Kaito Electronics Inc. WRX911BLK Analog AM/FM/SW World Receiver - Black
by Kaito Electronics Inc.
|
List Price: Our Price: $24.99 You Save: $34.96 (58%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Network Media Player See more product details |
|---|
Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Kaito Electronics Inc. WRX911BLK Analog AM/FM/SW World Receiver - Black
Customer Review: Fair reception in a small package
Summary: 4 Stars
I got this as an analog manual-scanning companion to the Sony ICF-7600GR I already had. I was quite surprised that the Kaito could pick up pretty much anything recognizable that the 6X-as-expensive Sony could. With either the whip antennas or a clip-on reel, they were both neck and neck--if you could hear it on the Sony, you could get it on the Kaito too (assuming you could TUNE the Kaito to the same station).
One gripe: the Kaito tuning knob is rather small, and would benefit if they made it larger (to allow finer tuning).
There was considerable tuning-dial error in the radio I got; the actual signal was about 100kHz higher than what the SW dial numbers indicated. If you wanted to tune in to specific stations by their broadcast frequencies, it would be helpful if you would first compare your Kaito radio to any digital-tuner radio to get an idea of what kind of dial error to expect. Once you know that error, it's pretty easy to get the Kaito tuned to *about* where you want.
The Kaito tunes in AM and FM as well, but I didn't really purchase it for that. The AM and FM bands certainly work, but they are not particularly notable in any regard.
This radio looks and sounds small and cheap, it will not impress anyone but it does what it's supposed to.
-end-
Customer Review: Fun Radio for "Tuning Around" on Shortwave.
Summary: 4 Stars
This is an "old fashioned" dial and pointer radio, lacking all of the features of a modern digital set... no preset stations, poor indication of the actual frequency that is tuned, no clock, no alarm. Somehow, it is still great fun to use!
Band scanning has been a weak point of digital radios... the sound is usually muted while slewing through the frequency range, leaving just a tuning indicator light to show that a station has been found (most will not stop scanning on weak signals), or if not muted, a loud "chuffing" noise is produced as the frequencies are scanned. With this set you just turn the knob and listen for stations!
If you want to easily find, say the BBC on 5.975 Mhz a digital radio will get you there much faster, but for scanning the band to see what is on, the old dial and pointer still works quite well!
Also see my review of the Similar Sangean model SG622. The Sangean is slightly more expensive, larger in size, slightly better sounding due to having a larger speaker, Kaito seems to be slightly more sensitive on weak signals and is more solid feeling. I like the thumbwheel controls and color (blue) of the Kaito better. Wish I could give the Kaito another 1/2 star! ...both work well!
Customer Review: Useful for the travel bag, but not for exploring the SW world
Summary: 3 Stars
Pro:
Cheap and cheerful, small and light-weight, the right size for a travel bag, well built, good AM, reasonable FM and SW performance, low power consumption. Easy and intuitive to operate. No 100 page manual, no switch to set the radio to a "9kHz frequency spacing".
Con:
High pitched and annoying speaker, amplifies the hiss, unfortunately FM only in 'mono'. No Long Wave "LW" (a must in Europe if you speak French, or live in the UK).
Other:
This travel-radio is for those moments when you cannot figure out whether the local FM or AM radio station announces the imminent end of the world or the results of the local high school soccer match: Loud and clear, in Polish, Farsi, Hausa, or Bengali. That is why I prefer an ANALOG (over a digitally tuned) radio: A quick manual scan, on the full hour over the WXR911's 9 SW-bands and you probably have a station in YOUR language. Ideal when in Europe, Mid- and Far-East, Asia and Africa. All of which receive POWERFUL SW stations.
Customer Review: great little receiver
Summary: 4 Stars
I've only had my Kaito WRX911 for about two weeks. In that time I've been able to pick up broadcasts for many countries just using the whip antenna. When I have the time and space, I stretch out a long wire for even more impressive reception. I've found the AM/FM reception to be more than adequate as well. It's a basic, old-school analog tuner, which I enjoy. I think less is more in a small radio like this. The sound quality is about what you'd expect from a tiny radio, but that doesn't bother me either---------it's a $30 radio. The included ear pieces are nice for listening to music and/or in bed w/o waking my wife. Battery life has been great so far. I've listened for many hours on the first set of double-A's. I bought a pair of these radios in case I wanted to squirrel away an extra one. I'm VERY glad that I did. FYI, I bought mine from J&R Music through Amazon, and the price for the pair was only $4 more than Kaito's single unit price. The radios were an absolute steal at that price!Customer Review: Tiny powerhouse
Summary: 5 Stars
I was quite surprised when I opened the package - this model was a lot smaller than I was expecting. The blue molded plastic seemed cheap and insubstantial. I was all set to write it off as a bad purchase, and then I turned it on.
This little guy puts out some serious noise, and it picks up EVERYTHING on all bands - AM, FM, and shortwave. In fact, it outperforms my previous shortwave by miles (granted, my old radio is 20 years old). The sound quality is top-notch, both with earphones (included) or with the single built-in speaker. The size is smaller than most transistor radios, so carrying it around is really convenient. The analog shortwave selector isn't too sensitive, so it's really easy to zero in on a broadcast. I'm very satisfied with this purchase. For any shortwave hobbyists who don't need much, this will give you plenty at a nice price. For more serious folks, this would make a great secondary portable radio.