song advance/replay, volume, snooze, sleep, play/pause, etc.

Value:
For a $100 this system has an excellent value. The price is higher than other alarm clock but with the iA91 you are getting great sound, solid construction, dual alarms, iPhone app enhancement, stylish design and an all around quality alarm clock.

Final Thought:
The iA91 is an alarm clock with all the features you could hope for at this price point. It has all traditional alarm clock feature plus quite a few advanced features. The system is easy to use, will last a long time and sounds great.