Customer Reviews

Sony AC-E45A Worldwide AC Power Adaptor with Folding Plug Blade

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(19)

 

 

I recently purchased this item along with a Sony ICF-M410V radio for which it is listed by Sony as an accessory. Don't buy this item for use with any radio, Sony or other, as it produces static at lower frequencies and a steady signal-obliterating loud hum at higher frequencies. When I called Sony about this, the person with whom I spoke indicated an awareness of the problem. The recommended adaptor is an AC-E45HG, but it is not available in the US! It is listed on the Sony Style Canada site, but they will not ship to the US. Catch 22 completed.

After reading these reviews I decided to try a different adaptor for the Sony radio I purchased from Amazon. The first one I purchased from RadioShack produced the same type of interference as was reported by several people here. I returned that one and purchased a different model which works fine with the Sony radio and produces no interference. The model that works is RadioShack 273-1765. It is a 4.5 V - 700 mA AC-to-DC Adapter. This model costs $ 22.99.

Even though this AC Power Adaptor was listed on the Amazon website as an accessory for a Sony portable transistor radio, the instructions with the radio and the Power Adaptor both clearly state that it is not suited for use with a radio, because it will cause the radio to HUM!!!! Sure enough it is totally unusable with a radio because of the HUM!!! The only AC Power Adaptor to be used with a Sony portable radio is a Sony Model AC-E45HG, which is unavailable through Amazon or anywhere else that I can find!!!

I really don't listen to the radio much. I bought this power adaptor for use with my walkman to listen to Cds and MP3 CDs without tearing through batteries. For that it works perfectly.

...although this may be approved by Sony for use with their radios, the front of package reads "Not recommended for AM radio" and the back of package says "Do not use this AC adaptor with a radio as it may cause some noises". ...
I tried it with my Sony ICF-M410V portable radio and learned that my favorite AM station (650 Khz) was accompanied by a significant high pitched whine which is not present when operating on batteries.
Perhaps all power supplies cause similar interference.

This adapter is NOT for use with a radio! I live in a fairly strong signal area, and the noise from this adapter totally wipes out AM 800 (a 50kw station!), which is what I listen to most often!!

I have a sony CD Walkman that I rarely used since I have my ipod nano that I use when I walk so I started using it beside my bed with my pillow speakers but it really used batteries fast. I purchased the Power Adaptor and it works great and I don't have to worry about my CD stopping in the middle for lack of power. For me it is great because I am using the CD player that was gathering dust and I don't bother my husband by using the pillow speakers. Life is Good!!!

I was a bit apprehensive getting this piece for a Sony CD Walkman 'cause the walkman's manual said to use antoher piece and nothing else. But the piece they demand is not available in the US, so what options did I have? I got this one. And I'm glad to report that it works just fine for playing CDs and listening to FM radio. On AM radio, however, it stinks, it injects a sort of low-rumble hum. You can still hear speech, but it's annoying. So don't buy it if you're into AM radio. I don't care for AM one bit so it's fine for me. The piece is well built, with a sturdy cable; folding blade is nice for travel (not that I care). UNLESS you're into AM radio, it's five stars.

PS. Btw, if you don't care about the folding blade, there's a regular version of this adapter that you might prefer (I certainly would have had I found it here when I bought this one: it didn't pop up in the search here; I found it via google; makes sense 'cause this one's more expensive).

PPS: Added on 10/24/2011, just an update on durability, since I see comments that this thing dies after a while: in my case, it didn't die. You can see that I had bought it over two and a half years ago, and it spent most of this time plugged into the wall, either idle, or running CDs or FM radio. No problems whatsover. So it _is_ durable, in my experience at least.

Both Amazon and Sony present this power supply as suitable for the ICF-M410V Sony Radio. (Check Sony's web page)
Only when you receive the wretched thing and go through the slashing, cutting and hacking that modern packaging requires, do you find that this item is completely useless with the radio, emitting a loud hum that drowns out any reception.
Now I have to package it up, write and explanatory letter to Amazon, and try to get my money back. Then I'll have to find a power supply that is suitable for the radio. I have a feeling that I am not going to be successful, as one of the other reviewers has found.
So now I'm stuck with a radio that will only function with batteries, after it was presented as being compatable with a charger - why else would it have a female input for a DC jack?

To say that I am annoyed is putting it mildly. What a bloody scam!

Fine product but it injects noise to some A.M. Radio Stations.

No problem with F.M.