Customer Reviews

Sangean H201 AM/FM Digital Shower Radio

5 star:		(243)
4 star:		(55)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

I spent a lot of time reviewing other waterproof shower radios, and this one seemed to have a lot of customer satisfaction. I've been using this radio for about 4 weeks now. Such a big improvement of the previous radio I was using. The sound quality is very good and the signal reception is excellant. I use it in the basement bathroom and even tucked away in the shower in the basement, it manages to pull in the stations I had trouble receiving with the previous radio. Very nice.

Bought this to replace a Sony shower radio I've had for years. I was amazed at the difference in quality. The sound is superb, it sounds like you have a component hifi in the bathroom. I use it mostly, but not only, to listen to the news, and the voice quality is amazingly clear. The volume can be set very loud with no distortion. One great little feature that is not described well in the listing is that the FM antenna in the back swings around to become a beautiful and very solid semi-circular handle for the radio, so you can carry it around the house very easily. FM reception is outstanding, AM so-so, but that's inevitable and due to my location.

Overall I am satisfied with this purchase and would buy it again. This is the 2nd Sangean radio I've purchased and both have met or exceeded my expectations but they are not cheap. You pretty much get what you pay for.

This radio has a solid feel, nothing flimsy about it and I like the way that the handle rotates down to hide in the back. This radio has good sound for the size, no complaints, but it is not great. This is not a boom box so you are not going to hear it across the backyard but it fills a room nicely. It is great for the bathroom and can be heard over the shower.

I like the digital controls with the station presets. It would be nice to have more than 5 per band but for me that is a minor fault.

The radio has reasonable reception even with the antenna stowed away. When the antenna is extended the reception is very good. Note, the antenna is not the telescoping type but is a wire that is stowed near the battery compartment when not in use. In some ways this is less convenient but on the other hand it is easier to hide the extended antenna. For use in the bath or bedroom I personally like this style antenna better than the telescoping type.

The built in single white LED flashlight is reasonably bright and will come in handy in an emergency or camping. There is also an alarm siren that emits a piercing sound but ... why? Perhaps to annoy the cat.

The radio has a clock, a convenient timer, and an auto off sleep timer but no built in alarm clock. This isn't really a travel radio but for car camping trips I plan on bringing it and an alarm clock would potentially be useful but that is a minor fault.

For me this is a nice portable that is good for Bath, bedroom, kitchen, and listening to ball games in the garage.

I bought this radio to replace the Sony ICF-S79V. I liked the Sony, but the top skin covering the buttons broke down over time and rendered it inoperable. Previous to wearing out, the Sony was replaced under warranty for an issue with the top skin coming off and causing inoperable buttons as well.

Lest you think this is a review of the Sony, I will now describe the Sangean's strengths and weaknesses relative to the Sony. To wit, the Sangean doesn't sound as good, but it's decent. I am a veteran audiophile and musician and I can live with it happily. It just has a smaller speaker than the Sony and it shows in the overall timbre as being weaker on the bottom end. But then again, I had no illusions of this being anything but a radio for the shower, and what sound is there is pleasant enough. The speaker grille is louvered to protect the speaker element from water coming in a downward direction and this directs the sound downward, as well. For best sound, mount the radio at or above ear level (although I didn't as I wanted my children to be able to reach it).

Reception is almost as good as my GE Superadio III. That's saying alot. There is no suction cup included for the rubber coated flexible wire antenna (as the Sony has), but the Sangean is more forgiving about antenna positioning, so not a huge deal. I can just let it hang and still pick up the weakest Christian radio stations in my mountainous area. Pretty impressive.

The perceived build quality is way better than the Sony, so I feel like the higher price was justified. It just seems like it was built to last.

Other likes:
> the momentary backlighting
> the large numerals on the display
> the mounting plate that allows easy removal
> has enough volume and high frequency detail
to be heard over my blow dryer (barely)

Bottom line: If there's a better shower radio out there, I'd sure like to know about it. Until then, I'll be quite happy with the Sangean.

This shower radio is the best one we have ever had! In the past we have had trouble getting clear reception on the channel my husband likes to listen to, but with this radio it's clear. I would highly recommend this radio to others.

It is a misnomer to call this a "shower radio" since it serves very well as a table top unit, a camping radio, an emergency radio, a beach radio and an all around great radio product. None-the-less, it works so well in the shower that I have gotten one for every shower in the house.

I have tried four other "shower radios" before finding the Sangean. None of them performed well. Two of them simply died upon getting wet. Not even a very expensive model from The Sharper Image performed as well nor as consistently as this unit.

I live more than 35 miles outside of Washington DC in a very rural and mountainous part of the state. Radio reception here is poor even under the best of circumstances unless you are seeking one of the "big boys" in the city. Even with a high quality receiver there is a lot of bleed over of adjacent station frequencies as well as frequency drift as the day progresses. The station I was after is nearly 40 miles away in an even more rural area. Even with a high end home stereo connected to a large external, directional, FM antenna in the attic this station is difficult to receive consistently.

The Sangean received the station right out of the box albeit very weakly until I unfurled the built-in external antenna. That station now consistently comes in well, rain or shine, winter or summer. Positioning of the external antenna is very critical. This radio's receiver isolates stations very well which is an amazing feat for any portable radio in this class of equipment. This feature is so helpful, that I listen to two stations that use the same frequency. One station is in Virginia while the other is in Wilkes Barre, PA. By simply repositioning the antenna, I can listen to either station without cross talk from the other station.

The battery life of the four D-cell batteries is exceptional. After more than a year on the original unit I purchased, the power indicator has not even dropped 10 percent from a full charge and this radio gets a lot of use every single day.

The supplied mounting hardware attaches the radio very securely to the wall if you wish. The very clever handle also makes it easily hang from the shower curtain rod or towel bar in those situations when you want a temporary, but secure attachment.

It has 5 digital presets for each band (AM/FM) so that you can easily lock in your favorite stations without the miserable and imprecise dial tuning of so many other portable radios. The tuning is rock solid and there is no frequency drift that usually plagues most other radios advertised for shower use.

The sound is very strong and clear even at low volumes. You can also play it loudly enough that even the most demanding "rock your socks off" teenager will be gleefully singing in the shower. If mom and dad don't put the kibosh on the shower concert, that is.

This radio is VERY well made, has useful features, excellent reception, and excellent sound quality even when maxed out (this is very good because I have to turn it up to about 90% of max to hear it over the shower and our noisy exhaust fan). The radio was a little bigger and heavier than I expected but considering the excellent build quality, water proofing (it can be submerged up to one meter for 30 minutes!), and that it floats makes the physical dimensions a reasonable trade off. I like the LED flashlight built into the side as I imagine it will be handy when the power goes out. I also like the alarm timer, useful if you want to take a quick nap and don't want to reset your alarm clock. I would recommend this radio to anyone!

This is the 3rd Sangean product that I have purchased and I'm becoming a fan of the company. The radio is a very solid and robust. The controls are easy to operate, well placed and intuitive. It has a panic alarm which I have to assume is meant for someone who may be elderly or disabled and in need of assistance if they fall in the shower. However, if the person falls and the radio is mounted high and out of reach this is a usless feature. It does have a handy emergency light on the side and I can see where that could be usefull. I've been caught in the shower a few times when the power goes out.

The sound quality is not as good as my other Sangean radios but I suspect it has something to do with the type of weather/water proof speaker they use. Don't get me wrong, the sound quality is good, in fact much better than other shower radio's that I've looked at but it's just not as good as my other Sangean radios. For this reason I had to give it 4 stars instead of 5.

A couple of years ago my wife bought me some no-brand shower radio that never worked right. It could only tune in a couple stations and the clock never kept time. I recently decided it was time to get a 'real' shower radio and I'm very happy that I chose this one. It pulls in lots of stations, the clock and display are great, it is easy to use, and it is well made.

The only negative is that the sound sometimes sounds a little muffled, which I'm guessing is due to the waterproof speaker. It's not too bad though and shouldn't discourage you from purchasing this great product.

I purchased this product after researching it here on Amazon. All in all I am very happy with the radio. It is extremely sturdy and seems well made. The reception seems good and I can get NPR radio without a problem unlike with my bedside radio. The single speaker is fairly loud, although at higher levels it does distort a little. As I tend to listen to "talk radio" in the shower, I am just at the level where it becomes an issue.

One other small issue is the LCD screen which loses contrast if placed at an angle. I have mounted my radio about a foot above head height up on a wall at the end of the shower. If the backlight is on, it makes it a little worse! This being said, now that the radio is tuned in and set up, it doesn't present that big a problem!

I agree with other reviewers that the alarm and flashlight are a little strange for features, but then, if the lights ever do go out while I am mid shower, I'm sure I will be grateful for the illumination.

As I say, all in all, a nice product that I am pleased I purchased.