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. 

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

[Gary Kinsman]

You've mentioned the harsh sound quality of the CCRadio-SW several times. I don't recall anyone on the Yahoo redsun-shortwave-radios group mentioning this flaw with respect to the Redsun RP2100, of which the CSW is a clone. I wonder if you got a defective CSW. This might be something to pursue with C. Crane.

[jeffrey McMahon]

I've listened to 3 and I've overstated the harshness, making the error of comparing it to the Horizon Duo. Lame comparison. FM is okay, but I do find AM a bit harsh for my tastes.

[Mike W]

I had a CCRadio-SW that I pawned off on eBay. I don't know if I'd call it "harsh" or choose another word, but I did not think much of the sound quality.

As for what to use as an outdoor radio, I second your mention of the SR III.