Amazon Selling Sony ICF-SW7600GR for $123.30

 

 

Thanks, Vimal:

Amazon selling Sony ICF-SW7600GR AM/FM Shortwave World Band Receiver for $123.30 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
http://www.amazon.com/Sony-ICF-SW7600GR-Shortwave-Receiver-Reception/dp/B00006IS4X/ref=pd_rhf_gw_s_cp_8

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Comments

[KE7CYT]

If it only tuned using a knob!
I've got it's ancestor the ICF-SW7600G, and while it's synchronous detector works very well, searching the bands for new emissions becomes tedious using the slew buttons.
Still, if you're using it to listen to SW broadcasts that are on well-known frequencies this is probably the best portable.

[Pablo]

I agree with the previous post...and could add that the sound is boring, muffled and FM performance is, at least, poor.

[Angelo]

My experience is very positive with this radio: Excellent shortwave, especially for a compact; very nice quality switchgear compared to Sangean, Tecsun, Redsun, etc. It has long battery life and a nice case. This price is a steal in my opinion. I paid almost this much for a used one----an E-Bay seller who had used it very briefly while sailing sailing all over the Caribbean on a yacht.

[Tim]

This is the most disappointing radio I've ever owned: horrendous audio quality, poor AM selectivity, poor FM sensitivity, no tuning wheel, and an antenna that flops from side to side. The SSB works well, but no better than on my Sangean 909 and 909x. The synchronous detection is the only redeeming feature on this terribly over-rated radio.

[Angelo]

Tim: Maybe you got a lemon. My 7600, acquired used, as noted above----is worth every bit of $130.00. Conversely, my Sangean 808 does have a tuning wheel---that no longer works, so it's nothing more than a decoration at this point and I'm using the arrow buttons instead anyway. You make a good point about audio quality----the speaker isn't going to win any hi-fi awards, but I genrally listen on headphones anyway as it's an evening DX machine, a station stalker. AM performance on mine is exemplary. I haven't used it much for FM since I have so many FM radios with real speakers, that fill the room with sound. And you make a good point regarding the SSB vs. the Sangean 909. The Sony is selling for over $100.00 less than the Sangean----which retails for $449.00, though you always find it for far less. Anyway, at about half the cost, this Sony performs just as well. And for people who tend to keep radios for many years----I don't think they'll feel the Sony is overpriced in the long run. At least in the case of mine, everything is still tight and still works. The antenna that flops side to side can be fixed in a moment with a little screwdriver that you use for eyeglasses. I've had Sangeans and other brands that sell in this price range----that turn into junkboxes because things stop working.

[Tim]

Angelo -

My Sony works as it's supposed to; I just consider sound quality to be important. I wasn't expecting hi-fi excellence, but jeepers, the speaker just sounds like crap. I can't listen to music on it because it's too darn tinny. I, too, use head phones at night when my wife is asleep, and I admit that the FM sounds much better then, but for $146 I think a half decent speaker should have been included. My intent was to use it at my desk for several hours at a time, but the listener fatigue is too much. Instead, I take it out once in a while, only to quickly put it away in preference for almost any other radio.

As for the floppy antenna, of course I took a tiny screw driver to it right away, but it made no difference.

I did a side-by-side comparison between the Sony and the Sangean 909 (as well as the 909X), and the Sangean either matched or exceeded the Sony in every category except one. The SW/SSB performance was equal, but the Sony suffered from only moderate selectivity. This is true even when using the synchronous detection, which defeats the whole purpose of it. Otherwise, the sync is quite a useful feature, and it allows me to pick up here and there a station that I can't sufficiently well on the Sangean. I admit, for the Sangean's price of $230, that feature certainly should have been included. So - yes - the Sangean is over-priced. However, I'm more than willing to put out the money for a fine, well-designed, and attractive multiband radio that will endure. Really, the Sangean is so easy to use, such a pleasure, that every time I use the Sony, I soon go back to the Sangean out of frustration.

My first shortwave radio was a Sangean 505. After six years, it still worked fine - tuning wheel and all. I gave it to a friend, but bought another one. My trusty old 909 is now about eight years old, and it still works flawlessly. I guess I've developed a fondness for Sangean, even though I've had a few Sangean duds. The ergonomics are exceptional. And now the 909X looks as sharp as can be.

[Tim]

I've thought about giving another 7600GR a try, but I really don't think the one I presently have is a lemon. Besides, if I wasted another $130-$150 on the same radio and it turned out to be just like my first one, I'd be livid.

By the way, can anyone settle the rumor whether or not the Sony is now out of production?

I've come close to trying the Tecsun PL660. That, too, has synchronous detection, but the reviews are only good, rather than excellent. There are some YT videos comparing it with the 7600GR, but the results aren't convincing.

Anybody want to comment on the Tecsun? It does seem to be popular.

[vimal oberoi]

Now at Amazon,Sony ICF-SW7600GR AM/FM Shortwave World Band Receiver for $119.98 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping.