Customer Reviews

Sangean DT-220A AM/FM Stereo Pocket Size Radio with Self-Storage Headphones

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Wow! This is what I have been looking for! A pocket radio with the following features: good reception, digital tuning, light, alarm, clock, presets, good speaker sound, fits in my pocket, has built in earbuds (that retract with a push of a button!), stereo FM when you use the earbuds (or your own headphones), lock switch, TV audio, built in telescoping antenna, auto turn off after 90 minutes (which you can easily cancel). This is a great radio, the best pocket radio with a built in speaker that I have seen. Sangean usually has terrible reception and their radios usually have a lot of noise between stations but this one receives and selects as well as my Sony! Definitely get this if you want apocket radio with a speaker!

I have been on a quest for approximately 3 yrs. for a hand held radio with digital tuning. I also wanted one that allowed the versatility of a speaker and also headphones.The quest is over. the speaker on this radio is larger that those on other pocket Sangeans, so a little larger in size, and a lot better in sound. The FM reception is good on all stations with decent signal strength. On my favorite jazz station, a rather weak one, from a college, I must plug earphones into the jack, and it then becomes much better. Sangean has offered to send me a tailing lead antenna, at no extra charge, to remedy this problem.The radio also has a scoping antenna, which improves reception in many case, but is not even needed with stroner FM stations

Design and ease of use are excellent. You can literally hit the Band button to go from Fm to TV to Am. Presets were cake to program. With the exception of setting the alarm and the clock, most buttons have only one function. This avoids those nerve-racking instructionsi.e. hold this while pushing that, hit the button three times and then hit function twice.

All in all a beautiful find.

Since receiving my Sangean220V radio, I hate going anywhere without it, even into the next room! I love knowing I can flip it on to keep me company whenever I get bored or things too quiet. I don't want to damage the earbuds, so I leave them retracted and use a separate headset when I'm not using the speaker. Reception is great on this little dude, and I got an AC Adapter at Radio Shack so the radio can keep me company by playing all night. I spent some time with the manual, and as a result am able to pretty much do the controls in the dark! It does have a display light, a clock and an alarm, but I don't really use those. I just love having a little radio I can tune easily using the digital tuning, and listen to without having to plug up my ears. It's small and easy to take along. I love it, and want a spare!

I'm used to pocket radios being underwhelming, so I guess this model fits right in. The sound quality is like an inexpensive speakerphone, and is largely product of its size, so let's just cut the BS about great sound, eh? I searched and searched for one with TV band, and this one seemed to be rated best. First one I got had no audio unless I squeezed the case -> sent it back. Next one would turn itself on-and-off rapidly when I even touched the case. Decided to fix that myself rather than wait yet again for a return (I'm an audio/electrical engineer). The TV band always has a constant, annoying hum over the audio. Picks up stations decently for such a little radio though. No where near as well as CCRadios I own, though. Better than basic, Sony, consumer level portables, but that's not saying much. The short cord on the built-in ear buds is just long enough to reach a shirt pocket, but the radio is too big to fit in most shirt pockets, so they aren't much use. Battery life is pretty impressive for just running off two AA batteries. Since it's too big to fit in pocket anyway, I would have preferred extra weight/size of one more battery if it would increase run time or volume.

My radio needs are mostly limited to travel, where I'm away from podcasts, Sirius, TV, and regular radio, and I like to put on the news and maybe fall asleep to whatever. Occasionally I like to listen to a ball game or something. Maybe take it to the beach or camping. So casual needs mostly, but enough to want something reliable with appropriate features. Portability is necessary, but I don't need to use it as a full-time walkman.

Seeing as the iPod has no radio, and even others don't have AM, I've bought a couple of portable radios over the years trying to find something that fit my needs. Some little COBY pos, a couple of small, but not too powerful, SONY models, and even an analog little thingy. Anyway, after the last one I "saved up a little" and bought this one. I was on the verge of getting one of the smaller SANGEAN radios, but this one seemed to have all the right features, and I was willing to live with the bigger size.

PROS

1. digital tuner, powerful AM/FM reception. TV reception, too

2. 10 presets per channel/30 total

3. built-in FM antenna (the smaller Sangean require you to plug-in a wire or the headphones)

4. "seek" feature for scanning frequencies

5. 90-minute auto shut-ff (optional), clock, alarm.

6. Solid build, pretty good sound from the speaker. Certainly good enough for a game or beach tunes. Stands on it's own. Battery cover slides and pivots, for a tight closed position and remains attached so it won't get lost.

7. Normal 1/8 inch Headphone-jack. Could also be used for output to separate speakers. When going thru headphones FM can be switched between stereo and mono for better sound/reception.

8. Simple interface, easy to operate, even in the dark.

MEHS

1. nice leatherette case. will probably lose it, radio doesn't need it really.

2. included, attached, retractable headphones. I guess this is better than HAVING to bring your own, but they might stop working someday, or the spring mechanism might get jammed... not that there's been any indication of this as of yet. Really, they don't sound bad and will be good in a pinch, On the other hand, they probably add (a little extra) bulk and as far as ear-buds go, aren't that confortable.

3. back light - the "light" button turns on a green bulb on the far left that barely lights the whole display. better than nuthin' tho

4. No AC adapter. Not sure I need it, would be nice, probably lose it. The batteries last a loooong time and AA's are cheaper and better than AAA's.

CONS

1. size. A little bigger than a Zune, reminds me of my original plam-pilot. Very portable - definitely fits in your hand, and you could use it walking around or jogging in a pinch, but it might be little awkward at the gym. An acceptable price to pay for a good speaker, AA batteries and whatever else makes this go.

2. price. Kinda steep, but I don't think I'll be buying another radio for a while.


So far, so good. This one has it all

**UPDATE**
I LOVE the attached headphones. They are actually super-convenient, and let me leave my good headphones attached to my iPod. The quick-rewind button is pretty cool.

I bought this for an elderly relative who listens to the radio in bed very often. He is very happy with the purchase.

The included retractable headphones are working well for him. There is a plug to use your own headphones as well. I'm glad this radio takes two AA's instead of AAA's, because AA's last longer.

One feature is especially useful. By default, the radio shuts off after 90 minutes. The person I bought it for regularly falls asleep with the radio on -- this feature saves battery life. If you don't like this feature, simply hold the power button down for a few seconds and it is disabled.

Holding down the up/down tuner button briefly will scan and stop at the next station. There are also 5 presets, actually 10 if you hold down a "+5 preset button", but really only 5 are user friendly for the elderly. That's 5 for each band -- am, fm, tv.

Reception is superior, that's why I bought it. He has to extend the antena to get a weak FM station, but that's expected. He likes the ability to listen to local broadcast TV stations.

Those who listen to radio quite often can justify the higher cost of this superior product. I recommend it.

Edit: A year after buying this, I bought a Sangean DT-180V.
This is a newer model without speaker not available on amazon yet, but should be soon. I think it is a better radio.

I was searching for a radio that was more sensitive than the previous radios I had been using, not only on the FM band, but also on the AM band.
The FM band receives like my car stereo does. It picks up about every station I would want to listen to and a few others I couldn't pick up from within my house. The AM band is sensitive, but being that I live in a rural area, I suspect it will be even better when I travel with it. The TV band also picks up very clear.
The radio has simple controls and is designed to be easy to use. The backlight comes in handy if you like to listen in bed.
The retracable ear phones are adequate and help reception on AM stations.
All in all, this was a great buy I would recommend to anyone.

I had high hopes but this radio does not fill them. First, FM sensitivity, (the ability to pick up weak stations) seems worse than my cheapo Sony analog radio. Your lucky to get all the stations you are accustomed to. Alternate channel selectivity (the ability to sort out one station from another when they are close in frequency) was lousy. But the worst part of all is the FM noise floor. This radio when receiving a strong signal is not quiet. You can hear background hiss on a strong station even in MONO mode. So I either got a bad sample of this product or this is simply a very average performing radio. I would say not worth the price. not recommended.

I did quite a bit of searching on the internet to find a quality pocket radio with above-average AM reception. I typically listen to sports talk radio here in the Detroit suburbs while working, and the buildings I work out of tend to ruin AM reception on normal pocket radios or alarm clock radios.

The Sangean DT-220V does a great job. The reception on AM, FM, even TV are crisp. The digital tuning, backlit LCD display, AC adapter & external headphone connections, and even the 90-minute battery shutoff are all great features. The unit itself is made well, the buttons have a nice solid feel, and is lightweight but feels very solid and durable. It even comes with a decent little vinyl carrying case to keep it from scratching.

I gave it 4 stars only because the first unit I received had a defective headphone retracting mechanism...the first time I pulled the headphones out to test them, they stayed out! The replacement works perfectly. I don't really plan to use these much, but I guess I expect perfection when paying $60 for a pocket radio.

This radio has impressed me with its reception. In a room where other TV band radios could pick up nothing, it plays TV stations just fine. In a room where only two AM stations came in on other radios, it plays additional AM stations. The only downside seems to be that pushing the buttons is harder than it should be.