Sangean WR-22BK Digital Radio, AM/FM with Bluetooth, USB, Black

UpdateI've been using this for almost a month now, and continue to be very impressed. I swear, the sound, the speaker, seems to improve with time. Indeed, it just may be that the speaker needs some time break in (not that it was bad at first). I listen to a wide range of music on this, and the breadth of fidelity continues to amaze me. Given the quality of the sound over time, the price of this unit actually seems modest to m e.Update #2I've had this radio for 9 months now and appreicate its sound qualities every time I play it. I am listening to classical music over a local NPR station as I tyupe, and the sound is so accurate and full for a single (but very high tech) speaker/reflex system. You hear all the instruments, whether classical, jazz, or country. An oboe, a flute, a pedal steel guitar will just suddenly emerge clear and crisp. Voices sound great. Piano is clear and undistorted. The primary variable is the sound source, e.g., station reception. Also, some FM stations simply put out better sound. Bluetooth off my phone generally sounds quite good. I just love this radio in its wonderfull acoustic nook within the kitchen.Original review.This is a quality well-built piece of equipment, and is quite easy to use, very intuitive. I have found the instructions clear and easy to understand. For a radio with a single 3-inch speaker, this little gem puts out incredible sound. It plays the full range of sounds and is very high fidelity. For example, listening to a jazz program on the radio, many of the songs emphasize the stand-up bass, and the sound comes through surprisingly well. I have this radio in our kitchen, and it's just perfect; I can listen to high fidelity sound without an elaborate sound system. It is sensitive picking up stations, but like any radio, you sometimes have to physically move the radio to pick up certain stations adequately. The remote is small but works just fine, easy to use.What is surprising are the under-emphasized features. Specifically, the headphones-out jack in the back serves as an audio-out, to which you can plug in powered stereo speakers. It works quite well. The onboard speaker turns off when headphones or external speakers are attached). There also is a subwoofer output. Now keep in mind that the onboard speaker has surprisingly good bass, and a subwoofer seems unnecessary. However, if you attach external speakers, the onboard speaker shuts off as already noted, but the subwoofer continues to work. In short, you end up with a 2.1 stereo system. Very cool. Sangean does not really highlight this feature in any of their advertising or in their manual. Also, if you stream music via Bluetooth, it streams in stereo (I carefully checked this). I also attached a turntable (with a built-in phono preamp) into the auxiliary input, and it worked fine in stereo. So, you get a nice little radio here which in free-standing mode provides great mono sound, but plays FM stereo and other sources in stereo with the right attachments.All in all, I am very pleased with this handsome and versatile radio. I have been very impressed with the fidelity, accuracy, and lack of distortion of the radio. I have enjoyed a wide range of sounds (double bass, violins, oboes, distorted guitar, cymbals) that are so well reproduced out of this relatively small box. While I mostly listen to it in its free-standing mode, I really appreciate the ability to utilize external speakers, and the auxiliary-in and Bluetooth options. I have been using this for close to a week, and so far, no significant negatives to report (I have not yet used the alarm and snooze features, so no-comment there). My only compaint is that the black finish is a magnet for fingerprints, especially with the radio in the kitchen, so beware.

Radio arrived in good condition, and was easy to open the box. I have had zero problems with it in the 24 hours I've owned it. Display has three brightness settings, and Setting 1 is great for the bedroom at night. Display will brighten to "max" for a few seconds if a button is pushed however, then return to current setting. Haven't used alarm yet, but apparently it "fades in" (music or buzzer) rather than blasting at full volume right off the bat. A good feature. Sleep function works just fine and I did test that out.Sound quality is just fine, and the treble and bass have adjustments in addition to the radio having a "loudness" setting (either on or off) which, when on, increased both the treble and bass.AM and FM (especially AM) reception are pretty darn good, and beat out a Sony ICF-38 portable radio I have sitting right next to it (though the Sony is not a bad radio either.) Sound quality is much better than the Sony though of course the Sony was never intended to be a "room filling" radio. I have not had the need to plug in the wire antenna that came with the radio, though if your FM reception is lacking it might help with that. Also has option to attach external antenna if purchased.Bluetooth works really well so far, and sound quality is as good as the radio. Plenty of volume while using Bluetooth. Other reviews have stated that the Bluetooth "cuts out" when they walk in between their source and the radio. I have not noticed this but have both iPhone and radio on same table so am not blocking the signal in any way.Radio seems solid, and looks real nice on my desk (I bought the black one.) Fingerprints show up easily, but it's easy enough to just touch the buttons most of the time rather than the body of the radio so it's easy to keep it "clean" looking.The owners manual states that the clock can be set "manually" or by using the broadcast of certain radio stations. Some reviewers have said the time "varies" quite a bit. I think that's because they didn't set the time manually and instead are relying on radio stations to tell the radio what time it is. For what it's worth I also set the time using the radio broadcasts and so far the radio is still right in sync with the time on my iPhone...and I've changed stations plenty of times in 24 hours and had the radio on and off several times.When the unit is off, the display is still lit (at your chosen setting) and will display the time and date. A nice feature, and easy-to-read from across the room if you have the brightness set on either 2 or 3.I have had no issues with the tuning or volume knobs making changes "slowly" as some other reviewers have noted. Seems to be very precise and incremental.This is a neat radio in my opinion, and a decent substitute (and smaller...a good thing) than the Bose Wave Radio that costs about twice as much.Clock Tip: I have read other reviews complaining that the clock loses/gains time constantly. I initially had that problem as well and called Sangean about it. They answered right away and gave me the following solution, which works!1. With the power (radio) off, press and hold the menu/info button until it beeps. Then release.2. Rotate the tuning knob until RDS-CT shows (if "Manual" is shows instead then don't press to change to RDS-CT).3. Press and release the tuning knob.4. Rotate the tuning knob until it says "Manual"5. Press and release the tuning knob.6. Rotate the tuning knob until it says "Time Set" and proceed to set the time as instructed in the manual.The Sangean guy said that the reason the time was not correct is that many of the radio stations broadcasting the RDS-Ct auto-time are broadcasting the incorrect time. Setting the time using the "Manual" setting as above will override this.