My feelings about the Boston Acoustics Horizon Solo have been obsessive from the start because never have I experienced such a powerful tuner with immediate, full rich sound from a small radio that costs under $100. I chronicled my rhapsodic experience, a chance meeting at Target, in a PREVIOUS POST. I then put myself on a limb and declared the 5 Reasons the Solo Would Replace the Recepter. I was right about that. The Recepter has been discontinued. Not content with my praise of the Solo, I also posted its significance by announcing that it was Ushering a New Era. But then there were reports of bugs, including a Target Being Inundated with Returned Solos. I then tried to diminish my praise of the Solo, discussing its unstable properties, comparing it to an Athlete on Steroids. I have since advised that people might be better off waiting a year for the Bugs to be Removed. But that might never happen. With the quick turnaround of any technology, sometimes what you see is what you get. So should you avoid the Solo? I say get one, save the receipt, and don't use it as a clock radio since the most common complaints have to do with the Sleep and Alarm functions. Use it as a general table radio for the kitchen or the den. Just how good is the Solo's reception? I can't praise it enough. For example, I've just been moved into a new office that gets even MORE INTERFERENCE than my previous office. Now that's bad, real bad. The new office, lined with foil insulation, impedes just about all AM and most FM. I tried several radios, a GE Superradio III, a Kaito 1103, an Eton Sound 100, a Grundig G4000 and all had problems with the usually strong 89.9 KCRW. So I brought one of my two Solos to the new office and it gets FM with greater clarity than any of the aforementioned radios. It even pulls in some AM sound whereas the other radios were completely blank on that count. Also the speaker sound on the Solo is fantastic, bright, full, and immediate. To conclude, you might get a Sangean WR-2 for your clock radio, but for a general table radio, don't deny yourself the Solo. Just make sure you keep your receipt. Yes, I've been lucky with the 2 I bought for myself and the one I bought as a gift for my officemate. But if you get a lemon, return it until you get a good one. It's worth the effort.
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I liked the Solo, but in a way I'm glad mine had bugs in it, because I wouldn't have discovered the Sangean WR-2.
After several weeks of owning the WR-2, I don't even mind the alarm setting, which initially struck me as being too complicated.
Posted by: doby14 | May 14, 2008 at 07:58 PM
You're more tech-adroit than I, for I gave up on the alarm 3 years ago. It scares me. I feel like I'm getting sucked into a irretrievable vortex.
Posted by: Jeff McMahon | May 14, 2008 at 08:09 PM
Hey, Doby, or Jeff for that matter,
How is the AM reception on the WR-2 compared to the Solo?
I also like the remote on the WR-2 because I would use it as a table radio from across the room and never as an alarm clock.
Too bad about the small number of presets on the WR-2, though.
Posted by: Mike W | May 14, 2008 at 08:11 PM
Mike, I'd give the WR-2 an A or A minus. Because the speaker is different on the Solo (louder, more immediate; in contrast, you have to crank the WR-2 to "30" before you get significant volume), it's hard to compare, but if you get a non-bug Solo, it's a sure A grade on AM. The WR-2's great AM. I suspect you'd be happy with it. It sure looks more adult and refined than the the college-dorm-look Solo.
Posted by: Jeff McMahon | May 14, 2008 at 08:50 PM
Thanks, Jeff. If the Sat 750 doesn't work out (speaking of irrational obsessions), I think I'll pick up a Solo, a used BAR, or a WR-2, probably the last.
I just read that story with the mysterious man who introduced you to the Solo. You should have taken poetic license and made him a backwards-talking midget in a red suit.
Posted by: Mike W | May 14, 2008 at 09:36 PM
I'm glad I was truthful. Here's why? The gentleman stumbled upon my website and read about himself. He e-mailed me. He seemed gently amused by the whole episode. A scabrous midget in a red suit may have elicited a different response.
Posted by: Jeff McMahon | May 14, 2008 at 10:33 PM
Do you still have the horrible noise when using presets (can't find the post right now)? That sounds (!) like an annoying bug even if you disregard the alarm/sleep functions...
I've kind-of crossed out the Solo as a viable alarm clock, but kind-of thinking about it as a radio-enabled computer speaker.
Posted by: Cyril | May 15, 2008 at 01:31 PM
Cyril, perhaps I overstated the glitch: When I tune the preset knob from 89.9 to the weaker 89.3, there is a horrible rumble which can only terminate when I move the wire antenna. I have two Solos. The problem is evident on one of them only. I still think the Solo is an amazing radio in spite of its foibles. The sound is the best I've heard. Of course, sound is subjective. Jeff
Posted by: herculodge | May 15, 2008 at 01:38 PM