Battle of the Outdoor Radios--C.Crane CSW Vs. Tivoli PAL

In the battle of portable, rugged, outdoor radios, there are two strong contenders, the C.Crane CSW, which costs $139 plus $30 for 4 rechargeable D batteries (on eBay I get best battery prices) or the Tivoli Songbook, which currently goes for $220, including its lithium rechargeable battery. So is the PAL worth the extra $50 asking price?

The short answer is no. Here's why: While the PAL is more compact, it falls short of the CSW in performance and outdoor sound volume. 

I've washed my Maxima with both radios and I prefer the CSW. For one, when I'm outside squinting my eyes in the sun I don't want to fine-tune stations with the PAL analog tuner. I'd rather use the digital presets on the CSW.

Also while the sound, especially on music, is warm with strong fidelity on the PAL, I have to crank it way up to get the volume on the 3-inch speaker above the sound of my car wash jet nozzle. In contrast, the CSW 5-inch speaker fills the neighborhood (sorry, neighbors) with barely upping the knobl. While I'm not fond of the harsh music fidelity of the CSW, I don't blare music while I'm washing my car. I usually listen to Bill Handel on the Law or Leo Leporte the Tech Guy or some other talk show. 

Regarding reception, I'd give the CSW an A on FM and an A minus on AM. I'd give the PAL a B for FM and a B plus for AM. The winner here is clearly the CSW. 

The PAL recharges automatically when you plug it in. But the CSW is not that difficult to recharge. You simply press one button. 

One slight advantage of the PAL: Replacing the PAL's MA-2 lithium battery pack is $22, a little cheaper than finding 4 D batteries on eBay. 

If you prefer the look of the PAL, want warmer music fidelity, and like the analog tuner over the digital, then you might spend $220. But a cheaper analog alternative would be to get a $55 RCA Super Port radio. The alkaline D batteries should give you over 200 hours, which is a lot of back-breaking car washes and gardening. The RCA's speaker is astonishing at this price point. Also the reception is excellent. 

For a fancier radio at a good price and strong tuner performance I sometimes see the Tivoli Songbook on eBay for just under $100, which is half the asking price on Amazon. 

Comments

[Angelo]

Do you have to remove the batteries to recharge them? I've found that in digital cameras, standard sized batteries (AA) have to be removed to recharge. And they don't hold a charge nearly long enough----need to be recharged practically every time I go to use the camera, which is a joke. This is compounded by the fact that I have to constantly open and close the battery door, which inevitably will wear out or crack, then the batteries are held in by tape, then the camera gets thrown away. I'm all for rechargables to save money and the environment, but for my camera, I don't think a viable rechargable battery option is out there.

[Brian (Scooby214)]

The CSW charges the batteries while installed in the radio. The same goes for some of the Degen radios such as the 1102 and the 1103. They don't charge automatically when you plug the radio in. You have to press a button to start the charge cycle.

I also catch Leo Laporte over the weekends, though Handel on the Law is no longer carried in my area.

[gerald]

Jeff,, is that a reflection or does the metal face plate on your ccsw have bronze color? mine is silver.

[Tom Welch]

Is digital AM radio in our future?

http://www.iht.com/articles/2009/01/11/business/radio.php

[herculodge]

Must be reflection since the plate is silver.

[Angelo]

Does anyone listen to Dave Ramsey on the weekends?
Hey, I hear Obama wants to delay the start of high def television. If he gets his wish, the radios with TV sound will work a bit longer! I'm in agreement with him on this issue---fact is, we're not ready for the switchover yet. I'm on a waiting list for a converter box coupon. I have cable, but want a box to use if the cable is out for an extended period---or for sets in my house not hooked up to cable. I haven't bought a high def set yet. I know part of the reason for the switch was to stimulate sales of these televisions. When the economy went south, so did those sales. Far fewer people have the new high def ready sets than the government expected by this time. And their funding for the converter box coupons has dried up. Another government mess.

[Wals]

They are selling C-Boxes at Target for about $45 this week. With tax you pay around $8.20.
One week at Rite Aid you could get them for the $40 coupon and just pay the tax. I haven't bothered yet. But two stations in my area have already signed off analog weeks ago.

[Angelo]

I don't understand how the stations could do that---FCC regulation is for February, not before. Also, the funding is over for the coupons, for now. I'm on the waiting list. I'm sure the boxes will show up on e-bay for cheap.

[ed]

I still think the Tivoli PLl looks like something I made in my High School electronics lab. It's built in a cheap Radio Shack "project box" fer crissakes.
Yes, I think the Analog TV shutoff will be postponed. Digital HDTV has been broadcast for years, so it is NOT a "transition." It's in the air right now for the taking. I've had an HDTV for 2 years and receive it free over the air with rabbit ears.
The TV spectrum was sold off to commercial interests for a few billion dollars nearly 10 years ago. It was a stupid move that will piss off millions come February.

[Tom Welch]

I believe theres over 1 million Americans waiting to get their $40 coupons since the agency that handles this underestimated the demand for this coupon and ran out of budget. In addition, there appears to be a lot of misunderstanding among the public as to the implementation of this new service according to recent surveys taken.

My neighbor tells me that Canada is taking a slower approach, implementing digital TV nationwide in 2011.

[Angelo]

Tom: Canada is probably doing the right thing. Also, it strikes me that some of the "confusion" is intentional. At the very beginning of this decision/implementation, it was strongly implied that everyone would need new television sets by February of '09, and the sets were available, on sale. The government/FCC stood by for a long time and didn't clarify/counter that assertion. Later, they talked about how having cable would mean older sets could still work, but even then, they were hazy about it. When the economy soured, electronics sales took a nosedive, especially the expensive televisions. A few years ago, you could buy a name brand 27" color television set loaded with features for under $300.00. Now? Well, you end up with a flat panel of some sort, larger, and it costs over $1000.00.