I purchased the RF-1600 on eBay about a week ago for $57, about $85 less than a C.Crane CSW and about $43 cheaper than the Eton S350.
Let's not waste time: The RF-1600 is a better radio. Built like a tank, it feels like I'm holding three similarly sized modern radios. The sound is huge. While music is full, I prefer talk. Voices sound like they're right in the room.
The tuning bar is clean, which is to say it's completely silent as you transition from one station to another. This is very reassuring.
The reception is A plus plus on AM and FM. No birdy or churgling noises on AM, including 710 and 830, my weakest stations. They sound like FM stereo on the 1600. All the troublesome FM stations, like 89.3 come in loud and clear.
I didn't expect to be so happy with this radio. It arrived stuffed in a nicotine-soaked gym towel. No bubble wrap, no box inside a box. Just a cheap old tattered box with the radio swathed in the gym towel. I feared the radio fall out of the box in several pieces. Thankfully, it was intact. However, I did have to air out my office as the nicotine smell was redolent of a 1950s hotel lobby.
The radio wobbles a bit because the battery compartment on the bottom doesn't close tightly. There is no hatch to cover the AC chord. Other than that, the radio is fine. The real issues, volume control, tuning mechanism, speaker, reception--all those things are in excellent condition.
Speaker Sound: If you listen to a lot of talk radio, the RF-1600 is for you. For music, you might want the warmer sound from the Boston Acoustic Horizon Solo or Duo. Of course, these are different types of radios. A better comparison is with the current C.Crane CSW and the Eton S350 DL. The RF-1600 is a better radio. It sound similar to the S350 on FM but far better on AM. The muffled sound of the CSW, especially for music, makes it the least appealing of the three.
Before you go out and get an Eton S350 or C.Crane CSW for significantly more money, do yourself a favor and find a 1600.
Highly recommended.
What you have there is a REAL RADIO as opposed to small, modern "Radio Signal Listening Devices." Once you go vintage, it's hard to come back. That's a really good looking radio---I wonder how much they would charge for something that size, made of those materials, today?
Posted by: Angelo | October 03, 2008 at 04:42 PM
My guess is about $250.
Posted by: jeffrey McMahon | October 03, 2008 at 06:08 PM
See ebay item 300296677726 - RF-1600 for $50.
Posted by: Paul | February 25, 2009 at 06:31 PM
Just purchased an RF-1600 in excellent physical and electrical condition from Ebay for $147.50. Worth every cent! Sound, sensativity and selectivity are all excellent. Astonding performance for a radio with only a 3 foot antenna! SW performance matches my Grundig Satellit 800!
Posted by: Bill Karda | August 06, 2009 at 11:49 AM
I have a 1600 that I use every day in my kitchen. It has a fairly wide bandwidth on AM, so music sounds fantastic on it. I use it with my SSTran AM transmitter to listen to internet streaming in the kitchen. Sounds almost as good as FM. (Sounds better than FM on a cheap boom box!)
Posted by: Scooby214 | August 06, 2009 at 12:45 PM
Hi
I just purchased a RF 1600c at a local Estate sale for $10. This radio is heavy and well built. The sound is great. What a find!
Anthony
Canada
Posted by: Anthony DiCio | April 24, 2010 at 05:56 PM
Anthony: Nice going. What a steal.
Posted by: Angelo | April 24, 2010 at 06:32 PM
I have an RF-1600, and while it does have great sound, mine is a bit lacking in the RF department. The VHF band is completely deaf. A Terk AM loop makes a huge difference in reception, which makes me believe that it is in great need of an alignment or other repair. Is there anybody around who can perform a tune-up on these beasts?
Posted by: Doug H | February 20, 2012 at 08:46 AM
Got mine for $3 at a resale shop. Dirty,dusty, broken antenna, dial light button doenst work to turn off light. Cleaned up nicely, taped antenna and it works beautifully. Great sound, great look. Love it. Can even play ipod using phono jack.
Posted by: Jonzilla | October 12, 2013 at 05:32 PM
Now THAT'S a radio. In all fairness it would cost a bundle now, but it did then as well.
We've gotten used to "cheap".
To be honest I have never been crazy about the S350 models. I think they are extremely overrated. So much so that a review (Jay Allen who I think has done some excellent work and I find to be just about always spot on) saying that the Redsun/Kaito/CC-SW is comparable on MW/AM put me off of that radio...though I am still curious.
Posted by: Drive-In-Freak | October 12, 2013 at 06:21 PM
I have one of these radios. I got it for a dollar at a flea market twenty years ago and it has sat in my metal shop since. It is filthy, the slides are scratchy, and it is dented from many tumbles, yet it still plays my baseball games from a distance my modern radios can not even hear.
-Spike
Posted by: Spike | July 03, 2015 at 06:07 PM
I just purchased this from a church thrift store for $8 bucks- it said not working on the sticker, but something kept sucking me back to it. Got it home- everything works, except can't pick up any stations (have the top antenna) but I saw on Youtube there is a back external? Does anybody know if that can help? I'm determined to get this gal up and running! Thanks!
Posted by: Erin | August 14, 2015 at 12:07 PM
I just bought one off e thingy and had it posted to my home in Australia. What a radio! I love it! In almost mint condition.I did a quick comparison with a Sangean ATS-803A and I have to say the 1600 is much better. Very sensitive, average selectivity but room filling sound! These radios were never released for Australia and as such have only the 110/120VAC capability and as Australia has 240 VAC mains, I run this radio off batteries only. I run most of my portable radios off batteries anyway, much quieter. The radio is built like a tank and is a quality bit of kit. If you have the opportunity, get one, you won't be disappointed! Highly recommended.
Posted by: Phil Ireland | September 13, 2015 at 05:28 PM
Just picked up one at an estate sale for 15 bucks. What a steal! This radio is so well built nothing on the market today built like this.It was scratchy so I opened it up and gave it a good cleaning and that was all it took,it now works perfect great reception and sound. I'm going to really enjoy this radio. If you ever see one for sale don't walk past it, you won't regret it.
Posted by: Chuck Boyles | January 13, 2019 at 05:05 PM
I recently purchased a Panasonic RF-1600.The battery compartment was loaded with acid , battery door missing , both chrome cosmetic end pieces missing.Powered up ,however, massive amounts of static.Gave it an intense cleaning. Works and sounds as good as the one my dad gave me when I was 16...Shortwave reception is my main interest..she pulls it in nicely.
Posted by: Douglas Peters | May 18, 2022 at 02:19 PM