Customer reviews from philips.com
Philips - FM Alarm Clock Radio - Black
Average customer rating
2.3
(22 Reviews)
Rating breakdown 22 reviews
5 Stars
1
4 Stars
4
3 Stars
3
2 Stars
7
1 Star
7
19%of customers recommend this product.
(
4 out of
21)
Customer Reviews for Philips - FM Alarm Clock Radio - Black
Customer Rating
3
Simple hack to set new default volume
on February 19, 2019
Posted by: Fred992
Gender:Male
I bought an AJ3400 at an estate sale. The default sound level (07) was too loud for where I wanted to use it. I'm an electrical engineer, so I "could" have added/adjusted components, but it's not worth the trouble.
My hack was one sheet of toilet paper. Fold it in half one way and then the other, making it 4-ply. Place it over the speaker in back and then tape a 3-inch square of notebook/printer paper over the toilet paper. The default volume is reduced to what I want. This will probably muddy the fidelity for music, but for listening to NPR news, it's just fine.
If I need it louder, it still gets plenty loud for me when I raise the volume level above 07.
Pros: large display low-voltage
Cons: need hack to adjust default volume.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
Written by a customer while visiting philips.com
Customer Rating
2
Was this the designer's "Blaze of Glory" before quitting?
on March 9, 2018
Posted by: Rfish22
Save your money. I'm always skeptical of 1 & 5 star ratings so I gave this two stars hoping more people read it before wasting their money.
PROS: Large display with choice between Light and Dim and this justified my 2 stars. This is the reason why I bought it, but I didn't realize all the drawbacks until it was received.
CONS? UGH... let me count the ways:
1) CONTROLS. All controls come from seven rice kernel size buttons, all the same size, same shape, all in a line and all on top of the display where they're unidentifiable unless looking down on it and have light to read them. Philips, did you realize people view this from eye level when waking up? WOW! BRILLIANT!
2) DISPLAY. Blinking colon on the display. Solved by using bits of electrical tape over it.
3) VOLUME. When turned on it's preset by Philips and is always LOUD. There is no way to change the default so the radio must always be manually adjusted.
4) VOLUME #2. Even on softest setting it's still too loud.
5) PRESET STATIONS. How do you erase a station that you incorrectly preset? Can't even find an answer to this either.
6) PRESEST STATIONS #2. To change stations through the presets you must toggle through all ten to find the one you want and you must memorize which each number is. ie- As you toggle, stations are ID'd as "P01, P02, P03... ". It takes five seconds for the station to be identified before the "P01" numbers change to station frequencies.
7) FM only? My local NBA team and the university sports are on an AM station. I knew it going in, but was this so difficult or expensive that AM should be eliminated? Philips cut corners.
And my #1 complaint?...
8) It's hard to comprehend that a product is designed this way. The radio volume on the wake alarm is preset LOUD by the factory. THERE IS NO WAY TO CHANGE IT to default to a lower volume. There is a DIY workaround on YouTube for dismantling the clock and soldering in a diode. Maybe Philips will reimburse me for a soldering set?
I'm not sure what century this was designed in, but modern electronics are designed to at least be minimally configurable to users' preferences. Philips failed. All around this Philips product is one of the more terrible designs of an electronics product that I've encountered.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
Response from philips.comBy Abdoul, Philips Sound Webcare, March 13, 2018
HI R,
Thank you for your feedback, it is greatly appricated. We're sorry to hear the Alarm clock radio did not meet your expectations.
In regards to the product volume, the device is set to rise gradually. If the volume is too high, you may also set the Alarm source to FM radio and manually adjust the volume through this method. If you wish to remove a station from the preset option, you will need to store another station in its place for more information on this please take a look on page 7 of the manual (https://www.download.p4c.philips.com/files/a/aj3400_37/aj3400_37_dfu_aen.pdf).
If you have any questions or are in need of assistance, feel free to contact our customer support center (https://www.usa.philips.com/c-w/support-home/support-contact-page.html) where our agents will be more than glad to assist you.
Kind regards,
Abdoul
Philips Sound Webcare
Thank you for your feedback, it is greatly appricated. We're sorry to hear the Alarm clock radio did not meet your expectations.
In regards to the product volume, the device is set to rise gradually. If the volume is too high, you may also set the Alarm source to FM radio and manually adjust the volume through this method. If you wish to remove a station from the preset option, you will need to store another station in its place for more information on this please take a look on page 7 of the manual (https://www.download.p4c.philips.com/files/a/aj3400_37/aj3400_37_dfu_aen.pdf).
If you have any questions or are in need of assistance, feel free to contact our customer support center (https://www.usa.philips.com/c-w/support-home/support-contact-page.html) where our agents will be more than glad to assist you.
Kind regards,
Abdoul
Philips Sound Webcare
Written by a customer while visiting philips.com
Customer Rating
2
Do Not Buy
on January 30, 2015
Posted by: ProductCriticer
Gender:Male
If you want a radio to wake you in the AM, this is not for you! The idea of the radio gradually increasing in volume as time goes on, in reality is it's worst feature!
The volume jumps at you and becomes so annoying that you end up turning it off just to get relief.
The volume jumps at you and becomes so annoying that you end up turning it off just to get relief.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
Written by a customer while visiting philips.com
Customer Rating
2
Don't buy, unless you love waking up to a blaring radio alarm!
on February 22, 2015
Posted by: harryk
Gender:Female
If we wanted to be woken up to a blaring radio every day, we would set it as such . . . nothing like jumping out of bed when you're not ready to, just to shut off the radio! We do like that you don't have to reset the alarm every day.
Pros: don't have to reset the alarm every day, size/color of digital display
Cons: the blaring alarm
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
Written by a customer while visiting philips.com
Customer Rating
1
design is not intuitive
on July 8, 2017
Posted by: poorproduct
Gender:Female
too complicated to set time, alarms, etc. also when user is waking and wants to hit the 'snooze' button, it is difficult to find and you hit the wrong button possibly resetting the clock or activating another feature. My second alarm (back up alarm) just stopped working after I had the product a year. wouldn't recommend this clock
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
Written by a customer while visiting philips.com
Customer Rating
4
In today's drive to compress the size of buttons in design -- this is ergonomically right and functions well. Footprint and Dimmer are both the best i
on March 30, 2017
Posted by: Machine
Gender:Male
Verified Purchase:Yes
Radio is ergonomically right and functions well. Footprint and Dimmer are both the best in recent years.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting philips.com
Customer Rating
1
Agree with others
on December 27, 2016
Posted by: Luis99
Gender:Male
Terrible usability and obnoxious standard features.
Pros: large display
Cons: sound level control, blinking hour/minute separator, poor documentation, poor desing of controls
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
Response from philips.comBy Carlos, Philips Sound Webcare, January 5, 2017
Hello Luis99,
Thank you for your review, and we;re sorry to hear that you've experienced inconveniences in using your particular device. If you require further information on the uses and operation of your unit, you can find the full manual of the alarm clock here(http://www.usa.philips.com/c-p/AJ3400_37/clock-radio/support) or alternately you can contact our customer support line (http://www.usa.philips.com/c-w/support-home/support-contact-page.html) where our customer service representatives will be more than glad to assist you.
Kind regards,
Philips Sound Webcare - Carlos
Thank you for your review, and we;re sorry to hear that you've experienced inconveniences in using your particular device. If you require further information on the uses and operation of your unit, you can find the full manual of the alarm clock here(http://www.usa.philips.com/c-p/AJ3400_37/clock-radio/support) or alternately you can contact our customer support line (http://www.usa.philips.com/c-w/support-home/support-contact-page.html) where our customer service representatives will be more than glad to assist you.
Kind regards,
Philips Sound Webcare - Carlos
Written by a customer while visiting philips.com
Customer Rating
4
Only one flaw, but it's a biggie
on January 3, 2015
Posted by: kaseyaustin
Gender:Female
I like the style of this clock/radio very much EXCEPT that the owner cannot select the volume of the alarm. Why does Philips presume to know how loud I need the radio to be to wake me? (They don't.) The design of starting the alarm at a low volume and gradually increasing it just makes it easier to sleep through, as I incorporate the lower volume music or talk into my dreams. Very poor feature.
Pros: stylish, easy to read
Cons: cannot select volume of radio alarm, cannot select volume at which radio comes on
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
Written by a customer while visiting philips.com