Given the current apparent popularity of iPod alarm clocks, it's no surprise to see XtremeMac throw its hat into the ring with the Luna. Having won our iPod speakers roundup with the Tango, and having seen pictures of the Luna, we were keen to test whether it could live up to our expectations.
The Luna has much to commend it. It looks good for starters. Gone are the retro 1970s clock radio effects of the iHome systems and the boxy looks of the Gear 4 HouseParty 24/7. In their place is a sleek, low-slung, stylish and - dare we say it? - sexy lunch-box of a system with a large knob in each corner.
The LED clock face is large and clear, and can be dimmed using a dial on one of the knobs. This allows it to be much dimmer than the HouseParty 24/7, which we found too bright for a dark room, even at its dimmest setting. Also commendable is the fact that when one of the two alarms is set and switched on, the alarm time is displayed at the bottom of the display.
Snooze time is also displayed when the Snooze button is pressed and it can be adjusted by rotating the appropriate dial. One criticism here is that the Snooze button is no larger than the others, which means you could have difficulty locating it when you're half asleep and desperate for those extra 10 minutes in bed.
With the alarm set, when the designated time is reached, the iPod switches on and starts playing from where it last paused. Volume is low at first and gradually increases, lulling you gently out of your slumber. Likewise, the sleep feature fades music gently as you doze off.
In addition to the iPod, you can also choose to wake or go to sleep to any AM or FM radio station, for which there are four presets. There's also an auxiliary line in socket to connect a separate audio device.
The elongated credit card-sized remote control provides access to all the Luna's key features and its Snooze button is larger than the rest, so maybe you'd be better using the remote than the Luna itself.
The iPod dock on the top of the Luna houses any dockable iPod, but no adaptors are included in the box, so you'll need to supply the appropriate one for your iPod if you want it to fit snugly. The iPod charges while the Luna is plugged into the mains, and two included AA batteries enable it to retain the correct time and date information when it's unplugged.
The Luna's system of buttons and dials isn't the most intuitive, but XtremeMac ships it with a cardboard lay-over template that details the functions of each button.
Audio quality from the Luna is pretty good. It excels at reproducing detail, particularly in the treble range. Bass is a little lacking at the default setting, although you can boost it using the bass control on the remote. It sounds as good as any iPod clock radio we've yet heard.
At £80 from Amazon, the Luna is the same price as the iHome iH5 and a tenner cheaper than the Gear4 HouseParty 24/7. To us, that makes it the best of the three.
Author: Kenny Hemphill
MacUser Online