Portable-Clock Reviews

This is actually a review of Sony CFD-E75 CD/Radio/Cassette Boombox (Silver), exact thing except color. I "borrowed" this from my wife when I found I didn't have any cassette players (except in a car) and had to listen to a cassette. I was impressed by the sound quality for spoken word cassettes. Everything sounds normal like a human is talking! I've also listened to music cassettes and music CD's and am just amazed at how good this sounds. The "wheel" for selecting CD tracks is a great idea and is used for tuning the radio when in "radio" mode. That makes it easy to find your station.Speaking of which, this model has a "real" three section, rotating antenna, not a skinny little wire hanging out the back What won me over though was the FM AND AM reception on the radio section of this item. We live in an area where the big broadcast antenna are on a hill real close to our home so we've always had problems with radio reception. A good adjustable Bass with the Sony "Mega Bass" button does change the sound noticably. I like the styling and I keep the thing on the night stand next to my head so haven't needed the remote. I guess I'll let my wife keep that. HA HA

This was a good purchase. She swears she got it for considerably less than the price shown. But even at the price shown, I think it's darn well worth it!
Highly Recommended!
John Row

I LOVE this boombox. I got it for Christmas, and it has never given me any trouble at all. Worked right away, great sound too. I highly recommend it.

I received this as an Xmas present to use at my office. Great sound and I love the remote. I had to place this on a high shelf in my office and having the remote makes it easier to operate!

Hello folks , its Vince the radio man with another review for you . I've been a radio buff for many years , I have a large collection and I love to do side by side compares . The Sony SW07 is the replacement model for the discontinued SW100 . In my review of the SW100 I knocked it abit because of the price and the overall sound quality from both the internal speaker and the headphones ( ...and no, I dont need a new pair of phones) .... the SW07 is an improvement in this area , however , still high priced . Both radios are wonders of the modern world ...so small yet so powerful and functional . The SW07 is a little larger than the SW100 ( thank goodness for those of us who have large hands and fingers ) and I find it to be a bit better in the dynamic range department . Tuner selectivity and sensativity about the same . The 07 and the 100 are sold as kits . The come with an active antenna . I find the antenna with the SW07 is far better than the 100 . Also , the SW07 is built much more durable than the SW100 . The layout and button functionality is easier to use and better thought out . Also , a much nicer, clearer visual display with a luminescent blue background .As far as other miniatures on the market ( Sangean ATS 606, which is much cheaper , is about the best after the SW07 and SW100 but not in the same class ) ...there are really no other competitors . If you're looking to spend a decent buck on a quality shortwave set and small is what you need , look no further . If you like a full size set and have a few more bucks to spend buy the SW77 ( which is the King of all radios!!!! ) ...if not the SW07 is surely the Prince.

I have used the earlier (1980's)Radio Shack DX-400, the Sangean ATS-909 (Radio Shack DX-398), the Sony SW 7600G, the Grundig ETraveller VII and this radio. For the general user who wishes just to listen to foreign broadcasts and not bother with trying to tune in remote and low powered stations, all are excellent and comparable in sensitivity and selectivity. The SW-07 and SW 7600G offer synchronous tuning which somewhat aids intelligibility with reception that periodically fades and becomes distorted, but that provided in the SW07 is much quieter and more effective. The SW07 has more programmable station selections than any of the others. It has, as well, many convenience features that older Sony models and the other radios listed do not have such as an effective night illumination of its tuning screen and programmed time of day selected broadcast frequencies of a number of foreign broadcasters. The only truly portable decent shortwave radio that one can carry in a pocket, in my experience, is the Grundig which does quite well with its short telescoping antenna. Reception on all radios benefits greatly from the use of a long wire antenna, but the SW07 has a compact substitute folding circular antenna that, while not offering the performance of a wire, does better than the telescoping built in antenna.

No other radio is as good as this one for portability, great sound, and great reception. It is water resistant and I have taken mine into the shower without problems.

Best is to take this when working outside and get the rich full sound you can't get with radios 10 times the size.

For most stations, I don't even pull the telescoping antenna up, only on the weak distant stations.

The rechargable pack gives you an amazing long amount of play time before needing recharge.

The Model One has a slightly bigger speaker which gives it slightly better sound, but that one is not portable. I have two of each of these radios, and end up using the PALs more, because I can carry them from room to room, use them in the shower, take them outside, use them in the kitchen.

This was the very last radio Henry Kloss designed before his death. He also designed the Model One, but none of the others in the Tivoli line besides the PAL were his ideas. He would have cringed if he saw the way they turned his ideas into clock radios and stereo versions with all the other features he didn't want in the radio. He wanted them simple, without any gimmicks, and that is what this radio is.

You will have a real "Henry Kloss" original if you get this one.

I discovered this radio at friends house. I intend to buy one for myself as soon as I save up the money. The design of this radio is nothing short of "cool" in its simplicity. Though it looks plain, you can tell by the heft of it that it's going to be better than your average radio. It is built solidly, with minimal surfaces to collect dust(which would make it the perfect job site radio).
When you turn it on the speaker makes one of the rich bass "pumff" type noises that bigger stereos make as the speakers come on. It has the sound quality that I've heard from Boss acoustic wave machines. Okay, maybe not that good, but very impressive nonetheless.
The nicest feature for me is the tuning knob. The knob that you turn has a five to one ratio to the outer indicator knob. This allows for easy fine tuning, great for the crowded parts of the radio spectrum.
And finally the reception is nothing short of the best I have ever come across. I live about 80 miles from the radio stations I listen to. Sometimes my favorites just don't come in. Not with this radio. In fact I discovered some Seattle stations I'd never heard before.
If you like owning the best, and can cough up the money, buy this baby. You'll be glad you did.

I've lost count of the radios I ve bought over the years, but I always get excited when I see something new. I have the GE Superadio and the CC Crane unit,but this baby beats them both. Analog witha digital readout and what great sound! Both AM and FM reception is first rate and the added bonus of shorwave really makes this unit worth the price.I'm so used to digital with memory presets and seek buttons so it took a little time to get used to.Of course being analogand using 4 D's the batteries really last. The radio has a great feel to it and its easy to tell Grundig did the job right. Memory presets would have made this unit the ultimate radio, but for what you are getting for $100, Im quite satisfied. To me this is the GE Superadio 4...with the bonus of Shortwave!

This radio not only looks great but sounds great. Popular shortwave stations (bbc, voa, cuba) come in loud and clear, with no need for external antenna. AM/FM come in equally clear. Very little drifting, but it does drift a little over a bit of time. I got better reception at times over a Sony SW7600GR. It has a good alarm that's easy to operate. The instruction maual is well written and available at the website as well. It's not a travel radio, but that's pretty obvious. It has no SSB for tuning into ham radios, but it's great for the casual listener. I highly recommend the radio. It's a good value for the money.

I've known the name Grundig for a very long time, I use to work on Radios and TV in my high school years and that was back in the 60's. Grundig was a great name then and so is it now. This shortwave Radio picks up better than any shortwave radio I've had.The sound that comes out of the speakers is top notch. If you want a good buy and a good radio at the same time its Grundig S350.

I love this item. Couldn't bring myself to shell out the bucks for the Bose and am smugly pleased I didn't. This is a must-have in my kitchen.

However, if you need a clock and presets but still want great sound, I recommend the Boston Accoustics Recepter Radio. It's got comparable sound and has similar reception and sound integrity. It also avoids over-designed buttons and "features". It runs about $50 more.

Let me agree with all of the positive comments other reviewers before me have made. As for the negatives in the 1/14/04 letter, I can assure you that the plug length and the fact one must dial past AM to reach the FM band in no way compromises the quality of the Sangean WR-1.

I also own a Bose Wave radio with CD. I've always thought it to be a a good radio with good tone. But, my new Sangean WR-1 has every bit as good tone, especially on the bass notes. And, the Sangean has superior reception of FM stations. Stations which come in fuzzy on the Bose come in clear as a bell on the Sangean, even with no external antenna.

Conclusion: If you don't need a CD player, the sound is at least equal to the Bose and reception is even better. And the Bose costs $500 vs. $110 for the Sangean. As a fringe benefit, the Sangean is more compact, taking up less room on your table, dresser or desk, and can be used with earphones. What's not to like?

I purchased this radio because of the review that stated "FM reception is good with either the built in or external antenna." We have terrible FM reception in our neighborhood.

I am very impressed with the reception from our new Sangean and we aren't even using the external antenna!

I received the Jensen MR-400 today (15Nov02) and was pleasantly surprised. The first thing I did was put the batteries in wrong, so ensure that you do not do that, or they will ruin the unit ... luckily I took them out quickly.

The reception is GREAT and the TV works amazingly well ... uses only two AA size batteries ... better reception than my much larger and more expensive Sony AM/FM/TV radio.

Wow ... it is so small ... you will be amazed at its size. After using it today at the river listening to my favorite TV program, I am impressed because I was 25 miles from the station out in the boonies.

I will update this later if it should prove warranted.

Good Luck,

John G
San Antonio

this is a great little radio for the price.
it sounds like a radio costing ten times more.
i highly recommend it.

Pocket sized AM/FM radios with TV audio are not very easy to find and are often quite expensive, so it was a delight to find this little gem and at this price too. It proves that inexpensive doesn't always mean poor performance or quality. The sound is great and it is able to pick up distant stations that our other pocket sized radios can't. The quality of construction is as good as radios costing a good bit more. I highly recommended this Radio.

After researching, looking at, and buying (then returning) several compact CD/Radio combos (I wanted it to go from kitchen to bathroom, but didn't have room for a boombox) I can finally rest. The Sony Liv Shower Radio is small, easily carried around with its attached handle, and has great sound--no distortion as volume is increased, and no background fuzziness. The one quibble, which I only noticed in the store as I compared it to the matching new Sony Dream Machine CD player, is that the Dream Machine gets much louder and still maintains the integrity of sound--but you have to plug it in, so you aren't going to be carrying it anywhere. That being said, mine is in the kitchen right now on a low-to-middle volume setting, and I can hear it out here in the living room--so it's loud enough, for sure. Love it!

The Sony Liv Shower Cd Player/clock radio has far exceeded my expectations. I live in a rural area, and with other radios, I have always had trouble bringing in stations clearly. The Sony Liv has clear, crisp sound, excellent fine tuning, and the CD Player and clock are an added bonus! It's an excellent package.

I highly recommend this product and would not hesitate to purchase another.

After reading many reviews on many different shower radios, this was the only shower/radio/cd player I've found with good reviews, so I decided to buy it. I love it! It's nice being able to listen to the news in the morning in the shower, and the sound quality is great, totally clear. The only cons Ive found is the price, but it IS worth it, and the volume doesnt go up as high as Id like. Other than that, it's the best Ive found.

Shame to see this greatest of the great shortwave portable receivers discontinued from the Sony line like the venerable and magnificent ICF 2010. Most long time dedicated shortwave listeners will undoubtedly own one or both of these two great radios from the Sony of days gone by...Let's hope that Sony is avidly working on an even better successor, but somehow I doubt they can top this one...Since they are still available here and there, grab one while you can - if you are a short wave enthusiast, this radio is worth every penny!

This has been called the best of the current Sony Shortwave radios. Infact it may be the best of any manufacturer's portable shortwave. I have several radios, both desktop and portable. When compared to my other radios, this one has excellent sensitivty and selectability.I use it with a loop antenna as a bedside radio to find the distant AM stations at night. When I lock in the station with the synchronous feature it greatly improves the stability of the station and makes listening a lot easier. On SSB I am able to listen to Military and Ham broadcasts with no difficulty. It even has stereo on FM with a headset. I like the radio and I highly recommend it. Jim

Hello folks its Vince the radioman . I have been a collector and buff for many years and love to do compares. This is the undisputed KING OF ALL RADIOS! It is miles above all the others in functionality , tuner sensativity and overall performance . However , it has a price to match . I know that this is an expensive radio so I take that into account when I rate all the others . But , if you can afford this price GO FOR IT ! It has a 162 memory capacity , it has .1 kh increments ( thats point one) only found on professional equipment. It has a great sound and wonderful functionality ( great information window , timer , factory presets , editing capability ...etc.)And a spectacular side band set up . I love it! It is my main radio and I have approx. 50+ radios . If you can afford it , its the best and most complete radio out there . KING OF ALL RADIOS!!!

Hey, my name is Sam, and I'm a 14 year old kid who lives in New York. I agree with the person who said that the past reviews seem written by all the same people, but I'm not complaining. I enjoy this product, but there are a few downsides. 1, an unneccesarily fold out slot for the cd. Instead of a space the size of a cd opening up, the whole damn player opens up. Very annoying, but it doesn't detract at all in the big run. Okay reception, I'm not complaining but I'm not jumping for joy. Great sound, great backlight function, nice, bright and orange. Slim, can fit mostly anywhere. Hmm... wall mounting was pretty easy, so don't let that stop you. Looks nice, blue and fuzzy looking. Buttons are not placed conveniently, but it is no struggle. A handy little remote is one of the biggest plusses, a feature I cannot go without. 30 radio presets, 15 am/15 pm. Only complaint here is that instead of pressing 1 and going back to your 1 station, you have to cycle through 2-15 just to get back to that one station. Quite the hassle. I'd just like to note, I'm a very critical person, so everything I say is a quarter as bad as I say it is. I'm everybodies worst critic for some reason. Nifty little gadget. I recommend it, and it has a digital tuner to boot. For the most part, this thing has convenience all over it. Great alarm clock timer features by the way.

Peace

Sam

It's no Wave, but it's not bad except for the flimsy stand that keeps the player from falling over. It barely does that. And there's the odd need to expose the entire CD player to insert a disc. But the player sounds pretty good, reception is OK and if you hang it securely on a wall until it's time to throw it in a suitcase you'll be fine.

So it looks like a scale! Once you've gotten over that little detail you can start to enjoy all that it has to offer. Digital tuner, CD player (that will play CD-R's), better than average radio reception, an enhanced bass boot that works well, and a nifty remote "to boot." What else could you ask for? Sure, it's not going to fill the room like your home stereo, but you'd be silly to ask it to. Solid sound from the two front mounted speakers. Find myself using the remote a lot, even though I sit less than 2ft. away from the radio since the buttons are on the top and difficult to see.

How many times have you cursed the almost ubiquitous little volume "up" and "down" arrows on most new electronics? They are hard to press and they take forever to adjust. Here's your chance to get a decent under-cabinet clock/radio with a large, simple, functional volume knob located conveniently on the side. That alone is reason to give this unit serious consideration. I actually purchased this for my garage to go under the cabinets above my workbench (I have the Salton "ICEbox" in the kitchen, but that's over 2 grand). Its only weak point is the speaker output is not quite powerful enough - at higher volumes, distortion becomes evident. However, at most normal listening volumes, it sounds fine.

I gave one of these to my wife six months ago, after being less than impressed by reviews of the equivalent GE product. Basically, I wanted something that would pull in her 3 public radio stations and offer me incentive to feed the cats. Trouble is, the darn thing requires installation--which took me 4-5 hours not counting the five months I simply thought about doing it.

The pluses: It seems very solid and durable, is a no-brainer to operate, and produces relatively high-frequency (if a bit hollow-sounding) fidelity.

Minuses: It's deeper than I'd bargained for. The only under-the-cabinet space that would accommodate it was in a corner. Curiously, Sony's instructions warn against installing it near florescent lighting. (What are you supposed to do--rewire your kitchen?) This may explain why radio reception, while decent, is hardly startling. Only by fiddling with the electrical cord (which does double duty as an antenna) can I get acceptable sound on most of the fringe (40-70 miles out) stations. If only manufacturers would scrap some of the automatic features and station memory banks in favor of more sensitive and selective tuners. And, true, the unit has a "mega-bass" switch with a single setting--but does anyone remember the days when radios came with a handy little knob called a "tone control"?

All in all, a well-made product offering solid performance and value. An excellent gift for the handyman in the family.

This is a great item! No trouble with installation. Great sound from the radio and also the cd player. Very easy to use! The price just can't be beat. I am very happy with this product and would highly recommend it!