That said, Neon Bible's densely orchestrated sound highlighted the limitations of the SoundWorks Radio CD 745i's abilities. The mighty organ that opens the title track sounded a little clearer, and the bass definition was slightly better on CD. We next checked out Arcade Fire's Neon Bible over our iPod and on CD. AM reception was less impressive, and even after we experimented with a bunch of different placement spots for the included antenna, AM sound was nothing special. Using the included external FM wire antenna, the Radio 745i's sound quality on FM was above par on easy-to-receive stations, and it successfully pulled in most of the low-power college radio stations in our area. Those shortcomings aside, the Cambridge SoundWorks Radio 745i is really designed for critical listeners willing to pay a premium for superior sound quality from radio programming and iPod-based music-and that's exactly what we put to the test. And there are always plenty of other alternatives, as well as larger but cheaper shelf systems, many of which offer DVD playback in lieu of alarm clock functionality. Those looking for the latter should consider the $249 Cambridge SoundWorks Radio 820HD it lacks an iPod dock, but the auxiliary input will suffice for quick and easy iPod hookups. Satellite and HD Radio reception has not been included. Unfortunately, there are a few features you won't find on the Cambridge SoundWorks Radio 745i. The slot-loading disc player handles audio CDs, CD-Rs, and home-burned MP3 and WMA CDs as well. The iPod dock has its own remote sensor, and it offers composite and S-video output. A standard 9-volt battery (inserted on the underside) sustains the clock, the alarm, and the radio presets during power disruptions of as long as 48 hours-we unplugged the 745i for 30 minutes without losing a thing. Snooze, meanwhile, can be preset to intervals of 5 to 22 minutes, depending on your personal level of morning procrastination. So, you can have your iPod lull you to sleep with the volume set to 3 (the sleep timer can be set at intervals from 15 to 120 minutes), but be guaranteed to be awakened at a dream-ending 15. But this is one of the few alarm systems we've seen that also lets you lock in the volume setting of each alarm, so it can be as loud or subtle as you like in the morning, regardless of what the volume level was when you turned it off. Each of the two alarms can be set to wake to an alarm tone or to any one of the AM/FM radio presets (but you can't wake to the iPod). (The display can be set to display the text as static or scrolling, or can be turned off altogether.)Īlarm functionality isn't usually notable, but the Cambridge 745i offers some subtle flexibility that's worthy of its luxurious price tag. The Cambridge tuner supports RDS (Radio Data Service), so the readout offers call-letter and song information from stations that support it. The right set of buttons offers a choice of source (AM, FM, iPod, CD, or front auxiliary), as well as up/down radio tuning there's a Seek function for jumping from station to station as well. The left set of buttons are the radio presets-just depress one of them while on the station of your choice, and it's saved to one of the three "bands" (FM1, FM2, or AM). It's the same problem we had with the more downscale Lasonic MSU-2020-but the 745i's better-known brand doesn't make the poorly arrayed controls any more palatable. The knob offers much more visceral control than a pair of up/down keys, but the rest of the controls aren't nearly as pleasing: the tiny circular buttons are identically sized and shaped, so they're hard to distinguish in low light or when you're groggy-not good for a radio that boasts alarm clock functionality. The jog dial controls volume by default, but clicking the nearby Jog key toggles it to a variety of other functions, including Bass, Treble, and Loudness.
The display is linked to a light sensor, so it dims in dark rooms. A 32-character LCD readout sits above two clusters of eight buttons each, separated by a jog dial that's 1 inch in diameter.
#Cambridge soundworks radio portable
It tips the scales at a hefty 11 pounds, but we're not complaining-it's a tabletop radio, not a portable you'll be moving from room to room.Įxcept for the Snooze/Mute button on the otherwise bare topside, all of the Radio CD 745i's controls are located on its front face.
Like that venerable model, the 745i is available in white or black and measures out at 5x14x10 inches-so make sure your nightstand or bedside table has enough real estate. Aside from the iPod dock, the Radio 745i is basically a dead ringer for its predecessor, the Radio CD 740. Like most of the products in the rarefied tabletop radio world, the Radio CD 745i is pretty straightforward: it's an AM/FM radio and CD player with a dual-alarm clock radio and an outboard iPod dock thrown in to boot.
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