Sony ICF-S10MK2 Pocket AM/FM Radio, Silver
by Sony
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Sony ICF-S10MK2 Pocket AM/FM Radio, Silver
Customer Review: Five stars, despite the reviews of the unenlightened.
Summary: 5 Stars
1) At night, without any external loop antenna, I was able to receive many distant stations, my current record being WWL in New Orleans, which is over 1,200 miles away. To read a review of its startling capabilites, Google these terms together: "radiointel sony pocket radio".
2) Some reviewers, I imagine under 40, don't know what this is. It's a transistor radio. Before the Walkman, this was it for portable musical entertainment. From the mid-50's until the early 80's, they ruled. (It's a bit freaky that they are now so hard to find. I checked Radio Shack for the FlavoRadio. They don't make it anymore!) They eventually became very inexpensive, and the operation of various models was practically identical. One thumbwheel for on/off and volume, and one thumbwheel to tune. That was it. It of course was monoaural, and an earplug was always supplied. Sony's earplug was the best; it had a little bend in it at just the right angle so that it fit perfectly in your ear and stayed there. It was grey with a transparent ear tube. All the others had a straight plug that immediately fell out of your ear. They were an ugly beige. Anyway, those reviewers who were shocked that the fm is mono don't understand the nature of this genre. This is not a new twist on an fm walkman, (hey, a walkman with a speaker!). This is a transistor radio. However, it doesn't come with and earplug. Walkman style headsets can be used, but sound will come only from the left side.
3) Fit and finish is lacking. The plastic is the cheap brittle kind (not the thick resilient kind). Also, the volume doesn't kick in until the thumbwheel is turned somewhat past the lowest volume. They you can turn the thumbwheel back to get lower volume.
4) I've had this radio for a week now, and have barely surfed the internet at night, as is my wont. Listening to distant am stations has a surfing-the-net quality to it (inasmuch as you forever stumble upon the unexpected), but there's MORE: The station you are listening to will invariably fade out, often succumbing to signal that has just become more powerful in your area (due to the ebbs and tides of the ionosphere). It's as if someone popped out of nowhere, grabbed your mouse, and clicked a link. Passive surfing. It is surreal, and I just might replace my pricey broadband connection, with its never ending monthly bill, with this $10 dollar one-time fee (plus another $20 for the eneloop/charger combo I bought at the same time).
5) Oh, yeah... Buy one!
Customer Review: A little marvel
Summary: 5 Stars
I have to admit I really wasn't in the market for a new radio for just regular listening. I've been using a GE 72664 Portable AM/FM Radio, Black which seems to have stood the test of time over ten years and still works quite well outside of some damage on the front speaker grille from being lugged around in a backpack on and off for eight years. It served my needs for just listening to the game or the latest traffic at work when I needed it there.
However I picked this up on sale at Walgreens for just near $9, just thinking it would work barely as well as the units they marketed under their Tozai generic brand. It's a $10 Sony radio; surely it's no match for my Sony XDR-S10HDiP HD Radio with Dock for iPod/iPhone, which sits in my bedroom and gets everything I desire, right?
Well, I have to say I was completely wrong. This little thing is surprisingly receptive, much more than the GE and with a much better dial which measures tuner sensitivity much better. Even though the tuner dial is smaller I can guide it over frequencies much better than the GE and the sound for a mono transistor unit is amazing. I was shocked that something so small can work so well.
And I can attest to the radio indeed being quite reference quality in getting AM DX signals; my easy gets from the East Coast (WCBS in New York and KYW in Philadelphia) come in very clear at night and interference is much more minimized, while my local stations sound right. Even between a strong signal from Manitowoc and a Chicago 50,000 watt station sandwiching the signal, I have had no problems receiving CBW, the CBC Radio One station in Winnipeg without any interference from either of them. FM stations come in stong with antenna adjustment, a welcome relief from putting the GE in fun positions (i.e. on its side leaned in a window sill in order to get one station from Milwaukee.
This has become my main radio outside of the home or on the go, and I am very pleased with this purchase. It's a good value and product for what money you do pay for it, and I would recommend this radio for anyone just looking for something small to listen to, an emergency kit, or for the game. You won't be disappointed.
Customer Review: Best of its kind for the money
Summary: 5 Stars
I got my first pocket transistor radio for christmas in the mid sixties when I was around 5, and what a magic little device it was to me at the time. That little AM radio Santa brought me was one of my favorite childhood gifts. I used to marvel at the little box that could bring in programs from afar late at night when I was supposed to be asleep under the covers - well I was under the covers anyway. Then decades later, I recently wanted a small Trans. radio for storms & such and discovered the ones like I had were now hard to find in the stores, and the couple I did find were terribly cheap and didnt perform well- even for a pocket radio- So I surfed around and this looked to be the best bet for performance and value. I was not dissapointed- after buying this here for a reasonable price, I later found it locally and bought two more. I have to say its about as good as it could be at this price. This little sonys tuner pulls in and holds stations like a bulldog, the speaker sounds good for its size, has a good quality foldown antenna, A-1 build quality on the case and the battery door fits nice and tight with no fear of losing it. I do remember the old pocket radios all used to come with an earphone and this one didnt, but other similar examples i looked at didnt either so I wont call that a negative-- but be advised, as with all traditional pocket radios in the past, this radio has single channel/single speaker mono sound, not stereo. So if you use todays stereo earbuds only the left side will play, this is normal as it is a basic mono radio. If you want stereo sound you have to buy a stereo radio. I know its only a pocket radio, but Im a gadget as well as retro freak, and I love a good value, something that works as promised and this does just that-- If this is the type of radio youre looking for I recommend it highly. Now in my older years I find myself revisiting my childhood, laying in bed just as decades ago listening to quiet music and talk shows, thinking of that radio "Santa" brought me so many years ago. Sometimes its the simplest things in life that trigger priceless memories you never forget. MikeCustomer Review: The Little Radio That Could
Summary: 5 Stars
Considering both this radio and the $10 Panasonic RF-P50, I would have to go with the Sony ICF-S10MK2...
Now, while (at the time of this review) it will take 1-2 months to get the Panasonic weighed heavily in deciding to get the Sony, paying an extra $4.19 for what is at face value a comparable radio, seems like an extreme premium (just kidding, of course). But I have absolutely NO BUYERS REMORSE.
It is beyond surprising that this little radio pulls in distant AM stations; I would say miraculously unexpected. Last night, from my home near Pittsburgh, albeit on top of a hill (so reception is unencumbered), I was able to pull in stations from Canada (2 as a matter of fact), Chicago IL, Louisville KY, Cincinnati OH, Philadelphia PA, Youngstown OH, Schenectady NY, NYC... you get my drift, not to mention, all the low wattage stations around the Pittsburgh area with ease. Now this Sony is not a GE P780, which was built in the late 1950's as a cost-no-object AM radio receiver, the sensitivity of this unit is really remarkable.
FM stations from around the area that require repositioning or extending an antenna for other radios, are pulled in by this little miracle with aplomb.
While not being the height of industrial design, the looks of this little Sony are pleasant to the eye. The sound is more than a little better than you would expect from a radio this small. This is probably due to the venting on the back of the case which lets the rear wave of the speaker contribute to the overall sound. If covered, the sound becomes "nasally" and weak.
For a portable radio, this Sony more than fits the bill. Let's face it, a portable radio this size is more for AM reception than FM fidelity, and this Sony performs very, very admirably. Considering price, buying this radio is a sure, winning bet. Don't hesitate - I'm glad I didn't.
Customer Review: Great Little Radio
Summary: 5 Stars
First of all, I really like this radio. It gives me everything that I could ever ask for from a pocket radio. When I bought it, I had a hard time deciding between this Sony and the Panasonic RF-P50, so I eventually just bought them both. I'm guessing that I'm not the only person who found themselves trying to make that particular decision, so I'll go ahead and do a side-by-side comparison.
They are both basically the same size. In your hand, the Sony feels like it's a bit bigger, but they're the same size. The Sony feels slightly heavier, but there's no big difference between the two.
As far as their sound, the Sony has more high end, and it sounds brighter, in a good way. The Panasonic sounds warmer without that extra bit of high end. Both sound good, and I think that anyone would be happy with either.
The Panasonic has a wider tuning dial, so it seems a bit easier to do fine tuning on it, as opposed to the Sony's more narrow dial, but it's not like that's really a problem.
The Sony definitely has more sensitive reception. It picks up distant stations noticeably better than the Panasonic. The Panasonic is perfectly fine with local stations, but the Sony is far superior when trying to tune in weaker signals. I was actually amazed with the Sony's superiority when I did a side-by-side comparison. The Panasonic isn't terrible, but the Sony has amazingly good sensitivity.
Those are the main differences, as far as I can tell. Both have a red tuning light. Both feel like they are solidly built. They both have the same kind of wrist strap and antenna, and they are both well worth the money.
Personally, I much prefer the look and feel of the Panasonic, but the superior reception sensitivity of the Sony is a big deal to me. It all depends on how you're gonna use it and what you want.