Radio Reviews

FOr the price and convience of having a portable emergency battery radio, its OK.

The AM/FM tuner is OK. It's not great. It's not very precise and you need to fiddle with the tuner to get your station locked in.

The shortwave is hit or miss.

The light works.

The hand-crank broke after 3 times using it. It seems it was glued. It was easily fixed using plastic crazy-glue, but somewhat disappointing.

I really wanted a FreePlay radio, but I couldn't justify the price. This radio is OK if you have a fresh supply of AA batteries and some crazy glue :)

Peace

This radio is billed as an Emergency Radio, and it suits that purpose well. It is small, built ruggedly, and comes with a nice case. The crank generator does a fine job at powering the receiver and small light. You won't be using the light to signal ships at sea, but it is adequate to find your way around a dark house to locate a candle or oil lamp.

Combining a SW receiver with the AM/FM was a good idea, as you can get news from far away in the event of a large-area power failure. However, the radio lacks a weather-band receiver, which would be a useful feature in an emergency radio.

For general use, the receiver is somewhat lacking. We have a strong FM transmitter nearby, and it "spills" onto several places on the FM band. SW tuning can be a little tricky, even with the fine-tuning knob. Also, sideband reception is not available for SW. I would not recommend this radio for someone looking to get into SW reception "on the cheap."

Overall, however, it is a very good radio for its intended purpose and price. I'm glad I added it to my emergency kit.

This is an interesting product from Grundig. It is a wind up radio with a small flashlight included for emergencies. It also has the shortwave bands you need for the BIG broadcasts such as BBC, Voice of America, and Radio Canada. I was also able to receive Radio Netherlands. The trick is to listen at night - at 7 PM and after - as that is when shortwave comes in best. You won't want to use the crank every day as you want to save that for true emergencies. Install three AA batteries for daily use. Daily use? Yes. I was surprised at the very good AM and FM reception. Even in my concrete and steel office I was able to get stations that usually come in weakly on other radios. This is a neat little radio and I am going to get another one for my emergency pack (I live in Florida where we are subject to hurricanes but with the world in the state it is in, my pack now may have several uses). Buy this for emergencies but don't be surprised if you use it every day. I didn't give it five stars because I think they could have built it a bit sturdier for 40$.

I have had one of these units for myself and bought one for the girlfriend. These units provide pretty good reception (much better than FM) and are easy to use. My complaints would be that the display can be washed out in the sun light, and that it is a little oddly shaped for the car dash in some cars, and that there is a need for better filtering on the home unit power supply eliminating the chance for buzzing sounds. I purchased this unit for my girlfriend and she loves it and uses it every day with no complaints.

Review of both Sirius and XM radio:

I have had both of these services. Pluses for Sirius are better sound quality (more sharp clear and "open" music with less clipping distortion throughout the frequency range), and they used to be the only one of the two to offer commercial free music.

Negatives for Sirius. The repeats on Sirius are pretty bad at the moment. Not what one expects to hear after paying 12.99/month There is OutQ (look it up on the Sirius website), which is fine, but this agenda bleads into ALL of the other radio stations, so if you are a person of strict faith, you may want to avoid Sirius as the DJs and commedians seem to have an agenda to push, and can offend sensitive listeners. THE CUSTOMER SERVICE IS HORRIBLE! I was on hold the first time for 25 minutes waiting just to speak to someone before hanging up, wrote and email being "invited to call customer service to discuss my issues" and waited 45 minutes just to speak to a person the second time. Total process the second call was probably around an hour and ten minutes.

Pluses for XM radio:
Great customer service, Used them three times and haven't a complaint. Now with no commercials. Less repeats on the 80s station than the competition, and they have some other fun stations like Sonic Theater where they read books and act out drama. This service is only 9.99 versus 12.99 for Sirius. I beleive XM has more useful equipment. Less offensive and no personal agendas to push.

Minuses for XM Radio:
There is some audio clipping making the music sound a little "muddy" and tiny. The highs seem to be clipped. The audiophile will probably prefer Sirius. The talk on XM sounds a little like that computerized kids game of the 80s Simon. Kind of fake and robotish.

Conclusion:
You decide, I personally picked XM, then went to Sirius, and now I am back with XM. Listen to them in a store and ask friends about them. Good luck!

Regular radio got ya down? Loads of commercials, especially those outrageous car dealers, driving you insane? XM is definitely a cure for this! With 100 channels (69 music, 31 talk), and half of the music channels having under 5 minutes of commercials per hour with the other half being commercial-free, there's always plenty to listen to! Lots of variety - from smooth jazz to world pop music, from classical to heavy metal, XM just about covers the musical map. And with news and talk from leading networks like Fox News, CNN, the BBC, E! Entertainment, and many more, you'll never be out-of-the-loop (unless you can't pull yourself away from the music!)

I wrote a review last week about my extreme unhappiness with the Delphi receiver. I was wrong, and I apologize to those who may have been misled by it.

I had the unit wired directly into my car's power and speaker systems to avoid temporarily plugging into the aux power supply and the cassette player. It sounded like crap, with a continual hissing noise in the background on all channels. It got even worse as volume was added.

The supposedly professional car audio people who installed it told me there was nothing that could be done, that nothing better could be expected from an add-on unit. They knew of nothing that could be done.

I was ready to have it uninstalled, because it was so bad that I couldn't bear to listen to it. As a last resort, I took it to Circuit City. They said the FM modulator installed by the car stereo people was not really compatible with the Delphi unit. Circuit City installed a Delphi modulator, and now the sound quality is as good or better than the factory XM radio in my other vehicle. It is crystal clear at all volumes; not a hint of static.

Also, this Delphi unit has a lot more features than the factory unit in the other vehicle.

I feel badly about having trashed this unit, when it is the morons who installed it who should be getting the bad review. And believe me, they will be getting a blistering critique in person as soon as I can get up there.

Again, I was wrong, and I apologize.

Hello radio lovers! I have a vast collection of radios and many many years of radio listening and purchasing experience I can do accurate compares which many find helpful. When I purchased this radio I so wanted it to be great like the old days of Grundig . Its not bad , but I wouldn't go out of my way to reccommend it over others . The Sony sw7600gr and the Sangean ATS909 are much better buys . Here's why , first off the Grundig YB400pe is generally not made very well . The poor quality of the body , the antenna and the sound are obvious upon first look and listen . The tuner sensativity on FM is good but AM and SW are fair . The side band set up is ok , others are better . One draw back is that it takes 6 AA batteries while the others take 4 .This makes the radio very heavy for its size . True that the Sangean 909 and the Sony 7600 are a little more expensive but worth it . You are getting a more durable radio with a much better tuner and better sound . So I guess to sum it up its not that this radio is so bad its that the others in its class are so good.

Reading the negative reviews for this radio, I suspect
that the disappointed writers aren't familiar with
shortwave. You don't get high fidelity with shorwave,
you don't listen to it for that. I bought this radio
to replace a wonderful radio made by Sangean, too bad they
didn't continue making that model. Reception, with an external
antenna is excellent for a radio of this type, with only the whip antenna it is about the best. The audio quality is the best I've ever heard for a radio of this size, it sounds like a much bigger and more expensive radio.
If you are new to shortwave you should get the current year's Passport to World Band Radio. You'll be lost without it or some other book like it.
I've got a couple of little Grundigs, Yacht boy 200, I think with dial tuning, they are excellent for the price but much harder to use. A bargain if you can find them for under $$.$$

I've had my YachtBoy 400 for about a week now, and I love it! [the 400 is identical to the 400PE, but the newer PE comes with an AC adaptor.]

Within minutes of putting the batteries in the unit I was listening to stations from all over the world. To maximize your listening, especially as a newer listener, buy a good guide like Passport to Worldband Radio.

I have read all the reviews, and I believe the tone quality is better than the naysayers lead you to believe. The tuning is very simple, and once you try all the functions, the operations are intuitive.

I considered the Sony and the ATS-909 among others. I read hundreds of reviews, and I was convinced that the biggest weakness of the Yacht Boy is SSB reception. I have been satisfied with that feature on mine, and since it works ok for me, I'm not sure what the grumbling is all about.

If I had it to do all over again, which radio would I buy? This one. I'm perfectly satisfied with it.

By the way, if you have questions or ever need help, I have found that the Eton (Grundig U.S) customer service and technical folks are extremely helpful.

A long-time user of The Sony SRFM78, I lost it again, so went in search of new alternatives, and ended up buying this when the Sony was out of stock.

It's light, with a nice velcro arm-strap. On the downside, the headset kept slipping forward off my head as the ear pieces allow it to easily pivot forward when in your ears. Also--the battery quickly is drained, even when used without XBS [extra base option] on moderate volume. The preset buttons are a shiny plastic some grooves, but harder to swat at when running that the rubbery Sony ones.

Something I hadn't seen before is that the radio can only be tuned in .2 increments, e.g. 101.1, .3, .5 etc. which doesn't always correspond to what you need when TV's are programmed at my gym for stations that don't end in an odd number.

Reception on the Sony isn't great--but it was significantly better on a number of stations than this Panasonic.

Overall--I don't recommend it, unless none of my objections matter to you, and you just want a small radio to walk around with.

03.11.29: purchased at huppin's in spokane, wa. usa
cost: $30 - ($20 rebate)
1 aaa batt --rechargedble: ok,
20 presets
. press and hold power button to toggle preset banks
. press and hold preset button to assign current station to preset

changing scale:
. this unit is really designed for listening to 10 presets in 2zones (modes); each mode can be set to one of 3scales:
1:
fm 87.9 ..107.9 step 0.2M
am 520 .. 1710 step 10k
2:
fm 87.5 ..108.0 step 0.1M
am 520 .. 1710 step 10k
3:

fm 87.5 ..108.0 step 0.05M
am 522 .. 1629 step 9k
. to set the scale, turn it on and select the mode that you want to change the scale of; press-and-hold the power button; then also press-and-hold preset#1; after a few seconds it will beep and briefly show the steps of the new scale

03.12.9: review
. with a rebate from this reputable company, this is a great value
. if you have trouble with the headset sliding off your head, then tape the wires to the head band so they tuck behind your ears
. if you live in the usa, you will want to change the tuning scale using power+ preset#1 until it beeps ( 03.12.9: rtfm:
. there is no missing TV stations if you know how to change the scale )

. the preset buttons are stiff, and there is a time delay between pressing a preset button and getting the sound which can be quite annoying when you are trying to scan all stations while having to stay busy on the job
ni-cads work ok

03.12.10:
. the buds on the headset have rough edges that were suitable for long-term use only after being filed and sanded
. if you find the chrome trim to be ugly, safely removing it requires considerable effort

This radio is great for workout and other active listening (walking, hiking, etc.). It weighs less and is smaller than its competitors, and the buttons are easy to toggle when your focus is on other things. The velcro arm strap works fine. I found the reception to be well above average and better than the Sony I owned previously. I didn't find tuning into TV stations at the gym a problem as some other reviews report, so that may be a case by case problem independent of the radio itself. I found the battery life to be excellent (especially when using name brand batteries--instead of the ones that come with it). The reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because the headphones are slightly cumbersome. They fit OK, but are not as comfortable as others I've tried. However, I wouldn't shy away from purchasing this radio because of the headphones. You get used to them... I would buy the Panasonic again if the need arises....

A long-time user of The Sony SRFM78, I lost it again, so went in search of new alternatives, and ended up buying this when the Sony was out of stock.

It's light, with a nice velcro arm-strap. On the downside, the headset kept slipping forward off my head as the ear pieces allow it to easily pivot forward when in your ears. Also--the battery quickly is drained, even when used without XBS [extra base option] on moderate volume. The preset buttons are a shiny plastic some grooves, but harder to swat at when running that the rubbery Sony ones.

Something I hadn't seen before is that the radio can only be tuned in .2 increments, e.g. 101.1, .3, .5 etc. which doesn't always correspond to what you need when TV's are programmed at my gym for stations that don't end in an odd number.

Reception on the Sony isn't great--but it was significantly better on a number of stations than this Panasonic.

Overall--I don't recommend it, unless none of my objections matter to you, and you just want a small radio to walk around with.

03.11.29: purchased at huppin's in spokane, wa. usa
cost: $30 - ($20 rebate)
1 aaa batt --rechargedble: ok,
20 presets
. press and hold power button to toggle preset banks
. press and hold preset button to assign current station to preset

changing scale:
. this unit is really designed for listening to 10 presets in 2zones (modes); each mode can be set to one of 3scales:
1:
fm 87.9 ..107.9 step 0.2M
am 520 .. 1710 step 10k
2:
fm 87.5 ..108.0 step 0.1M
am 520 .. 1710 step 10k
3:

fm 87.5 ..108.0 step 0.05M
am 522 .. 1629 step 9k
. to set the scale, turn it on and select the mode that you want to change the scale of; press-and-hold the power button; then also press-and-hold preset#1; after a few seconds it will beep and briefly show the steps of the new scale

03.12.9: review
. with a rebate from this reputable company, this is a great value
. if you have trouble with the headset sliding off your head, then tape the wires to the head band so they tuck behind your ears
. if you live in the usa, you will want to change the tuning scale using power+ preset#1 until it beeps ( 03.12.9: rtfm:
. there is no missing TV stations if you know how to change the scale )

. the preset buttons are stiff, and there is a time delay between pressing a preset button and getting the sound which can be quite annoying when you are trying to scan all stations while having to stay busy on the job
ni-cads work ok

03.12.10:
. the buds on the headset have rough edges that were suitable for long-term use only after being filed and sanded
. if you find the chrome trim to be ugly, safely removing it requires considerable effort

This radio is great for workout and other active listening (walking, hiking, etc.). It weighs less and is smaller than its competitors, and the buttons are easy to toggle when your focus is on other things. The velcro arm strap works fine. I found the reception to be well above average and better than the Sony I owned previously. I didn't find tuning into TV stations at the gym a problem as some other reviews report, so that may be a case by case problem independent of the radio itself. I found the battery life to be excellent (especially when using name brand batteries--instead of the ones that come with it). The reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because the headphones are slightly cumbersome. They fit OK, but are not as comfortable as others I've tried. However, I wouldn't shy away from purchasing this radio because of the headphones. You get used to them... I would buy the Panasonic again if the need arises....

A long-time user of The Sony SRFM78, I lost it again, so went in search of new alternatives, and ended up buying this when the Sony was out of stock.

It's light, with a nice velcro arm-strap. On the downside, the headset kept slipping forward off my head as the ear pieces allow it to easily pivot forward when in your ears. Also--the battery quickly is drained, even when used without XBS [extra base option] on moderate volume. The preset buttons are a shiny plastic some grooves, but harder to swat at when running that the rubbery Sony ones.

Something I hadn't seen before is that the radio can only be tuned in .2 increments, e.g. 101.1, .3, .5 etc. which doesn't always correspond to what you need when TV's are programmed at my gym for stations that don't end in an odd number.

Reception on the Sony isn't great--but it was significantly better on a number of stations than this Panasonic.

Overall--I don't recommend it, unless none of my objections matter to you, and you just want a small radio to walk around with.

03.11.29: purchased at huppin's in spokane, wa. usa
cost: $30 - ($20 rebate)
1 aaa batt --rechargedble: ok,
20 presets
. press and hold power button to toggle preset banks
. press and hold preset button to assign current station to preset

changing scale:
. this unit is really designed for listening to 10 presets in 2zones (modes); each mode can be set to one of 3scales:
1:
fm 87.9 ..107.9 step 0.2M
am 520 .. 1710 step 10k
2:
fm 87.5 ..108.0 step 0.1M
am 520 .. 1710 step 10k
3:

fm 87.5 ..108.0 step 0.05M
am 522 .. 1629 step 9k
. to set the scale, turn it on and select the mode that you want to change the scale of; press-and-hold the power button; then also press-and-hold preset#1; after a few seconds it will beep and briefly show the steps of the new scale

03.12.9: review
. with a rebate from this reputable company, this is a great value
. if you have trouble with the headset sliding off your head, then tape the wires to the head band so they tuck behind your ears
. if you live in the usa, you will want to change the tuning scale using power+ preset#1 until it beeps ( 03.12.9: rtfm:
. there is no missing TV stations if you know how to change the scale )

. the preset buttons are stiff, and there is a time delay between pressing a preset button and getting the sound which can be quite annoying when you are trying to scan all stations while having to stay busy on the job
ni-cads work ok

03.12.10:
. the buds on the headset have rough edges that were suitable for long-term use only after being filed and sanded
. if you find the chrome trim to be ugly, safely removing it requires considerable effort

This radio is great for workout and other active listening (walking, hiking, etc.). It weighs less and is smaller than its competitors, and the buttons are easy to toggle when your focus is on other things. The velcro arm strap works fine. I found the reception to be well above average and better than the Sony I owned previously. I didn't find tuning into TV stations at the gym a problem as some other reviews report, so that may be a case by case problem independent of the radio itself. I found the battery life to be excellent (especially when using name brand batteries--instead of the ones that come with it). The reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because the headphones are slightly cumbersome. They fit OK, but are not as comfortable as others I've tried. However, I wouldn't shy away from purchasing this radio because of the headphones. You get used to them... I would buy the Panasonic again if the need arises....

This is a top-notch, easy-to-use product which, from all I've been able to gather, functions far better than other iPod-compatible FM transmitters that are on the market right now. As with anything going through the airwaves, it has been no surprise that I've picked up a little bit of static on occasion. Generally speaking, however, the iCarPlay has delivered very clear, full-sounding audio (noticeably clearer than an average radio station), and I love the fact that it plugs into the iPod's dock connector, keeping it charged while also getting the best audio signal for broadcast. And of course, you can't beat the fact that the Monster logo on the 12V adapter and the radio tuner glow red when plugged in.

Worried about finding an unused station in your area? Next time you're in your car, just check the FM stations that iCarPlay can use: 88.1, 88.3, 88.5, 88.7, 88.9, 89.1, 89.3, and 89.5. In my experience, even if one of the stations is receiving a weak signal, the iCarPlay shouldn't have any trouble blocking it out.

Someday, our cars will all be Bluetooth-enabled so we can pile in our innumerable gadgets and they'll all connect to one another, creating a brilliant and convenient array of functionality and convenience. In the meantime, the iCarPlay FM Transmitter appears to be a great option for most everyone with an iPod (with dock) and car with FM radio tuner.

I tried the iTrip, I tried 2 other Belkin products, none of those worked as well as this transmitter from Monster. Very easy to configure (hit the red button to get the frquecy you want) and it is powerful enough to block out the local stations on any frequency in my area, which are quite a few. It also charges up the iPod, which is great.
Sound quality, absolutely amazing!!! I have mp3s on my iPod and not like I am expecting CD quality or anything, but the bass and treble are fantastic. No static what so ever. 3 people at work got this transmitter after they heard the quality of mine. Keep in mind I have pretty nice stock head units in my cars. I would rcommend this!

This product works great. I have had it for about a week now and have no prblems with it at all. The only thing you may want to do is play around with the settings on your car radio as well as your Ipod for maximum sound quality.

I like the controls and the layout. The clock is well designed and easy to use, which is unusual for one of these things. It's a solid little unit that picked up the atomic time in less than 5 minutes. So far, so good. The fatal problem is what others have noted: it is WAY too bright even on the dim setting. The thing should be called an atomic clock radio / night light. We compared it to two other alarm clocks and it had to be three times as bright as either of them. It literally lit up half a side of our king bed on the dim setting.

I mean, you create a nice design and layout, which seems like the hard part, and then you make an obvious goof on the display. Did anyone put this in a dark room before finalizing this thing for production?

I bought this item through a Gold Box offer since it was a better price than competing clock radios with similar features. After I took it out of the box, it took about five minutes to set up. (The manufacturer includes a quick start tag in case you don't want to read the manual) Here in Pittsburgh it takes about 2.5 days to sync with the atomic clock, but the manual warns that it can take up to 72 hours. Even before it was synchronized, the clock kept good time and operated perfectly. The dual alarms are great...they allow you to have weekday-only and weekend-only settings. The radio has decent quality sound for such a small device and it gets better reception than the stereo that sits in the same room. And, of course, the backup battery feature is a must when you live in an apartment builing like ours where it's questionable if the electricity will stay on after you go to work.

This is the best alarm clock I have ever had! We live in the mountains and the self setting mechanism still worked within 10 minutes. Two alarms and more features than I ever dreamed of.

Worst reception I have ever had in all the various Sony headsets I have purchased over the years.

I purchased this for use when walking my dogs. I wanted digital tuning in a small package. I tried the SRF-M37V along with several other similar radios and found it to be the best.

Pros:
1)Small and sturdy. So light you will forget you're wearing it.
2)Excellent battery life. I am using a basic Walgreens battery and it has lasted for weeks.
3)Sound quality. Even with the base headphones that others here have criticised, this unit has excellent sound.
4)Lock out button so you don't accidently bump the unit and lose your station.

Cons:

1) Presets buttons are the same size and shape as the weather band button. When walking, I often will accidently hit it when I try to go by feel rather than having to look at the unit. The band button is slightly smaller and thus avoids this problem.
2)Reception is good, but not great. No other unit was measurably better. AM was weak at night, stronger during the day, FM would fade in and out a bit from time to time, and the weather band is very low volume. TV band is all but useless where I live.
3)Digital display isn't backlit. Hard to see at night unless you pass under a streetlight or use your flashlight.

In summary, it sounds good, is fairly inexpensive, is durable, and easy to carry. Give it a try!

I needed a portable radio that was effective and had great quality. I'm happy that I chose this one. The Sony SRF-M37V radio is a lightweight wonder. It's so small and can fit in your pocket and can clip onto your belt.

This radio is awesome. The quality of the sound is very good. The digital tuning and the preset buttons are very convenient. The TV channels are also a nice feature (for local channels up to channel 13).

This radio looks sleek and very nice. It's also very nice in that it doesn't waste batteries. It only takes on AAA battery and lasts for many hours on that.

At first I thought that this radio was {too much} but it's a very good deal. You get a durable and reliable radio that you can use while working out or just chilling. When the radio is off the digital display tells the time, which is very convenient. You can take this Walkman anywhere, and it's great for private listening.

Purchased XM because radio stations in my area are poor, and wanted Fox Sports Radio. Unit works good outdoors as long as the antenna is facing South. Indoors, they are not kidding when they say the antenna must be in a South-facing clear glass window. Having to keep the antenna facing South can also cause some portability issues. Also, would have liked to use at the office. No chance. My cubicle has no South-facing windows, so I also have no XM at work.

I received a Delphi SkyFi receiver with a home kit for Christmas last year, and I was immediately hooked. There is a great selection of channels, and I love the fact that I can listen to hours upon hours of uninterrupted music.

I got to the point that I wanted to take my Delphi receiver on the move with me, so I invested in the boombox. I was hesitant at first, because I feared an inferior sound quality, but I discovered that I could control the bass and treble through the receiver itself, and overall I have been very impressed by the quality of sound produced by these small boombox speakers.

The reception of the XM signal has been quite good, even when I listen to it in my office cubicle, far from any windows. The system instructions recommend pointing the antenna through a south-facing window, but I find that there are enough terrestrial repeaters in the Denver area (even as far north as Loveland) that I can get a signal almost anywhere.

I love this boombox, and have very few complaints. One complaint is the price. After spending $100 on the receiver, I hate to have to spend another $100 on the box, even though I've gotten a lot of use out of it. My other complaint is the volume knob. It is not always very responsive, and is not good for fine-tuning the volume. However, the receiver's remote works very well for adjusting the volume.

Overall, I recommend this system.

I was trying to find reviews of the Boombox for the Delpi XM Radio, but most of the reviews listed in this product are for the receiver, NOT the boombox.

I went ahead and purchased the boombox so I can have my XM Radio portable style. I have to say, that after a week of using the boombox, it is EXCELLENT.

The sound that comes from the boombox is EXCELLENT as well!

The boombox works off 8 D Cell batteries (not included of course), or an AC Adapter that is included.

The boombox has a 'portable' satellite antenna, that does mount out of the way on the back of the box, and comes with a 20 foot cable that, very discretely, stores in a section of the batter compartment, out of the way.

You can swivel the antenna upwards while still mounted on the back of the boombox to get a better signal, or you can remove the antenna and extend it up to 20 feet away from the unit to get your best signal.

I have found no reason to do this (extend the antenna), as I live in the north Dallas, TX area and have gotten perfect signals both outside my house (by the pool), or even in my kitchen under multiple florescent lights.

Your XM Radio Receiver simply slides in the slot in the front and 'clicks' in place, you turn on your receiver and, presto!, you have all the same radio you have when it is mounted in your car, but you can take it on the run.

I highly recommend this boombox product... it is well worth the money for what you get!

Mike Heine ('winterstone')