Help me shop for an alarm clock for my daughter?

rojo

rojo

Audioholic Samurai
So, this is my daughter's current alarm clock:



Whenever it goes off, everyone in the house wants to punch someone in the face. It is the most irritating, evil alarm clock ever devised, with a piercing staccato cartoon voice screaming "Time to wake up! Let's! Get! Moving!" and singing the sort of inane Disney Junior ear worm that ruins your entire day.



The first time it went off, my daughter legit cried. She soon grew to tolerate it, but is now over the novelty and ready for something more grown up.

Budget is around $100. I'd like to find her something with decent sound quality, comparable to an Amazon Echo or better, or at least not tinny. I'm looking for something that can wake her up with an MP3 loaded from a microSD or USB flash (or maybe Kids Bop Kids from Internet radio). I'd prefer an integrated unit, rather than a base receiver controlling powered monitors, and not relying on a docked iPod. I'd rather not buy her an iPod, and her iPad is in a big puffy foam case unfriendly for docking. Also, it should have a snooze button like a proper alarm clock.

Any recommendations? I'm considering a refurb Amazon Echo Spot, but I'd like to see other ideas. Maybe an Echo Dot with a clock dock?
 
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lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
You are an extremely tolerant person.....that alarm clock would have been gone that first time she cried (let alone me having to listen to it). Not up on my alarm clocks as I just use my phone when I need one (doesn't the pad have an app?)...but that clock dock/dot thing looks pretty nice.
 
rojo

rojo

Audioholic Samurai
You are an extremely tolerant person.....that alarm clock would have been gone that first time she cried (let alone me having to listen to it). Not up on my alarm clocks as I just use my phone when I need one (doesn't the pad have an app?)...but that clock dock/dot thing looks pretty nice.
Yeah, my wife was proud of herself for finding such a clever alarm clock, so I didn't press for a different one. We like for her to be happy. But thank goodness the novelty has worn off now.

I am leaning toward the dock dot thing. I can get a refurb dot on sale for $35, and I got an Amazon spam message a couple days ago telling me if I bought a $50 gift certificate I would get a $15 credit applied to my account. I bought the GC today, and should have the credit on my account tomorrow. If I keep stacking discounts like this Amazon might end up paying me to take the dot + dock. :)

I'm still open to other suggestions though.
 
rojo

rojo

Audioholic Samurai
Thanks fellas. @psbfan9 those lights do look pretty cool, but I suspect the speakers in those things were added as an afterthought with no attention paid to tuning or bass extension. The Beddi clocks look very interesting though. I like that they'll play Spotify, and one also offers smart home control.

@BoredSysAdmin those options look like they'd offer better sound, but the more I think about it the more I think my daughter would enjoy the ease of operation of the Dot combo. She already annoys the crap out of Alexa in the kitchen most days.

I just wish there were something that combined the sound quality of a Tivoli alarm clock with the Star Trek computer functionality of Echo devices. Eh, I guess if such a gadget did exist it would be out of my budget.
 
sholling

sholling

Audioholic Ninja
I know you're looking for an audiophile alarm clock, but you may want to consider a Philips Wake-Up Light instead. Rather than being jolted awake by a jarring alarm or sudden loud music, she'd gradually wake to the light coming on - dimly at first and then slowly reaching full brightness over the next half hour. There is also an audible alarm that acts as a backup to the light once it reaches full brightness.


https://www.amazon.com/Philips-Wake-Up-Colored-Simulation-HF3520/dp/B0093162RM
 
KEW

KEW

Audioholic Overlord
I just wish there were something that combined the sound quality of a Tivoli alarm clock with the Star Trek computer functionality of Echo devices. Eh, I guess if such a gadget did exist it would be out of my budget.
It violates your notion of all-in-one, but get these to go with the Dot. Of course, it wouldn't have a display, but does it need one since she can ask Alexa for the time?
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00I2PFBJ0/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

As a plus, they have a second input, so she can hard-wire to the Dot and BT to her phone (if/when she has one). Or you can have your tablet connected and send select audio feeds to her room (you're creative, you'll think of something :)). The interesting thing is both inputs are always live, so there is no concern of accidentally leaving her phone connected and missing the alarm from the Dot.
At $36 for speakers, amp, and BT connectivity, these things are cheap, but AFAIC, their is a lot of dumb luck (in addition to competent design) that makes these work so much better than the sum of their components!
 
rojo

rojo

Audioholic Samurai
I ended up going with the Dot + iHome dock solution. If the sound is too thin, maybe I can split the aux line into a computer woofer and hide it under her bed or something. I'm sure I can find one on Craigslist or a thrift store or somewhere. Or I might even try a Dayton SUB-1000L or a Theater Solutions SUB8SM while flipping the bird to all the Tivoli, Bose, and similar audiophile clock radios. Anyway, the magic of Alexa and waking up to Kids Bop Kids streamed from Amazon Music is something I know she'll love.

@sholling The simulated sunrise illuminated alarm clocks would be a good idea, except my kid is kind of weird. She likes to sleep with a lamp on and a tent over her head. Maybe for her birthday I should look into getting her a four poster bed frame and drape some mosquito netting. *shrug*

@KEW She uses a foldable TV dinner table as a night stand. There's not enough room for separate speakers on it. I appreciate the suggestion, though.
 
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sholling

sholling

Audioholic Ninja
I ended up going with the Dot + iHome dock solution. If the sound is too thin,
While not "audiophile quality" (70-18,000hz +-6db) you could plug $99/pr Edifier R1280T (or $129/pr R1280DB optical and Bluetooth ready) speakers into the Dot. They they are small enough and decent enough that could place both on one side of the bed or one on each side and wake her in much better than clock radio grade stereo.
 
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MR.MAGOO

MR.MAGOO

Audioholic Field Marshall
How 'bout this clever alarm clock, has a snooze button and it's sure to wake the most stubborn child.....



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