Last Updated: November 24, 2018 (Refresh Now)
Emerson CKS1708 SmartSet Alarm Clock Radio
Last Updated: November 24, 2018 (Refresh Now)
6.3
SCORE
/10
Total Reviews
1000
Old Reviews
80
Unverified
51
Spam Test
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LED
TYPE
Yes
FM RADIO
Review Analysis - 869 recent, verified reviews
Detailed Mode
Clock
229clock, alarms, radio, wake, emerson
+58%
-42%
" ... Nice that you don't have to remember to turn the alarm on and off . ... "
" ... It may not be the highest quality sound, but for an alarm clock it's not bad and it was easy to pair with my phone. ... I don't use the alarm function since I use my phone, but it seems like it would be easy to program. ... "
" ... I ordered this clock radio because it looked easy to use. ... And the other clock radio keeps perfect time. ... Too bad, I really liked this clock radio. ... "
" ... the fact that the alarm starts off low, then slowly higher is such a blessing. ... "
" ... The perfect alarm clock. ... My mother liked the fact that there is two different alarms on it that can be set interdependently. ... "
" ... If you are looking for a clock that has an alarm and works well, this is the product you should buy. ... "
" ... I love these clocks. ... "
" ... Love this radio.and the duel alarm ... "
Ease of Use
105easy to set, instructions, easy to use, complicated, clock
+54%
-46%
" ... Setup was easy. ... "
" ... I like that the dimmer button is easy to access to do this. ... I don't use the alarm function since I use my phone, but it seems like it would be easy to program. ... "
" ... I ordered this clock radio because it looked easy to use. ... "
" ... It is easy to use. ... "
" ... easy to see but not too bright numbers. ... "
" ... Simple to use and automatically sets the rime when it is plugged in. ... "
" ... Simple and easy. ... "
" ... It’s quite easy to set the time. ... "
Display Clarity
96bright, dim, clock, brightness, numbers
+51%
-49%
" ... easy to see but not too bright numbers. ... "
" ... even at the dim setting for the display, it is readable from 15 ft. away. ... "
" ... In particular, I like the white LCD display. ... It looks bright and crisp without being too bright. ... "
" ... You can change the brightness which was very nice. ... "
" ... Clock is SUPER BRIGHT - 2 settings BRIGHT & BRIGHTER. ... "
" ... Nice big numbers, you can adjust the blue light to different brightness, how ever its still to bright for me. ... "
" ... The display is a bit dimmer than I expected, but it is easy enough to program. ... "
" ... And, yes, the light from the digital time is bright, even on dim. ... "
Product Reliability
92stopped working, years, weeks, alarm, emerson
+21%
-79%
" ... After about 91 days (90 day warranty), something with the speaker or amplifier stopped working intermittently. ... "
" ... It stopped working after one month. ... "
" ... It does automatically set itself, but after owning this for 4 months it's 5 minutes slow compared to a real atomic clock and my cell phone. ... "
" ... Completely stopped working after 6 months. ... "
" ... It is supposed to maintain the time, but it is constantly changing itself. ... "
" ... You have to set it for days 6 -7 for it to go off on Fridays, but then it will also go off on Saturdays. ... "
" ... I bought this clock March 2017. ... "
" ... The alarm stopped working after two months. ... My previous Emerson was at least six years old before I dropped it and broke it. ... "
Controls
91buttons, volume, radio, clock, dim
+20%
-80%
" ... Buttons so little I can't read without a magnifying glass. ... "
" ... Seems to be preset volume when in alarm mode. ... "
" ... Impossible to tune anything in. ... "
" ... Way too many dual uses of the buttons that are there, so difficult to set up. ... "
" ... Just painted letters on controls and after a few weeks, the paint had come off of a few of the control pads. ... "
" ... You push the radio on & it starts but then goes off & flips through the time, date, etc & goes off. ... "
" ... The volume of the alarm is much too loud and I am unable to adjust the alarm volume. ... The buttons are black on black so they are very difficult to read. ... The buttons have multifunctions so it's hard to keep track of how to program. ... "
" ... Numerous attempts to change the volume were unsuccessful. ... "
FM
72clock, fm, stations, reception, alarm
+51%
-49%
" ... Works fine, pulls in radio stations well. ... "
" ... Amazon replaced it with the same clock radio . ... Too bad, I really liked this clock radio. ... "
" ... Nice clock radio . ... "
" ... The radio picks up a lot of stations very clearly. ... "
" ... Radio sounds great and dual alarms work perfectly. ... "
" ... I like my new Smart set Clock/Radio. ... The radio works extremely well for to be a clock. ... "
" ... The radio seems to work great so far. ... "
" ... The very best clock/radio, perfect for bedside table and performs as a clock and radio. ... "
Sound Quality
68alarm, loud, sound quality, volume, clock
+43%
-57%
" ... Only complaint is that there are only 3 volume settings: off, loud, wicked loud (yes I'm from Boston). ... "
" ... then the sound turned ugly. ... "
" ... On the days it does not work, the only signal of the alarm is a subtle electrical buzz as if the speaker is turned up but there is no input. ... Speaker quality is terrible, but who really listens to these for the radio? ... "
" ... Horrible radio - bad sound. ... "
" ... I also don't like that the radio gets louder in a short amount of time. ... "
" ... My only complaint is that the lowest possible volume for the radio alarm is far too loud for me. ... "
" ... I did not realize it until after the warranty expired because I usually awaken before the alarm sounds. ... "
" ... I don't need to be woken out of bed to some loud screeching noise. ... "
Volume
63loud, alarm, radio, louder, wake
+11%
-89%
" ... Only complaint is that there are only 3 volume settings: off, loud, wicked loud (yes I'm from Boston). ... "
" ... Speaker quality is terrible, but who really listens to these for the radio? ... "
" ... The maximum volume setting for the alarm DOES NOT WORK AS ADVERTISED!! ... It defaults to volume 8 which would wake up the entire house. ... "
" ... But it has one fatal flaw, which is that the lowest volume setting is unreasonably loud. ... "
" ... I also don't like that the radio gets louder in a short amount of time. ... This bugs me because I get scared that it is going to get too loud and wake up my siblings before I get to turn it off. ... "
" ... My only complaint is that the lowest possible volume for the radio alarm is far too loud for me. ... Adjusting it lower only makes it start quiter, then cranks too loud volume after a few seconds ... "
" ... And the biggest problem is that the lowest volume is too loud for night time listening. ... "
" ... The volume of the alarm is much too loud and I am unable to adjust the alarm volume. ... "
Features
56setting, blue light, dim, dimmer, auto
+66%
-34%
" ... This unit was just right: simple aesthetics, reasonably simple controls, good features. ... "
" ... This is a great Smart Clock, I love the fact that it has a dimmer switch so lights don't keep me awake. ... "
" ... Nice big numbers, you can adjust the blue light to different brightness, how ever its still to bright for me. ... "
" ... This has every feature you could want. ... "
" ... I love the blue brightness and the dual alarm settings. ... "
" ... Functions as expected. ... "
" ... It automatically changed the time for day light savings! ... "
" ... like the auto daylight time reset. ... "
Returns
54returned, returning, replacement, refund, sent
+6%
-94%
" ... can't even return it ... "
" ... I would return but I threw away the box before checking it out. ... "
" ... too complicated, had to return it. ... "
" ... However, I already returned one because of malfunction and I will be returning this one too. ... .Both this and the first one I already returned have the same problem (both were model: ER100301). ... "
" ... I will return it, and I will not order another one. ... "
" ... This item is going back! ... "
" ... I never received any type pf receipt so I could not return it. ... "
" ... Not even worth sending back. ... "
Price
53money, clock, waste of money, waste your money, worth the price
+62%
-38%
" ... Overall for the price, a good value ... "
" ... Just what I was looking for and worth the price. ... "
" ... paid $15 for this, and for the money it does what it should. ... "
" ... Worth the money!! ... "
" ... Pretty Cool at a good price ... "
" ... Not worth returning because it was inexpensive. ... "
" ... This was a great product to buy, and well worth the price. ... "
" ... But overall, great clock radio for the price! ... "
Setup
39set, easy to set, directions, read, follow
+46%
-54%
" ... You have to read the instructions for it to work ... "
" ... Poorly made and instructions complicated. ... "
" ... Instructions are Not complete. ... "
" ... It was rather complicated to set up. ... "
" ... Instructions are difficult to understand . ... "
" ... Instructions are difficult to interpret and use. ... "
" ... The first item couldn't be programmed, the responses were not as stated in the instructions. ... "
" ... Found too complicated to set up . ... "
Marketplace
35shipping, item, works as advertised, seller, product
+51%
-49%
" ... Keep in mind that this is an warehouse deal purchase. ... "
" ... Works as advertised. ... "
" ... works as advertised . ... "
" ... Great product, just as described! ... "
" ... Will continue to order from seller, just on other items. ... "
" ... This is the second order. ... "
" ... Good product, and timely shipping. ... "
" ... The product came in on time. ... "
Capacity
31bedroom, radio, lights, clock, across the room
+68%
-32%
" ... It lights up my whole side of the room. ... "
" ... Perfect for kids room! ... "
" ... Bought one for each bedroom. ... "
" ... Easy to see the numbers from across the room. ... "
" ... I bought this clock for the living room so I cab leave the radio on for the dog. ... "
" ... Which even makes for a good weekend dance party while they clean their rooms. ... "
" ... This was my 4th radio for the house. ... Now we have one in every bedroom. ... "
" ... It was easy to correct the time, and I'm happy to have a radio in my bedroom again. ... "
User Manual
28read, manual, set, directions, difficult
+14%
-86%
" ... When I contacted Emerson the representative admitted the product description and manual are INCORRECT, and was pretty much told “Sorry about that . ... "
" ... You have to read the instructions for it to work ... "
" ... Poorly made and instructions complicated. ... "
" ... Instructions are Not complete. ... "
" ... The instructions are in 2 pt.(?) ... "
" ... Instructions are difficult to understand . ... "
" ... Instructions are difficult to interpret and use. ... "
" ... The first item couldn't be programmed, the responses were not as stated in the instructions. ... "
Charging
28charging, port, charge, radio, clock
+54%
-46%
" ... The USP port works great for charging my phone. ... "
" ... Charges my phone well. ... "
" ... Feels a bit cheap, but the built in USB port has been very handy for charging my phone. ... "
" ... Really like that I can charge my phone from it. ... "
" ... I'd have liked it better if it came with the short charging cord. ... "
" ... And you can also charge a phone or bluetooth device with a handy usb power connection on the back. ... "
" ... It also has a USB charger which lets you charge your phone before you go to bed. ... "
" ... Still I love Amazon for not charging the return shipping. ... "
Design
27cheap, looks, green, color, clock
+59%
-41%
" ... I like how this clock looks. ... "
" ... Look's great but feels kind of cheap. ... "
" ... It looks fairly nice and it sets itself. ... "
" ... The main thing it has going for it is the look, it is nicely designed. ... "
" ... Very neat look, easily fits in any home decor. ... "
" ... looks nice and works great! ... "
" ... But it works, and looks cool. ... "
" ... Real nice looking too with it's modern color scheme ... "
Color
24green, dim, dark, blue, numbers
+54%
-46%
" ... It looks bright and crisp without being too bright. ... "
" ... The neon cyan glow is really neat. ... "
" ... Nice big numbers, you can adjust the blue light to different brightness, how ever its still to bright for me. ... "
" ... I am happy with it but I wish it had red numbers instead of green. ... "
" ... The settings are bright and less bright. ... "
" ... The clock numbers are cyan in color, which is easy to see. ... "
" ... This clock has a nice soothing blue color. ... "
" ... 3 brightness settings. ... "
Battery Life
24dead, backup, clock, powered, changing
+33%
-67%
" ... When I set the time zone, the time is hours off. ... "
" ... Time won't set correctly, and are arrived with a dead or defective lithium battery. ... "
" ... blinking, no radio, wouldn't reset after unplugging and changing the battery. ... "
" ... Sceen completely black and blank changed battery no change clock is dead ... "
" ... battery powered backup to continue working even if power goes out, including the alarm ... "
" ... I couldn't get the battery compartment open so I couldn't really set it up. ... "
" ... The unit would only work with the battery but will only power the clock for a few days. ... "
" ... Battery went out within a week. ... "
Night Photography
21light, blue light, bright, setting, dim
+57%
-43%
" ... It automatically changed the time for day light savings! ... "
" ... And, yes, the light from the digital time is bright, even on dim. ... "
" ... Excellent visibility at night. ... "
" ... Works as a night light. ... "
" ... Love the blue light. ... "
" ... Love the blue light ... "
" ... help to see time at night! ... "
" ... like the blue light ... "
Sleep Tracking
20bright, clock, wakes, trying to sleep, dark room
+45%
-55%
" ... Also it is too bright when you’re trying to sleep in a dark room. ... "
" ... The green LED display is large, and dim enough that you'd need transparent eyelids to be bothered by it while trying to sleep. ... "
" ... Did not meet expectations .Difficult to set sleep time . ... "
" ... I want to find a transparent decal to put over the display so I don't have to cover it to sleep. ... "
" ... It was too bright to sleep well. ... "
" ... Can't sleep . ... "
" ... So I set the sleep timer (which I normally don't use) to 2. ... "
" ... The only way to get it to stay on a lower volume is to use the sleep mode and then it's supposed to stay at that volume for the alarm in the morning. ... "
Build Quality
19plastic, feels, cheaply made, made, light
+16%
-84%
" ... Feels flimsy compared to our old Emerson clocks. ... "
" ... cheap and flimisy ... "
" ... It was very cheap ... "
" ... Only had it for a month and broke! ... "
" ... Very cheaply made. ... "
" ... If I touch the plastic of the radio body . ... "
" ... we do have aluminum blinds in the room that are closed until the sun sets so the light that’s in the room isn’t much but the faceplate on this thing amplifies it like a mirror. ... "
" ... It would end up costing you more than you paid for it in the first place. ... "
Ports
18port, clock, back, charge, plugged
+33%
-67%
" ... I purchased this alarm clock mainly for its USB plug in the back. ... "
" ... Plugged in my phone via the sub port and it shorted out the clock. ... "
" ... This one has it, but it appears that the FM antenna really is the USB cable. ... "
" ... Plugged it in and didn't work. ... "
" ... Everything has been fine until I used the USB port for my Iphone 6. ... "
" ... did not have USB port as advertised ... "
" ... However, the USB port broke today (it had been pretty loose for the past few weeks as I have both Android and iPad charger so had to switch in between). ... So turns out the warranty is for 90 days so I am stuck with a broken USB port on the item . ... "
" ... Good clock and digital radio, however there is no USB port charger or input whatsoever. ... Bought this to open up an extra outlet with the included usb function but it doesn't exist. ... "
For Kids
17kids, daughter, son, purchased, loves
+88%
-12%
" ... Bought for my daughter. ... "
" ... Bought this item for my child. ... "
" ... I bought it for my kids and the liked it enough to use to get up for school on time! ... "
" ... My nephew loved it. ... "
" ... Perfect for kids room! ... "
" ... My kids have no problem getting up in the morning. ... "
" ... Bourght this for my daughter. ... "
" ... Purchased for my 13 year old son. ... "
Size
17compact, nice, perfect, good, works
+100%
" ... I didn't think I'd need or use it, but it turned out to be pretty handy. ... "
" ... Perfect replacement, compact size! ... "
" ... Nice size numbers. ... "
" ... Great size and works perfectly. ... "
" ... Small, stylish, does not take up space. ... "
" ... Good size (see dimensions listed on this page). ... "
" ... I like it's size. ... "
" ... Easy, compact, & low cost. ... "
Power Consumption
16outage, resets, outages, clock, automatically
+94%
-6%
" ... It automatically changed the time for day light savings! ... "
" ... Love that they reset to correct time when unplugged or suffer power outage. ... "
" ... I love that it resets itself after power outages. ... "
" ... It is easy to set up and I like that it keeps time and settings even when there is a power failure. ... "
" ... The self-setting feature is critical if you have occasional power outages, and it also means that it takes care of daylight saving time changes automatically. ... "
" ... Even when the power goes it out comes back on properly. ... "
" ... I love the large blue numbers and the fact it resets itself to the correct time in case of a power outage. ... "
" ... Love that time resets when power outage! ... "
Delivery
15delivered, arrived, today, received, kind
+67%
-33%
" ... JUST RECEIVED IT TODAY AND HAVE NOT OPEN THE BOX YET, BUT I AM SURE I WILL LOVE IT. ... "
" ... Good product, and timely shipping. ... "
" ... The product came in on time. ... "
" ... Delivered on time in good condition. ... "
" ... And FAST delivery! ... "
" ... This product was delivered promptly & packaged well. ... "
" ... The item is like something I would expect of a $5 plus free 3-5 weeks shipping from China kind of item - something I would never actually buy as you know it's not going to be any good and can't really be returned. ... Luckily, it was bought with Amazon Prime free shipping and free shipping back as the item is unsatisfactory. ... "
" ... After it arrived I tested it and I was amazed how quickly it automatically set the time and I did not expect that kind of sound quality. ... "
Product As Described
14bright, shown, picture, photos, expected
+71%
-29%
" ... Works as advertised. ... "
" ... works as advertised . ... "
" ... Great product, just as described! ... "
" ... :) works just as expected! ... "
" ... This does everything I expected! ... "
" ... This item was exactly what I wanted as detailed below: ... "
" ... The display is dimmer than the photo shows . ... "
" ... Just as described. ... "
Cables
12cord, radio, antenna, usb, short
+17%
-83%
" ... I gave this 2 stars because it is hard to find a clock that auto sets the time and runs off of power cord rather than only battery. ... "
" ... Have it on radio before bed nothing changes cord wise and wake up to static ... "
" ... This one has it, but it appears that the FM antenna really is the USB cable. ... However, the reception only works if the cable hangs off the nightstand and the iPhone is not connected. ... "
" ... I did r/r the AC cord, which seems to have restored functioning a bit, but now I don't trust it. ... "
" ... The only way it would work was if I held the power cord (atenna) up in the air in my hand. ... Antenna in power cord is old technology. ... "
" ... Radio antenna is the power cable. ... "
" ... Power cord is short (only about 5 feet). ... "
As Gift
11bought, christmas, wife, two, son
+100%
" ... Bought 4 for Christmas gifts. ... "
" ... My nephew loved it. ... "
" ... Gift for my 92 year old mother. ... "
" ... Bought it as a gift and my friends love it. ... "
" ... gift for my wife, great value! ... "
" ... I bought two of these and gave one as a Christmas present. ... "
" ... Bought for son birthday. ... "
" ... Wife was thrilled with this Christmas gift ... "
Network
11feet away, read, house, radios, radio
+27%
-73%
" ... reception is horrible. ... "
" ... very disappointed in the reception. ... "
" ... I can't even get the station that is less than 2 miles from my house to come in. ... "
" ... However, the reception was atrocius. ... "
" ... Gets terrible reception no matter where it is placed. ... "
" ... The antenna is flimsy and fragile ... "
" ... And pretty hard to see from just a few feet away. ... "
Device Compatibility
10two, thought, speaker, plugged, listen
+50%
-50%
" ... Thought that I might be able to sync my Samsung phone to listen to spotify but could not. ... "
" ... Plugged it in and didn't work. ... "
" ... I can't (it's 4:29, according to my phone). ... "
" ... Says it's not compatible. ... "
" ... My phone wouldn't turn on when I woke up! ... "
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Specifications
Connectivity
FM Radio: Yes
Display
Type: LED
Recommendations
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