SangeanPR-D5 AM/FM-RBDS Portable Radio with Digital Tuning

Half the price of my Tivoli Songbook, the PR-D5 has superior AM/FM reception, dual stereo speakers, and easy-to-use ergonomics, making it even better than the Sangean single-speaker Sonido. As a bedside radio, it has even better FM reception than my Sangean WR-2 but it lacks the WR-2's depth and heaviness, qualities I like in a bedside radio. For a lighter, portable radio with no remote, go for the PR-D5. If you want more luxury in your radio (remote, numerical volume indicator, heavier feel) and don't mind a slight compromise in FM reception, you might want to check out the Sangean WR-2, which is compatible with an upgraded FM antenna attachment.One question many will have is why the PR-D5 goes for about 15 dollars less than the Sonido. The answer most likely is that the 2.5-inch stereo speakers on the PR-D5 don't have the richness nor the depth of the Sonido's 3-inch monoaural speaker.Update: Ironically, I don't like listening to talk radio on dual speakers. This is not a technological issue, but psychological. The voices don't seem as focused as they do on the Sangean WR-2's monoaural speaker. So if you're a heavy AM talk radio listener, you might want to opt for the WR-2.Second Update: To really test the FM on the PR-D5, I tried to pull in the weak college station 88.9. The PR-D5 pulled in the station with clarity, even better than my Eton S350. The verdict: My PR-D5 is my best performing AM/FM radio, even better than the Eton/Grundig S350. That says quite a lot. Even more astounding, the PR-D5 is 15 dollars cheaper.Third Update: I brought my PR-D5 to my work office and like all the digital radios I've tried it suffered compromised reception. I succeeded more with my Tivoli Model Three (same as the Model One with the additional clock). So for your office, if it's full of computer interference, you might want to go with an upscale analog radio like the aforementioned Tivoli Model One or Three.Fourth Update:Power supply stopped working and Sangean replaced my entire radio two or three years ago. Since that time, my speakers have gradually suffered distortion to the point that I no longer use my PR-D5. Mind you, this distortion took place with normal use.These speakers were a bit muffled to begin with, as most people agree is a problem with the PR-D5. But distortion made this unusable.I now recommend a more superior Sangean, the CL-100: Better FM, better crisp speaker sound. And it's cheaper than the PR-D5.

It's been two months since this little radio arrived at my doorstep from Amazon. Here are my opinions about this radio:RECEPTONI purchased this radio with hope for above-average FM reception, and I was NOT disappointed :) This radio is capable of receiving low power FM stations without much effort. No more antenna acrobatics for me. I can receive a local non-profit FM swing jazz station clearly and without too much special antenna positioning. Just extend the antenna, turn on the radio, and....that's it :) This low power FM station radiates only 100 Watts and most of my radios have problems receiving it clearly, but this Sangean unit pulls it in as if it were a large commercial FM station. No hiss at all in Stereo mode. RDS is an added bonus :)AM reception is also outstanding. Being in San Francisco Bay Area I can listen to news from LA on KNX and traffic reports from Vegas. Going through the AM band at night with this radio is so much fun. I am impressed with sensitivity and selectivity of the AM tuner in this little radio. Outstanding.SOUNDMany (most?) portable radios on the market today sound like cheap answering machines. No clear trebles, no trace of bass, just a blast of mid-range, which may cause listener fatigue after a while. Designers sacrifice sound quality for better battery life. Fortunately, Sangean engineers decided to use long throw speakers for better low frequency response. These speakers consume more current and eat more batteries, but they also sound much better. For a portable radio of this size, this Sangean sounds very good. It sounds "larger" than it is. On FM, treble and bass are well balanced, and there is NO emphasis on the mid-range found in most small portables these days. Sound quality on AM band is also good. I wish it were a little warmer on AM but it's fine. With 0.8 Watts per channel this radio can fill the room with talk or music, and it can do it without strain. Music on FM sounds surprisingly good on this small radio.QUALITYTwo thumbs up. This radio is built well and solid. With batteries installed it is relatively heavy for such small unit, but in this case heavy is good. If you don't want to use batteries you can use the enclosed AC adapter. Controls and buttons provide good feedback, and FM antenna hides away without effort.I am an avid radio enthusiast and I can tell you that it is a pleasure to hold this Sangean radio in your hands and to use it. In my opnion it's an all around fine AM(DX)/FM portable receiver.I have not used the alarm clock or battery recharge features of the radio so I cannot comment on them, but based just on reception performance and sound quality I would recommend this radio to anyone :)Edit March 27, 2015:It was brought to my attention that this model can't charge batteries. My bad. Please ignore the part about battery charging.As of March 27, 2015 my radio is still going strong. I use it every day for at least 4 hours, and sometimes I fall asleep while listening in late evenings, so it's on until morning. Superb quality and longevity.