Sony ICF-S79V Weather Band Shower Radio
by Sony
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List Price: Category: CE See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Sony ICF-S79V Weather Band Shower Radio
Customer Review: Great radio - fills the promise
Summary: 5 Stars
I purchased this radio from Amazon in May of 2003. It's now January 2005 and the radio is still on the first set of batteries. I use it at least a 1/2 hour a day and on weekends as much as 3-4 hours per day. Fantastic. It shows no sign of wear even though it has spent hundreds of hours in the shower, and has even been in light rain beside our spa.
It gets great reception (no TV signals in our town), is easy to use, and sounds great.
I highly recommend this radio.
UPDATE Oct 28, 2010
After 7 1/2 years of daily use my Sony shower radio finally quit. As many others have reported the plastic on the top cracked, water got into the Off button area and the radio would no longer work. However I just ordered another one.
This radio has some very good qualities.
Pros:
1) Clear and loud sound
2) Battery life is so long it is ridiculous. I don't think I used more than three sets of batteries in 7 years, and I use the radio every day.
3) Good reception.
4) Ease of use. I really appreciate an AM/FM radio with station presets.
5) It is waterproof enough that I take it in the shower every day. I don't leave it there though because I use it on the bathroom counter while I shave too. Perhaps mine lasted longer than many others because it isn't in the damp shower area 24/7.
6) I like the top buttons. They are easy to hit with one hand. If the buttons were on the side or front it might require two hands. My radio is never mounted high so I don't have the issue others complain about where they can't see the buttons. Even if I did have it high it is easy to feel where the buttons are as they all have a raised bump.
Cons:
1) $49 is a very high price to pay for an AM/FM radio.
2) It does seem Sony could do some research and improve the plastic top so it would last longer.
I was pleased to see this radio is still available for sale. I looked at a few others but nothing matched, in my opinion, this one.
Customer Review: A FABULOUS RADIO
Summary: 5 Stars
When home, I have the radio on a lot of the day, mainly talk radio. I bought 2 of this radio in August 2000 (yes, three zeros) and they bit the dust in late 2007. I got about 7 years of EXCELLENT performance from these radios. I have 2 because one sits on bathroom sink and goes back & forth from bedroom to bathroom while getting dressed. The other goes between kitchen and office constantly. There's 5 presets for AM. I wish there were more. There's 10 presets for FM. One used to be for Howard until he left (a huge Howard fan here who has not gone Sirius) and now I basically only use one for WCBS-FM (when they got smart and realized, in the immortal words of NY Daily News, that they didn't know jack), and the others go unused. The TV channel part of this radio, I never use and couldn't comment.
The radio is excellent. The controls are responsive, the battery life is very decent, and most importantly, the reception is excellent.
The reason my radios now need to be replaced (I just ordered one from Amazon and will try the Sangean for the second) is that the top of the radio is covered in plastic. After 7 years of pressing the on/off button I'm sure thousands of times, the plastic over the on/off button ate through. The on/off button needs that plastic over it to work!! The damn thing won't turn on/off now!! I tried turning the volume down to zero to "turn it off" but the batteries do wear out and it's annoying.
So I figure that 7 years of constant usage is pretty good and I am not complaining and have even come back for more!
In spite of the 7-year life, I still give this radio the highest rating. Fair is fair, right? Can't complain about 7 years of perfect performance, can we? I say no.
Customer Review: Great AM / FM/ Weather radio for the shower.
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought one of these about 2 years ago. It was a great improvement over several others I had tried. The others would die after a few months. The 2 C Cell battery life in this SONY is well over a year. I use it every morning during the week for 10 to 20 minutes. You can tell when the batteries are going low, the signal drifts off frequency. I have a small shelf in the shower stall, just perfect for the radio to sit at an easy to listen to height. There is a relatively weak radio station I prefer to hear, that is in between 2 other stronger stations. With a little antenna adjustment, the station is very clear. I like being able to set the count down timer so that it will go off by itself after I'm out. The Clock is large enough to see without glasses and it's pretty accurate as well. We have water with a lot of minerals so deposits were building up on it. I just used some cleaner my wife uses on the shower stall and it came back looking great, ready for more use.
There are cheaper radios for the shower, even some with CD's. I can't picture getting the CD out after you're done with the shower dripping wet, unless of course your trying to learn a foreign language or listening to a book on CD and you really need to hear it for the 5 to 10 minutes you're in the shower.
I just bought another of these SONY shower radios for my daughter for Christmas '06. The last shower radio she had (not a SONY) gave up the ghost many months ago after only a year of use. You get what you pay for.. Good luck with your choice. This radio will be one that pleases.
Customer Review: The 160 previous 5 star reviews were right
Summary: 5 Stars
We've had ours for a year, use it daily (in the shower and all over the house), and it still looks and works like new. We may have replaced the batteries once. Maybe not, I can't remember.
Keep in mind that it's not designed or sold as a hi-fi radio. It's not stereo, and the speaker is not large enough to provide a wide frequency response. But for its size and shape, it's as loud and clear as it can possibly be.
You will never find a better radio for use in the shower: the reception is outstanding. The speaker is clear and loud enough to hear in the shower. The case is attractive and tough. The controls are easy to operate, even with wet hands. How often do you buy a product that's reasonably affordable and absolutely flawless?
Update 11/7/08: My wife still won't just leave this radio in the shower, to my occasional chagrin. She carries it around the house to listen to NPR while she works on stuff and I can never find it when I want it. Today she dropped it on our hardwood floor. The battery door popped off, and and the batteries spilled out. She put them back in and NPR was again heard from the radio. Why haven't you bought one of these yet?
Update 8/31/2010: Still going strong. This radio is no longer available, but the ICFS79W seems to be an able replacement. What a workhorse this radio has been!
Customer Review: Outstanding Radio!
Summary: 5 Stars
The Sony ICF-S79V is a another good example of the old phrase "you get what you pay for". At $50 I was hesitant to purchase this radio but I'm delighted I did, it is worth every cent.
1. Battery life is simply amazing, I listen to it for a minimum of 1-2 hours each and every day and I'm still on the first set of batteries after 5 months, I've even accidentally left it on for the entire day several times. Wow!
2. Excellent reception for all bands; Am, Fm, Tv, and Weather.
3. Simple, convenient buttons and operation. The o
4. Peace of mind with water resistance, I've not placed it in the shower but do have it in the bathroom which often gets quite steamy.
5. Excellent sound for the type of radio it is, clear and loud.
6. Small footprint takes up little space.
7. Like the wire antenna, didn't think I would at first. It is better than a hard antenna sticking up waiting to be bumped and/or broken.
8. Timer and auto-off timer are quite nice also, even though I sometimes forget to use the auto-off timer.
9. Digital tuning and display makes it simple to find the station you are looking for.
10. The fit and finish is outstanding, the radio looks and feels very well constructed.
Overall a worthy purchase.