Sangean America DT-210 DT-210 AM/FM Digital Tuning Pocket Radio
by Sangean
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Sangean America DT-210 DT-210 AM/FM Digital Tuning Pocket Radio
Customer Review: Excellent FM sound from a small radio
Summary: 5 Stars
I listen to a lot of radio, and sound quality is VERY important to me (I'm one of those LP-only guys). When my old Aiwa CR-LD100 started acting up, I looked hard for a radio-only replacement that had good sound. I tried several units in person and I scoured the web for things like "best sound fm portable" etc. But with digital players being all the rage, there were very few high-quality pocket tuners available.
After readng the reviews on the DT-210V, I decided to chance it. While I would have preferred a smaller unit, the reviews for the DT-110 didn't emphasize sound quality as they did with the larger DT-210V. And sound quality is everything for me.
Now that I have it, I can tell you the FM sound quality of the DT-210V is excellent for its size. Using the Etymotic ER4P and with Bass Boost on, I get a warm, rich, tone and a surprisingly wide, deep, and convincing soundstage. The amount of detail is striking. Also, it easily drives the inefficient Etymotics as loudly as you could wish, no headphone amp required.
FM reception is very good, with drift free performance on stations 50 miles away. Weak stations produce some hiss but turning the mono switch clears that up and makes for an acceptable mono experience.
I don't want to mislead other audiophiles out there -- of course it's not as good a sound as my 1964 Fisher 500C tube receiver with full-sized Grado headphones, nor does it have as fine a reception! But it is astounding, nonetheless, given its size.
AM reception is far better than any pocket radio I've had but it is especially directional. When you are "aiming" it properly, you'll get very clear, static-free reception, sometimes from quite far away, hundreds of miles.
Again, I don't want to mislead the DXers out there. This is not even close in performance to my Sony ICF-SW7600GR for DXing broadcast AM. But it's 1/3 the price and 1/8 the volume of the Sony and damned good for casual AM listening.
The user interface is the best I've seen on any radio (My Sony's interface still confuses me). To tune: press quickly for manual, hold a half second for search. To set memory: tune, press memo, select location, press memo. To recall memory: press recall, select memory location up or down. This was all second nature inside two minutes.
Regarding the little speaker, I thought I would "put up with it" in order to get the superior tuner section. But it's really quite useful for listening to AM without headphones.
All in all, this was the best $50 I've spent in a long time. I am thoroughly enjoying this excelent product. If sound quality is important to you, get one.
Customer Review: Radio had died, sound quality medicore when it was working
Summary: 1 Stars
Purchased this radio in April. Sound quality was not good. I own two Radio Shack (Optimus brand) radios that I've owned 10 years and are close to wearing out. Sound quality far better, radios are smaller in size and they still work. Not as good as their prior direct digital push button tuners (these you must do the really dumb scan thru pre-sets) but still ok.
This current radio lost it audio several times since I purchased it. Ear phones would still function, but speaker would not. I would pull batteries for a couple of days and audio would recover. However no longer recovers.
This is the 2nd small radio that I've purchased from Amazon that has failed. The other one is a "Kaito" brand. Failed in 2 months. This radio at least had push button tuning, but is far larger. Sound quality on it was also poor.
There is so much junk out there. I suppose the assumption is that if a few work out ok, others fail but the customer does not wish to waste the time to return or send in for warranty, the manufacturer can declare victory and go home with a success rate that allows them to have 50 percent of customers satisfied.
I'm still hoping that one day someone will build and sell a radio such as the old Optimus/Radio Shack direct push button tuner (like you car radio, push a button and you get a different station). Until then I suppose if I wish to listen to radio when out for a walk, do not want to use ear phones (speaker required) then I will remain stuck with the junk that is now available.
Sony,,,,you have a neat little push button radio that has been very reliable for me. However requires ear phones. Perhaps you all should figure how to incorporate a speaker in a slightly larger size. You would have a winner,,,at least for me.
Now to find if this current thing has any warranty service. Likely will cost more in postage and time then it is worth to get it repaired or replaced.
Now 5 weeks later radio is returned and now is working...% weeks???, it only took me 2 days to receive from Amazon and 1 day to send it to Sangean. Radio now works, but sound quality remains poor when above minimum volume level. My 10 year old Radio Shack Optimus's sound much better. Speaker sounds as though cracked but likely just a cheap amp as earphones are also very poor at any reasonable volume.
Customer Review: Excellent Pocket Radio!!
Summary: 5 Stars
I have had this radio for almost 2 years now and like it so much I thought I would write a review. First of all, I looked at Sangean based on other reviews that praised the great reception and quality build. Specifically, it needed to:
1. Fit in my pocket
2. Offer am/fm and TV bands
3. Easy to change batteries and use AA or AAA batteries
4. Have a good usable external speaker for use at home or hotel, etc.
I am a walker. I walk 2-3 miles a day. Sometimes I might even jog. The DT-210V fits easily in my front shorts or pants pocket and comes with a long enough set of earbuds that reach my head and work fine. It also has a "lock" feature that I really like. Tune the 210, slide the lock slide tab on the back, and slip it back in your pocket. Now as I walk, I can reach in and adjust the volume without having to worry about upsetting the frequency settings. Just keep on walking! The buttons all have a nice feel to them and are easy to adjust and use. Overall, the construction is sturdy and functional. The built-in external speaker works well enough to use outside on the back porch or hotel room. The batteries last long enough. I don't know exactly how many hours but it has not been an issue. AAA batteries are cheap, either alkalines or NiMh rechargeables. I don't really use the memory functions as I usually have only a couple of local favorites that I tune to.
I might add that one of my hobbies is amateur radio (HAM radio)so I think I know a little about what to expect from a small receiver package like the 210. To me, the "PLL Synthesized Receiver" feature of the 210 means that once tuned to a good signal the 210 will not fade in and out as the user moves about. The result is great reception and audio. I have used smaller mini radios/mp3 units that, while smaller and maybe "cooler" just didn't offer the performance over the AM/FM/TV bands.
If I needed two of them, I wouldn't hesitate to buy another. I might just buy one to put into service when (if ever) this one bites the dust. I also don't know of another unit, Sangean or otherwise, that works as well. If someone does, let me know.... I hope this helps!
Customer Review: Top quality mini AM/FM/TV radio
Summary: 5 Stars
If you're a lover of FM stations distant from you, this radio is among the very best to get reception. It has a switch to choose between Mono and Stereo and the reception is always better and with less distortion in Mono for the distant ones.
I walk my Lab an hour every morning in a nature preserve and listen to either one FM (NPR) station 30 miles away or another 70 miles away in mono. Reception of both is excellent. I've bought a number of Sonys and other brands of "Walkmen" types but all have lacked a Mono-Stereo switch so Stereo reception of these stations is often stuttering at best or absent at usual.
This radio replaces a Sangean DT-300-VW which I used daily for 4 years. Unfortunately the DT-300 recently died but, fortunately, I decided to save $15 and take a chance on the DT-210V.
WOW! I like it much better than the DT-300 for three reasons: (1) the sound from the speaker (which is how I listen) is FAR better than that from the 300. (I slip the radio in the upper left pocket of my Cabela's Safari vest and listen to it there; I don't want earbuds or head phones masking all external sounds.) (2) The batteries seem to last longer. (3) The reception seems to be better.
While I occasionally miss the DT-300's WX weather band, I have another mini radio dedicated to that I can take along if need be.
The only downside is that manual is not entirely user-friendly nor or all the functions on the radio. It has a control so you can set the dial to switch between several presets. I had to call Sangean for help in using it. But on my radio, one must press this then press that so fast that only about 1 out of 20 times can I do it fast enough. It's easier to just run the digitial dial between 89.3 and 91.5 as needed.
Excellent radio, superior performance, great value.
(I've read many of the other reviews and see a very few which are negative. If YOU get this radio and don't get the performance that those of us who love it have written about, then your radio must've slipped through Sangean's quality control. Call them, ship it back, get a replacement.)
Customer Review: Excellent special-purpose radio.
Summary: 5 Stars
This little radio is a little pricy, and it doesn't have the world's most awesome sound quality. The trade-off, though, is that for its *size*, the sound quality is great.
You don't really get a feel from photos or descriptions of how tiny this thing is. If you need (as I do) a very, very small radio that you can carry in a pocket and listen to without headphones, this a great deal.
The speaker is very, very small, but it's more than adequate for NPR in a hotel room. It's not nearly powerful enough to listen to music at a decent volume, but it's really not designed for that.
The reception is great, unless you try to run it without the headphones plugged in. Because the headphone cord doubles as the antenna, playing the radio without anything plugged into the headphone jack means you get almost no reception. Sangean includes a plug-in antenna for headphone-free listening, but it's not neccessary. If you just leave the phones plugged in when you switch the speaker on, you get excellent reception. The stereo-mono switch is wonderful: I can't imagine why every other manufacturer doesn't include this feature. Great for weak signals; reduces the noise and static level on distant stations.
The user interface is very intuitive. I personally would have preferred a few direct-access memory buttons for favorite stations (a la Sony), but it's actually pretty easy to program and recall stations by scrolling.
Headphone listening is excellent. Disclaimer: I didn't even *try* to use the included headphones. I have listened to this radio through Bose QC2s and Shure E2s. Sound quality is great with either set, and I've been using the E2s with it ever since.
On the whole, this is a really well-designed niche product. It does what it does flawlessly, but you need to be clear about your needs. If you're looking for a radio to listen to music with, get something bigger. If you need a really tiny packable radio with reasonable sound quality, you can't beat this unit.