Boston Acoustics HSOLOMDNT Horizon Solo AM/FM Radio With Auxiliary Input (Midnight)
- Precision Am/Fm Tuner With Noise-Free Reception
- High-Performance 3.5-Inch Full-Range Speaker
- Includes FM Antenna & Detachable AC Cord
- Auxiliary input for portable media devices
Horizon solo midnight AM/FM radio with auxiliary input.
Rating: 
(out of 111 reviews)
List Price: $ 99.99
Price:
Boston Acoustics Recepter Radio HD | US $47.00 (4 Bids) End Date: Thursday May-24-2012 17:49:14 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list |
 | US $26.99 End Date: Saturday Jun-02-2012 19:38:17 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $26.99 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
Review by M. JEFFREY MCMAHON for Boston Acoustics HSOLOMDNT Horizon Solo AM/FM Radio With Auxiliary Input (Midnight)
Rating:
I’ve had my Horizon Solo for a week now and can say that it’s a huge leap better than its older brother the Recepter and the Tivoli Songbook and the Sangean WR-2, which I sold and replaced with my Horizon Solo.
Here is where the Horizon Solo shines:
1. Its AM/FM tuner is on steroids. Most of the time I don’t even have to elevate the FM wire antenna to get hard-to-get Los Angeles stations such as 89.3, 88.9, and 103.1. The FM blows away the more expensive Tivoli Songbook and Sangean WR-2.
2. The AM tuner sounds like stereo with no background noise. This is truly amazing. The AM is far better than my very good Sangean WR-2.
3. The speakers are bigger and fuller than the already good-sounding Recepter and bear in mind the Horizon Solo is fifty dollars less.
4. The interface is easy to use. Like the Recepter, you use a rotary dial to tune up or down while scrolling through the 20 presets.
5. The radio is relatively small and leaves a small footprint on your bedside table.
6. Unlike the more expensive Recepter, the Horizon Solo has a headphone jack in the front.
7. The AC cord is two-prong and small in size, not one of those big fat wall-warts that take up half your available outlets.
8. Holding the bezel dial, you can’t “twist” the radio into the horizontal or vertical position.
9. Marketed as a “custom” radio, the front grill can be removed and replaced with loud vibrant colors though truth be told I’m happy the with the dark “midnight” color.
Yes, I do notice a couple of bugs in my new model. Twice after turning off the radio, the radio was still on so I had to turn it off a second time. Also the time display is five minutes slow while listening to the radio and then when you turn the radio off the time is accurate again. I don’t know if this is a bug particular to my radio or a general problem.
Bottom-line: As a radio enthusiast, I own over 50 radios and I will go out on a limb and say this is the best AM/FM clock radio I have ever purchased. In a market where clock radios usually have substandard reception or where the better radios cost $150-200, the Horizon Solo is the new champion on the block.
Update: Bought another Horizon Solo for my work office, an environment hampered by electronic interference and the Horizon Solo is doing very well, picking up Los Angeles stations 88.1, 103.1, 89.9 91.5 and other FM stations with outstanding clarity. My officemates are so impressed, they want to get one also.
Another Update: After 3 months, my second Solo got frozen on the 17 increment of volume control. After much experimentation, I discovered that the only way to “unfreeze” the volume is to unplug the unit for several minutes and then plug it in again. I hope I don’t have to do this again or at least not often.
Nine months later it continues to be my favorite radio. The volume control can also be de-activitated by holding lowering volume to ZERO; then you hold the on button until the radio beeps; then you increase the volume to full blast or whatever limit you want. Then you turn off radio and turn on again. Boston Acoustics sent me these instructions after I contacted them. Since I’ve done this, the problem is gone.
Review by Curt for Boston Acoustics HSOLOMDNT Horizon Solo AM/FM Radio With Auxiliary Input (Midnight)
Rating:
The BA Horizon Solo is OK as an FM clock radio. The FM receiver has good sensitivity, and the speaker and rich sound quality are first rate. You can adjust both the bass and treble, which you couldn’t do on the predecessor product (the BA Recepter).
I’m rating the BA Solo 2 stars as it’s entirely deaf on AM (does not receive anything, including strong local AM stations) and has poor ergonomic design.
Regarding ergonomics, here is an excerpt from the user manual on how to use the Sleep function:
————-
Sleep Function
You can set the Horizon Solo to play for up to 90 minutes. After the specified time the Solo shuts off. Select the source and set the volume level where you want it.
1 Use the Mode control to highlight the Sleep icon in the display.
2 Press the Mode control. The Sleep icon and “OFF” will flash in the display.
3 Turn the Mode control to set the number of minutes until the Solo turns off.
4 Press the Mode control. The brackets around the Sleep icon will flash a few times. The display will return to its previous state with the Sleep icon lit.
…
Notes:
* To cancel the Sleep delay before it has finished, follow steps 1 – 3. Turn the Mode control down until “Off” appears in the display. Then press the Mode control. Or press the Power/Volume control to turn off the Solo.
* Touch the metal rim around the Solo to display the remaining time of the Sleep delay.
——-
The Sleep function is a menu item instead of providing a dedicated “Sleep” button. They could have overloaded one of the existing control buttons to turn on the Sleep function. But on this radio the only way to turn on the Sleep function is through the menu.
If the menu screen were easy to read and navigate, this might be acceptable, but it isn’t.
The radio has a small monochrome (blue with white letters) LCD screen, and when you turn the Menu knob with the radio on, you can navigate between the following:
- Presets/FM/AM/Aux
- Brightness/Info/Sleep/Bass/Treble
- Alarm 1/Time Set/Alarm 2
(The “Info” allows you to toggle between displaying the time or tuner frequency and mode.)
The menu has a sort-of “memory” function, i.e. it does not remember the last menu setting you last modified, but instead it starts from the current “mode” setting (the modes are the first 4 menu items, i.e. Presets/FM/AM/Aux).
To enable the Sleep function, you have to turn the Mode knob until the “Sleep” label is bracketed.
The other ergonomic issue is the lack of a “safeguard” switch to prevent accidental changing of the clock time or alarm settings. I have inadvertently changed the clock time, alarm settings, or alarm times — either by accidentally selecting the clock time or alarm settings on the menu, or by unintentionally pressing either of the two alarm buttons on the front of the radio. They could have provided a “safeguard” switch that would have to be engaged in order to adjust the time or alarm settings, to prevent such accidental changes.
As another reviewer has mentioned, this radio runs hot some of the time, even when turned off! Something strange is going on with the power supply.
The brightness function seems flawed. It tries to adjust the brightness according to the brightness in the room. The adjustment you make affects the range of brightness that the display will range over. I have found that at night the lowest I can set it to is level 13 (the settings range from 1-20) in order to see the display reasonably well in the dark. So levels 1-12 are essentially useless (too low to be seen at night). Either my unit is defective or this is a flawed design.
Review by MD for Boston Acoustics HSOLOMDNT Horizon Solo AM/FM Radio With Auxiliary Input (Midnight)
Rating:
I already own a Tivoli Ipal which I greatly enjoy, but didn’t like Tivoli’s offering for clock radios. So I bought the Solo.
Pros:
.Unmatched sound and overall quality at this price.
.Gradually increasing alarm.
.Two alarm settings
.Numeric sound level control, especially useful to set the exact volume you like for waking up.
.Dial tuning through preset stations, the best way to quickly scroll through your favourite stations.
.AM/PM or 24hr format.
Cons: As reported by others:
.If you change any setting (station, volume), the radio alarm will not automatically shut off as you would expect after an hour.
.Menus a bit difficult to make out depending on lighting conditions or your eyesight.
Comments regarding other reviews:
I did have the problem whereby the clock would lose time when in radio alarm mode. Also, some flickering of the display because of excessive sensitivity of the light sensor.
These turned out to be a firmware problem. You need to return the unit to have it updated. I was told that firmware versions 3.0 and over correct the problem. To find out which one is installed, press the Alarm 1 button while plugging the unit. I was able to check this in the store before buying a second unit for the office.
Would have given it 5 stars but better quality control should have picked up these problems. And since they know about the problem, how come some defective units are still in the stores? At least here in Canada.
Review by John Robertson for Boston Acoustics HSOLOMDNT Horizon Solo AM/FM Radio With Auxiliary Input (Midnight)
Rating:
I’ve been using the Horizon Solo in a rather unremarkable hotel room for the last couple of months on an out-of-town assignment, so anything new and shiny might prompt me to leave a favorable review. But after buying and returning no less than 4 other clock radios, including a popular RCA model, an iHome, and two Sony’s, this just wins it hands down. I would love to have bought the Boston Acoustics HDUOMIST Horizon Duo Speaker System (Mist) (white) or the Boston Acoustics HDUOIMDNT Horizon Duo-I System For Ipod(R) With Am/Fm Radio (Midnight) (black), but for portability the final choice really had to be smaller. Though not perfect as some reviews might have indicated, there’s just too much to like, especially when compared to the alternatives:
Benefits:
* Terrific sound quality – even if mono, and perhaps a bit tubby, but you can adjust bass and treble settings.
* Beautiful display – very easy to read, even across a room. Auto-dimmer works very well.
* Build quality – rubber coated, nice weight to it.
* Audio input jack – great for iPod, computer or whatever device. 1/8″ stereo jack (yes, the input jack retains left and right channels.
* Head phone jack on front – also stereo.
Demerits:
* No weekend alarm setting. You must go through a short menu with the left-hand knob to change alarm settings.
* Gradual wake-up reaches full, pre-set volume in just a few seconds. Perhaps it’s just me, but I just assumed it might take a few minutes (or better yet, would be a user-adjustable period) for the radio alarm to reach full volume…are you listening BA??
* Full volume might not be quite loud enough for some. Without the radio reset performed (see BA website or certain Amazon reviews if you are having problems), my radio reaches a volume number of 50. If the input on the AUX is at a high level, the volume is very good, but if the input level somewhat low, the output on the radio’s speaker might be a little disappointing if you cannot increase the input level any further (in fairness though, the sound is not distorted at high volume levels, so at least you’re getting some quality sound).
It would be easy to put too much into the ‘negative’ points above. As noted already, no other radio even came close with the sound quality/looks/durability combination, and certainly not for the $100 incl S/H I paid. I am seriously considering a Duo for home. At the current price of $80+shipping on Amazon, I am also wondering about wiring a Y-cable and getting a second Solo to use with my existing one as left and right stereo, but with the ability to provide a few feet of separation, which might sound better than a Duo (in effect, use two Solos as separate, amplified speakers). I will update the review should I tackle that project. I haven’t customized the grill color as I had thought I might, but that’s also an interesting option, esp if you were to give one as a gift.
It’s also worth noting the AM/FM radio was an important feature to me, moreso than iPod docking as I like to listen to local stations wherever I am. The reception is very good, although believe it or not, some of the el-cheapo, bad-sound-quality clock radios I checked out had about the same sensitivity. The difference, of course, was in all the other points mentioned above. If you’d prefer a CD player ala a Bose Wave Radio alternative, you might also want to check the Boston Acoustics Horizon Trio Clock Radio w/ CD Player (Midnight), although for more than $300, that might cater to a little different market segment.
UPDATE: Aug 17, 2009 I noticed earlier reviews said the radio gets hot — mine doesn’t. You can just slightly notice some warmth, but it’s very mild. I ordered mine through Amazon, fulfilled by Target, and had to wait for delivery, which tells me it was ordered from the factory recently. Perhaps newer ones were redesigned to not get as warm? I also later bought a Horizon Duo — wow, wonderful sound. I use it in the bedroom, and the Solo in the kitchen when I’m home. As I walk from bedroom to kitchen, the mono-speaker Solo sounds noticeably flat in comparison! Naturally, it has one less speaker, but if you can spare the space, I actually think the Duo (or Duo-i which has an iPod dock — check your generation of iPod to ensure it’s supported if buying) are a better choice for sound quality, and worth the difference in price. I will write a review for the Duo separately under that radio’s listing, but I found the backlit display too bright, even when the auto-brightness circuit reduces it to minimum. It may help someone to read here that there is a workaround for display brightness:
- unplug power cord
- while pressing the Alarm 2 button, plug the power cord back in
- use the smaller, right knob to adjust the minimum or maximum display brightness (00 thru 255).
- press the smaller, right knob to program the default brightness.
Note this is not the same thing as the normal, auto-brightness-circuit, but rather, this adjustment actually changes the minimum or maximum brightness level down to, and including, zero. My Solo default brightness was 200, while the Duo was 98. I reduced the Duo way down to 9. Not sure what BA didn’t put this in the owner’s manual. I don’t really consider this any kind of special hack or secret procedure — it’s simple and easy to do and I noticed a few other people had problems with the brightness, and assumed they couldn’t do anything about it. If you find your radio’s display too bright or dim, try it out.
Although the BA adjustments are a bit inconvenient as other reviews say (such as the need to always rotate-through menu options just to make a quick alarm-time change), I still think the radio’s solid quality and sound outweigh any such objections for me. Both my Solo and Duo do not suffer any of the strange quirks that others have unfortunately experienced — odor, weak sensitivity, ‘hospitality mode’ volume level, etc. Knock on wood, but I have had no such problem with either radio, and I would have to say that anyone experiencing them should probably consider their radio faulty (although I would think that any reception issue should be verified first with another good radio, should you have one nearby). Still 5/5.
UPDATE: SEPT 10, 2009
In another review, someone mentioned that it’s too bad when the alarm goes off in radio mode, you do not see the time…only the radio station…once you’ve adjusted the volume or put the radio into sleep-mode. I thought the same thing, until I read the manual a bit more. If, after making whatever other alarm or radio settings you want, then go to the INFO setting and change it to TIME. Now, when the alarm goes off, you will always see the time, even after changing the volume. It’s confusing…I can see why someone would be ticked off with this and not think there’s anything more to it. But again, now that I’ve made this adjustment, the radio just gets better.
Review by F. Mercer for Boston Acoustics HSOLOMDNT Horizon Solo AM/FM Radio With Auxiliary Input (Midnight)
Rating:
This clock radio rocks. It has an adjustable dimmer that is automatic, an alarm that slowly gets louder untill you wake up and a stereo headphone jack. The sound quality and the reception are better than the tivoli. Built solid.