[Review!] Sony ICF-CS15iP Dock w/Pictures.

[DFig619]

So we have TONS of reviews and threads about cases, folios, sleeves, and what not. Here my review of the Sony ICF-CS15iP Dock.

This dock was designed for iPhone/iPods but because of the nature and the placement of its 30 pin connector this dock can support an iPad.

Sorry for the dirty desk :
This dock contains: A very thin remote and a wired antenna which is optional to use.

I originally bought this dock for my 4s because I wanted some good sound quality without breaking the bank. For $89.99 at Best Buy (I priced matched them to 79.99 on Red Laser) this dock has both a clean design with good audio performance.

What was a real plus for me is that it is also an alarm clock that can either wake you by a standard alarm tone, pre-selected radio stations, or any iDevice.

The alarm feature allows you to select 2 different times both with their own individual toggle on/off. The alarms can be set for either:

Monday-Friday
Saturday/Sunday
or Monday-Sunday.

Which works out great because I don't to keep turn my alarm on and off, because of the slight chance I forget to set it to wake me up Monday morning.

This dock features Sony's Mega BASS and Mega Xpand feature which defiantly approves sound quality over other docks.

The iPad is stabilized because Sony added a rubber stopper to the front of the unit (which will be hidden behind any of your iDevice). This helps from getting any damages to your dock or device.

The 30 pin connector on this dock is not fixed on, but actually swivels so depending on how thick what ever device you are using whether its a case, folio, or smart cover. The pin connector swivels quite a bit so its easy to remove or install your device, without having to worry about breaking something. Which I reeeeaalllly like about this vs. iHome docks.

The back light for the clock display has 4 levels of brightness from almost no back light to very bright.

Just like most docks it has all of the controls on the actual unit

With some docks the 30 pin connector only plays the music but doesn't charge, this is not a problem with this Sony dock, as you can see in the top right corner of my iPad

 

[DFig619]

Conclusion: It is a great sounding dock that has a nice clean look to it. The price is very nice compared to other docks and the sound is fairly good. It is nice to have an alarm feature. It does have a watch battery installed on the unit which is used for power outage scenarios, in which it will only keep the alarm working. Only cons on this dock is that it is NOT portable but for $79.99-89.99 its still a wonderful buy for anyone looking for a dock without shelling out to much green backs I would definatly buy this dock at best buy and try to Price Match it to save even more!


Scoring (Out of )

Price:

Design :

Sound:

Portability:

 

[mcsenerd]

Hey, thanks for the nice review!

One question I do have for you though, is if the LCD backlight is adjustable. Sometimes the backlights on these are overpowering in a dark room and I'm just wondering if there's any way to "tone it down" on this model?

 

[batotman]

I have a similar model. The one I have has inserts to fit various iPhone/iPods. None fit with a case on. And setting my alarm I have to make sure Buzzer is selected because when iPod is selected I sleep right through the music.

The backlight can be dimmed pretty dark. Remote is nice, too. I paid 25 bucks each for 2 of them on Office Depot clearance. Shoulda bought all 10. Half hour later they were picked clean. Sells at Walmart for 90 bucks.

 

[DFig619]

You can have it to where its almost not there, you would really have to LOOK at the clock to see the time.

I too dont like it very bright at night.

 

[batotman]

I like that yours has that little rubber back piece. Mine is a PITA getting it on the connector, fumbling in the dark trying to avoid waking up our baby.

 

[tmarlene]

hi I have a question, what is that icon with the clock and sun thing. I didn't used to have it there and now I do. how do I take it off? it's on the far right, above where alarm B would be

 

[Rajani Isa]

hi I have a question, what is that icon with the clock and sun thing. I didn't used to have it there and now I do. how do I take it off? it's on the far right, above where alarm B would be

Googled "Sony ICF-CS15iP" and looked at the Sony support site.

The manual is a bit tricky, because the icon is displayed so small it's hard to see the inside, but that's the Daylight savings auto-adjustment indicating it's on.