Good Table Radio For Those on a Budget

UPDATE: I SOLD MY SONY ICF-M1000 BECAUSE OF SIGNAL FADE ON FM. THE BEST BEDSIDE RADIO IS THE  $85-99 Boston Acoustics Horizon Solo. PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING WITH THIS UPDATE IN MIND:

The Sony ICF-M1000 table radio, which sells for about 45 dollars, plus 13 dollars shipping, may be a worthy alternative for those who don't want to pay the full retail price of $120 for the Tivoli Model One. To be sure, the Model One is deservedly a beloved radio, with a room-filling sound, a sweet, smooth-as-silk tuning dial and attractive retro looks. But a strong case can be made that anyone on a budget could do well to save over $60 by getting the Sony.

10 Reasons to Consider the Sony ICF-M1000 Over the Tivoli Model One:

1. As already mentioned, a $60 price differential.
2. While the Sony speaker at 4 watts is not as big as the Tivoli's 10 watts, most radio listeners are using the radio by their desk or bedside table and are not looking to "rock the house down." For elegant background music, the Sony, by all accounts, produces rich, satisfying sound.
3. The Sony has the same simple features as the Tivoli.
4. Unlike the Tivoli which has an analog tuner, the Sony has a digital tuner for easier tuning.
5. The Sony's FM antenna is in the AC cord, which may be problematic; however, you have the option of hooking up an F Type coaxial antenna to it while switching to "external."
6. While not as retro in design as the Tivoli, the Sony's simple black design is no slouch in the looks department.
7. Like the Tivoli, the Sony has an auxiliary for iPod or other similar music device.
8. By all accounts, the Sony's internal AM ferrite antenna is on par with the Tivoli's.
9.  For some reviewers,  they are enjoying less signal fade on their Sony's than they had to deal with with their Tivoli's.
10. Some reviewers have complained of a humming sound on their Tivoli's and were happy to report that no such humming sound came from their Sony's. To be fair to Tivoli, I have a Model One and have experienced no such humming.

Comments

[Ed S.]

What a coincidence, my Sony will be delivered tomorrow, will let you know what I think.

[Jeff McMahon]

If you want, I'll post your impressions about the radio.

[Ed S.]

Jeff,
Received the Sony a bit late, but a cursory exam of it shows me that at $45, you get a lot for your money. The cosmetics are sleek--the fine wood furniture-grade cabinet, in shiny piano-black finish is very popular now in hi-tech items like big screen TVs but tends to attract dust and needs frequent dusting; happily it comes with a soft cloth for this purpose. Fit & finish are very good. The size, volume-wise, is nearly twice as big as the Eton 100. It's a hefty 8 pounds, so it wont be slipping around on a table. The time display inside a lucite prism is distinctive, but illuminated too brightly for a bedroom. The sound is "better" than the Eton mainly due to the fact that enclosure volume is bigger, it is front-ported, and there is a tone control for adjusting the amount of treble relative to the bass. It has a wider frequency response than the Eton, although the speaker is the same size. It can tend to sound "boxy" on music (well, it *is* a wooden box), and actually does a better job on voices/talk radio than music. Very low noise on good signals. Neither the Eton nor the Sony sound as good as the Sangean PR-D5, but then the Sangean costs a about $75 and has 2 speakers.
The Sony is totally manual, and minimalistic (a clock but no alarm functions) and the dials are stiffer than usual. There is no R/C, which really is the killer feature of the Eton, if R/C is a must-have for you, go for the Eton... But there is an earphone output, which outputs FM stereo. The line-cord FM antenna can be a problem, but there is provision for a switchable external FM antenna. Had no problems picking up all AM/FM stations of interest. Altogether a sophisticated-looking package, a true table-radio, perhaps not the highest in fidelity, but for $45 it is a bargain! Get one.

[Jeff McMahon]

I'll post your comment for wider reader visibility. Thanks. Sounds like I'll need to get one.