Customer Reviews

Emerson Simplicity High Fidelity AM/FM Table Radio with Companion Stereo Speaker – NR31

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I needed a radio for our kitchen and had considered the Tivoli Model One, the Bose Wave Radio and Cambridge SoundWorks 730. All of these are significantly more expensive than the NR31. Better radio reception? Probably. Digital tuners? Again, yes.
But do you want to spend $100-$500 just to listen to the radio in the kitchen where coffee or wine can get spilled on the radio, only for it to go on the blink afterwards? I decided finally, I didn't want to spend that much just to listen to CDs and the radio in the kitchen.

I've seen this same radio on sale at Target for $14! For that price you can't go wrong: I took an old portable CD player I had laying around and plugged it into the AUX input in the back of the NR31 -- and I DON'T have any bleedthrough problems like another poster said in their review here. And while the antenna may not be the best, here in Los Angeles I can pick up all my favorite stations. So this radio more than fits the bill for me.
Sure, the speakers no doubt do not have the dynamic range of the speakers on one of the more expensive models I mention above, but they are certainly not tinny or cheap sounding either (for comparison, I have JBL 2500 bookshelf speakers on my regular stereo and use Sennheiser HD-555 headphones). The bass response can be boomy at loud volumes, but while I chop onions they sound just fine ;-)

Bottom line: at $20 or less, there's not much to complain about. I've had this radio for about six months and no problems with build quality so far. Normally, I would not even consider an Emerson product -- I associate the brand with cheap components that don't last very long. But I'm glad I took a chance -- this has been without a doubt one of the best electronics purchases I've made in the past year.

POSTSCRIPT ON 2/17/07: Two years later, this radio is still going strong. Still highly recommended.

While Christmas shopping recently in Target, I saw what at first glance I thought was a Tivoli 2 for $19.99. Upon closer inspection I saw that it was a Tivoli knock-off by Emerson. I thought it looked nice, but I wasn't in the market for a $20 radio so I moved on.

Later, after Christmas, I was looking for a new radio for the bathroom so that I can listen to the news and such whilst I get dressed in the morning. I was liking the Tivoli 2, but it was pretty expensive, then I remembered the Emerson knock-off at Target. I googled it and did a little research. I liked what I read, and I figured I'd give it a try; so last night on the way home from work, I bought one.

When I unboxed it, hooked it together, plugged it in and tuned in a station, My wife looked at me funny and grabbed the box. "Wow!" she said, looking at the price tag. "I never would have believed that a $20 radio could sound this good!"

We live in Colorado Springs and during the day I listen to local stations 740 AM and 1460 AM, but at night they are 90% gone. I switched over to the AM band last night at about 9:00 and tuned in 740 (the strongest of the two) and it was 90% of its daytime reception on the Emerson. I checked 1460 and it was about 80% of its daytime reception. Not as sharp as daytime but certainly good enough to listen to. All in all a very good little $20 radio and I like the looks a lot.

There are downsides though, but I feel petty even mentioning them when I am reviewing a $20 RADIO! but here goes anyway...

The auxiliary jack on the back overrides the tuner whenever you plug something in. This is a problem for people who may want to use the Emerson radio as computer speakers, and switch back and forth using the selector knob. At the very least they should have offered an aux input selector position on the selector knob so you can choose from On, AM, FM and Aux. The Tivoli 2 offers a mixed mode so that you can listen to your computer's bonks and tweets while also listening to the radio. I will probably crack the case open and modify my radio to do that. I may also get a four position selector so that I can select just the aux input so that I can use this radio with my XM radio head too.

No balance knob. If you care to balance the left and right speakers, you can't.

No tone adjustment. The sound is great just like it is, but it would be nice to be able to adjust the tone.

Pros:

- Good looks

- Great reception

- Very nice, geared tuner. Like the ones you would find on high-end equipment.

- Satellite speaker gives you great, true stereo sound.

- Awesome sound from a tiny $20 radio.

Cons:

- The auxiliary jack on the back overrides the tuner.

- No balance.

- No tone control.

Overall I would rate this an 4 out of 5. Since it is only twenty dollars I'm gonna go ahead and give it the full 5!

You absolutely can't go wrong with a $20 radio that has such a powerful receiver and high-end tuning controls. The lack of other bells and whistles is not a big deal when all you are looking for is good sound from a good looking, basic radio. AND IT IS ONLY $20!

I just can't get over that.

I picked this radio up sans the side speaker for $10. I took it out of the package in the store and plugged it in, and it sold itself. I had been looking at Tivolis and the superb Boston Acoustics table radio, but did not want to shell out the clams.

Pros:

1. The speaker is loud and clear.

2. I like the lighted dial.

3. Reception can be pretty good.

Cons:

1. Am/Fm dial is screwy (will sometimes mix Am and Fm bands simultaniously) I just turned it back and forth and it fixed itself.

2. Reception can be pretty bad, depending on the station and will mix frequencies.

3. Antenna is a sorry little wire. I may get into the guts and resolder a better antenna in place.

Can't be beat for $10 bones.

If you're like me, the LAST thing you need is ANOTHER radio..but I saw what I thought

was a Henry Kloss Model 2 radio at a retail store for $19.95. Then I saw it was this Emerson knock

off (model NR31). But turning it on, I was surprised at the rich sound, the wood cases, the nice

feel of the geared tuning dial (analog, but like the Kloss, accurate almost on the nose). I could receive

10 FM stations and 2 AMs inside the store with the built in antennas. (there are no external terminals).

AM is lo-fi mono, but doesn't sound muffled.

I bought one and opened up the back. I feared the worst, since so many electronics are junky on

the inside. I found decent construction on two circuit boards, a hefty power transformer, a VERY heavy

3 inch speaker (I didn't open the other cabinet, which only contains the right speaker)

The two separate cabinets give excellent FM stereo effect...I don't like the sound of stereo when the

speakers are 8 inches apart and phase tricks used. (I find the Bose wave radio fatigueing after about 10 minutes.)

It has an aux in jack , so I used a mini to mini cord and tried it as a PC amplified speaker. It beats my

$80 Koss speakers hands down. I also got excellent results with my XM Roadie indoors with an AC 6V adapter.

Just buy it, it's the best radio value in the world (and I am an electrical engineer working with audio and video for 25 years)

We have a classical FM station in our area and I wanted a good FM stereo radio to receive it. I wanted the Tivoli AM/FM model that looks like this Emerson, but was turned off by the $200 price in one of the electronics catalogues. Anyway, after searching the net high and low for an alternative (no boomboxes) for about two weeks, I ran into this little jewel for only $30! Couldn't believe it! Happy, happy, joy, joy. I had to preorder, but it came right through as soon as Target received the shipment.

I just got 2 of these and am completely satisfied. Both are for office use & neither will ever replace a half decent stereo receiver. I've seen many reviews comparing this radio to the $130 Tivoli. Basically, you can't compare the two. It's apples and much more expensive oranges. For $20, try and find something that comes close, You can't. Spend 3x as much and you can.....but that $ could be better used.

The Emerson is an exceptional value. You won't be blown away by it's dynamic range, but it certainly beats the pants off of any comparably priced radio. It's able to tune in difficult FM stations, although I haven't/don't have a need to try AM. If you want better, you'll need to go for a boom-box at twice the price.

The one thing I can note, which may help your decision: the tuner (although it appears digital in photos) is analog. I never liked anything with an Emerson label before, but I took a chance and I'm glad I did. Geez, it's only 20 bucks!!! Try it before they're sold out!!! You won't find anything close at the same price point.

I like the rest of the previous reviewers am extremely pleased by the great value of this radio. I came very close to dropping the $150 for the Tivoli, but happened to be at Target later in the day. I have a feeling the Tivoli has a slightly better tuner/antenae, but I'm able to pick up my 6 favorites am and fm stations. Also the ability to output mp3's to the device is great! For $20, you can barely buy cheap pc speakers. This is much better!

We purchased this radio for my mother-in-law a while back now.
The dial is lighted for easy tuning and the dial itself has a little resistance so when you find your station, you do not slip past it. Smart & Easy!
More importantly, the sound quality is very good indeed.
Problem: the selector switch has failed. When you switch to AM, it stays on the FM station that was playing beforehand..
Wiggle and jiggle it, and the AM might come on.
We bought another radio for my mother-in-law, and I now use this in the garage.
It does have a very rich stereo sound - just can't get AM.

I don't claim to be an expert in audio and don't want to spend a fortune for radio. The NR31 is inexpensive. Simple to operate(analog). And it delivers good sound. If you want to brag about Brand names, spend alot more and go for the Boses and Bostons and the Cambridges, etc. If you want to save money, go with the Emerson NR31

The Good:

This thing actually does sound pretty respectable. It has a pretty powerful amplifier for a table radio, and for a radio in this price range, the sound is definitely satisfactory.

The Bad:

The NR31 has a poor quality, non-removable FM wire antenna. External FM or AM antennas cannot be used. FM reception is predictably poor. There is an auxiliary input, but there is no selector for it; your CD player, MP3 player, or other device will be active whenever it is plugged in. Furthermore, FM radio is audible when the aux input is in use.

The Ugly:

The FM/AM selector is defective. It stopped working on my unit within days. It is now impossible to listen to AM radio on my NR31, and other NR31 owners have had the same problem.

I would recommend this radio to almost no one, regardless of the price. It might be worth considering if you don't do any AM listening, but many more expensive tabletop radios are ultimately a better value.