What a fantastic unit. The screen is lit with a variable intensity blue background so you can leave it on low intensity overnight and then when the clock radio alarm begins the intensity automatically jumps to high, to light up the clock face. Very nice. Also the clock radio sound comes on gently over a half minute or so with a gentle volume then increases in volume. No blaring radio here folks ! The sound is very nice, clear, with some nice bass. It is very easy to read, the alarm settings are very thorough and easy to set and reset. There are 7 preset station buttons on top of the unit so you can preset your favourite stations. Also there is a great function called the "Information" button which is the bottom button on the right side face of the unit and when you turn it on, if the station is a Radio Data station, a read-a-board style message moves across the screen identifying the station you are listening to and the name of the song and the artist. It is a nice size unit, not taking up much space on my limited sized bed size table. Easy to learn how to use. I am glad I waited the month to get it as it was on back order. I could not have found a unit as excellent as this in the smaller city I live in. This Sangean product I purchased through Amazon was great. Shipping was fast. A great purchase ! N.C.B. Kelowna BC.