Radio Reviews

This boombox is nice and compact. I use it at work. I can blast it in some places. It has a nice clear sound and the bass boost thumps. The reason I give it 4stars is the there is no remote for it. This is a tight little machine for work or play. Perfect for a trip to the beach or park. You will not be disappointed.

This is the best boom box i have ever seen!The amazing sond,headphone plug in,mega bass,compact design,and many other amazing things about it make it the most amazing thing i own.If you are looking for a quality great sonding boom box,buy this,and i garuntee you will be completley amazed at what it can do.

MY KID HAS THIS PARTICULAR MODEL,SHE LOVES IT! I HOWEVER HAVE BORROWED IT AND FOUND IT TO BE CLUNKY.......RATHER BOXY.........GOOD SOUND ..GOOD PRICE I PURCHASED IT FOR MUCH MORE ..I STILL THINK CASSETTES ARE COOL......

The Sony CFM-A50 has a lot going for it. First and foremost, its construction quality is significantly better than everything else in its price range. It feels very solid, and the controls convey a real sense of precision and durability.

The radio reception of the CFM-A50 is much better than a typical boombox. Of course, being mono helps FM. On the AM band, reception is definitely well above average -- comparable to the GE Superadio III (which I also own), but quieter and with vastly more precise tuning than the GE.

Although it doesn't take as many turns of the knob as the Superadio to go from one end of the dial to the other, there's a tuning light on the CFM-A50 that gives a good indication of signal strength. There's also a backlight that comes on for about five seconds at the push of a button.

The speaker in the CFM-A50 could be bigger, but its sound quality is about as good as it gets for the size, with no fake bass emphasis. Like my Superadio, there is no residual hiss when the volume is turned all the way down (maybe just a teensy, tiny itty bit). That's a real rarity these days, and it helps justify the somewhat high price.

At first I thought the tone control, which has a very unusual effect, was a gimmick. But then I found it useful for cleaning up some muddy-sounding tapes of old radio shows. The tape mechanism is SO much better than what you get on a $40 boom box there's just no comparison, although so far I haven't needed the "slow-motion" playback button. (Maybe for somebody who needs to transcribe lectures?)

The surprise highlight of this product is the "ear-bud" style earphone, which can be stored in a snap-out compartment. The sound quality is truly excellent, especially for voices. I was so impressed with the earphone that I bought a second CFM-A50 to leave at work, so I could listen to the radio without disturbing anyone else. And because it's mono, my other ear is free to use the phone.

Finally, it's worth emphasizing that the CFM-A50 is a very attractive product. Normally, I'm not a fan of fake wood grain, but here it looks very nice. The sealed FM antenna adds a touch of elegance. Battery life has been good so far, but the power cord can't be stored inside.

So that's it! To sum up, the CFM-A50 is a compact, solid product with some unique features, some of which are more valuable than others. If you can live without stereo, and you want something special that's priced at a premium for its class, but is still a cheap buy, the Sony CFM-A50 is for you.

This brings back the 'olden days' before tapes/cd technology. A great way to enjoy those LPs, 45s, and even 78s you have sitting in the attic or basement. Sound quality is very decent for the price. The only disappointment is the relatively short lifespan of the needle cartridge--50 hours. I'll go through that in a week! Still, yes, I would recommend this product. Ah, the memories this brings back--priceless!

I received this TEAC SL-A100B Turntable Radio System for my birthday and love it. It is a full size record player that you can play through it's built in speakers or you can plug into your receiver. Either way, it sounds great.

In the six months I've owned this TEAC, I've had no troubles. Just turn the on knob, put the needle down and you're ready to rock. You can play all your 45's, 33's or 78's on here with no worries.

Probably the biggest selling point of this system is the retro look. It is made to look like a radio from the 1950's and is very cool. The case is a very durable plastic with chrome like finishes. Very cool indeed!

I just got this alarm clock/radio a little while ago and so far it's done everything that it says it will. The display is easy to read and has a variable backlight, although I would have liked to have been able to turn off the backlight completely, but that's only a minor thing. The clock and alarm set buttons are hidden under a cover so you can't accidentally screw things up, always a plus at 5am. The tuner works well and after reading the manual it's easy to get a grasp for the plethora of buttons on this item. The fact that you can tune into the NOAA weather radio service and get forecasts and alerts is nice. There are two big things I don't like about this alarm clock/radio. The first is the way that you set the tuning of the weather radio. The switch has 7 positions that it clicks into, however at least on mine, it won't tune in any stations unless you pry the switch in-between one of its sticking points. I think I've got it for now, but if I bump it at all it's another 3 minutes to try and set it again. This might be just something wrong with my particular unit though. The other problem I have with it is that the 3 alarms are all different. You get 1 radio alarm (tunes in the radio), 1 weather alarm (where it tunes in the NOAA weather station), and one 'natural' sound alarm. I use the natural word lightly because the sounds are not very good. But in all reality I didn't expect them to be decent. Notice that I never said that there is a beep alarm. The only way the alarm will beep at you is if the power is out and the batteries are low (it takes 5 AA batteries). Since Timex stated how the alarms work clearly enough I can't hold this against them. However I still would have like to seen a better alarm setup. Oh and FYI the snooze is permanently set to 9 minutes.

The Good:
-Easy to read variable intensity display
-Weather alerts and radio
-Battery backup for alarms
-Easy access snooze button

The Bad:
-Weather radio tuner VERY hard to set
-No beep alarm
-Each alarm has to be different type, (radio, weather, or 'natural' sound)

I received this radio and it's great for what it does. Only thing I will say is that there are A LOT of buttons and I couldn't even set the time without going through the manual. But the main purpose of this is the weather alert, letting you know if there is a tornado and such coming and that works perfectly with a very loud, long message so you're sure to hear it. I love that you can dim the face also if it's too bright. The alarm can also be set to go off M-F, or every day. But it did go off when I didn't want it to and I couldn't figure out how to stop it! It doesn't have an actual on/off alarm button. I am pleased with it though.

I purchased the UNIDEN GMR855 about a month ago and for the price they are just great. The range is about 1 3/4 mile in an environment of trees and houses. Beyond that, all I get is nothing, I don't really know if the claim of 8 miles is true as the conditions in an open area may have a lot to do with it. But it beats the old walkie-talkies of the 60s and 70s where you could only reach to you neighbors house across the street and all you would get is a static voice threw the speaker and you still have to make out what the hell they said! The Rechargeable NiMH base is great.... no battery replacement. I do wish they had a VOC microphone feature as like the UNIDEN GMR885. The large menu makes it easy to see. The buttons are nice, large and easy to press. The case is rugged.These radios are great for anyone looking for an affordable communication device with in there average range of a complex environment. I would like to see in the future a true 8 mile 2 way personal radios able to receive threw all conditions! There ya go UNIDEN... a project for ya!

I tested it in the real world. In around the houses and tree and wires it will work about 1 to 1.5 miles. Thats was it at best. In the open with a view of each radio, about 5 miles was it. That was over open water. Maybe if you were on top of a mountain and the other was on top of another mountain at 8 miles away with the power boost-maybe it will go the 8 miles, but i doubt it. But besides that i have used many brands of these radios, and this one seems to be better, for the price. I say if you really need to communicate at a larger distance, use your cell phone-- if you have a signal-HA! Can you hear me now- get it??

Well i have been using these now for a few days. I'm very pleased with them. For the price at walmart they work just fine. A license to run them- ya like who bothers. I see people using them all over without that license. Government is a little nuts asking for a license for a walky-talky.

I am partial to Uniden anyway, however this CB is great for a first time user or as a back up to a more expensive unit. I have been using CB for about 10 years and I always make sure I have a Uniden 510 available for a back up, or use it in a second car. It has superior range when used with a good antenna and the received audio is decent. I would suggest using an external speaker unless you have a super quiet vehicle. The anl switch cuts through static really well to improve reception, although it sometimes dulls out the audio of the person you are trying to hear. You can use it with a cigarette lighter plug with an adapter from radio shack for a few dollars. They will even show you how to hook it up. It all boils down to being a great CB at a great price. Remember a simple rule of thumb... An inexpensive CB on a good antenna will perform just as well as a high-end CB on a cheap antenna. Don't forget to tune your antenna and have fun!

THIS CB ROCKS! IT REACHES UP TO 15 MILES WITH MY TINY ANTENNA, VERY COMPACT ***** STARS LOVE IT! BUT IT NOW AND EXPREIENCE THE EMOTION OF CB

It would seem, even to a non-tech, that someone has switched your Uniden mobile/base tech. data around. Secondly, terms such as "standard" mean less than trustworthy when applied to sensitivity and selectivity. Please don't feel I berate these 2 fine products.However as I am a com/tech. I would like the actual bench test measurements for an informed recom/purchases.Also I would like to know If Cobra 1000 or 2000 series are availible as they still have the best selectivity and sensitivity that I have had on my bench yet.Thank You

i've only had my homebase acouple of months and it the best one i've ever had and i've had a few over the years.

The Z166S is a cool product. It has lots of buttons and things to play with and has some pre-recorded groovie music to mellow out too. It even has a red LED, a night light and a AM/FM radio. The night light is touch activated and if you choose will turn itself off in 15 minutes. It has a silver tone plastic shell and a LCD screen to view the time, the screen has 3 brightness settings and is easy to read late at night.

I would have given the Z166S 5 stars but there is one minor problem. The antenna is just a wire hanging out it's backside and seems to deliver poor radio reception. It would have been better if Zenith included an actual antenna.

I think with a little retro-fitting a better antenna could be applied to make the Z166S a fine product. I plan taking my Z166S apart and installing a superior antenna.

This Has many different features, such as nature sounds, easy to see displays, and GREAT organization with buttons and features.

We bought two of these to use during our summer vacation. We caravaned from the SF Bay Area to Central Oregon with another family who had a pair of Motorola's. One channel was for the adults, and one for the kids. We could hear each other clearly even when we lost sight of each other on the road.

I would say that the range is 1 - 1.5 miles, not two (maybe 2 miles in the Bonneville Salt Flats ;{p}.

Ours work well (I read that a few customers received non-working radios). They appear to be well made, and fit comforatably in the hands of adults and children alike. I plan to use the headset jack for skiing this winter.

The only reason to pay more for a Motorola radio is if you want the 38 sub-channels for less interference and greater privacy.

We really enjoy having 2 of these. They have good clear sound and have come in handy alot of times. Especially when we are traveling or fishing. And when we are following each other on the highway it is alot cheaper to use these then our cell phones.

I just arrived from Las Vegas, and we found these radios a useful tool. From maintaing conversations between the three cars while on the road, to conversation on the mall. Great tool for it you like to travel in a car caravan during family trips. I previously used these same radios, last summer, and loved them. ... I just had to get another pair. You won't regret it. I also loved the search feature, the Priority scan, and other. Oh, yeah, the size is great, fits perfectly in your shirt pocket, or on your waist belt. You can buy the motorola radios, but why? And Battery life on the Midland radios, y great. We had the radios on for over 3 days, and had no problem, they were on for the whole weekend trip.

Don't waste your money, all I get is STATIC both indoors and outdoors. The AM and FM work fine, but that's it. Don't expect much from unit. If you want a TRUE short wave receiver, buy a Grundig or Sony.

I was very skeptical about a $30 shortwave, so I bought the $10 wind up antenna for it which does make the reception better. I live "way out" in the country (which is probably why I get better reception than someone in a city) and I can listen to stations from around the world. BBC World Service, Voice of America, others from Australia, China, Russia, South America, Europe, Canada, Middle East (though not in English)...as well as all sorts of Christian Broadcasting (including EWTN/WEWN). Listening to news from someone else other than American media helps to get a more rounded view of situations, as well as what works in other governments and what doesn't, and a lot of other things we might not hear about without this radio. It's been great fun. It's not perfect (is squeeky with the weaker signals), but pretty darn good for $30, though I do highly recommend you get the extra antenna and an adapter so you can plug it in. The radio, antenna and adapter cost me around $50-$60 total. Still a good deal. Reception is better at night.

I have wanted a shortwave radio for quite sometime. But,was unwilling to pay the high prices for a digital one. This little compact receiver is everything I'd hoped it would be and more. It picks up all of my favorite am/fm stations and shortwave stations.Better than some other larger radios I have. I only wish I would have found it sooner.