Durabrand CD1180- The CD1180 is a clock radio complete with CD player, in modern tones of silver grey it is compact and lightweight making it ideal for bedside tables and the like.
There are 3 options for the alarm in regards to what you will here when it goes off at your chosen time, by ... Read review
Advantages: Compact, multifunctional, battery powered as well as mains Disadvantages: CD player broke
Durabrand CD1180- The CD1180 is a clock radio complete with CD player, in modern tones of silver grey it is compact and lightweight making it ideal for bedside tables and the like.
There are 3 options for the alarm in regards to what you will here when it goes off at your chosen time, by selecting the appropriate choice with the slide switch on the side of the unit you can either be woken by a buzzer, the radio or the CD that is currently ... .../>
It would appear that Durabrand is particular to Asda & Wal-Mart stores, being an own brand of electrical goods. I was given the machine as a hand me down of sorts when my mum no longer needed it after receiving a new one, it would seem this particular model is no longer available although the newer (and undoubtedly improved) version is available in Asda and Wal-Mart stores for £12.
Durabrand CD1180- The CD1180 is a clock radio complete with CD player, in modern tones of silver grey it is compact and lightweight making it ideal for bedside tables and the like.
There are 3 options for the alarm in regards to what you will here when it goes off at your chosen time, by selecting the appropriate choice with the slide switch on the side of the unit you can either be woken by a buzzer, the radio or the CD that is currently within the player. You can also adjust the volume of the music you will here when the "alarm" goes off by using the basic volume dial (also on the side of the unit) this dial is for general volume control and will also change the volume if you are using the machine as a basic radio or CD player. Setting the alarm is done via the buttons on top of the unit, a simple case of holding down the "clock set" button and then pressing for the hour and time until you reach your chosen time for the alarm call. Once the alarm does sound on a morning, or whenever you've set it for, you can either press the "snooze" button to give you few more minutes rest time or the "sleep" button which will turn the alarm off.
You are able to access both AM and FM radio stations with the machine, selecting your frequency by a 2nd slide switch on the side of the unit, this will also allow you to set it to CD mode, naturally through which you operate the CD player. Tuning the radio is done with a dial on the front of the unit and it has a thin wire aerial which is flexible enough to be moved around in order to pick up a good signal but also discreet enough to not be an eyesore. Choosing to play, stop and skip tracks on your CD is done with the same buttons used to set the time, they are clearly labelled with their double usage so you know which button controls which feature, but using these buttons in CD mode will not alter your time setting or alarm. The CD player is top loading via a spring loaded lid and takes one CD at a time. The sound is relayed from a single speaker at the front of the unit under the grey time display screen.
The unit is not DAB or ready for digital, neither does it have any MP3 capabilities as some modern radios do. While the unit does have the standard electrical lead and 3 pin plug it also has a battery compartment in it's base suitable for a 9v battery (that's the rectangular ones usually seen in fire alarms) meaning you can use the machine even when there seems to be no suitable source of power, on a camping trip for example, or for when there is a powercut.
Price & Availability- It would appear that Durabrand is particular to Asda & Wal-Mart stores, being an own brand of electrical goods. I was given the machine as a hand me down of sorts when my mum no longer needed it after receiving a new one, it would seem this particular model is no longer available although the newer (and undoubtedly improved) version is available in Asda and Wal-Mart stores for £12.
Our Experience- Durabrand is designed with the idea of being an affordable electronic range however with the CD1180 clock radio I get the feeling that in order to keep it "affordable" a degree of quality or workmanship was missing. Don't get me wrong, it looks good, keeps time and displays it clearly, seems of a decent physical quality and has a clear crisp sound. My problem with the machine is that the CD player simply does not work anymore despite the machine not being too old or over used, while it may have been past its 1 year guarantee date you still don't expect a product to stop working properly after only a year.
As far as the rest of the machine goes it's alright and we're still using it although in a slightly different capacity. It now sits in our kitchen providing a little music for me when I'm cooking the dinner or doing the dishes, unfortunately our house gets a bad signal and despite playing around with the aerial I'm restricted to the stations I can receive, still I'm happy getting local channel Star which provides me with a fun selection of oldies, and the sound is always nice and clear despite the single speaker so I can't complain there. It's a nicely compact unit which actually lends itself well to the kitchen environment especially as we're quite restricted for surface space, using the CD1180 means I can still have music while I work without having a big or bulky stereo taking up all my unit space, it's colour also fits in well with my other appliances, far better then it ever did in my bedroom.
The alarm function nowadays is pretty redundant, we have a new alarm for the bedroom and I rarely need an alarm for during the day, although it does occasionally prove handy if I'm baking something in the oven and need to check on it at a certain time. Being given the choice of buzzer, radio or (in the beginning at least) CD was great, you could choose to have your favourite song or band wake you up on a morning, which in my case was A-ha and "take on me" what better way to start the morning then with an uplifting positive tune that always makes you feel happy, radio alarm is good for those like a bit more variety or even to tune into the local news and find out how bad their traffic would be on the way to work and the buzzer is perfect for those who simply will not get out of bed, the noise is so annoying and grating that you'd rather get up then risk listening to it go off again.
The machine is easy to set up, not over fussy with options and features that usually are unnecessary, it does it's job of displaying the time perfectly with a bold easy to read digital display and provides a good sound and reliable alarm. The breakdown of the CD player is an unfortunate downfall and given the option I would not purchase an identical model as replacement because I would be too concerned that it would be a flaw in all the models.
