Sony ICF-M1000 Table Top Radio Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This radio from Sony is placed to compete with similar products from Tivoli (Henry Kloss Model One) and Boston Acoustics (Receptor Radio). All of these products are single speaker (mono) AM/FM radios that contain no CD or cassette players and have no remote control. If that is not what you are looking for in a radio, this product is not for you; however, if you are looking for a simple tabletop radio, continue on.

Sony hoped to cash in on the popularity of simple table radios, however their offering falls short of its competitors. The radio is gloss black with a black fabric front that hides the speaker. It is significantly larger than the other radios in this class, about double the size of either the Kloss or the Receptor. Despite the size of the cabinet, the speaker is roughly the same size as those found on the other radios. The LCD display is small and somewhat hard to read from certain angles (there is an acrylic prism sitting on top of the LCD that reflects the image forward and upward). There are three knobs on the front that control tuning, volume and tone. The radio is built well, but I think the black fabric makes it seem a bit cheap. Removing the fabric cover exposes the cheap wood interior and lowers the aesthetics even further.

By itself this radio has a decent sound, and the tone control allows for tweaking of the sound quality. However when I compare the sound quality to that of the Kloss and Receptor, this product again falls short. This radio lacked the bass response of its competitors, despite its much larger size. Midranges were decent, comparable to the others (talk radio sounds almost the same among the three radios). Trebles were decent, although slightly muddled unless the tone control was set to high. On the plus side, the tuning was accurate and the reception clear, probably the best of the three, although all are very good.

The Sony radio has line-out/line-in 1/8" jacks in the rear for connecting to an mp3 or CD player (as does the Kloss, but not the receptor). There are no alarm-clock functions on this radio, which further limits its usefulness.

In conclusion, this would be a very decent radio if it were fifty dollars. However, Sony has set the price so that it competes with radios that are far superior to it. If you are to spend this kind of money on a table radio, I suggest you look elsewhere (I recommend the Receptor Radio).

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Product Description:
Sony - Stylish Design - Radio

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C. Crane FM Reflect Antenna Review

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(More customer reviews)Amazon's price for this antenna was the best I could find.I ordered it on a Sunday before a Monday holiday and it was delivered the following Wednesday via their Super Saver free shipping, which I considered to be excellent service.This antenna looks better than a twin-lead dipole antenna, appears to be well-made, comes in an attractive box with a balun coil (matching transformer) for connecting to screw terminals and also an alligator clip for hooking it to a built-in antenna.

Since this antenna has received mixed reviews from other users I decided to be as "scientific," as my skills and equipment would allow.I used my training as an FCC licensed broadcast engineer to compare it to the standard twin-lead dipole antenna that was included free with my tuner.I had already oriented my existing dipole antenna for optimum reception, using my tuner's signal-strength indicators.I then used my tuner's scan mode to see how many stations it could find and I carefully wrote down the frequency and signal strength for each of the many stations that I can receive.Since I live about halfway between New York City and Philadelphia, my FM dial is crowded with stations.

After establishing a base-line of performance with my ordinary dipole antenna, I replaced it with the C. Crane FM Reflect Antenna and experimented with dozens of antenna positions to obtain best reception.Remarkably, mounting the C. Crane FM Reflect Antenna in the exact same position and location, that my twin-lead dipole antenna had been installed, gave me the best performance. After this optimum positioning, I once again used my tuner's scan mode to see how many stations it could find.I then carefully compared the signal strength from each station that my tuner found using the new antenna, with the signal strength that I had received with my previously-installed antenna.Although I saw no indication of a stronger signal on any of the existing stations, I was able to pick up two more stations in my tuner's scan mode with the new antenna.

As a percentage of the large number of stations that I could already receive at my location, I considered two additional stations a very small improvement.The difference easily could have been due to minor changes in atmospheric conditions between the tests.It was certainly not as dramatic as the improvement that I expected when comparing a $3 antenna with a $30 antenna.If you're using a good twin-lead dipole antenna and have adjusted its position for best reception, I believe that you'll need to upgrade to an outdoor antenna, such as the Winegard HD-6000 FM Stereo Antenna, to get a noticeable improvement.I could not find that the C. Crane FM Reflect Antenna is significantly better.

To understand why the results turned out as they did, it might be helpful to understand how antennas work.The most effective antenna elements in the FM and TV band are the length of the radio wave that they're tuned to receive.Our FM band extends from 88Mhz to 108Mhz, which represents a wavelengths from slightly more than 109 inches to slightly more than 134 inches.The higher the frequency, the shorter the wave.

A typical folded dipole antenna is about 61 inches wide, which is half the length of the average FM radio wave.Since the dipole is folded onto itself, it has an effective antenna length of about 122 inches, which is the average between the 109 inch and 134 inch wavelength extremes of the FM band.

There are several ways to increase the gain of an antenna.One way is to increase the number of active antenna elements that are exposed to the radio waves and connect them together.Another is to use a reflector to concentrate the radio waves onto the antenna.Satellite antennas, for example, reflect and concentrate very short waves onto a rigid dipole antenna by using a dish.Outdoor Yagi FM (and TV) antennas use multiple elements connected in tandem with reflecting elements in the rear to focus the antenna's sensitivity in a single direction.Such antennas are very efficient because they use both multiple elements and reflectors to increase gain.

Ultimately the Crane antenna, no matter how attractively it may be designed and packaged, cannot defy the laws of physics.It has only a single active T-shaped folded antenna element which is exactly the same as an inexpensive twin-lead folded dipole antenna.It is, therefore, not surprising that several reviewers including me, who have compared it to the cheap variety, have found that it gives no better reception.

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Product Description:
Whether you listen to a portable radio or a top-of-the-line stereo receiver, the quality of sound coming from an FM station is dependent upon the station's signal strength in your area. Adding an FM antenna can help greatly, so be sure to select the best FM antenna for your needs. The FM Reflect Antenna will work with any portable or stereo receiver. This antenna incorporates a new dipole design for maximum gain across the entire FM broadcast band. Up to 213 percent more powerful than a standard dipole antenna, it covers the entire FM band with an almost flat response, where standard dipoles start to fall off near the end of the band. Many FM stations now broadcast their signal with circular polarization. The FM Reflect Antenna is the only FM antenna that can be adjusted to take advantage of this. It is not affected as much by surrounding objects and people as other FM antennas are.

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iLive Portable Music System with CD Player and Dock for iPod (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)I think this is quite a bit over-priced for the quality. Almost all the radio stations come in with a lot of static, whether the volume is on low or high. At first I thought I could live with this, because I really bought it for the iPod and CD playing capabilities. Those actually work fine and the sound comes in quite clearly - much better than the radio stations. The iPod can be controlled with both the Boom Box controls and the remote, which I really like. What is a deal-breaker for me though is that I wanted to use this to listen to books on CD, with the ability to unplug it from one room and plug it back into another room as I move about the house. I thought that if I had batteries in it, it would keep playing when I unplugged it. That is not the case. As soon as I plug it back into an electrical outlet, it shuts off and I have to start from scratch locating my spot on the disk. If I were just listening to music tracks this wouldn't be a big deal, but with books the tracks are very long, and trying to fast forward to the spot I was at is too tedious. There isn't a counter to help me know where I was either. I haven't run into any problems yet with using the iPod and it seems to be great for that.

Some funny design flaws that may or may not bother people have to do with the carrying handle. When the handle is down, it blocks the radio antenna. In order to pull out the antenna, you have to first lift up the carrying handle, and then you have to tilt the antenna to the back in order put the handle back down, or you have to leave the handle up. But when the handle is up, it blocks the CD player from being able to open. In order to open the CD player cover to insert or remove a CD, you have to make sure the carrying handle is down. This is something one can live with, but it may annoy some people.

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Product Description:
Here's a great CD player and iPod dock with a boom-box form factor. Play and charge iPod your iPod. Listen to CDs or your favorite AM/FM radio stations, or connect virtually any audio device. Control iPod, CD, and radio from across the room with the full-featured remote. Flip up the handle and take your music anywhere.


A CD player and iPod dock with a boom-box form factor. Click to enlarge.
Run on batteries for use anywhere.
Remote included.
Play and Charge Your iPod
The IB319's Universal dock plays and charges most docking iPod models. While docked, your iPod will receive a charge, so when you're ready to go, so is your iPod.
CD Player
There are plenty of us who still have large CD collections in addition to our iPods. The IB319's top-loading CD player will play your CDs and burnt CD-R/RW discs, complete with programmable tracks, repeat play, and other standard controls.
AM/FM Radio
The digital-tuning AM/FM Radio lets you enjoy your favorite programming, and station memory presets let you quickly access particular stations.
LCD Clock Display
Keep track of time with the white-backlit LCD Display.
Aux Input and Headphone Jack
Connect external audio devices such as MP3 players with the auxiliary input, and enjoy private listening with the headphone jack, which bypasses the unit's stereo speakers.
Full-Function Remote
The included remote control controls docked iPods and the CD player.
Fully Portable
The IB319 is AC or DC powered. When you're near an outlet, use the included AC cord. On the go? Insert eight C batteries and you're golden.
What's in the Box
IB319, Detachable AC Cord, Remote Control, Brackets for iPod Players

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Emerson Radio Hot Wheels HW200 Rock N' Race Boombox (Red/Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)My son loves this radio!It seems built well enough, provided you don't 'play' with it.He brought me the radio antennae the other day, but I suspect it wasn't the radio's fault.

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Product Description:
Emerson Hot Wheels Rock N- Race boombox is a fun way for boys to listen to their favorite music. Rock N- Race boombox features Hot Wheels trademark racing flames on the speakers giving it a fast and sporty look. Insert car key into -ignition- and boombox will play 15-second car sound affect. Boombox has top-loading CD player compatible with CD-R and RW discs and has a programmable memory. Large play, forward, reverse and stop buttons make it easy to control the different functions. Boombox has one track repeat, all tracks repeat and high-speed music search and features a LED indicator to display different modes. Boombox has rotary controls for radio tuning and volume control and slide controls for band and function selection. AM antenna is built-in and boombox has telescoping FM antenna. Boombox features 3-inch dynamic speakers that offer a powerful sound or listen to music by inserting headphones into headphone jack. Boombox has detachable AC cord for the convenience of storing and can run on eight C batteries, not included. (model # HW200)

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