Pocket radio buying advice...?

[Tempus]

I'm looking for a small digitally tuned radio with a belt clip, and am having trouble finding one I like. The contenders I've found so far are:

RCA RP1667 ($22)
Sangean DT-210V ($50)
Sony SRF-M37V ($30)
Sony SRF-M80V ($50)

The problem is that I don't like to return things, so buying them all, picking one I like, and returning the rest is not an option. Because of this, I rely heavily on the experiences of others. This is difficult, because most of the reviews and information I find online are not from audiophiles, but from someone who just wants to listen to a sporting event, and something tells me that such individuals are not as concerned with the fidelity as they are with the current score.

In addition, most of them have little or no basis for comparison, and most of them seem to be using whichever earbuds came with the radio. It's difficult if not impossible to come to any kind of conclusions based on such a misdirected cacophony of differing goals and evaluation methodologies.

I therefore ask if any of you who have had experience with these models would report your findings, especially if you have used two or more from the above list.

If you have a better option I have not considered, feel free to suggest it, provided you are aware that I require a digital tuner, a belt clip, and of course the best FM reception and sound quality I can afford.

BTW, if it helps, I plan to use it while walking (mostly indoors) with a pair of Sennheiser PX100's which I have yet to purchase.

 

[davei]

http://www4.head-fi.org/forums/showt...threadid=41465

 

[iPodophile]

I've got this one and I'm pretty happy with it.

 

[D555]

Cool! Another radio thread!

Of those models I would recommend the Sangean DT-210V.

I have it:

Pro:
1) it sounds decent
2) has a reasonable bass boost
3) it isn't "hissy" sounding
4) fairly sensitive
5) doesn't overload as much as the Sony radios

Con:
1) Has only 10 memories for FM

Best regards,

Paul

 

[Patchmaster]

I can't speak to any of the models you mentioned, but I do have a Sangean DT-200V, and I would expect the DT-210V to perform similarly. To me, the biggest problem with FM is that the radio uses the headphone cord as an antenna. Unless you're in a very strong reception area, you can quickly find yourself becoming a contortionist trying to get the headphone cord positioned so you get a strong signal and still keep the ear buds in your ears. The FM filter on the DT-200V is VERY wide. I can't exactly quantify it, but strong stations will splash 200-300kHz either side of the tuned frequency. Trying to pick up a weak station next to a strong one will be almost impossible.

Given a strong signal, the fidelity of the DT-200V is pretty good. Obviously "pretty good" is relative to the size and price of the package. It's not reasonable to expect a $65 portable receiver to compare favorably with a much larger and more expensive model.

 

[D555]

Hello Patchmaster,

Do you find that the DT-200 has a background hiss at low to medium listening levels?

Mine is several years old now and maybe Sangean improved it.

Otherwise, DT-200 is pretty good. Great on AM. FM Selectivity can be improved upon.

Best regards,

Paul

 

[Tempus]

davei: Thanks for the link, but I've already read all the portable radio threads on Head-Fi. I would not have started this thread if the information contained in previous threads was sufficient for my purposes.

iPodophile: The DT-300-VW is interesting, but looking at the reviews on Amazon, I notice an alarming number complaints about units arriving DOA, and one person saying that the DT-200V is superior. Also, as far as I can tell from the internet, it has no belt clip, which is something I require.

Patchmaster: 200-300kHz? Well, as long as it's not 400kHz, that shouldn't present a problem. I have a situation on my main (cheap) sound system where a strong FM station can be recieved 500kHz away, which makes getting a medium-strength station 400kHz away impossible. (It's an integrated shelf system on which I got a deal, and I figure almost any radio would be an improvement over it.)

D555: Am I to understand that you have both a DT-200V and a DT-210V at your disposal? If so, you are in a unique position to offer a detailed comparison of their sensitivity, selectivity, ease of use, and musicality. Also, what headphones do you prefer to use with the DT-210V? Do you think the audio output characteristics of it would mesh well with a pair PX100's?

 

[iPodophile]

Mine has worked fine since I've owned it, about 9 months now. The case does have a belt clip. You do have to use the headphones as an antena, or there's a plug-in antena if you want to use the speaker, which is how I usually use it. I suppose, if you had a cable or cans with a pass-through, you could plug the antena in that way and still use the included buds (which are uncomfortable and sound horrible) or some decent cans. I only use it for talk radio, so quality isn't much of an issue. Even in the cinder block basement that I work in, the reception is awesome.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[Patchmaster]

I just tried out the DT-200V with my Ety ER4Ps. There is quite a bit of hiss even with the volume turned all the way down. Using the 120 Ohm adapter that came with my Porta-Corda, the hiss almost disappears with the volume all the way down and is totally inaudible with the volume at a normal listening level. My conclusion is that "regular" earbuds are going to sound rather hissy at low to normal volume levels. If you have high impedence earbuds, the hiss won't be too bad. (I tried my Senn HD-580s and the DT-200V was able to drive them to a surprising level with no noticeable hiss.)

It's been a long time since I've listened to FM with anything approaching audiophile equipment, but, aside from the hiss mentioned above, the FM on the DT-200V sounded pretty good to me. It was a far cry from listening to a CD or even a quality MP3 on good equipment, but I would personally find it perfectly acceptable quality for walking around or exercising, particularly if using earbuds that didn't close off the ear canal like the Etys do.

I also paid a little more attention to the selectivity while doing listening tests. I found several strong FM stations that covered a good 500kHz or more centered on the assigned frequency. Assuming normal 200kHz spacing, a strong station is definitely going to mask a weaker station right next to it on the dial. There aren't two strong stations next to each other in this area so I'm not sure how well it would handle that situation. I tried a couple stations that have always been a bit of a challenge to receive and they came in surprisingly well, though I did have to do my impersonation of a tree with the headphone cord running through my branches to get a clear signal.

One other thing that was a consideration for me is that the DT-200V uses AA batteries and runs for a very long time on a pair of fully charged NiMH's. (I honestly can't quantify it because I've always recharged the batteries before the radio has stopped working.) I wanted AA's because of the longer running time and because I already had quite a few AA rechargeables. I believe all the other small Sangean radios use AAA's. Of course, if size and weight are a bigger concern, then the AAA's might be a better way to go.

 

[anearfull]

You should also consider the Fixup modified SRF-S84:
http://www.fixup.net/tips/srfs83/srfs83.htm

I've had mine for about 3 months and couldn't be happier. It drives my Alessandro MS1 cans directly without any problem and the sound is everything that Xin claims.

 

[D555]

Hello Patchmaster,

How is the Porta-Corda 120ohm adapter wired?

Is is just 120ohm resistors added in series?

Best regards,

Paul

 

[Tempus]

iPodophile: The case on the 300 has a belt clip? What I read online was that it came with a case which has a belt LOOP, not a belt clip, and a belt loop is far less versatile.

Patchmaster: Thank you for the information. 500kHz is more of a concern. That's a fairly serious adjacent channel rejection problem, by my way of thinking.

anearfull: I'm well aware of the fixup radios, but an analog tuner is a deal-breaker for me, as I flip stations like a madman. I have an old and rather small JVC radio/tape player available to me with a respectable analog tuner, and were that enough for me I would not be in the market for something else.

D555: Are you saying that the 210 has less hiss than the 200? Also, would you say the 210's selectivity is an improvement over the 200? Any comparisons you can make between the two radios would be welcome.

 

[ilikemonkeys]

Tempus, I flip stations more than you do! trust me on that. If you're a flipper, DO NOT get the Sony M37v. I hate the buttons and would go to the analog tuner of the Xin radio in a heartbeat. My sony 37V is sitting in the bottom of a box right now and I have no interest in evert using it again. it was a waste of money and I dont really think the stations come in well.

But thats just my opinion, not the word of God...

 

[iPodophile]

Oh you know what, it is a belt loop. My bad. Sorry about that!

 

[Patchmaster]

Quote:

Originally posted by D555 How is the Porta-Corda 120ohm adapter wired?

My assumption is it's just a couple resistors in series, but I can't say for sure. It's manufactured for Jan by Oehlbach, a German cable manufacturer. It's a sealed tube about the size of a standard plug converter. Very professional; gold-plated connectors and all. This isn't actually the best thing for my use since it pushes the impedence even higher than with the ER4S. One of these days I'll get around to building (or buying) something to convert my ER4P impedence to more closely match that of the ER4S, but this is good enough for now and it came free with the Porta-Corda.