CHIME-1 Doorbell

My wife saw this unit on one of the DIY/HGTV shows and had to have it. I needed a new doorbell so I pulled the trigger and bought it for her. So far I am really happy with it.The unit goes up very easily and has transformer and no transformer installation options. It does require four 2A batteries because the unit does a lot more than a standard doorbell. Once you get the unit wired up and the base wired and mounted, the unit itself comes off the wall very easily which is important because you don't want to have to stand on a chair to record custom sounds or make system changes. Also, it looks nice on the wall. It is a little bigger than the size of your hand and is a pleasing off-white color.The unit is a lot of fun. It comes with a couple dozen built in sounds from chimes and bells to dogs barking to the Mexican hat dance song. If you select a category it will run through a selection of sounds from the specific category. If you like one specific sound, you can simply hold down a button and that chime will play each time the bell button is pushed. But, that is not what makes this unit worth the few extra dollars...Recording your own sounds either with the built in mic or the line in option makes this doorbell truly fun. Record your voice or your favorite song and it will play when the bell rings. It is a lot of fun and my wife really likes recording her own tunes on the unit. My one complaint is that you cannot save more than one custom chime on the unit at a time. So, if you record a chime and then want to record a different one, the original is overwritten. This is not a big deal...more of an observation than a complaint.This unit is expensive for a doorbell but at around 80 bucks, it is not that much more than a regular, one tone unit and it is a heck of a lot more fun.

A little over priced. Has a lot of great pre programmed sounds. Very easy to install. Batteries are only used to review, record, and select the sound you want. Runs off of low household current from transformer. Does not run off of batteries. Has 4 settings for volume. I have mine set to the 2nd lowest setting, it is loud enough. If you have a 15,000 square foot house , then maybe you might not hear it 'ring'. Just have your butler answer the door after someone knocks. I purchased a 2nd unit for my daughter.Highly recommend this unit. Its a lot of fun. Easy to add a 2nd speaker for additional volume.

The idea of a programmable doorbell is really great, but the product failed to impress. I tried every way I could to record my own personal chime. I used the external mic and the aux port because I thought the sound would be better that way. I was wrong. The speakers crackle and pop no matter which way you record your tune. I really wanted this product to work, but the chime was too quiet and the speakers were horrible. I sent it back immediately.

I specifically bought the iChime because it would let me record my own music. That does not work at all well, but I'll get back to that.As a doorbell, it works pretty well. Note that this is not a radio-controlled doorbell, so you need wiring. If you have an old doorbell, hookup is a breeze. There is a back plate, and a front part with most of the electronics. Just mount the back plate where the old doorbell was, stick the old wires into the designated places, and tighten the screws. Put batteries (4 AA cells) in the front part,and then slide it onto the back plate. Some connectors engage. It just works. You get to choose amongst a whole bunch of tunes and sound effects. The options go from the classical Westminster chimes to a vicious barking dog. At the maximum setting it is is quite loud. You can preview all the tunes and sounds at the iChime website. It looks good, but not luxurious.Supposedly you can also record sounds using either a built-in microphone or an audio jack with a cable to your favorite audio device---say an iPod. You can do the recording with it taken down from the wall, which is convenient.I'm into English country dancing, and I wanted to record a few notes from some English country dance tunes. I used an audio cable to connect to my electric piano keyboard. Well, either the sensitivity is too low, or there is an automatic gain control that really clamps down. Even with the level control on my electric piano all the way up during recording, and the level control on the iChime all the way up at playback, the recorded tune plays too quietly for my house. I also tried recording from my iPod. Again, even with the level cranked all the way up, the playback was quiet. So I am disappointed.

The ONLY thing that this item lacks is better sound quality. No matter how I input the audio, it plays and is very apparent that it is somewhat distorted. I still rated it 4 stars because it IS worth the money, to me, to have a unit that I can program my own sounds and change them as often as I wish. Front door is standard DING DONG. Back door is 15 seconds of dueling banjos / Deliverance. Nifty gadget item that is fun to use. Installation is a breeze. Removal takes 10 seconds. You just lift the item up by one inch and off it comes. The wires are hooked up through easy to tighten holes in a connector. You don't have to worry about wrapping the wire around a screw. The factory technicians are VERY accommodating and you can tell that they really care about customer satisfaction. It is a good deal.

Pros:- yes, it plays lots of different tunes- yes, you can customize it- yes, you can adjustable volume (I have had no issues with crackling, distortion btw)Chances are you have read all the other reviews, so you know what to expect.Cons:- its not white! Its a fawn color, certainly not white. Makes it look like something you purchased back in the 80's. Really disappointing that it looks so horrible, because overall, its a nice little unit. Does not look modern at all.**UPDATE**After about a year, the unit started making a ticking/clicking sound that would drain the batteries very quickly. It did this for about a year before dying completely. Disappointing given the price.