Kaito PLL Synthesized Dual Conversion AM/FM Shortwave Radio, KA2100

by Kaito

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 11.5 x 2.8 x 7.2 inches ; 4.4 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 7 pounds
• ASIN: B000HOJN3O
• Item model number: TRA-2350P
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #135,131 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)

Product Description

The newly released Kaito KA2100 receiver is a PLL synthesized tabletop radio with excellent sound quality and reception on all the bands including AM/FM and shortwave 1-3 from 1711 KHz to 29999KHz. It's a perfect choice for the radio enthusiast AM tuning can be switched between narrow and wide sensitivities to control interference. Further tuning refinements are available via a handy RF gain dial. Both of these features can also be used when tuning one of the three shortwave bands. Also its shortwave/AM frequency lock circuit improves stability to reduce tuning drift. The KA2100 has exceptional FM reception because it has a 44" long telescopic antenna and the radio can tune frequencies down to the hundredth decimal place, you'll easily tune in long distance FM stations, or perhaps stations you've never heard before. External antenna jack is available as well as a AM IF output jack, which can be used to extend other functions of AM band, such as Single Side Band, Digital Radio Mondial and Slow Scan TV and etc. The KA2100 is equipped with a 5" double cone speaker that provides excellent sound quality with treble and bass control. In addition to a headphone output, the KA2100 has stereo RCA line out jacks for connecting the unit to an amplifier or home stereo. The radio supports both battery and AC power. Not only can the radio run on four "D" batteries, but there is also another, smaller compartment that accepts four "AA" cells. The KA2100 offers sleep, alarm and snooze functions that are fairly easy to set and use, and it can show you both local time and world time for shortwave listening. The 3.75" X 1.5" LCD and all the keys can be back-lit by pressing a button, which is very convenient for nighttime viewing. Frequency coverage: 1. 520 KHz- 1710Khz ( MW) 2. FM Stereo: 87.00Mhz - 108.00 MHz 3. SW1: 1711 KHz - 10010 KHz; SW2: 9990 KHz - 20010 KHz; SW3: 19990 KHz - 29999 KHz. Accessories: 1. Power cord 2. User manual

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great radio for the price, but has some glitches, January 26, 2007

By 

Parker Cross "Peevish One" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kaito PLL Synthesized Dual Conversion AM/FM Shortwave Radio, KA2100 (Electronics)

Frankly, I was wary of buying this Kaito radio. A previous experience with a defective-out-of-the box Kaito 1103 turned me off to this made-in-China brand. That radio also seemed cheaply made, low in quality. Also, I've owned a Grundig S350 for several years (which I know was also made in China), which has dominated the 100-dollar AM/FM/SW radio class for as long. Until now. This could be a Grundig-killer.

The KA2100 out the box appeared to have a defect: the backlight on the LCD display was dead on the right side: the left side of the display window was bright orange, the right side was obviously dark. A helpful tech at Kaito confirmed that it was *deliberately* made that way, with 2 orange LEDs illuminating only the left side of the display (!?!). Seems strange, given that Kaito went to the trouble of illuminating *all* the pushbuttons with LEDs (a useful feature the Grundig 350 doesn't have). But the Grundig has a nicely lit-up display, and so does just about every other radio in this price range, and lower, that I'm familiar with, ie, the little Grundig "Porsche" model. Well, I guess I can live with this, since it doesn't affect performance.

OK, second problem: the digital tuning sytem--while rock-stable and accurate--produces annoying tuning "BIPS!" while tuning the AM broadcast band...some call it digital synthesizer tuning noise. I call it nasty...and it's totally absent in the Grundig 350.
Next, some won't like the preset sytem: it's just one button that you press repeatedly (and you really have to press these Kaito buttons HARD)to step sequentially (can't go backwards) through each preset, from number 1 through 10...you can't delete any of the 10 presets--you must sequence through ALL 10 to get back to number 1! Still, it's better than nothing, ie, the Grundig's lack of presets. (Also the Kaito betters the Grundig in that it "remembers" where you were when you switch bands and return, yay!)
It's overall reception sensitivity etc., seemed quite similar to the Grundig S350. The Kaito is more stable, no drift, and really has a better automatic level control. It has less noise on strong signals. Of concern to shortwave listeners like me, I found a strong local AM station bled through into various spots on the 3 SW bands...may not be a problem if you live away from strong stations. On the plus side, the Kaito's RF Gain dial actually works well... It operates over its entire rotation, not just at the extreme counterclockwise position as my Grundig does. There is also a LOCAL/DX switch to cut AM RF gain further, if necessary.

I must admit it sounds great. I still think the Grundig also sounds great, though the Kaito may have a sonic edge because of how much more you can adjust the bass and treble (Quirkily, the TREBLE knob is to the *left* of the BASS knob. Huh.) And you hear FM *stereo* on the headphone output, not mono like in earlier Grundigs.
I also must note it doesn't look as sleek as the Grundig, it's still retro-clunky--but fit and finish are very good. The carrying handle---nice to have one, and it folds back like a GE SuperRadio's does, seems a bit insubstantial...when this baby is packed with 4 "D" cells, it's heavy, and a quick yank might snap this handle. Kaito's Parts Dept better stock up on handles.
I'll have to report later on battery life, but it would seem to be less than the Grundig's. The Grundig's batteries lasted forever...this Kaito has more LEDs which light up whenever you tune it (nice) and the buttons are illuminated (switch-defeatable). It does allow you to charge batteries inside the set. Weirdly, it gives you the choice of using D or AA batteries. (And you can run it on AC without a wall-wart. But you can, if you want to! Can't say Kaito doesn't give you powering options!)
There are a lot more good features I could describe, like the 2 clocks, the timers/alarms, etc. But bottom line, if you've had a Grundig for several years you may want to give this not-perfect but feature-rich Kaito a listen.

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Radio with Incredible Sound, April 24, 2007

By 

Trent U. Davis (Jamaica, NY United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Kaito PLL Synthesized Dual Conversion AM/FM Shortwave Radio, KA2100 (Electronics)

I really love this radio. The sound quality is incredible. The 5 inch speaker is clearly superior to any portable on the market. If you enjoy listening to AM and SW you will indeed be pleased. When I first received it, I put it side by side with my Sangean ATS909, which is a top of the line portable. They both pulled in stations equally on all bands, but due to the quality of the speaker on the Kaito, AM talk stations and SW stations I found difficult to listen to on my Sangean, were easy to listen to on the Kaito. And when stations are strong the Kaito just sounds so much better. The best way to explain it is you actually feel like you are listening to real people, not people coming through the radio. Obviously the bass and treble controls are very helpful in this regard. Also the volume this radio can play at with clarity is 2 to 3x any other portable, especially on AM and SW.

Technically, sensitivity is excellent, and selectivity is great. I live in New York City, so you know selectivity is extremely important. When the sun goes down I have no problem pulling in Coast to Coast AM on 1110 or 1100 AM, which I believe are in Detroit and Cleveland.

You can use the AC or Charger, but I prefer using D batteries, and you can actually use AA! I've had the radio for 2 months and have not had to change the batteries yet! I'm well over 150 hours of listening! Clearly fast battery drain is not a problem.

Now with batteries this baby weighs about 5-6 lbs, which is pretty heavy duty. The handle is sturdy and the telescopic antenna is built to last.

Even though memory is limited to 10 stations per band, which by today's standards is low, in real life usage this is quite acceptable.

I encourage you to by this radio. The sound quality will blow you away. And with headphones, using the adjustable bass and treble, FM is fantastic. Much better than my Sangean ATS909.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice radio--great sensitivity on all bands, November 16, 2007

By 

Douglas Henderson (SW Montana) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kaito PLL Synthesized Dual Conversion AM/FM Shortwave Radio, KA2100 (Electronics)

I picked up a selection of SW radios about 2 years ago (no expert) and haven't really been following what new models have come to market since--then recently noticed the Kaito KA-2100, a retro-looking, larger-sized portable radio together with various reviews describing a good speaker and excellent sensitivity to AM, FM and SW. The SW radios I have include an old Panasonic RF2200 (best of the bunch), a Panasonic RF2800, a few smaller modern ones (a Tecsun PL-550 & a Kaito KA-1101) and a new Grundig Satellit 800 (acquired just as this model went out of production). Also have the last model of the AM/FM GE Superadio. So I have a small group of good radios against which to compare a new Kaito KA-2100 radio picked up on Ebay two weeks ago.

Even without batteries inside, the KA-2100 is hefty. As far as I can tell, the build quality is very good for the price. With one exception (the upper 4 stop AM/FM switch is very loose--an esthetic irritant), all the knobs and switches are tight and turn smoothly and firmly. The big tuning dial is very sensitivite--and adjustable between a faster and slower progression through the band ranges (.10 or .01 increments--amount also depends on the band). The radio body is a moderately thick, two piece plastic shell with a metal speaker screen and an old style metal front plate. The plastic handle is OK--adequate but short of satisfyingly stout. The telescoping antenna is long for the radio size and firm--it stays where you put it.

The treble and bass controls work very well and seemingly across the entire knob travel. The speaker produces a very good sound for its size, though the deepest bass sounds crack some when playing (music) at above moderate volumes (my copy, anyway). Nice FM radio reception from my XM system with FM transmitter. The radio produces fine stereo sound to my Sennheiser head phones--the headphone sound nicely adjustable with the radio's controls. It is questionable if I can really hear a better sound from my old Panasonic RF2200, though I'd vote for the old Panasonic.

The radio is more stoutly built than the GE Superadio III, but less stout than the classic Panasonic RF2200--and smaller than both these radios. The KA-2100 AM and FM reception is excellent--easily as good as the RF2200 and the GE Superadio--this brief, non-professional assessment made just using the telescoping antenna. I was also able to enhance the AM reception with a Terk Advantage passive loop antenna placed next to the radio. SW reception also appears as good (meaning very good) as the RF2200 without any noticed drifting. The KA-2100 has a big digital window, big frequency numbers and a digital signal strength indicator (which works well for finding the strongest signal, though not as satisfying to use as the old Panasonic's analog meter). The KA-2100 tuning can be done with the nice dial or by small buttons alone (the latter progressing much faster through the bands).

All in all, a very nice radio. The first real concern I noticed is the ease with which the radio might tip over backwards, as there are no additional base supports extending beyond its 2.75" width. Also, the small instruction manual's binding is just glued paper and pages were shedding with first use. Setting the time seemed the most difficult thing to do. May make a padded case and take this on car trips.