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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Sony ICF38 Portable AM/FM Radio (Black) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I'm a big time radio guy, and have used many models over the years.There are two things that really make any radio stand out, and this one has both of them.
The ICF-38 is an excellent performer as far as reception of both AM and FM signals go.Weak signal pick up on both bands is markedly better here than with almost all small portable radios I've used, and even more importantly, selectivity (ability to seperate stations cleanly) is better as well.The tone switch (which some radios don't even have) cuts the treble when desired, if you want a less harsh sounding AM signal.The dial has no clock or light, but an LED for indicating if a station is tuned in.Battery life is excellent if alkalines are used (it takes 4 AA batteries).Output volume is listed as 4 watts, quite loud for a radio of this size, with little distortion at top level.
The other ingredient for a good radio is ease of use and a well thought out design.There are little things here which most people won't notice that actually make this radio a joy to use.Many radios today that run off both internal batteries and AC require a seperate wall-wart that plugs into the radio and the outlet, but the ICF-38 has the power cord built in so you won't have to search for it when needed.Also, the battery cover is hinged, which is great as battery covers can disappear as easily as wall-warts (and you can't just go to Wal-mart to buy a new battery cover).The carry handle flips up when needed, and there is an indentation in the cabinet which allows you to slip in a finger to raise it easily, and you'll find out how nice this is when your hands are full and you need to bring the radio with you as well.Both slide switches for band selection and power have a raised bump in the middle which makes it easier to change bands or turn it on.Finally, The shape makes it easy to place in most locations and it is very stable, making it unlikely to get knocked over.
If there were no markings on this radio to indicate the manufacturer, I would have easily guessed that it was a Sony product.It has the great performance and clever design that I associate with Sony.

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Product Description:
Perfect for the garage, porch, or anywhere around the house, this handy portable radio delivers crisp sound and simplified controls. The built-in carrying handle makes it convenient to carry and the illuminated LED tuner makes finding the right station fast and easy--even in low light.

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