Sony ICF-SW7600GR AM/FM Shortwave World Band Receiver with Single Side Band Reception, plus External Plug-in Antenna
by Sony
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List Price: Our Price: $132.99 You Save: $67.00 (34%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $105.00 (click here) Category: Speakers 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-SW7600GR AM/FM Shortwave World Band Receiver with Single Side Band Reception, plus External Plug-in Antenna
Customer Review: AWESOME
Summary: 5 Stars
In "Passport to World Band Radio" it is one of their top choices in portables along with the Grundig YB400PE. The price difference is small (YB 129 SONY 149) but the Grundig comes with an AC adapter included, which is important if you do a lot of listening. When comparing both side by side ( I own both ) I feel that the Grundif has the best sound. But The reason I bought the SONY is because it has great reception and SSB. SO what that the Grundig has better sound if you can't listen to the stations that the SONY can pickup and weed out the bad costations. Only more expensive models comes with SSB, and this SONY is well priced. If sound is a concern I use good headphones which makes all the difference. I would recommend the AN-LP1 antenna to go with it, it is the best loop for portables out there, but it definetly puts the 7600 at a different level when you can pick up a lot more stations. The Grundig is cheaply made in China. My YB 300 broke down within months of use to the point that is was more expensive to fix it than to buy a new one. SONY is a brand one can trust. THe only drawbacks is that the sony buttons on the side (SSB , VOLUME, ...) are hard to get to and it can be at first a bit dificult to use advanced features. Other than that it is definetly the best bang for your buck.Customer Review: What a fantastic Radio. Sony Rocks !
Summary: 5 Stars
This is my second ICF-7600GR. What a great radio. Sony started their career making radio's and their engineering team is second to none.
The build quality, fit, finish and most of all the sensitivity of the radio couple with their Synchronous detection works like a charm.
Every other manufacturer out there is basically copying SONY design and function.
Its a shame they are not making their other coveted models anymore, but this might be their last. So grab one without hesitating and you will be happy you got it.
No one in the review mentioned this, but i am going to. The antenna seemed to be a little loose. So i thought it was defective and returned it. Got another unit and it was the same. Upon closer inspection, i found that its not loose, the base just extends a bit so you can point the antenna vertically, when the radio is laid on its back(with a stand). So dont do the same mistake i did by returning it. Its just fine and by design. Of course Amazon rocks with their return service etc.
I also have a ICOM, Yaesu and other radio gear. But when it comes to portable radio, nothing beats the SONY period. Its sensitivity rivals my much expensive ICOM's and Yaesu's.
Update : I just ordered one more for my friend as a gift.
Customer Review: Some Bad Flaws
Summary: 5 Stars
Although I feel this radio is the best of it's class, there are a couple pretty bad flaws.
First off they use very cheap potentiometers for the volume and SSB fine tuning. Anyone who has had this radio for more than a few months will tell you that the volume and SSB tuning pots will get flaky. It is important to have a good SSB fine tuning control yet this radio fails miserably due to the cheap pots used.
The second flaw is the sync detection. While the sync detector does it's job well, it does so at the expense of a loss of AGC. Normally the automatic gain control will vary the amount of amplication of the signal as the strength of the sigal varies so that the volume level stays the same. When you switch in the sync detector, it appears the AGC is completely turned off. Using the sync detection with a fading signal (which is the purpose of the sync detection) will give you a signal that is not distorted, but one that varies widely in volume. Turning off the sync detection restores the AGC but now you will have a distorted signal.
There is no reason AGC couldn't be included with sync detection other than laziness of the designer, or more probably, cutting costs to keep the radio cheap, as is evident by the cheap pots used.
Customer Review: AC Adapter Not Necessary
Summary: 5 Stars
I have noted a number of reviews mentioning that the Sony ICF-SW7600GR, in my opinion the finest small portable short wave receiver available at the present time, does not come with an AC adapter.
I own three (3) of these receivers (as well as two of its predecessor receiver the ICF-SW7600G).
Believe me, you do not need (or even want) an AC adapter. This radio is extremely easy on batteries and, if you use NiMH rechargeables, as I do, your battery costs in the long run will be very, very low.
With portable radios, AC adapters, in general, cause more problems than they are worth. They often add noise which is what you DON'T want with weak short wave signals.
In my opinion, with this, or any other small portable short wave radio, rechargeable batteries are the way to go.
Amazon's current price ($128.84), if that includes shipping, is a bargain.
This radio is a wonderful "starter" short wave radio, yet it is one that the purchaser will never outgrow.
It is also the best small portable for MW (AM broadcast) DXing. It even has a line output to feed its signal to a stereo system.
Do not ignore this radio just because of the lack of an AC adapter!
Customer Review: Excellent little receiver!
Summary: 5 Stars
This apparently is the last of the Japanese-made portable shortwave radios, and the last of the Sony shortwave line for sale in the USA. I own many desktop receivers and portables, and this has become one of my favorites. It's very sensitive on shortwave and along with the sync feature, it really makes listening to less-powered stations from around the globe a pleasant affair.
Using the included antenna reel helps, although not really necessary. I use this radio with a set of Sony Studio Monitor headphones and bypass the tinny-sounding speaker. As far as price/performance ratio - this radio is superb. I consider FM as a free bonus on this radio. And it's got better than average reception of FM to boot.
Did I tell you that this radio smacks of quality construction too? I noticed that the speaker grille is made of aluminum. The radio has some heft to it too.
Everybody seems to compare this Sony with the Sangean ATS-909. Buy the Sony instead of the Sangean. While the Sangean has more bells and whistles, and costs an additional hundred dollars - yet the Sony has far better reception.
These radios WILL become classics. Get yours while you still can!