Customer Reviews

Philips/Nike PSA110 Armband FM Radio

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

 

 

I haven't had the problems the other reviewers have had.

1. I live in the Philadelphia area that has both hills and strong radio signals. No problem with reception.

2. I wear it when I walk my dog, so I don't have the sweat/moisture problem. Try wearing it over a shirt sleeve to keep the sweat from entering the battery compartment or be a Playa and wear a sweatband just above the radio.

3. The arm band is tricky. I had to call C.S. to figure out the right way to attach the band. Don't thread the band behind the radio like a watchband. Feed one end from underneath the radio through a slit. Double the strap back onto itself so the velco engages. Repeat on the other slit. If you have leg-like arms you may have to get a bigger band, because it tends to act like a tourniquet if you're not careful.

4. The headphones are only slightly uncomfortable when turning and looking side to side. Otherwise they are lightweight and durable.

5. Battery life, so far, has exceeded manufactures estimates.

I've been a user of the Nike PSA radio before this model, which was great for running, but the reception was always very poor, so when they came out with the PSA 110, I gave it another try, and my second one just died after about three weeks of use (maybe 10 hours total).

While I believe it should be at least sweat resistant, it seems that the battery cover does not make a proper seal, and after about 30 minutes of running, even on a new battery, the LCD display fogs up, then the device goes erratic, and eventually dies completely. It's happened on two of them in the past three months, and I've decided to try something else.

It's a great design, fits perfectly on the arm, but if you want to listen to the radio, that's another story entirely.

This radio has several strong points:
-the desplay is easy to read
-controls are easy to operate, located well so it's fairly easy to use them by touch, in a pocket.
-most important to me, reception seems to be quite good.
-reliability has been great for me. I'm an NPR junkie who listens a lot. I've used the previous model for 2 years and this one for 2 months with no problems. (I only bought a new one because I'd misplaced the other one for several weeks)
At this point I'd be at five stars, except:

-"power saver feature", which can't be disabled, shuts the radio off after an hour. If I have it in a pocket, I have to dig it out and turn it on again every hour.
-I agree with others that the earphones are the worst. I threw mine out immediately. I have a friend who thinks they are fine, however.
-Changing the battery: The previous model was very simple and foolproof to pop open. The new design requires unscrewing the back. (If you are using the armband, you must first wrestle it out of the rubber retaining sleeve) It looks very sleek & stylish because the only grip is several tiny protruding rubber bumps. After a few uses, the threads stick slightly on mine and it is a ROYAL PAIN to unscrew. I think I'm going to have to grind a couple of slots on the back in order to have enough purchase to move it. It's all the more annoying for me because it was so easy with the previous model...

Pros -
1) The radio is light and well constructed.
2) The buttons are easy to press
3) Reception is good

Cons -
1)The Velcro tabs on the armband do not align properly. So when you place the radio on your arm, you have to twist the arm band. This makes the armband difficult to put on and mildly uncomfortable.
2)The radio's headphones are deplorable. I cannot conceive of a more uncomfortable design.

Good reception, easy to operate and comfortable during workout. You will probably want a better set of headphones, and it does not have a rechargeable battery.

What can you say about an miniature radio? The digital tuning is great, the battery life seems good (and it only takes one AAA), and the headphones are so usable and comfortable that my wife has started stealing them for use with her portable. Good buy, and the price was perfect.

I purchased this radio to replace my almost 20-year old analog armband radio. This particular radio, however, is useless: short battery life, cumbersome battery exchange, but most of all absolutely horrible reception. I ended up throwing it away and bought another, much better armband radio (different brand) at a third of the price.

i love my radio, its easy to use, light, functional and the sound is very clear. Im very happy with it. by the way battery is one AAA and it last forever!

I have been taking a 45 minute walk, daily, for about 4 years. I have been listening to the same radio station and had not found a radio that would not cut out at least once per walk, especially if I went into a grocery store as a part of the walk. The best radio I had found was a combination cassette player/radio. I thought because it had a bigger space for an antenna. But the PSA 100 and PSA 110 (I own both) are much better. They have never dropped my weak station even though it might get a little fuzzy in the back of my super Walmart. I do not use the arm band and I do not sweat that much so I cannot judge these aspects. My wife and I think the headset is the best ever. Stays comfortably on our head. We listen to talk radio so cannot judge sound quality.

I purchased the PSA110 as a successor to the PSA100 that I had used for years. Aside from being slightly larger than its predecessor, the performance is similar, but I'm confused by two odd design decisions. One, you can no longer change the battery while the radio is in the armband (an annoyance in the middle of a run) and two, when you mount the radio in the armband it's horizontal rather than vertical.