First Look--the Panasonic RF-2200

I got the chance to test a vintage mint-condition Panasonic RF-2200 for a week or so. The 2200 is a much coveted radio. Mint condition typically sells for about $225 on eBaby. Military in its bearing, heavy in a way that quietly says quality, offering a calm quiet background on AM and grabbing all FM stations with the ease of a jiu-jitsu master, the 2200 deserves its place as an Apex Predator Radio.

My test excluded the AC adaptor. I used 4 D batteries only. Not surprisingly, AM sounds like FM with no background noise. Even my weakest station, 710 ESPN, has no discernible hiss. The 2200 features a Gyro AM antenna on top that you rotate to fine-tune AM stations. This is much preferred to having to rotate the entire radio.

FM is just as sterling. I tuned in weak stations such as 88.9, 89.3, and 103.1 with ease. 

The 2200 is an analog radio, as opposed to digital, and you can fine-tune precisely to the "sweet spot." 

This fine-tuning is a strength and can be a source of frustration for impatient people who like to toggle quickly between stations. Forget the quick toggle with the 2200. You can go to fast-mode on the tuner, but eventually you may want to go to slow-mode when you're pin-pointing a station and with no digital read-out, you're going to want to carefully find the exact spot you want. This could be a challenge for an impatient person like myself, but nobody ever said quality can be rushed. 

I can't tell anyone to pay $225 plus shipping for any radio. While modern radios are cheaper, in look, feel, and too often performance, there are some modern radios that deliver enough good characteristics of the 2200 without the problems of old age and the logistics of buying from an eBay seller. Having said that, the 2200 is a vastly superior radio to the radios that I will mention shortly. 

I did a side by side comparison between the 2200 and my Eton S350DL and while the S350 remains an outstanding performer, I have to admit it seemed like a Minor Leaguer next to the Major League Hall of Famer, the 2200. The biggest difference is the warmth and fullness of the 2200's fidelity. While the S350 grabs hard-to-get stations with confidence and while I normally appreciate its speaker sound, I have to say the S350 sounded tinny in the presence of the effulgent 2200. 

On the other hand, the S350 costs less than half as much at $99 and does have a digital read-out so that you don't have to guess what station you're on.

Shortly after comparing the 2200 to the S350, I compared the 2200 to my C.Crane CSW and Sangean PR-D5. The CSW comes closer to the 2200 than did the S350, but still falls short because the fidelity is muffled and lacks the 2200's depth and effortlessness.

The PR-D5 cannot compete on FM in spite of its more than capable FM performance, but its 8-inch ferrite antenna delivers good AM. But again, its cheap 2.5 speakers don't deliver any fidelity depth to the degree that comparing the PR-D5 to the 2200 simply isn't fair. AM is clear on the PR-D5, but ultimately pedestrian. On the other hand, there is something insouciant and regal about the way the 2200 delivers AM. 

To give you an idea about FM performance, I'll take my weakest FM station 88.9 and tell you that all the radios I've mentioned here can get it clearly with one exception: The Sangean PR-D5. Having said that, the PR-D5 is my bedside radio because it meets all of my radio needs. Obviously I rarely or never listen to 88.9.  

If you're a radio newbie, you'd probably be better served getting the digital PR-D5 ($80), the S350 or the C.Crane CSW ($139 plus $60 for rechargeable batteries). But if you can get a mint 2200 and don't mind paying a good $250, then you will possess a radio that will never be matched by the current lot of cheap gizmos that are flying off the conveyor belts and which mock the glorious term radio. 

Comments

[Paul]

Jeff,

Can you do a side by side between the RF-2200, the CCradio-SW, and the Sangean PR-D5, and tell us what you think?

Thanks very much

Paul

[geraLd johnson]

now you see what ive been saying jeff. they simply dont make em like that anymore.

[jeffrey McMahon]

Paul, that's an excellent idea. I just edited my post to reflect those side by sides.

Jeff

[jeffrey McMahon]

Gerald, you know your radios.

[Mike W]

"OK, I'll just try heroin once, to see what it's like"

- Jeff McMahon, future Panasonic RF-2200 owner.

[jeffrey McMahon]

Mike, let's face it. Once you taste a real radio, you can't go back to the fake stuff. Am I right?

[Mike W]

As far as portables go, you're mainlining right now, buddy.

I am beginning to think the old-timers who prefer analog are right. Some distant MW stations are so much quieter (signal-to-noise) on my RF-2200 than on my modern digital sets that it's uncanny. Perhaps the 5 IF stages account for that but I'm a little over my head technically there.

Anyway, I meant the junkie reference in jest. I was initially a little let down by my RF-2200 but have come to appreciate it. SW sounds really warm and immediate on it.

I do think it's nice to have at least one good analog-tuned radio in addition to the more convenient modern digitals.

[Paul]

If the main difference between the RF-2200 and PR-D5/CCRadio-SW is audio fidelity, this can be easily rectified with a nice external speaker.

Are there performance differences in terms of digging up weak signals and distant AM/FM stations? Are there stations you can hear comfortably on the Panasonic, but not so on the Sangean or the CCRadio?

Paul

[jeffrey McMahon]

Mike,

I thought the Eton S350 was my analog but it seems so cheap and trivial next to the 2200.

Paul,

The PR-D5 is great on AM but strains to get the hard to get FM stations 103.1 and 88.9. You really have to move the antenna around whereas the 2200 gets these stations with ease.

[Paul]

So in that case it looks like the CCRadio-SW is closest to the RF-2200 in terms of AM/FM performance, lacking only in audio fidelity in comparison.

I will wait to see what happens with the Redsun RP3000, due out later this year (hopefully). CCrane will market it in the US.

[Mike W]

Paul, Jeff,

My observation has been that the RF-2200 is a better receiver on MW (AM) & SW than the CSW/S350DL (and even the CCRadio/PR-D5 on MW) before the signal even gets to the audio stage. Much less background hiss and squealing.

What never ceases to amaze me is how subjective users' evalution of radio performance can be. People rave about MW on the S350DL/CSW/RP2100 but they struck me as roughly equal to each other on MW, better than average but nothing special. The three share many components. The CSW apparently has the same MW antenna as the 2100 (and I think the 350 as well) in spite of being marketed as have a special "twin coil ferrite" antenna.

The CCRadio and the PR-D5 share some components, have similar MW performance, and it seems to me, are clearly better on MW than the other three.

The modern sets seem to generally do better on FM. I can't see recommending an RF-2200 primarily on the basis of FM performance, although it's good on that band as well. It's just no boombox, it's more for MW/SW voice programming.

Paul, I am going out on a limb here by commenting on a radio that has not been released yet, but I was also waiting to buy a Redsun RP3000/3100 last year, but I don't have especially high expectations for it as a MW receiver. It seems to me that the improvements over the 2100 will (mostly) help on SW. Single sideband (and sync detection if the high-end model ever gets released) can help on some MW signals, but I expect the 3000/3100 to be essentially the same MW receiver as the 2100.

[Juan Pablo]

Hello from Argentina!
To minimize the subjective aspects of radio performance I think it could be very interesting if you can post recordings of the same stations as received by either one or another receiver. (Sites like http://www.divshare.com/ allow you to upload audio and post these in a blog).
I'm also the owner of a RF-2200 and have a lot of other receivers so I know what you mean, but I think an audio clip is the best way to compare.
Bye!

[Justtis]

Could you please compare the RF-2200 with the RF-4800/4900 models?
A lot of us have one or the other of these models and it would be interesting to know which if any is better especially in the receive department. Thanks

[randio]

let's not forget the incredible TFM1000W Sony. Puts the s350dl to shame. I gave mine away, I was so disappointed...no lie.

[tom s]

I would like to buy your Panasonic rf2200 radio if it is for sale. A reasonable price of $75 would be fine with me. Please e-mail me at tsherid6@aol.com. thank you.