[dead of night]

Hi. I own both the Sangean DT-200v and the Sony srf-59. I endlessly compared the two using the same set of headphones, Senn PX-100, on identical FM stations. The results are clear.

The Sangean DT-200v is vastly superior to the Sony. There is more power, and more stereo separation. The fact that the Sangean has digital tuning and presets is just icing on the cake. If anyone concurs or disagrees, please share your results on this thread.

Edited to add that the biggest reason I prefer the Sangean dt-200 is because it is obvious when the station is coming through in stereo; there is clear separation of instruments in left and right channels. On the Sony, there is not such a distinct difference.

 

[sgrossklass]

FM stereo separation has a lot to do with alignment. Among the radios with FM stereo I own, the Sony ICF-SW11 and Philips AE3405 offer hardly any stereo separation at all, presumably not aligned at the factory. My ICF-SW30 fares better in this regard, though the highs are pretty noticeably rolled off and the FM IF filter is somewhere in the vicinity of a barn door.

Funny you should bring up pocket radios now, I'm currently looking out for one myself after some frustration with the G3 and stereo reception or rather frequent lack of it.

 

[D555]

I don't have the SRF-59 but I've been pleased with the DT-200v and it performs well against other Sony pocket portables (SRF-M10, M97). I would give the Sangean the nod for better reception and stronger audio and the Sonys the edge for sound quality. But for the Sony the trick is to get a station to be received cleanly in strong signal areas to enjoy the sound quality -- it can be a real challenge at times. Sangean is releasing a DT-180v (speaker-less) that may be interesting -- haven't tried it yet.

I am quite pleased with the Sony NW-E507 flash player tuner -- it combines good reception quality and good sound. No tone control for FM and the stereo switching threshold is a bit high.

The iriver U10 flash player has a nice FM tuner as well (no tone control either for FM) and reception is similar to the NW-E507.

An outstaning FM tuner in a portable radio may be found with the Degen DE-1103 or the Kaito KA-1103 (USA). It has excellent resistance to station images, sharp selectivity, very sensitive and will switch into stereo with just about any intellegible FM signal. The DE-1103 has strong audio output but the sound (bass) is somewhat weakened through use of 47uf output coupling caps. Upgrading to 220uf results in better bass for FM and compensates for no tone control (other than a high cut switch).

CCrane is releasing a new, portable AM/FM radio in July (at last notice) that looks very, very interesting (if a little bulky):

http://www.miniccradio.com/

Would have been kind of nice if they had added shortwave capability in that radio.

Paul

 

[dead of night]

Thanks for the replies, ross and D-555. D-555, as I've said, I have both the Sony and Sangean. What I love about the DT-200v is the clear crisp stereo separation; there are easily three images in the soundstage, even with weaker stations. With the Sony, although I got a strong signal, that signal was almost always very close to mono.

Question: I like the Sangean so much I am about to order another one. With my paranoid mind I am afraid that the new one will not sound as good as the one I have now. Is this fear reasonable or are they all consistent, with the same quality control?

Edited to ask, does anyone know what the mW power coming out of the phone output on the Sangean DT-200v? And may I ask what your source for this information is?

 

[D555]

One more thing to add - the DT-200V has a bit of hiss in audio in my experience. The DT-220V offers *similar* performance but much less hiss (and adds bass boost). The DT-200V is well regarded for its AM reception and rightly so.

The manual for the DT-200V indicates:

Output Power:60mW(10%THD) Via built-in speaker
32 ohm impedance(stereo)

Downloadable here:

http://www.sangean.com/download/DT-200V_e.pdf

While the headphone output may be limited I suspect that it is still very strong.

The DT-200 is an older radio model and has been in production for years -- before volume capping and incredibly long battery life became design requirements.

I don't usually buy multiple examples of anything (the DE-1103/KA-1103 being an exception) but performance should be pretty consistent from example to example. If there is a difference, there might be some slight variations for the IF filters (affects selectivity). Low-cost IF filters can vary a bit from lot to lot. There may also be slight differences in RF alignment that affects sensitivity at the extreme ends of the reception bands.

Paul

 

[dead of night]

D-555, I'm kind of bending your ear here, thanks for the help. I am now researching your reference of the Kaito KA-1103 and I can't believe the accolades for this radio. When you say the FM signal switches into stereo, do you mean through the headphone out? The speaker on this radio is obviously mono. Tell me more about this Kaito, because right now, with the reviews I am reading, I am close to ordering both the Kaito and Sangean 200v from C Crane.

Specifically, how does the Kaito FM sound quality thru the headphones compare to the Sangean DT 200v? And how does the AM reception on the Kaito compare to the Sangean?

 

[D555]

The KA-1103's headphone out is stereo.

I imported the Degen DE-1103 from China and was floored at the quaity of AM, FM and shortwave -- even SSB. In my view, the best "bang for the buck" portable radio ever. For fun, I purchased the Kaito (USA branded) KA-1103 and compared the two radios. Essentially the same though the Kaito may have slightly better AM selectivity. Degen (the manufacturer) does improve its radios during the course of a production run, so later manufacture tends to perform better.

FM sound is quite good (overall better than the DT200V - in my experience) and bass is helped with a headphone coupling capacitor mod.

AM reception is better (in my experience) than the DT-200v also -- the radio has balanced mixers and dual conversion and is very resistant to images and is a bit more sensitive. Selectable IF filters can help in crowded AM signal areas and at night.

Very little, chuffing/thumping when using the tuning knob.

Supposedly, the Eton E5 is built by Degen and is a somewhat ergonomically improved version of the DE/KA-1103 but I have not seen one or tried it out --all at a higher price, of course.

The DE/KA-1103 isn't without it quirks: have to press a button to adjust the volume, the LCD "pointer" scale irritates some people, the LED lighting of the display is a bit uneven (but perfectly functional), no signal strength display with FM, no synchronous detection.

No radio is perfect but for the price -- The DE/KA-1103 is a steal in my opinion.

Paul

 

[dead of night]

Thanks for the info, D-555. I've read that the Eton E5 was originally going to be the Degen DE-1106, but was purchased by Eton. With all due respect, I think I'd go with the E5, despite the higher price. I think I'd enjoy it more in the long run because of the more ergonomic features. Thanks for all the info; it seems that these Degen/Kaito/Eton units are spectacular.

 

[D555]

As far a I know the Eton E5 is the only Degen design in the Eton line. The E100 and the E10 (as I have read) are not nearly as good performers.

The E5 sounds like a winner.

Enjoy!

Paul

 

[sgrossklass]

A DE1103 (E5) might be a little bored when merely used as a portable FM radio (and it's not super small either), but it sure would be a better bet than a Sony 7600GR for this purpose.

BTW, I think I'll be getting a few older pocket radios and compare them... should be fun.

 

[grenert]

One more to check out:
http://www.ccrane.com/radios/pocket-...ket-radio.aspx
It's Sangean's new DT-180V pocket radio. Kinda sexy in an iPod Mini way. It would be great if it performs as well as the DT-200V, since it's a lot smaller and lighter (and no speaker - not needed here on Head-Fi

).

 

[dead of night]

I've seen th e180, it takes one AAA battery. The 200v uses 2 AA batteries. I'm thinking this means the 200v puts out more power, correct?

 

[Gene]

Too bad the Xin modified Sony SRF-S84 is no longer available. It's the most impressive micro radio I've ever tried.

 

[audiomagnate]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dead of night I've seen th e180, it takes one AAA battery. The 200v uses 2 AA batteries. I'm thinking this means the 200v puts out more power, correct?

I just got one a couple of days ago. The FM reception is not very good.