Customer Reviews

Sangean WR-2 Digital AM/FM Tabletop Radio, Walnut

5 star:		(75)
4 star:		(35)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

This is a very appealing clock radio with digital readout that gives you name of song, artist, and other information as you listen. The mono aural speaker is warm and full. The radio is attractive, solid and well-built, evincing nothing cheap or plastic-laden. The AM is very good. Most FM stations come in strong. But hard-to-get FM stations like 89.3 from Pasadena (I live 40 miles away in Torrance) requires that I move the FM antenna, but this is not a big deal, just a nitpick.

Most listeners will love the WR-2. But if you're a radio buff like I am and enjoy the outstanding FM reception of the Grundig S350, the Kaito 1101 and 1103 models (called Degen in China), then I'm afraid the WR-2 will disappoint. To be fair to the WR-2, the more expensive Bose radio suffers the same problem of mediocre FM reception.

Another important point: Because this radio has a remote control, it works great in your computer office. You can keep the WR-2 six feet or so away from your computer and avoid interference as you toggle stations and volume with your remote.

Post Script: Make sure to turn on the external antenna switch in the back of the Sangean. It improves reception by tenfold.

Update: I bought a second WR-2 (in black) three years after the first and get excellent FM reception so apparently the radio has improved in newer models. New rating: 5 stars.

I researched a lot of clock radios, including models from Tivoli, Boston Acoustic, Cambridge Soundworks, Bose, Proton/Sangean, and decided on this unit for the following reasons: stereo headphone jack; line in for MP3; front(vs. top-mounted) 3" speaker; programmable, digital tuning; digital clock. To my mind, it is oxymoronic to expect stereo speakers on a compact clock radio--the unit is on my night table and I am not sure how I can perceive stereo separation given that configuration; however, I do desire stereo headphone capability, which the unit delivers. When I lived in New Hampshire, I had very few stations to listen to, owing to poor reception, in spite of the external FM antenna. Now that I am in the metro Boston area, I do not find reception to be an issue. I have never been able to set my clock automatically with the RDS, but the other features, i.e. song title, artist, radio station work satisfactorily. I think the sound of the unit is superb, but it would be interesting to do a side by side aural compare with some of the above-mentioned units.

A couple of complaints:
1)Alarm set/disable is needlessly complicated. Yes, I know how to do it, but any system that requires you to consult the user's manual for a refresher on how to disable the alarm...well, all I can say is give me a toggle switch (virtual or otherwise).
2) The display defaults to the radio frequency. I think this is ill-considered: I rarely change stations, so I know what I'm listening to; on the other hand, I don't know what time it is until I toggle to time on the display. I don't get that.

The other day my wife and I were busy with a project in the bedroom--installing Container Store closet systems--and I played my Dell Jukebox MP3 player through the unit. I have to say, it really delivered; the sound quality was quite high.

All in all I am very pleased with this purchase and do believe it gives me all that I want--good sound, compact design, nice appearance--at a reasonable price.
Dick
Sharon, MA

There is so much I could say about this radio, but in short it works perfectly as described by the manufacturer and even better. It was purchased as a replacement for an Under counter GE Radio/CD Player. I tried a couple of other radios ( Crosley, Emerson, Sony) None of them could fill the room like this one. However, the most impressive feature to me is that it could pick up all of my favorite stations without much effort. I unpacked the radio in my basement, where reception is terrible unless you use an external ( outdoor antenna), and this radio pulled in all of the stations.

The RDS function is great for seeing the titles of songs playing and Station IDs on some stations. I have yet to see a station actually broadcasting traffic reports in the Atlanta area, but it is nice to have the capability to see them if they do start broadcasting traffic data.

As for Sound Quality, it is great.. The Radio can be a little heavy on the bass, I had to turn it down a couple of notches in our kitchen. ( The radio sits in a corner,( which enhances bass)and I had to increase the treble, All of which you can do via the volume control on the radio or the remote control.

The radio has automatic time setting feature via the RDS system. It also features a power loss recovery system. Radio continues to function for about 6 minutes with no AC. THe Clock and memory settings are retained a little longer. The Radio is fairly simple,even though it has more buttons than a Tivoli, or Crosley, it is still easy to operate.

The table radio is a fast growing segment of electronics thanks to the IPOD. I have seen a few models come out that I might have considered had they been available, but I am very happy with the WR-2.

I bought my WR-2 radio this past Christmas time. I originally order a black casing WR-2 radio from a small online retailer, but that new black WR-2 has some type of internal computer problems, the radio freezed up and not responding (even I press any button).

Thankfully, Sangean company (in CA) took care of the problem over the phone, the Sangean warranty dept, Jim, took back the defective radio, and also give me a choice of different color of a new working WR-2. They also took care of the shipping cost, as I had the problem within days of receiving.

The black shiny wood finish (based on my comparison) looked only good in picture or in living room. If I only have the WR-2 in my bedroom, the Walnut wood case look more natural and fit bedroom decor better.

Okay, after I received my WR-2 radio in walnut casing. I am so pleased with the AM reception(just its internal antenna), it ables me to tune into many AM station, that we can't tune in with other boombox type AMFM stereo. TIPS: since it's not a legendary GE superadio, you have to keep the WR-2 a bit away from other electronics, like PC computer, monitor or cooling fans. Otherwise, WR-2 will receive noise interferences from them.

I live in Houston, there are plenty of FM and AM stations. Its RDS (radio data system that many metro city FM station provided) shows the FM station name, each song/artist name on the LCD, it is very handy, when you hear some new good songs, you can look at the LCD to find out who sang it.
The internal FM antenna can do O.K. reception job.
But I still use its provided FM antenna wire (optional) to enhance its FM reception, otherwise some weak Fm station will have hissing sound.

I like its CreditCard sized full-feature Remote Control and Aux input (you have to buy your own audio input cord from radioshack or bestbuy). I connect my portable dvd player to it, the sound thru the little speaker is exceptional, very clear, well balanced and warm tone.
Also, you can adjust the radio speaker's Bass/Treble level, from -6 to +6.
Its small sized speaker is very powerful to reproduce music from the input.

For people who enjoy small clear wood design, FM radio music, AM talk show, and music input (portable CD/Dvd or ipod), and have about $160 budget, this Sangean WR-2 radio is a keeper.

Over the past few months I have tried table radio's from Sony, Tivoli, Bose, Boston Acoustics and now this Sangean. Of those brands I purchased the Bose Wave Radio, Sony ICF-M1000 and the Tivoli Model Two. I returned the Tivoli because it would drift off station frequently no matter what station or type of antenna used. Of all the radio's that I have purchased I'm left with only two, the Sony and the Sangean. Between the Sangean and the Sony I prefer the Sangean.

The Sangean is manufactured to the highest quality standards using real hard wood for the cabinate. It's a beauty to look at and listen to. It has a high quality Hi-Fi sound along with a very clear and informative LCD display. This radio has the ability to display the station name, song name and traffic data via RDS (Radio Data System).

It also has a built in clock which automatically sets itself via RDS and has an alarm. Although this radio can be used as an alarm clock it wasn't designed specifically for that purpose. The Alarm is cumbersome to use and lacks many of the features found on the Sangean RCR-1 such as dual alarms with day-of-the week capability.

This radio comes with a full function credit card sized remote control which is a clear advantage over the Tivoli and Sony models. The sound is rich and full but not over bearing. It has a soft tone to it that you could listen to all day as soft background music while reading a good book.

My only wish for this radio would be the addition of a companion stereo speaker to compete with Tivoli. Other than that this radio is close to being perfect. I'm very pleased with this purchase. It puts the Tivoli to shame where reception is concerned and in my opinion the build quality is much higher than the Tivoli. For the money you will not find a better table radio.

Edit: Out of curiosity I wanted to see how the radio was built inside the case. It turns out that the case is actually made of a high density pressed wood with wood grain laminate. I'm a little dissapointed with this discovery but I'm still very pleased with the radio overall. Although the case is not "real" wood like the Tivoli it is still built to a higher standard than the Tivoli. The electronic components are assembled using Surface Mount Technology (SMT). Unlike the Tivoli it is very neat and organized inside with very few wires. By comparision, the Tivoli looks like an eighth grade science project inside.

I wanted a simple alarm radio with good sound and MP3 input capability. All of my music is electronic (MP3), so no longer need CD player capability or tape deck. I was looking to replace a desktop stereo with something simple and compact.

I looked into the Tivoli Model 1, but when I saw a display model at Target I thought it looked cheap. The Sangean is much more solidly built, and has many other features that the Tivoli lacks. These include:
-Digital tuning
-Preset stations
-Backlit LCD.

I also considered the Boston Acoustics Receptor, but again this did not seem as nice as the Sangean. The Boston is mostly plastic, with a more limited LCD display. The Sangean WR-2, by contrast, is made of wood and metal, and is very solid.

This Sangean is exactly what I was looking for. It is well-built and elegantly simply. Just a beautiful, elegant, high quality audio component. I will buy another one for work.

The Sangean WR-2 radio is basically what I wanted: a bedroom digital clock radio that would pick up the public station cleanly in a fringe area. As other reviewers have noted, the display on bright could be seen through welder's goggles, but it can be dimmed and turned off, which is my choice. (I have a digital clock handy for the time at night.)

There are two frustrating, disappointing things about this radio which drive me crazy. Each one cost a star in my rating. First, some propeller-head digital cowboy engineer must have designed the buttons and the logic program behind all the settings. They are TOO COMPLICATED. The buttons don't have intuitive names, have multiple functions, and whatever status comes into play when you push one only lasts long enough for you to consult the manual before it stops. That part is bad enough but what makes it worse are the wretchedly written instructions about how to use the buttons. I taught technical writing for twenty years, and most of my students could have done a better job of explaining this. (They could hardly have done worse.) The instructions make dealing with the already confusing buttons downright torture. I am not bad at working DVD recorders, computers, and the like, but you'd better be a flaming genius if you want to use this radio without driving yourself nuts. There's no excuse for this, and shame on the designers!

Full disclosure: I've had the radio two weeks, and set and changed the alarm time maybe five times. Each time it was like I was doing it the first time: trial and error, trial and error, cuss, trial and error, cuss, and so on. Maybe after I've had it three months, if I haven't smashed it with an umbrella, I'll be able to change the time quickly.

Oct. 7 Codicil: As I suspected, I can now change the time and alarm fairly efficiently, but no thanks to the manual or designer. My wife has a regular alarm clock for when I'm gone. She'll never figure this thing out. I still like the radio, though. C'mon, Sangean! Test your designs on normal people!

The short story is, buy it, it's a great radio. Fully satisfied.

I wanted a high quality radio for use at work that would pull-in weak signals, sound good, look good, feature a digital tuner and the basic digital features that you find in a car radio. This radio performs on all levels.

Sound is great and fills the room nicely. Has internal porting for good bass. Also, the radio sounds great a extremely low volume (great feature for an office environment).

Radio has 5 presets for AM and 5 presets for FM. 10 would be better for FM, but this is a minor complaint.

No option for a second speaker for stereo speaker output. If you use headphones, the stereo sound is great.

If you're going to use this as a clock radio on your night table, a couple of drawbacks:
- Setting the clock radio alarm is an absolute nightmare, it can't be done intuitively - you need the manual, and you need to go thru it a few times before you learn how to do it.
- BRIGHT blue power-on light is annoying.

I've owned a Tivoli Model 1 and 3, a Boston Acoustics Receptor, an Eton 100, and the Sangean WR-2, which gets the gold medal among an admittedly highly competitive field. Its FM sensitivity and selectivity are terrific in my area (midway between Chicago and Milwaukee), and the radio scanned and locked into the good stations automatically within seconds after plugging it in. The sound is absolutely transparent and open, with no hint of boosted frequencies or "canned" dispersion.

The main "downside" of the radio is the diminutive, BB-like buttons employed for setting stations and the alarm. Be prepared to spend some time learning to read the buttons like braille (the print is tiny and barely accessible to most sight-lines) and to use the remote as a quicker and easier way to control certain features of the radio even when it's right next to your bedside.

What draws me to this model is its versatility. It has three auxiliary jacks (headphones on front; playback and recording inputs on back), effective and user-friendly treble and bass tone controls, and offers a generous and flat upper surface area for a CD player or iPod (a dome-like speaker bulges from the top of the Tivoli 3, and the Receptor has a slanting and slippery top slope). Moreover, like the Receptor, the Sangean requires no power adapter, or "wall wart" (the Tivoli comes with a small one; the Eton with a relatively large one), yet the W-2 has room-filling power, with a volume control that's smooth and "infinite" in its gradations (settings from 1 to 60!)

In sum, the sound is about equal to the Tivoli (though the latter has slightly tighter, better defined bass and, to my ears, a tad more mid-range "presence"), and if you want some of the bass heaviness of the Receptor or Eton, the tone controls allow for that possibility. It lacks the simple non-digital tuning of the Tivoli, but the trade-off is knowing at all times what station you're locked into. The alarm system is more complicated than the others upon initial set-up, but with practice and patience (there is no "dedicated" snooze bar) it's feasible--especially if you don't change settings from day to day. The walnut finish is close to the look of bare, unfinished wood; consequently, black may be a safer bet in some decors. The display is large and the RDS especially effective on this machine (though unfortunately the time does not show in RDS mode). The radio weighs a bit more and is a little wider than the other three. (The overachieving Receptor can practically be thrown into a suitcase for traveling yet delivers bass frequencies that are impressively or excessively floor-shaking, depending on your point of view.)

I rate the Tivoli, Receptor and this Sangean as 5-star radios, so personal preference rules. Primarily because of the digital display, headphone jack, and CD input, the Sangean comes closest to the clock radio I would have designed, though the alarm set may understandably frustrate traditionalists and those devoted to the KISS principle. (Warning: the instruction manual is often closer to pidgin than English. You might do better to learn Spanish and read that part of the manual instead.)

Sound is the same as the Sangean WR-1 - excellent - which already has an impressive list of reviews. However, with the WR-2, the bass and treble may be adjusted for different audio content. Unlike the analog tuning of the WR-1, the WR-2 has digital PLL tuning, so no hunting for a radio station or an exact frequency, and no worries about signal "drift." FM sensitivity and selectivity are excellent; as good as my Grundig Satellit 700 and 800 radios.
We own and very much enjoy both the WR-1 and WR-2 radios. In my opinion, the WR-2 is worth the extra 40% cost. We use these primarily to listen to XM radio, retransmitted through FM throughout the house. In this role, it is difficult to imagine a more elegant wireless solution, or better sound in such small and affordable packages.
If you plan to listen to only one station, usually keep the radio set on only one frequency (such as an XM frequency or that of an an FM transmitter), or only occasionally change FM and AM stations get the WR-1. (My experience is that the set frequency does not drift.) If you would like to have digital frequency readout, five station memories (preset frequencies), or want to change quickly from an XM frequency to local FM channels, get the WR-2. It makes it very easy to precisely tune from station to station, and to a specific frequency. The sound and the build quality of these sets are excellent at any price, but at these prices, are outstanding values.