PR-D7 AM/FM Digital Rechargeable Portable Radio - White, One Size

Quite an impressive little radio. My old cheap GE "work radios" (radios I use while painting, sanding, fixing stuff, etc.) were both having issues, and I was spending way too much time just trying to tune them in, positioning them, and trying to keep them tuned in -- instead of working on whatever projects were at hand. I was not using battery power, so I always had to use an extension cord. This required some planning ahead (long extension cords) if I wanted to listen to the radio in a place far from the house. These radios were about 25+ years old, and had cost about $10 each. I could not find any good little radios in that price range today. I considered the Sony ICF38 for about $25 on Amazon. (This model is similar in style to my old GE radios.) But, some (not a lot) of the reviews complained of poor reception. The Sangean PR-D7 was twice as expensive, but had digital tuning and was capable of recharging rechargeable batteries -- and had great reviews. So, I decided to give the go-ahead to it, so that I could have more freedom of movement when working in different locations (battery-power w/ recharger built in), and reportedly excellent reception. I got the Panasonic Eneloop AA rechargeable batteries, as they had great reviews. (All batteries are not the same, apparently, to my surprise.) The FM reception on this radio is excellent. Haven't used the AM too much, but it seems good. Tuning and operation are simple. Sound quality is excellent -- way better than I expected. No hiss or background noise, super-clear, crisp audio. Digital scan tuning is very fast, and you can tune automatically (letting the tuner pick up the next strong signal), or you can tune manually (setting the frequency on a station that does not come in too clearly.) It has a digital clock display that is always on, and orange back-lighting for 10 seconds when any of the buttons are pressed. The 5 pre-sets for FM are very handy. (There are also 5 for AM.) The ability to re-charge the rechargeable batteries within the unit itself is a big selling point. I don't know yet how long the batteries will last on a single charge, but my experience with battery-operated radios is that the don't last long. So, rechargables is definitely the way to go. This radio permits you to recharge the batteries easily without removing them from the unit, simply by plugging the radio in to an electric outlet while the radio is turned off. There is a blinking red LED light that indicates batteries are being charged, and the light goes off when fully charged (or, it may stay steady on when fully charged -- I can't recall.) This is the Rolls-Royce of "work radios", and is a bit expensive for this purpose. But, it will save me a huge amount of time by not having to fiddle with sub-par radio reception, and not having to worry about extension cords. For a "work radio" I highly recommend this one, even though it is definitely expensive. However, because it is so good, I will be extending its use beyond my workshop/ work/ yard projects -- into everyday use on the patio, living room, etc. I was totally unfamiliar with the Sangean name until I began searching for AM/FM portables on Amazon. I would not rule out the Sony ICF38 -- since I could have purchased two of these for the price of one Sangean PR-D7. But, the Sangean exceeds my expectations in all areas and will serve double-duty as a work radio and as an everyday radio.

I needed a digital radio that was simple to turn on , volume dial easy to use, push buttons to pre program favorite stations in front of radio. The radio dial is a button up or down that automatically tunes to the stations with good signals & the station number can be seen on a small digital screen as well as the time. Lights up initially but is not back lit (a little con). No old dial trying to find, guess & tune to your station with lots of static & screechy noise. This radio does NOT have multiple knobs & buttons which would easily confuse & frustrate a person in the early & possible middle stages of dementia/Alzheimer’s. This radio can be used as a plug-in or portable with rechargeable batteries. Best part the batteries are recharged within the radio itself when the radio is off & plugged in. Batteries do not charge if radio is being played even when plugged in. Anyway, conceivably, my mom should never have a “dead” radio & does not need to take batteries in & out just to charge them. My mom has early stages of dementia & her short term memory is terrible & is usually afraid to touch buttons on the TV remote in fear of messing things up. After showing her the simple operation of this radio with quite a few return demonstrations of what I asked her to do, (remember her short term memory issues) mom is able to use this radio by herself & is not afraid to use it. There’s so few things for her to touch she ends up pretty much where she wants to be on the radio. Mom also likes the size of the radio, not too small, not too big, so it doesn’t take up much space on the bedside table or wherever you choose to put it. Mom says it’s the perfect size to carry from room to room or her balcony. The sound quality is quite good for this single speaker & smaller radio size. There is some depth to the sound, not tinny sounding. The only con I have is it would be nice to have a fold down handle so it’s easier to carry.

Aside from one quibble, I like my new radio very much. I got the white one because it won't show fingerprints and looks most attractive with its red highlights and gray buttons. The size is just right for my night table. Being able to see both the station and time simultaneously in the LCD Display when the radio is playing is useful. Many radios show only one or the other. The presets are simple to use, though I wish it had more because this radio pulls in distant stations so very well. For the most part, the enclosed Instruction book makes learning all the controls easy. One term confused me: it mentions a "Standby button" for turning off the sounding alarm. No such button exists; what is meant is the Power button. Unless you want to snooze, you stop the sounding alarm by turning off the radio. (I saw on the Web that the Instruction book has since been corrected.) A nice feature I discovered that is not mentioned in the book: if you press (but not hold) the radio alarm button when the radio is off, you can see the time and station for which the alarm is set. Something else not mentioned in the book: if you want the alarm to sound at two different times, you can set one time for the radio and another for the buzzer. The icon in the Display window conveniently shows which kind of alarm is set--or shows both if you activated two--and disappears when no alarm is set. Then, too, when the Sleep Timer is activated, its icon appears in the window so you know it is on. Being able to use rechargeable batteries in this radio is a great feature, a real plus. I just installed them after using my new radio for several days with the enclosed adapter. It took a little over an hour to fully charge the "pre-charged" and "ready to use" Panasonic Eneloop batteries that are shown with the radio on Amazon's site, so they apparently needed just a little topping off. When the red charging light stopped blinking, the back of the battery compartment was warm but not hot. I now enjoy carrying the radio around my apartment, happily listening wherever I am. My one real quibble about this radio--and the reason I docked one star--is that you cannot set the radio alarm to go off at your preferred volume. I had assumed that it would not become louder than the volume at which the radio had last been playing and that I could simply lie in bed listening to the news or music without moving a muscle. However, while the radio alarm does start softly, it almost immediately becomes rather loud and stays that way. Perhaps heavy sleepers, or those who don't mind listening at a higher volume, would appreciate this feature, but I am a light sleeper who wakes easily. What's more, turning the volume knob has no effect. The alarm apparently works independently of this control. Yes, it certainly wakes me, but it is by then too loud (at least to my ears; others may disagree) for my listening pleasure, and I worry it may disturb my downstairs neighbor. I have to reach out and turn the radio off to stop the alarm, then turn the radio back on to listen to NPR at my preferred volume. Then I tried the buzzer alarm and like it. It has an most appealing tone, not at all jarring, harsh or abrasive. When the buzzer sounds, I quickly reach out and turn it off before it becomes louder and more insistent, though even then it keeps its nice tone and does not penetrate the room. Once off, I turn the radio back on and listen to the news until I'm ready to get up. More steps than I had anticipated, but it is working out. What I like most about this radio, aside from the rechargeable batteries that provide mobility, is its excellent audio, especially for its size and price. Sangean has a magic touch! The audio is mellow and rich, not at all tinny, a real pleasure. News and talk shows sound wonderful. Music is good with the mono speaker and even better with headphones, though neither provides stereo. Without headphones, the music is still very listenable. Indeed, I usually fall asleep with the Sleep Timer activated: 60,45,30, or 15 minutes. A sweet way to end the day!

When my old GE portable radio died after a quarter century, I went about looking for a replacement with a big speaker. I like a realistic sound, and that's what it takes unless you want to go with earbuds. And I did not want to do that all the time. There are so few portables with big speakers available today. I had looked at Sangean, but their speakers are typically small except for the one for construction sites. And those models are ugly and huge. I found the Sony ICF38, which has a 3-3/8" speaker. That's a bit smaller than the GE but close enough. The Sony is also very inexpensive, less than half the price of any Sangean. The Sony sounded very good, but after a few months I decided to give it to someone whose radio just broke. While the Sony worked very well overall, I decided to enter the 21st century by getting a radio with digital tuning. The Sony was getting a bit tiresome because I was switching among several stations. The analog tuning required quite a bit of movement and a steady finger. I decided on the Sangean PR-D7, which has a 3" speaker, which is among the largest in their line of portable radios. It also means that it has less bass than the Sony. So I expected it to sound more tinny. But it seemed to be the best I could do considering that it has good ratings from the various reviewers. Now that I have had it for a few weeks and the Sony just a short time before, I have a direct comparison. The Sangean actually sounds quite good. It may have less bass, but not noticeably so. Human voices sound just a bit high, but good enough. I don't use it for music. The tuning works perfectly well. Just set the station, and you can easily go back to the original setting. Flipping among preset stations is easy. Its sensitivity is better than the Sony. There are certain areas in my house that loses one of my favorite stations with the Sony. I also have a Sony Walkman SRF-M37W, and it loses reception in exactly the same places. In contrast, the PR-D7 keeps working, albeit with a bit more noise. The ICF-38 also tends to drift occasionally, thus requiring some fine tuning. You never get that with the PR-D7. If you only listen to one station predominately, the Sony is a good inexpensive solution that I would not mind having. But if you are always switching among different ones, the much more expensive Sangean is worth the extra bucks, at least to me. One thing previous reviews mentioned is that the Sangean tends to get hot during battery recharging. I have found that the Sangean does tend to warm up. But I am not sure whether it is during charging or just because it uses a lot of power. I'll have to keep an eye on that. Another deficiency is that it picks up noise if you bring the radio close to the included transformer. So if you have the radio plugged in, move it away from the transformer. The Sony just has a plug, and never suffered from that problem even if you get the radio close to the outlet. Overall, I find the Sangean to be an excellent radio and worth the extra money.

I recently read analysis of the Sangean PR-D5 vs. the Sangean PR-D7 radios. The reviews missed the point: These two Sangean radios target different market niches and needs. The PR-D5 is essentially a table radio while the PR-D7 targets folks that need a radio for domestic travel. I'm sure the engineers at Sangean see it this way. Why not buy both radios? The Sangean PR-D7 has a clean crisp sound with very low noise floor on AM and FM bands, a great improvement over Sangean radios of similar size such as the ATS-505 or the ATS-909. BTW, I've tuned in all the major stations in the greater Phoenix area without a problem including the hard to catch 89.5, a classical station. I have been very surprised at the overall performance of the PR-D7 radio and listen to this radio on a daily basis. The Sangean PR-D7 ($59# does 90 percent of what the Trivoli Songbook does at 25 percent of the Songbook's $200 price tag. Still, the PR-D7 could use a multi-voltage AC adapter and a lock switch to be a complete global travel radio #like the Sangean ATS-606). Also, when traveling, cloth pouch would be a really nice touch. And while I'm making my wish list, the PR-D7 in a red or yellow case would be neat and easy to spot in a hotel room so you don't leave it behind. One of the things I like about this radio are the controls, easy to learn and use, plus you can see the frequency and time on the display. Update September 2008: I just recently purchased Sanyo's Eneloop AA rechargeable batteries for my PR-D7 giving me greater flexibility when enjoying this wonderful portable radio. I highly recommend Sanyo's Eneloop batteries. Last week, from my greater Phoenix location, I picked KNX 1070 Los Angeles about 10PM in the evening. Update October 2009: After owning this radio for 2 years, my little PR-D7 fell off a second story balcony and is now in pieces, so I ordered a second PR-D7 this morning. I suffer from cancer and kidney disease, so I've been in and out of the hospital several times this year, each time, my little Sangean PR-D7 went with me. One of the neatest features of this PR-D7 is the no hassle recharging of the AA batteries, the radio automatically does this for you!!! BTW, I ordered this radio from Amazon on a Friday morning and received the radio the next Tuesday morning. How's that for service!!! UPDate June 2013: Thank you all for all the good wishes. I'm ordering a new PR-D7 in black b/c I like the color. I'm now doing three hours of dialysis per session, the very minimum and my monthly labs are very strong. UPDate June 2014: Ordered a second Sangean PR-D7 radio recently in black and noticed a few cosmetic changes to this radio. I no longer take the PR-D7 radio to dialysis or the hospital. I now pack a Sangean DT-180 pocket radio in my go bag. I would love to able to buy this radio in red or yellow colors

I bought this radio as a replacement for the Sangean PR-D5 AM/FM Portable Radio, which I returned. The PR-D5 had a little better sound (with two speakers) and was slightly larger. The reason I returned it was because I had to replace the 6 AA batteries about every two or three weeks. That was getting pretty expensive. This one (the PR-D7) uses six AA "rechargeable" batteries, and they recharge right in the radio, which is very convenient. However, as with the PR-D5, after two or three weeks the batteries have to be replaced (or in this case recharged), and the recharge only lasts about two or three weeks, so I am forever recharging or replacing batteries. Plus, rechargeable batteries are more expensive than regular batteries. I have had portable radios in the past where the batteries last forever. Don't know what it is about this brand but, obviously, there is a flaw somewhere. I love the size and looks of this little radio and the fact that it recharges right in the radio, and I don't have to have wires all over the place, since I use it on my kitchen counter, but the battery situation is a real hassle. I am debating returning this one also. I finally decided that the battery situation and the static on this radio was more than I could live with and tried to return it. Unfortunately, I was told by the seller, Adorama Camera that I could not because I had had it more than the 30 days allowed by them, but that I did have a 1 year's warranty from the manufacturer, and I could take it to them should I choose. Considering the fact that I would have to pay postage to return it to the manufacturer and that they would probably send me a refurbished model of the same radio to replace this one---which would not solve the battery situation ANYWAY---I have opted to just forget it and take my loses. The only thing that will make me whole is a refund, and it is obvious that this is not going to happen. I have changed my rating accordingly from 3 stars to 1 star and, of course, I won't be using this seller again, and I certainly will not buy Sangean again from any seller. It is possible that the battery problem comes from the fact that it uses AA batteries. Maybe using a larger battery would solve the problem. Just a thought!!!!

This is a very nice little radio. The features are outstanding, it seems to have strong reception, the digital tuner works well, and the sound quality is much better than I expected from a little portable. I was using my Freeplay eyemax emergency radio as a general purpose portable, but it doesn't pick up NPR. I also have an RCA boombox that is terrible - it uses 6 D batteries and goes through them very, very quickly, which is very costly. The batteries even drain when the machine is completely off. I can't overstate how expensive that gets. Now that I have this radio, I put the Freeplay back in the emergency kit and tossed the RCA out. This Sangean takes 6 AA batteries, but the best part is that if you put NiMH rechargeables in it, the wall adapter will charge the batteries right in the radio. Do notice that there's a switch under the battery cover that you have to set to either "rechargeable" or "alkaline". And, if you're using rechargeable, you should make sure that the batteries are all the same capacity, and from the same manufacturer if possible. Additional nice features are alarms (both radio and beeper), backlight for the display, and station preset buttons. This isn't the cheapest thing out there, but I seldom mind paying for products that do what they're supposed to do. IMO this is a good value. I prefer the black color (also comes in white) but it does seem to pick up fingerprints easily. If you need a good small portable radio, this is a good choice.

<This is an updated review after using the radio off and on for several weeks.> In most regards, this is one of the nicest little radios I've come across - Good reception, excellent build quality, controls are laid out well, it looks good, has a nice backlit display, and has most of the features that you could want in a radio this size (except for tone controls and some kind of handle). That said, being mostly an AM listener, I'm pretty disappointed in the sound quality on the AM band. FM is signficantly more full-range and rightly so due to transmission specs, etc. But the AM side is exceptionally midrange-heavy and gives the impression of far lower fidelity than what is actually being broadcast. It sounds like they chose a very narrow filter that makes most material sound really compressed. While in most cases it is still 'listenable', the tone quality usually leaves something to be desired. Amazingly, the PR-D6, another model from Sangean which sells for $20 less, sounds far better on AM. I just wish they would have combined the best of these 2 radios into one package because the PR-D6 really lacks where the PR-D7 shines. Also one weird quirk I noted about the PR-D7 in regards to the headphone jack. Even though this is a mono radio, the output thru stereo headphones seems to be out of phase and exhibit some excessive bass boost. I have some Sennheiser PX-100's and a pair of Koss Porta-Pro's and this radio just sounds really weird played thru them. They must have got the circuitry or wiring wrong at the factory because I've even heard this anomaly on YouTube reviews of this radio where they connected the headphone output to the camera/recorder. Overall, The PR-D7 is decent, but definitely needs more work before I could call it a truly excellent radio. If possible, I would give it 3.5 stars.

Beau petite radio très simple, le son est bon. , facile à manipuler, pratique on peut soit se servir de batterie rechargeable. Ou ordinaire. J’aime beaucoup ce modèle de radio. Je recommande cette achat

Muy buena radio, compré una para la casa del pueblo y ahora otra para mí domicilio habitual, la recomiendo 100 por 100muy

Excelente aparato. Lo utilizo con pilas recargables y cuando están bajas no es necesario quitarlas pues se conecta a la corriente eléctrica y se cargan nuevamente.

I like it's sound ,reception and and built qwality. Thanks Amazon.

Fungerar perfekt! För SLEEP hålls knappe inne tills signalen kommer. Fylligt ljud.