Sony SRF-M37V FM/AM/Weather/TV Radio Walkman with 25 Memory Presets
by Sony
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List Price: Category: CE See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Sony SRF-M37V FM/AM/Weather/TV Radio Walkman with 25 Memory Presets
Customer Review: The best radio Walkman you can buy
Summary: 5 Stars
I just bought my second version of this product after seven years of constant and quality service from my first radio, which finally gave out only two weeks ago not from any kind of shock, but a mysterious problem with the AM antenna I couldn't fix no matter what I tried. But for a Walkman in my experience, seven years is a long time.
Considering what's happened as far as portable audio since 2001, that I'm still using this product is a small miracle. I have an iPhone and an iPod, and I no longer have a need for the heft of a tape player or any need for a CD player. Yet I still carry this around, because;
·I still listen to AM radio all the time and I still enjoy the thrill of tuning in a station from Denver, Boston, Richmond, or Halifax on the shores of Lake Michigan. No iPod product can currently tune in AM radio and it would take an engineering miracle to create one for the iPhone. Better that I do it with a radio like this than some bulky $40 model or a $5 cheapo unit.
·I have the iPod's Radio Remote, but the range seems to be limited most of the time to forty miles. I haven't been able to find the sweet spot for listening to FM radio clearly from Green Bay or Milwaukee on the iPod. This Walkman doesn't have that problem and recieves all the signals as clearly as possible.
·It's nice (well, until next year when the FCC tells everyone to 'shut down that analog signal') to be able to listen to a TV show or breaking news if you don't have a TV near you. Sometimes my local radio station no matter what won't interuppt their regular programming to bring us news coverage, so to be able to have an alternative to them is always nice.
·Weather radio is the feature I now look for in any radio I buy. They don't have it, I don't buy it. Sony was way ahead of the curve years back adding NOAA Weather Radio to most of their Walkman radios, and though there's no alert availability this radio has kept me informed as to the weather when my cell phone hasn't worked, the commercial radio station's news department is asleep, or I'm in a situation where the information is critical.
·The size has to be the biggest factor when it comes to why I bought this. Portable radios usually are larger than iPods (especially if they have a cassette player), and I can't have so many devices in my pockets. This radio is light and easy to carry, and the belt clip actually clips.
·The other Walkmans I used in the past had all these complicated bass boosts and signal filtering options that really, I never used because all they did was muffle the sound. This doesn't have any of that, the signals come in clearly, and the volume goes up to a nice level where 60% is enough to hear a station well. A good radio like this should play well and not need any embellishments, and it does it well.
My only quibble is that there's only five AM presets, but I understand that. If you're an AM listener or just want a dependable portable radio, you want to buy this one, because there's no equal to it. RDS would be nice also, but for now not many stations have it, so for now it's fine.
Update - As of May 2009, the TV tuner functionality has been disabled on this model, so you'll be getting a model with FM/AM/WX only. This is not a demerit to the product at all (as I had expected it when I bought it), but if you're a customer shipping this to Canada or Mexico, double-check the packaging if you were expecting the TV audio tuner.
Customer Review: Just Excellent!
Summary: 5 Stars
For my intended purpose, the Sony M37V is excellent. I walk twenty to thirty miles per week, and this unit provides superior musical accompaniment in a lightweight ergonomically designed package. I have a Sangean DT-200V (which is very good on local and fringe FM reception and fantastic for bedtime AM broadcast band DXing--I have heard stations in Fort Worth, Orlando, and Winnipeg from WNY) but it is too big and heavy to risk using while exercising. First I tried an analog-tuned Sony SRF-59. While the sound and the reception on FM was sterling, and slightly brighter sounding than digitally tuned units like the Sangean or M37V, it was a pain to find a new station with something I wanted to listen to every time a commercial break began and I found myself breaking stride struggling to adjust the controls of this otherwise excellent little radio (which I intend to repurchase in the future). I realized then that I needed something smaller with easily accessible presets, and after a visit to fixup.net which I came across while browsing the Portable Audio sub-forum at Head-Fi, I stumbled upon the M37V which seemed to fulfill all my requirements. The UPS man delivered it just today and after loading up its two banks of FM presets I took it out for its maiden voyage. It performed superbly. I put a snug fitting rubber band over my left bicep and carefully positioned the clip of the radio underneath it, then attached the radio itself. After hooking up my JVC Gumy earbuds I was in business and took advantage of today's crisp sunny autumn weather. With the M37V's five individual preset buttons, changing channels is a breeze, and I have no doubt that I will soon be able to do so by rote without even looking down at the radio. Some fringe channels have a non-objectionable level of hiss and periodically drop out, i.e. revert to mono, but not for long. Given the impoverished choices on the FM dial where I live, I am well pleased with this little gem's FM performance. Others have written that the M37V is also a capable performer on the AM band, but I haven't put it through its paces yet in that regard, nor on the TV or Weather bands (but it has been my experience that unless one lives close to a major city, TV and Weather band reception is spotty at best). The combination of the M37V and JVC's Gumy earbuds may not please an exacting audiophile, but should thrill the ordinary guy or gal. The M37V weighs just over three ounces fully loaded with a single alkaline AAA cell. Battery life is reputed to be very good, so even heavy users of this product may not find it necessary to purchase rechargeables. The symphonic level of sound that small quality units like this and the Sangean produce is utterly amazing.Customer Review: It's perfect . . . . for me!
Summary: 5 Stars
For health reasons, I walk at least a mile every day but I frankly get bored. So, I first tried the discman approach, but quickly realized that carrying it in my hand was not for me. I then received a no-name radio walkman as a gift, and gave it a try. It solved the problem of having to carry something in my hand, but unfortunately I could get only one station (yes, one) and that was a country station. Living in a Washington, D.C. suburb I thought that I should be able to receive more than one station on any kind of radio.
Thus began my quest for a name-brand radio walkman, but I quickly realized that there weren't many choices. I considered the Sangean, but the only thing it had extra was a little speaker. Since my purpose was to listen to music in stereo, I couldn't personally see any benefit in having a tiny little speaker on the radio. That left the Sony and Panasonic brands. After reading reviews of both brands, I was more confused than enlightened because it seems like some people find fault with either brand. In spite of some of the negative reviews about the Sony, I decided to try it anyhow. I immediately understood why many reviewers don't like the headphones that come with it. They just didn't feel comfortable, although I couldn't really fault the sound quality. I simply swapped them for the Sony headphones that came with the Sony discman I had purchased, and that solved the problem. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I could easily fill all ten presets on the two FM bands with stations that I normally listen to at home or in the car. Maybe the reception on this radio simply depends on where you live. I didn't even bother trying the AM band, because, again, my purpose for buying a walkman radio was to listen to a variety of music stations in stereo. Likewise with the T.V. band. If I want to listen to T.V. I'll watch it instead. I finally tried the WB band, and was able to hear all about the weather. In fact, if I could have found a unit that simply had an FM band I would have bought it.
One last comment. For those folks who think that the sound quality of this radio is disgusting I can only assume that they are purist musicians, super audiophiles, or ultra critical types who aren't satisfied unless they are listening to a $10,000 stereo system. Therefore, I dismiss their criticism. For me, this is a perfect radio walkman.
Customer Review: Review of complaints
Summary: 5 Stars
I read the reviews before buying this unit. There were two main complaints at the time. These were station interference and the power button being struck during storage, causing the battery to be drained prior to the next use.
I bought this unit despite these complaints. I expected interference problems given the power of the unit and thought I could remedy the power button being accidentally struck.
However, the user manual addressed both issues. The unit has a lock switch. This is mainly used, I believe, to prevent an accidental strike of any of the station keys, resulting in having your station accidentally changed. However, this lock switch can be used to prevent the unit from being accidentally turned on. When you turn the unit off, engage the lock switch. As long as the lock switch is engaged, the power won't go on when the power button is pressed. You just have to remember to disengage the lock switch before turning the unit on next time. I forgot and started thinking either the unit was faulty or the battery was bad.
Concerning the station interference, there is a tuning switch that has two settings. I'm unclear of it's purpose but if it's set to the wrong setting, any station will be difficult to hear. I don't believe the tuning switch would corrcct the interference of competing stations, but thought I'd mention it here anyway. I'm next to Philadelphia but no where near downtown. My area largely doesn't have competing stations. But it is possible to have station interference on some stations at certain times and at certain physical locations. I would expect station interference to be commonplace in large cities. But, again, I would expect this given the unit's power.
The weather stations typically are hard to hear, but I've had this problem with past units from other companies. I need to listen carefully, but given how often I listen to weather, this is no problem.
I hope this information helps. I'm very glad I bought this unit and am using it a lot more than I had expected.
Customer Review: Small, Long Battery Life, Digtal buttons, Good Reception !!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
I've had this handheld AM/FM/TV/WeatherBand radio for half a year now and it gets the job done and then some! I live in New Jersey and listen to NY stations of radio and TV with clear sound.. Couldn't be more pleased with being able to hear FM/AM radio and morning TV news from ABC2, NBC4, FOX5, UPN9,WB11, NEWS12 .
(Reception can vary depending where you live im sick of bad reviews I've seen on mp3 players with the same FM/AM/TV/ tuner feature)
The GOOD:
* Digtal buttons makes scaning stations simple
* Preset buttons lets you jump to favorites quick
* Has 25 preset channels
* Has Digtal Clock on display
* Works on a single AAA battery
* Has battery indicator on the digtal screen
* Has long battery life
* Sound is Good/Great Quality
* Volume is Loud
* Found Reception Great indoors and outdoors (varys in subways or basements)
* Small and Lightweight
* Fits in back/front pockets
* Belt clip is handy for on the job
* Fits in palm of hand for jogging or biking
The BAD:
* I couldn't pick up more then 1 or 2 weather bands and they sound fuzzy at times.
* I hardly use AM radio due to it's fuzzy sounding quality.
* Reception could be stronger for subways or building basements.
* Comes with headphones that are easy to break..better off with ear bud headphones.
((Price is little high but it's a Sony! THANK YOU FOR READING))