Customer Reviews

Sony ICF-M410V Portable FM/AM/TV/Weather Radio with Sleep/Turn-on Timer

5 star:		(131)
4 star:		(67)
3 star:		(27)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

Pro: This baby has very good AM reception for such a small radio. It was the best in its price range that I tested (I have bought 15 radios in the past three years). Please note that if you work in a building that is heavy with metal construction that signals aren't going to come booming through no matter how much you spend on a radio. No signals due to building blocking = no signals period. Try this one. If you still can't get your favorite AM station, return it and start listening to internet radio. there is no other way. Safer buildings mean crappier radio reception.
The sleep, alarm, digital tuning are all perfect.
The TV band is strong.
Battery drainage is low and a set will last for weeks/months.
Cons: I hate the purse design of this one. Women may like that but it is not a butch piece of equipment. The design is feminine.
The headphone plug isn't stereo. You get mono through one side of ear plugs you plug in. This is very distracting.
There is no night light.
There is no adaptor included.
There is no handle. This looks more like a table top design than something you would carry around with you.
The weather band is so weak but this may be due to the weak signal in my area.
Overall, because of the excellent AM reception I give this 85%

Great radio, very nice sound, compact size! The weather band and TV band comes in loud and clear. The AM/FM reception is excellent. A terrific compact radio at an excellent price! The memory settings are an added plus. You can't go wrong with this one. Better than other radios of this size with the the same features.

Sadly, strong AM is a disapearing trait from many PLL synthesized digital tuing radios, but the Sony M410V has paid attention to AM; as a result, this Sony gets better AM reception than many digital radios that cost twice as much. 790 AM, which has weak reception on many of my expensive radios, comes in loud in clear on the Sony. The FM is strong. I get all the weak left-dial stations. The TV is strong with the exception of channel 4, a major station. Here's a rundown of what I like:

1. Strong AM
2. Strong FM
3. Ease of use, large buttons, intuitive functions
4. Slender design makes it ideal for bedside use.
5. Costs half of many premium radios that don't have as good AM.

Here's what I would improve:

1. Give the radio more than five presets per band.
2. Give the radio a rear flap so that you can lay it down at an angle for easier operation and to avoid having the radio tip over.
3. Make the headphone jack stereo, not coming through just one headphone speaker like it does now.

Other than those small flaws, this is an outstanding performer for the price.

The Sony ICF-M410V gets great reception. I work in a building that's got some serious radio interference surrounding it. I've tried various clock radio's and a C-crane radio, none were able to pick up anything but static.

This radio is able to pick up all of the stations on AM and FM that I like to listen to. It also picks up 4 or 5 TV stations without any static.

Why not 5 stars? Because, for some reason I can't figure out, Sony thought it'd be a good idea to sell this thing without a power cord.

I bought the Sony AC-E45A power adapter from Amazon along with the radio (they shipped from different retailers btw). Some people reported that this power adapter caused problems with their radios (static or humming) I've not experienced either.

I love it.

This radio is perfect! The sleek shape looks and feels almost like an elegant evening purse. It looks good and fits anywhere and is truly portable, so as I work around the house I can carry it from room to room.

The button settings are easy to use and I can set the stations I listen to regularly and instantly choose between them.

I had purchased a slightly less expensive Sony with tv reception and found it unusable because it was so difficult to locate the desired channel. No such problem here. I can listen to Oprah while washing dishes or the Today Show while making pancakes, and the audio alone carries about 90% of the information you'd get by sitting in front of the tube.

The sound is fine, though perhaps not audiophile quality, but for most purposes, it is completely adequate.

I am delighted with this product.

(There is no cord to plug it in, so if you want to use an adapter, you'll need your own, but it runs for months on 3 AA batteries, so I'm not bothering with a cord.)

I needed a radio with great AM sensitivity and portability. I checked out a number of radios and found the GE 7-2887 Superadio III to be the best, but the size was just too big.

The AM sensitivity of this Sony unit is great! I live in a mountainous region of Arizona and use the unit mainly to listen to talk radio. The daytime AM station is almost 100 miles away and most radios have difficulty even picking it up. This one shines! I attribute this mainly to the larger than normal internal ferrite bar antenna and decent circuitry.

The speaker is large enough to listen at volume, without distortion, and with very good tonal quality for a 3" speaker. I did not notice distortion at "normal" listening levels, nor did I expect to have stereo sound in a radio of this price range.

When listening to AM I use rechargeable batteries. They last 60 hours on average.

FM sensitivity is also very good when compared to other units I tested. The digital frequency readout also appears to be accurate, a problem that often plagues cheaper units. Due to my remote location I could not verify the selectivity of the unit (ability to separate strong radio signals that are close to each other in frequency).

The radio seems to pick up weather stations that have at least a moderate signal. Weak signals simply will not be heard. The unit also has problems with selectivity on this band as even a moderate signal (mine is 30 miles away) washes over onto all the weather frequencies. This is not a problem for most folks, but would be a concern if you live mid-point between two transmitting weather stations.

As "over the air" TV reception is not possible in my area this feature could not be evaluated.

The shuttle style tuner, clock, sleep and activation timer is a great plus!

Bottom line... this is the best portable radio you can buy in this price range!

I Recently purchased but returned an ICF-M410V radio because the sound reproduction is low tone and muffled. Increasing the volume just distorts the sound. For me the reason is that Sony no longer manufactures this products in Japan. I own 2 of the older versions of this radio, both made in Japan, and the overall quality was excellent; sound reproduction was crisp, clear and loud. A pity because new features in the ICF-M410V radio are good improvements to the product, like the shuttle tunning knob.

I own a LOT of radios, including a couple by Grundig/Eton, and I have to say that hands down this is my favorite radio.

FM reception is very clear, no drifting.
TV reception also comes in great, handy from time to time.

There's an alarm function that's not completely intuitive (standby), read the manual if you're interested in using it to wakeup.

On a set of AA batteries it goes for a LONG time, I was tempted to buy the AC cord but I never did - I switch out rechargeables every 4-6 weeks, and I use it EVERY morning for about 2-6 hours. I love the flexibility of it, I just carry it around and plop it down wherever I am, kitchen, bathroom, etc... So I end up using it more than any other radio. My others are just collecting dust.

Love this radio, and am thinking of getting another for my girlfriend...

I have a weird way of 'watching' the TV news and Nightline some nights by taking a shower at 11:30pm (I usually don't take showers in the morning =)) This SONY provides a steady 'stream' of 'good vibes'. I got it at TARGET for $29.00 - Well worth the price listed above. I want to let folks in Amazonland to know it's a great little radio, fits in the smallest of places (My unit is on top of a cabinet in the bathroom) Why get one of those water-proof gizmos, try this. Great sound - very loud and just perfect when your shower is blasting away. Peace - JG 'Bear'

I looked all over for a small radio to use in the bathroom that would: (A) Run on batteries so no unsightly power cord (B) Have AM/FM and TV Bands (C) Weather Band a plus (D) NOT be Silver or Black as that would stick out in an off-white bathroom BINGO! Found this Sony on Amazon and it not only provides A to D above but has some other nice features as well. It is very small and in a darker cream color which blends in well in my enviroment. This radio gets all the reception I will ever need even pulling in weaker stations without ever extending the antenna! Sound is very good from the large speaker for this size radio. The wake-up timer works well. I use the sleep function to automatically turn the radio off after I leave for work. Allthough purchased for use in the bathroom the Sony does find its' way into other rooms from time to time as the small size makes it very portable (has a key lock feature for use when transporting). One negative: The display normally shows the time and swithces to the tuned frequency/channel when powered on. The only way to see the time again is to turn the unit off. This is a nice unit with a sensitive tuner that seems to operate for a very long time on only three AA batteries. Thanks to Sony and to Amazon for satisifying my need.