Judging the Performance of the New C.Crane CCRadio-2 by Comparing It Against the Sangean PR-D5 and GE Super Radio II

I was going to wait another month for the CCRadio-2 to be available on Amazon. With free shipping and $100 dollars' worth of coupons, I was going to save big money. But I couldn't wait. So as a California resident I had to pay $13.20 sales tax and $10.75 on shipping on the CCRadio-2's full retail price of $159.95 for a robust total of $183.90. I suppose I can console myself by saying that I'm defraying the cost with the modest advertising revenue I make on this blog. There, that's better.

But the real soothe can only come from the radio itself. As a replacement for the CCRadio-Plus, which is nearly a decade old and boasting a radio industry top level internal ferrite antenna close to 200 mm, the CCR-2 represents a major radio release. So I wanted to get the CCR-2 sooner than later.

What better way to judge it than by comparing it to some other big AM players, the vintage GE Super Radio II and the Sangean PR-D5? And for fidelity comparisons, I thought I'd add the Boston Acoustics Horizon Duo, which at $130 is close to the CCR-2 in price range. 

The bottom-line question is of the aforementioned radios which one would I purchase if I could only buy one? The answer is easy. It's not even close. I'd buy the CCR-2.

Is the CCR-2 the Miracle of All Radios? No. But on balance it beats all the other players mentioned in this game. Here's why:

AM Reception

The CCR-2, the GESR II, and the PR-D5 get pretty close AM reception in terms of raw strength (they all have similar sized internal ferrite antennas), so the real issue is sound. I noticed the GESR II sounded distant and a bit echo-like on 570 and 710. In contrast, the CCR-2 sounded a lot warmer, closer, more intimate. The PR-D5 has lousy, weak speakers so it lost easily. The Horizon Duo has mediocre AM in spite of its majestic speakers so it also lost. The winner: The CCR-2. Most buyers of the CCR-2 are probably looking for strong AM sound so this is a huge category to be won by the CCR-2.

FM Reception

The CCR-2 and the GE SR II are very close here. My weakest station 88.9 could be grabbed fairly easily by both. But here's a significant advantage for the CCR-2: It's digital with presets plus it has a strength meter. The PR-D5 is weaker. Worse than the PR-D5 is the Horizon Duo, which is prone to static on FM. Again, the CCR-2 wins.

Speaker Sound

The clear winner is the Duo but what use is great speaker sound when mated to mediocre AM and a pigtail FM antenna that is prone to static? I'd give the CCR-2 a grade of B or B plus for speaker sound. Voicing on talk radio is great, an A grade. Like I said earlier, voices are warm and close. In the case of musical fidelity, the CCR-2 lacks the wow factor of the Horizon Duo, and Horizon Solo for that matter. One advantage the CCR-2 has over the PR-D5 is that it has treble and bass controls, which are lacking in the PR-D5. By increasing treble, I can get a little more brightness out of the CCR-2's music sound. 

Ease of Use

All of these radios are easy to use. I'd put the GESR II in last place since it's an analog tuner. Try moving from 88.9 to 106.7 on the FM dial. No fun. I like to toggle, so I'm a digital preset man. Because I own a Sangean WR-2 and Sangean makes the CCR-2, I was familiar enough with the controls that as I write this post I have not even opened the CCR-2's owner's manual. I'm sure I'll get around to it. 

Bottom-line

For me, the CCR-2 is the clear choice here. I overpaid for it by $24, (as an Internet shopper, I'm averse to paying tax and shipping) but that's okay. A grade AM and FM with a big speaker. Handsome to look at. Solid with good build quality, the CCRadio-2 is a winner. Don't be surprised if I use my Amazon coupons to pick up a second one in the next month or so. 

Comments

[Ed]

Watch out for Newest-Radio Bias, Jeff. You may modify your opinions in a month or so, as you have done previously, most likely downward. Bugs, if any, will not usually pop up right away, and the CCRadio was notorious for time-releaesd bugs.
(BTW, I want my SRII back!)

[Jeffrey McMahon]

Ed, you can pick up your SRII any time or I can bring it over. Thanks for letting me do some comparison. Huge help.

Yeah, I'll have to update for any bugs or new/different impressions. But for now if I could only buy one radio, the CCR-2 would be it.

[Gary Kinsman]

Jeff - Thanks for the review. Do you have any comment on C. Crane's claim that "After you select a station, the CCRadio-2 evaluates the signal for several seconds and then locks in for the highest signal possible?" I'm not sure what they mean by this.

[Jeffrey McMahon]

Gary, I'm too much of a layman to vouch for "lock-in" ability. For me the CCR-2 is what I wanted: big speaker, telescopic FM antenna, presets, good build quality, and 8-inch AM ferrite. It all works well together.

[Gary Kinsman]

It sounds like a nice upgrade to the original CCR.

[Jeffrey McMahon]

I never had or tested the original. I'd be curious to know how they compare. My guess is they're very similar in reception strength and sound.

[Mike W]

Well, that was fast. Thanks for the feedback, Jeff.

I am glad you are happy with the CCR-2, especially considering that you paid up to get one ASAP.

One more comparison I'd like to see is between the CCR original and the CCR-2. I suppose that will show up in the Amazon and Radiointel reviews. With all due respect, my default assumption is that they are pretty much identical on AM & FM, although I'd be delighted to read otherwise.

Over time you can tell us about battery consumption, etc. My CCR was thrify enough to run full time on D cells, whereas my PR-D5 simply chews though an expensive set of C cells so quickly that it has become a de facto table radio for me.

[Kevin S]

Thanks for biting the bullet and getting one, Jeff!

How about the selectivity? Somewhere in recent posts was a discussion between with the tech at CCrane, and the tech indicated that the new magical circuitry would also help stations from bleeding into each other.

[Mike W]

Why does Crane have to be so cryptic about the nature of this magically delicious new circuitry, if indeed there is any?

It's not like they're making bugging devices for the Mossad or something, it's just a consumer-grade radio. If it's got DSP or whatever like that new Tecsun model, why not just say so?

[Huesby]

Hi everybody:
I have the original CCradio in mint condition fully aligned, the GE SR II not so mint but fully aligned and a Sony ICF-5900 in good condition and fully aligned.
Making a comparison among them:
A. AM Sensitivity
1. GE SR II, 2. CCradio 3.ICF-5900
Comments: All of them are very close in performance.

B. AM Selectivity
1. GESRII, 2. CCRadio 3. ICF-5900
Commnets: The GESRII wins easily

C. FM sensitivity
1. GESRII 2. CCradio 3. ICF-5900
Comments: 1 and 2 are very close and a sep behind the Sony ICF-5900

D. FM selectivity
4. 1.CCradio 2.GESRII,3.ICF-5900
Comments: 1 and 2 are very close almost a tie between them.

E. Sound
1.GE SRII, 2 ICF-5900 3. CCradio
Comments: CCradio is only good for hearing news.

F. Volume without distortion
1.GESRII 2.CCradio 3.Sony ICF-5900
The Sony has lower volume levels but that`s normal considering it`s the only one who uses 4 batteries instead of 6 as the others.

Overall Winner:
Guess who is the winner here ?
.................................

In another news department:
I´ve just received 2 Panasonic RF-2200 and I´m preparing a test against my best radios I´ll report next week...

[¾ Blind]

Locking in the station for best signal? Sounds like automatic frequency control (AFC) which used to be standard on all but the cheapest analog FM radios. Perhaps the CC-Radio 2 uses AFC on AM?

How does the CCR 2 perform on the 2 meter ham band? In Southern California some frequencies try are 147.090 mHz. (staid) and 147.435 (raucous).

[Jeffrey McMahon]

I agree with Mike that the CCR-2 is probably identical to the CR-1 with different bands. I'm hopeful that my 2 won't have LCD issues. I'm not using batteries, just the wall plug, so I doubt I'll comment on battery life anytime soon.

I have thus far found no stations on 2 meter ham.

3/4, thanks for those frequencies. I'll try them later.

[Angelo]

Jeff: Is it offered in black too, or just silver? If you use your Amazon coupons for another one, I'd suggest you use the second one on batteries only. I'm hearing that LCD failures might be due to electrical surges/irregularities (If something in the LCD component is weak to begin with, it can be shoved over the edge by electrical pulses---safer on battery power.).

[David]

Jeff... What do you think about the legibility of the screen on the CCRadio 2? I was wishing they would have gone with a nice "contrasting" screen (white characters on a black background-very easy to read).

For the readers, here is a picture of the CCRadio 2 screen:
http://universal-radio.com/catalog/spcialty/0184lrg.jpg

Now a screen with a dark background:
http://universal-radio.com/catalog/spcialty/0408.html

What do you guys prefer?

[David]

Jeff... To add to what Angelo mentioned.. If you purchase batteries, be sure to get the Low Self Discharge (LSD) NiMH type. That way the batteries won't be drained in a year, from just sitting around.