The Sangean WR-12BT arrived from Amazon today and I got listen to it for half of the day. The black and walnut looks nice and it is quite the solid block. It's handsome radio for sure.
The tuning issue you guys experienced seems to be fixed, I found the dial accurate and the tuning sensitivity to be OK, but not as good as the WR-2 I had sitting next to it. AM reception is nearly non-existent in my building, so I can't really comment on that.
The Bluetooth feature works well and is easy enough that a Mac user could figure it out. There is a bit of delay every time you move the dial to Bluetooth while it opens itself up to pairing, about 5 to 7 seconds.
Now we come to the sound quality. I'm not sure that Sangean did enough here, or that maybe the radio's three speaker design isn't just inherently flawed, but the radio just sounds a little off. You guys described it as having a muddled sound, and I would have to agree. I messed with the bass and treble knobs to try and get a better range of sound, and the amount of bass the little bad boy can generate would impress the average weekend DJ, but it sounds like the highs, mids, and lows are haphazardly bouncing off of each other inside the radio with only the occasional clear tone escaping.
The WR-12BT does seem to sound better when the volume is turned up, part of the problem might be that I'm just sitting too close to it at my desk. It reminds me a lot of an old boombox, in fact if you ever had a mid-size Sony boombox with MegaBass then I would use that as a sonic reference for the WR-12BT.
It's too bad, I feel like if they had taken the passive bass speaker design of the WR-5 and just made the cabinet larger and the two speakers a little more powerful this would make a fine radio that could fill a large room and still sound great if you're sitting three feet from it.
Comparing it side to side with the WR-2 I certainly would say the WR-12BT sounds much fuller, but not nearly as clear. Compared to the WR-5 (which I didn't do side by side) the WR-12BT also sounds fuller more powerful but the stereo separation of the WR-5 is much better, and while the WR-5's mid range gets a bit lost between the taught highs and punchy bass, it is not distracting like the WR-12BT muddled middle.
The Bluetooth version of the WR-2 will be out soon (the WR-22) and maybe I'll try that at some point. I agreed to sell my WR-2 already, so I'm going to pick up a Proton 420 on eBay and go retro for a while at work.
Peace Out,
Nathan
Reading Nathan's description of the speaker sound, this radio sounds like a loser to me. I feel more intrigued by the upcoming Sangean WR-22BT.
Posted by: herculodge | February 07, 2013 at 08:08 AM
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3697372
...and look, Rat Shack is selling an old friend of ours.
Posted by: Angelo | February 07, 2013 at 08:09 AM
Of course, Amazon is selling our old friend for less. If Amazon has "another close-out" and they are back at 25 bucks, shipping included----I'll probably get one.
Posted by: Angelo | February 07, 2013 at 08:23 AM
Angelo, I'd think twice about buying one if Amazon has a $25 special. I bought one for (I think) $21.95 from Amazon on closeout a few years ago and it was awful. Misaligned like crazy, images all over the place, bascially unusable, both on AM and FM.
Posted by: Ken K. in NJ | February 07, 2013 at 09:11 AM
Ken: Reading the reviews, you see some that are what you describe---and others who love the sound and reception of the radio. So it would be like buying a 25.00 lottery ticket and either hitting the lottery or losing----but maybe a 50/50 chance! Sad but true---the quality control is that bad and the lots are that inconsistent.
Posted by: Angelo | February 07, 2013 at 12:58 PM
"The Bluetooth feature works well and is easy enough that a Mac user could figure it out"
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah!!!!!!
You really made me laught !!!....
Ha, ha ha ha ha ha ha ah !!!! Thanks Nathan.
Posted by: Huesby | February 07, 2013 at 02:01 PM
Monday November 30, 2015: I just unboxed and tested my new Sangean WR 12 BT. Here are my initial impressions.
Looks: The WR 12 BT comes in a dark walnut finished cabinet with black speaker grill, tuner panel, and controls. My first impression is that the WR 12 BT is a handsome retro (1970s style) radio and is solidly built.
Tuning: Early reports from 3 years ago suggested that the tuner drifted too much. I found no significant drifting on local stations during the day. It should be noted that I have separate tunable AM and FM antennae for DXing distant stations (in other states at night). During this test, I got some slight drift out. However, these stations would also drift back in on their own without adjustments. Clearly, atmospherics plays a part.
Sound: Early reports from 3 years ago suggested that the sound was very muddled. One reviewer went so far as to not recommend this radio. I found that the tone controls offered sufficient adjustment for any room environment. However, compared to the almost antiseptic sound we now get from digital radios, Sangean makes the WR 12 BT sound softer and warmer, almost as if its a tube radio, which it isn’t. Maybe those softer, warmer tones result from the real walnut cabinet. In addition, the sound has a definite 3D aspect to it. The front speakers throw their mids and highs forward, while the woofer projects backwards. Now I realize that’s where the speakers physically are in the cabinet, but I didn’t expect to hear this 3D effect so easily.
Bluetooth: To my knowledge, there have never been any reviews complaining about the Bluetooth compatibility of the WR 12 BT and I’m no exception. My iPhone was able to synch with the radio in less than 5 seconds. It actually took me longer to make a music selection. By the way, the sound level of the radio reduces on it’s own when you connect via Bluetooth. This is because the radio wants you to adjust the volume using your phone as a remote. Remember, with a bluetooth connection, your phone turns the WR 12 BT into an internet radio, so you can play anything from anywhere.
Quality: My first impression is favorable enough, that I don’t anticipate any quality control issues. But, if I have problems down the road, I’ll post an update. If no update, that means no problems.
Recommendation: If you’re the kind of person who must have modern crystal clear digital sound, or if you wish the WR 12 BT had station presets, digital tuning and a remote control, then this radio may not be for you. But if you like the 1970’s retro look of the real walnut cabinet, the retro backlit analog tuner, and if the softer, warmer, Hi-Fi retro sound appeals to you, then this ‘old school’ radio is for you.
Posted by: Thomas Tinta | December 01, 2015 at 07:42 PM