Sangean WFR-20 WiFi Internet Radio & Media Player
by Sangean
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List Price: Our Price: $224.36 You Save: $74.64 (25%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $156.00 (click here) Category: CE 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 Sangean WFR-20 WiFi Internet Radio & Media Player
Customer Review: Best Streaming Media Product I've Owned To-Date
Summary: 5 Stars
Great internet radio. While I've never tried a Roku Soundbridge Radio or Logitech Squeezebox 3, I own 2 Philips Streamium products and an Acoustic Energy Wifi Radio. So I have a good base of comparison.
The Acoustic Energy and the Sangean both run off the Reciva software/platform (Reciva.com), which I like. In addition to the station list Reciva maintains, you can add your own stations and podcasts to a "My Stuff" directory and suggest stations for their main directory. There are numerous other internet radio station directories which you can use to find stations. To find the often hidden URL's of stations you want to add (but aren't in the Reciva database), it's helpful to have a free program like URL Snooper. Otherwise, you often can find the station URL's by viewing the station information within your media player (e.g. Windows Media Player, Real Player, Winamp) once you've loaded the station.
I had problems with the Acoustic Energy Wifi radio (google "AE Wifi speaker crackle"), including low level speaker noise (known defect) and was awaiting the next generation of wifi radios. I found one with the Sangean.
I'm completely satisfied with the Sangean. Clean sound, decent volume level, base & treble adjustment, plus a remote control, which is really handy if you have the radio on a coffee table or bedside table. Plus, if you have a large music collection on your hard drive, you can also stream it via a media server (a good free one is Tversity) or Windows Media share. And the Sangean supports a lot of formats, including FLAC. Reciva supports Real Rhapsody, but so far that's the only paid subscription service they support. However, since Yahoo Music Unlimited recently announced they've sold to Real, when my subscription expires, I may switch over and this would be another use for my Sangean.
I've bought several other radios from Sangean (2 pocket radios and one portable am/fm) and I've never been disappointed with the quality and performance.
Note: The sound quality depends on the individual station's streaming bit rate. To my ear, 128 kps mp3 stations and above sound the best. Other codecs (WMA, Real Audio, AAC) sound good to me at 64 kps and above. There are stations that stream up to 320 kps (e.g. check out Shoutcast directory).
Also, note that some stations won't work (e.g. Clear Channel) due to geographic issues and/or they want you to see their ads on a PC, but there are so many (thousands) of stations that are available, there is something for everyone. And the Reciva database lets you select from either Genre or Country and you can stream from the "On Demand" shows on BBC which is great. Note: Stations sometimes appear and disappear in the database as stations make URL/Server changes or stop broadcasting altogether, but this is the fluid nature of internet radio. Especially the non-commercial stations on the Shoutcast network. I think Reciva does a pretty good job of keeping their database updated though with a daily "pass/fail" test which I assume is automated on their end.
All in all, I highly recommend this radio if you like to listen to internet radio streams and don't want to tethered to your PC.
Customer Review: Stylish, Solid, Sleek, Simple Set-up, Superb Sound.
Summary: 5 Stars
First off, I am a certifiable Cyber-Imbecile for whom anything related to computers or the Internet is at best daunting, at worst threatening. Especially the initial hook-up-and-get-running phase which is generally good for a 50-point blood pressure spike and high-volume cursing.
Not this time.
I had the Sangean out of the box, plugged in, network-connected, and playing Brahms on FM Classic UK, Irish music on Midwest Irish Radio, Old Time Radio's "Horror Theater", and "Streaming Soundtracks" from somewhere in France and a reading of "Dracula" on BBC 7 in just over 5 minutes. And this includes frequent checks and re-checks of the user's manual as I was performing the set-up. It really couldn't be any easier. You can use either the single knob on the radio face, or the nifty little remote, or both. The whole system works flawlessly,
With its matte black grille, multi-purpose single knob and high-gloss piano black case, this is a handsome unit. And the sound that comes out of the dual 5W speakers is, well, amazing. On the stronger signals (96 bphs and up), the sound is Bose-like: Rich and full and clear and room-filling. I intended to buy a pair of auxiliary speakers to use with the Sangean, but now see no need to as it's already like having a mini-concert hall in the room. I'm listening right now to Dvorak's "From the New World" Symphony No. 9 it all its full orchestral power glory. I have to repeatedly shake my head at just how good the sound is that this small unit produces.
The user's manual is thorough and easy to understand, and there is a sort of flow chart fold-out that graphically depicts every function.
Some have complained about how difficult/time-consuming using the multi-purpose single dial is. Not a problem for me, mainly because I mainly use the remote and move around quickly and easily. You can do it all with the remote, including adjusting base and treble, backlight/dial brightness, volume, instant switching among 6 presets (on the remote), and everything else. With it's Reciva-based innards, the Sangean gives you access to nearly 14,000 stations, along with the ability to store your favorites under My Stuff (which, in effect, gives you almost unlimited presets).
You can search by Location (scroll through the list, stop on Ireland or the Cook Islands or Anguilla or wherever, punch the button and almost instantly there is a list of every station in that country (nearly 2,000 in the UK alone), When you find one you want to try, punch the dial and within seconds it's playing. Or search by Genre (rock, classical, 80s, punk, grunge, folk, news talk, jazz, etc. etc.) and get similar lists. You can also scroll through these [...] and Save any you want and they are automatically sent to your radio's My Stuff list, there to access whenever you want to. It's like some kind of wizardry.
It's a lot of fun to listen to some of the Old Time Radio horror, detective, and comedy shows from the 1920s, 30s, 40s, and 50s.
If you love radio, the Sangean is Nirvana. If you aren't yet a radiophile, buy this unit and you will be.
Customer Review: Does well what it is advertised to do
Summary: 5 Stars
This internet radio does well what it is advertised to do. It took me five minutes to set it up to work with my Linksys wireless router. I was able to save a large number of favorite stations as "My Stuff" after registering the radio at the Reciva Radio Portal. The single button/dial system is not difficult to use and, at night-time, in the dark, offers advantages over multi-button sytems.
Pros: Ease of use and set up; the Reciva linked system which enables easy access to thousands of radio stations and streams without having to use a computer; Real audio enabled, which the Roku R1000 is not, allowing listening to many streams, especially great BBC on demand streams, that cannot be picked up the Roku R1000.
Cons:
1. Low power speakers - will be sufficient for many listeners,but audiophiles will want to connect higher powered speakers, i.e. Logitech or Creative, via the auxilliary line out.
2. Does not accept DRM protected files. This deficiency is clearly stated in literature about the radio, and was, thus, not unexpected. Thus, Napster, and other media service files cannot be played on the radio. I do not think there is any device that plays both DRM protected files and Real audio streams, thus, when purchasing internet radio devices, it is necessary to choose between a device such as the Roku R1000, that plays premium service files, but has limited radio stream access, and a device such as the WFR-20 that does not play premium service files, but has extensive radio stream access. This is probably the most difficult decision that any purchase of these devices has to make. Since I enjoy listening to on-demand BBC streams, I opted for the for the WFR-20. I may one day add on a Roku M1000-like device so as to be able to access Napster, especially if Reciva does not add access to DRM streams, as they are, apparently, trying to do. The WFR-20 is not the right device for someone uninterested in international radio broadcasts seeking a device to wirelessly play their premium service playlists/downloads.
3. The clock is only visible consistently when the radio is in standby mode (off).
4. It would be nice if Reciva expanded the genres, eliminated radio stations that failed their listening tests, and subdivided the US stations by state.
5. Some reviewers on the internet have complained that this radio does not pick up analog AM/FM radio stations. I do not see this as a disadvantage. The internet radio probably picks up the local stations digitally via the internet better than most analog radios can pick them up, and a much less expensive conventional radio can be used to pick these stations up.
It can be useful, when looking for reviews, to know that the Sangean WFR-20 is the same as the Roberts WM-201 internet radio. The Roberts name is used in the United Kingdom, and the Sangean name is used elsewhere, including in continental Europe. Although the manual has pictures of the radio with 220 voltage input, the radio, as sold from Amazon in the U.S. has the U.S. 120 voltage input.
Customer Review: this is an amazing radio
Summary: 5 Stars
If you haven't checked out wi-fi radio yet, start here.
This is my favorite new gizmo.
The Sangean model 20 is a table radio, small but hefty, black. It has only one button and an LCD readout that doubles as an easy-to-read digital clock. It has a remote too, one of those small ones. (I found a better, larger, smart remote with back-lighted buttons at Amazon for another $20.)
What's the big deal?
I like radio, mostly talk radio and, by extension, shortwave. At home, especially at night, I get virtually nothing on the AM band and there's not much in my small local FM universe that appeals to me. I looked at adding a big outdoor antenna to my receiver but that was too expensive and too annoying and, best case, I could only hope to "match" the limited reception that I get out in my car. That's not really much of an upgrade.
But, in doing research on antennas, I found out about wi-fi radios.
You don't need wireless internet but you do need a high-speed connection of some kind, like what you get from your local cable company.
That's it. It was literally plug and play. In less than a minute, the radio offered me a menu of thousands of free radio stations on the LCD screen.
I have 6 presets that I can juggle and a folder where I can stash as many station presets as I want.
What kind of stations?
Anything you can think of, anywhere in the world. Unlike that weird mood-specific niche programming that you find on Sirius and XM channels, this is real radio, commercial radio, live, warts and all.
For example...
My presets right now include WMAL (DC), WBAL (Baltimore), WLS (Chicago), WABC (New York), the BBC (there are about a dozen BBC outlets alone to sort through) and Radio Netherlands.
There are hundreds, thousands of live, free radio stations from every part of the world and in every language that you can think of. You can follow any sport, any event, any news, from any perspective, at any time.
Yes, you can hear Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck. No, you can't hear Howard Stern (Sirius) and Oprah Winfrey (XM).
Best of all:
1) There is absolutely no static on any station.
2) It uses the same "connection" as your computer but is in no way connected to your computer (unless you want it to connect, like if you wanted to use this box to also play music or pod-casts that are stored on your computer, for example).
3) It is Goon-Proof. You don't have to understand the technology to use it.
4) Once you buy the hardware (some sets at Amazon are cheaper), there are never any fees or taxes or contracts or third-party monitoring of what you listen to.
Tell Santa!
ps: Definitely consider upgrading the remote. You'll be using this radio a lot and big, back-lighted buttons are a real ergonomic upgrade.
ps: It's a nice looking box too, much nicer than you might expect from the picture.
Customer Review: Not as good as the Boom
Summary: 4 Stars
I've had the WFR-20 radio for 2 years and enjoyed it all along. However, I've purchased two logitech network radios (the radio and the boom) and would recommend the Boom over the WFR-20 for several reasons. The Sangean does look great, and sounds ok, and it works as-advertised. But the Boom does many things better than the Sangean. Here's some key points to consider:
Sound: the WFR20 doesn't have audio mixing options (treble/bass), the boom does, plus XL sound which is like virtual surround, and several other options. Plus, it sounds better. My speakers in the Sangean have blown! Granted, this was because my 2 year-old cranked up the volume for fun - so I take the blame, but the fact that they designed the levels and knob to allow this to happen so easily is annoying.
Controls: the sangean's design is sleek with the single continuous dial, but a lot is sacrificed for this from the user perspective. The remote is ok, but kind of a pain to rely on and awkward to use. The boom also has a remote but I seldom use that either. The "back" button and presets on the face of the boom are huge differentiators for me. It allows you to jump to things and surf internet stations much more easily.
Connectivity: the Boom just connects to the network promptly, where the sangean takes up to 30 seconds to load and play. Note lots of people make this observation in their reviews.
Compatibility: the Booms Squeezebox interface seems more intuitive and superior to the Recieva interface used by the Sangean. Plus Recieva has some technical limitations and can't accommodate Flash (I believe) based stations, whereas the Boom can. I've found several internet stations that fit this criteria and can't be added to the Sangean.
Favorites/presets: The Sangean does have 12 presets you can store, 6 auto dial on remote and 6 more you can store on a list. But that is it. The Boom has 6 presets on the face of the unit (a major plus for me!) and an unlimited 'favorites' list in the menu. This is a huge factor in storing lots of internet stations I want to return to at some point without searching for them.
Size: the boom actually takes up less space than the sangean, which.. even with the product dimensions, is hard to tell without having them side by side.
With all of this it's a no brainer that I'd buy the Boom first before the Sangean, but even with all of this, I do not regret buying the Sangean. It does look really cool and it works just fine, and at a fair price for what it offers. The Boom just has it beat on so many levels and is priced lower. I will say that the Boom is majorly due for a model update, as is the Sangean. The Boom's sister product, the logitech radio, has a nice color screen and a rechargeable battery (sold seperately), which I really love and will purchase when offered for the Boom. I hope it's soon!
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