Sangean RS-330 Digital AM/FM Clock Radio

by Sangean

Product Details

Product Manual [1.35mb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 6 x 10.5 x 7 inches ; 5 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 6 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000023VW1
• Item model number: RS-300
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (58 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #53,447 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: February 11, 2000

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

Think clock radios are inherently boring? Think again. Sangean's RS-330, looking very much like a run-of-the-mill night-table fixture, is actually a compact and unusually well-designed dual-alarm clock radio with--no kidding--decent sound quality. Separate bass and treble controls let you tailor the sound quality while the auxiliary audio input and output offer flexibility in sound sources.

The RS-330 is a model of clarity: its fluorescent blue display is large and intuitively laid out, its two alarms are easy to set, and its sound focuses though a single, natural-sounding speaker. (If you want stereo, Sangean makes a slightly cheaper mate, the RS-332, which accepts an audio feed and alarm commands from the RS-330 through a supplied multipin cable and lets you hear each alarm through a different speaker.)

Conveniently, the RS-330's radio sets its own presets (12 FM and 12 AM) using Sangean's Auto-Program Setting (APS) feature, and reconfiguring those presets is a simple operation. Unfortunately, there are only six preset buttons, requiring a two-step process (and the equivalent of a shift key) to access presets 7 through 12 in either the FM or AM band. Sangean supplies an FM antenna, but we found the radio offered good reception even without it (though performance will vary with locale).

A large side knob handles volume adjustments (including balanced adjustments through the RS-332, if you wish). Individual bass and treble controls--rare beasts in the jungle of clock radios--rest below. You can crank the bass and treble to keep the frequency extremes from being lost at quiet listening levels, or you can reduce the bass output for more natural sound at higher listening levels. The speaker will distort if you turn the volume too high with the bass maxed.

Clock settings are a cinch, as the RS-330 uses a single button (just out of accidental reach) to toggle through the main clock time and the settings for alarms 1 and 2. You can set each alarm for either radio or beeper, and each alarm gets its own volume knob on the back panel. The alarm levels function independently of the master radio level, whether you've selected the radio or the beeper for your alarm. This brings a certain freedom in listening--you never have to worry about whether you've left the volume too loud or too quiet for the next day's wake-up.

For nighttime lullabies, the RS-330 offers a Sleep function. The default setting is one hour, but you can set it anywhere from one minute up to six hours by hitting Sleep and adjusting the duration with the tuning (up/down) buttons. Conversely, you can set a countdown timer for up to six hours using a Timer button. The beeper, but not the radio, sounds at the end of the countdown.

You even get to choose separate stations to fall asleep and wake up to, though both alarms must wake to the same radio station since the radio-alarm defaults to preset 1 of your last-auditioned band (FM or AM). (Linking with the RS-332 permits additional and differing presets.) The snooze bar, which gives you five minutes of sleepy reprieve with every smack, is easy to hit and appropriately wide.

A wonderful touch is Sangean's inclusion of an auxiliary audio input and output (both 0.125-inch stereo mini jacks), which lets you use the RS-330 as an amplifier/speaker for a CD player or a cassette deck (through the input) and as a facilitating hookup with an integrated amplifier, or a cassette or minidisc recorder (through the output).

For a winning combination of stylish appearance, alarm flexibility, and pleasing sound quality, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better choice than the Sangean RS-330. --Michael Mikesell

Pros:

• Intuitive controls
• Alarm levels separate from radio level
• Independent bass and treble controls
• Good-sounding speaker
• Headphone jack
• Auxiliary line input and output
• Nicely positioned volume knob
• FM antenna supplied
• Stately appearance

Cons:

• Shift key required to select preset stations 7 to 12
• Display doesn't show time and radio station simultaneously
• Alarm 1 and alarm 2 must wake to the same station (except when using the RS-330 in conjunction with RS-332)

Product Description

Once upon a time, a company named Proton marketed an extremely high-quality AM/FM radio with a built-in clock. It was acclaimed by many and was extremely popular. Then came a time when supplies of this radio dwindled and it became a much sought after product. It seemed that Proton passed to another realm. It turned out that the wizards at Sangean had been the original masterminds behind the RS-330 and now this fine radio is back for you to enjoy : Digitally-tuned AM/FM with 24 Programmable Station Memories : Integrated Digital Clock with FL Display Screen and Dimmer Control : 2 Separate Alarms : Each alarm can increase its volume so you're sure to react when needed : Snooze Bar : Integrated 5 Full-range speaker powered by a 4 Watt amplifier : Jack for optional stereo headphones : 30 Minute backup against power failure retains alarm settings and station memories : 110 Volt AC powered : An optional powered speaker (SGN RS332) may be added to upgrade to fine stereo sound output : Click Here to Download the PDF Manual

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

111 of 112 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not a Sangean, but a Proton.... and a great buy., March 22, 2000

By 

G W Parker (Leesburg, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sangean RS-330 Digital AM/FM Clock Radio (Electronics)

While Amazon lists this as a Sangean unit, it is actually boxedand labelled as the more familiar and highly reputable Proton brand,model RS-330. (The name Sangean is nowhere to be found.)

This radio is the perfect solution for those who don't want to spend hundreds more on a Bose Wave, but find very little satisfaction from "plasticky" clock radios with horrible sound, analog tuners, and controls unusable by humans. I looked at lots of "junk" before I bought this. Add the companion RS-332 amplified speaker and you have an integrated stereo clock radio "system" with independent alarms and controls for two sleepers. (Each sleeper is awakened by sound from the component on his or her own side, but in normal listening you have stereo.) In my opinion, the extra speaker is a must; without it, you have one speaker monaural sound.

The radio and companion RS-332 each contain a four watt amplifier and 5 inch speaker, together offering great fidelity. The case and controls are extremely well crafted with excellent look, materials, and feel.

Headphone out, power backup (not via battery but deep capacitor), ramp wake volume, light sensitive auto dim, digital tuning, auxilliary inputs, displayed wake time for two sleepers, sleep timer... etc. etc. etc.

FM reception is exceptional with the wire dipole antenna included. In summary, this thing works and sounds GREAT (especially with the RS-332 attached in stereo) as long as you do not expect to blow the walls out at high volume.

46 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars RS330 poor performer, March 18, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Sangean RS-330 Digital AM/FM Clock Radio (Electronics)

I like the sound of the radio and the FM reception is very good but that is all that I like about it. I have also found that my 330 hums, this is most annoying in a quiet bedroom. The super capacitor memory backup isn't super at all! Living in a rural setting where power outages are frequent has revealed a serious flaw in this radio, power failures of less than a minute cause the RS330 to forget all tuner presets and clock settings. When power returns the radio tunes itself to whatever station it feels like and comes on loud, not a pleasant experience in the middle of the night. This radio can not be depended upon for reliable alarms and is an annoying product to live with.

41 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Much better than most alarm clock radios, but a few quirks., September 2, 2004

By 

Tony Polito "TonyPolito" (Greenville, North Carolina) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sangean RS-330 Digital AM/FM Clock Radio (Electronics)

I rec'd the radio last week. It was boxed and branded as Sangean (not Proton). I did not purchase the second/slave unit. The second unit looks just like the first, functions like another separate clock radio alarm, but it adds stereo sound. The idea is that you can put one on each side of the bed, one for each of two people).

My unit DOES NOT HUM in any way. Based on all the reviewer's comments, I suspect the humming is a defect that occurs randomly in some units, not in others.

Packaging was good. The unit is weighty, feels solidly constructed. The sound is SUPERB compared to most alarm clock radios -- solid sound, it is only 'tinny' if you max the treble AND min the bass. Overall, I already prefer this unit to most that I have owned.

The major flaw I see is the dimmer control on the bottom of the unit. One reviewer mentioned it was flimsy and easy to break. Too bad I didn't read that before I tried to adjust it. The dimmer control knob has a slit to accommodate a screwdriver for turning it ... and the knob is mounted on a L-shaped piece of metal welded to the circuit board inside. When I barely pushed on it with the screwdriver, the metal bent and the knob dropped into the body of the radio, out of reach. I spent about an hour disassembling the radio--every single screw, ribbon cable--and the "motherboard" had to be removed--to get access to the knob to bend it back into the right place. I adjusted it to maximum brightness (where I want it) and resolved to never touch it again. Even with the knob `out of the box,' it wasn't easy to turn. There is not a reason in the world why this design defect could not engineered out of the product at little cost.

I also see the lack of battery backup as another significant flaw. Power outages exceeding a few minutes are simply too common to justify the "short-term memory chip" approach that Sangean has installed.

I agree with one of the earlier reviewers about the backlit buttons on the front of the unit. They are not really backlit, but have a halo-like glow around them. You would have to remember which button is which ... and have the unit close and at eye-level for the backlighting to be much help. If the radio were at eye level and bedside, this backlighting probably WOULD be useful. I do think the backlighting adds some esthetics ... but more utility could be added were the buttons themselves actually lit. Automobiles routinely illuminate the characters on buttons by allowing backlight to leak through characters embedded into them with translucent plastic, surely the buttons on this radio could be re-designed to do the same ... again probably without any significant cost.

The radio IS laden with buttons and knobs, which might intimidate some people. When I took it out of the box, they were a bit intimidating. So I worked through the manual once, trying each button, knob, function, etc. Now the design seems quite simple. I think that most people will find the unit is not complicated to operate if they take the time to look at the description for each knob/button in the manual.

This unit is designed to nicely accommodate two people in the bedroom when used with the second/slave unit, one on each side of the bed. It has a "Page1/Page 2" button (which really means `User 1' and `User 2.') Each person need merely set his/her unit to their own "page" and they will have their own set of preset stations. Done once for this purpose, this button is never needed again. This seems intuitive to me since my car radio also accommodates two drivers, each with their own pre-sets in a similar fashion ... the car knows the driver by which keyfob is used.

I do agree with one earlier reviewer in that the section of the manual about how to program the radio pre-set is not as readable as it might be. But the fact is that the actual presetting itself is not complicated. Hit the "MEMO" button, then hold down the whichever numbered button you wish to save the station on. (The user must start out the pre-set process with the unit set for their own "page," of course; a single user can just use the second page for storing additional stations.)

It appears that some reviewers found this Page1/Page2 button a needless complication in the pre-setting process, but if unless a single user tries to use "both sides" of the radio for additional presets, this `extra' button can be totally ignored.

I disagree with one reviewer who did said the time-set approach made it easy to reset the time by accident. There is a big button on the back of the radio to enter the time-setting mode. The button is big so you can easily find it though you can't see it ... and it is on the back so you won't hit it accidentally in day-to-day use. I see that as good design. As the reviewer said, each time you hit it, it cycles through changing the clock time, alarm 1 time and alarm 2 time. You can't get them mixed up. The time is displayed much larger than the alarm times ... and the one that is ready to be set flashes. And the alarms and the time all display in different locations. I just don't see how you could change the wrong one ... and be looking at the face of the clock at the same time.

One reviewer pointed out that the "Alarm 1 Off" and "Alarm 2 Off" buttons are pretty close together. They are close, but separated by one other button. Indeed, the first riser could accidentally turn off the second riser's alarm (before turning off their own alarm). This is probably true of any two-user alarm clock unit. If the unit comes up for a redesign, Sangean might consider relocating the buttons, one on each side of the unit-that would put the buttons 11 inches apart ... and difficult for even the sleepiest user to confuse.

I didn't like the fact that, when the alarm is set, that the unit constantly displays both the clock time and the alarm time. I would prefer the alarm time black out when not being set ... on the other hand, other people might like it that way. As long as the unit is loaded with buttons and knobs anyway, perhaps one little tiny switch for that option wouldn't be awfully unwelcome.

In terms of reception, it appears that the radio is really designed to require the use of external antennas for good reception ... just like "the old days." Sangean supplies an FM antenna, but you are on your own regarding AM. (I don't use AM so it doesn't matter to me.) I would suggest you hook up your antenna(s) BEFORE plugging in the radio-since, as soon as it powers up, it searches for signals and starts your pre-sets out with the strongest signals it can find. Without the FM antenna, mine preset some of the buttons on a lot of loud static. (Since Sangean is `into' automatic pre-set functionality, I wondered why they didn't add that little chip that picks up that atomic clock signal to pre-set the time.)

This radio overall is a very desirable unit. The sound is excellent, even in mono, it has a stylish look that would fit on a office desk or on a kitchen counter as well as in the bedroom.

With the second unit, this would make for an excellent student dorm room solution-the radio's sound could only get even better in stereo ... and the radio has an auxiliary function where (I presume) the student could plug their portable CD player and or iPod ... AND it can serve as the roommate's alarm and radio, need be. The fact that it won't take up space and has a small footprint is also a plus for dorm room users. (Plus Mom and Dad can buy this system ... and skip paying for one of those `big box' CD systems plus an alarm clock.) I bet if Sangean would try to direct market the system to students, they'd sell more than a few.

Some reviewers complained about longer-term quality issues; for me that remains to be seen. For the moment, though, I give it a pretty hefty thumbs-up compared to the many other (often cheap) radio alarm clock units I looked at. For now, I see it as a very desirable product. I am using this one in the living room, but I now plan to buy the two-unit system for the bedroom.

If this radio sounds like something you'd like and looks like something you would like, I bet you probably WILL like it ... but be warned, don't even think about touching that dimmer control on the bottom of the unit !!

* * *

Even better with the stereo slave unit ..., January 19, 2005
Reviewer: Tony Polito (Greenville, North Carolina) - See all my reviews

I stated in my earlier review I planned to purchase another unit ... with the stereo slave unit (RS-332) ... and I did. The RS-332 was not available direct from Amazon, but only through J&R as a third party vendor. Other reviewers stated that some of their "Sangean" radios arrived as "Proton." I didn't want them to not match, so this time I ordered both through the J&R link.

Everything I said before pretty much applies here as well. I am very happy with the purchase after about 3 months of usage. It does sound even better in stereo.

The slave unit DOES have the dreaded hum others have spoke of ... but not the main unit. On mine, at least, it is very low. Were it any louder, I would indeed be frustrated. So, again, this is a quality issue that varies from unit to unit.

This time, I used some small needle-nosed pliers to CAREFULLY turn the dimmer switch at bottom ... and it STILL almost bent inside the unit. I simultaneously supported it from doing so by bolstering it on one side with a small flat-head screwdriver. You've been warned !!

UPDATE: [ 01/2008 ] Still love 'em. Working fine. The best sounding clock alarm/radio you'll find anywhere. I thought one was busted because the alarm played so low. But I had forgotten there's a separate small button on the back for setting the ALARM volume separate from the big regular volume knob on the side.