Bose Wave Radio II

Here at the GoodGearGuide, we've never reviewed a basic clock radio. But when we learnt of the Bose Wave Radio II, we had to take a look. And take a look we did. A long look, culminating in a large and heavy jaw drop when we learnt that this is no ordinary clock radio. No, it's an almost $700 clock radio. Yes, that's right, a clock radio that retails for almost $700. Who else but Bose...

In case you are still wondering what we are on about, the Bose Wave Radio II is an alarm clock. In fact, it even features the same functions as a standard clock radio you'll find at your local electronics store. What is does offer over the competition of course is unparalleled sound quality and stylish design. However, like most Bose products, what it lacks when put up against the competition is a competitive price; in fact, we'd go as far as saying that we know nobody who would spend such an extravagant amount of money for a product as basic such as this one.

The Wave Radio II features exactly the same design as its sibling, the Wave Music System. In fact, the only difference is the CD slot on the front of the Wave system; the rest of the units are identical. In terms of looks, the Wave Radio II is quite attractive and comes in two colours; white and black. The system is rather plain compared to some of the designs we are used to seeing these days, but the overall effect is aesthetically pleasing. Still, at this price, you don't look like you're getting any sort of value for money when you look at the Wave Radio II. Oh, and be sure you don't lose the remote control - there isn't even a power button on the actual unit.

Once again, the front of the unit houses a bright and clear LCD display, while the rear of the Radio II manages to accommodate connections for external equipment including a 3.5mm antenna connector, Bose Link Connector (which connects to Bose link enabled Lifestyle systems), Auxiliary In and a Headphone Jack. Conveniently the radio itself uses the AC Power Cord as the antenna, so this means you shouldn't need to connect an external antenna to pick up good reception. During testing, we didn't need to use an external antenna at all; even though our office is noted for its poor reception capabilities. For those with limited space this is a feature that will be much appreciated; it is always annoying to have to plug in an antenna and mess around with finding a worthy spot to deliver appropriate transmission.

It may come in at a small fortune, but the sound quality that the Wave Radio II produces has to be heard to be believed. Like the Wave Music System, the clarity is absolutely superb and you could swear that you were listening to a CD, rather than an FM/AM Radio. The Bose dubbed "acoustic waveguide speaker technology", which they describe as a tube that efficiently transfers energy from a small speaker to the outside air over a wide range of low frequencies, is responsible for this. It sounds like a whole heap pf technical jargon, but believe us, it works a treat.

The Wave Radio II is fairly basic in terms of settings, although you can select a low-power mode, change snooze time, adjust display brightness level and have the unit wake you to your favourite radio station. The latter is very simple; just select the radio station, adjust the volume setting required and hold down the "Wake To" button on the remote.