Customer Reviews

Sony SRF-HM01V S2 Sports Walkman Street Style Headphone Radio

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

I have always preferred headband style radios over armband radios while running so I am in a constant search for the right one. Too often, Sony and others develop their headband radios, which are fairly obviously targeted to joggers, exercisers, and other active people but then forget about that target in final production. I've used previous models of headband radios that provide superior comfort and stability on the head. Early on the problem was that they would rust out from the salt in my perspiration. Newer models have solved that problem but created another. The "Street Style" behind the head technique of wearing this unit has a lot of promise. But it can be very uncomfortable to all but the smallest heads. They should really fit these to a regular sized western male instead of to a tiny Thai women. That said, it does have a stable and quiet fit even after several miles. But it will hurt your ears a bit.

As to reception and sound. Well...I've seen it better in other units. I won't say it is poor. But it could be better. And I know this because I could compare it to another Sony model (the analog tuning twin of this one). The mega bass isn't as mega and the FM capture is weaker. The weather and TV bands are neat but not very practical. And I have some concerns about the funky sliding battery cover. It works, but I just don't trust it. One plus is that the ear units attach to the loop internally. My last pair had a metal set screw that rusted and broke. All in all I give it 3 stars, average, and I will keep it until I find a better one. A redesigned and lighter version of the flawed SRFHM55 would be the trick. Get it together Sony!

I had high hopes for the Sony SRFHM01V Sport Walkman radio. I was willing to pay a little more for quality. The reception was great, it was lightweight, it was a dream come true...until my ears started hurting. After about a half-hour's wear, the soreness started behind my ears where the ear hooks hang. (Ear hooks are nice to prevent the radio from falling off the head while looking down.) This was not mild irritation. I tried bandaids to cushion behind my ear and even weather stripping! These "remedies" didn't work. Then, where the earpads rested on my ears made my entire outer ears hurt. Putting foam protectors on the ear pads did wonders for relieving the irritation to my outer ears. I didn't find a solution for the ear hook pain, so I ended up returning the radio and got a full refund.

If, like I, you are looking for a truly portable radio to use in the gym, take a pass on this one. Specifically:

1. The controls are non-intuitive, tiny, and difficult to use.

2. When used indoors, it is vulnerable to RF interference (static).

3. Like most Asian electronics, it has too many features. Who really wants to listen to TV and weather bands? AM and FM alone are enough.

4. The unit is reatively heavy, bulky and uncomfortable.

Don't waste your money. You'll end up not using it.

This radio probably has the same RF tuner as Sony's D-FS601 CD player, but the CD player has much better weak-signal reception. The difference probably is that the CD player gets to use the 3-foot headphone cord as an antenna, instead of only a 10-inch headband. I think the sound quality (on a strong FM station) is fine, and AM reception is OK (most probably uses a ferrite bar antenna like any other radio), TV audio comes in OK probably because TV stations put out a lot more RF power, but weather band reception is nil (no antenna again). I wear glasses all the time, and the radio does seem to accommodate the temple pieces, but the padded wires that go behind the ear lobes to support the radio seem to cut in after wearing the radio for only 15 minutes. I plan to keep this radio, because carrying around a box with separate headphones is a nuisance, but will also experiment with extra padding for the ear pieces and maybe wrapping the end of a 4-foot wire around the headband to see if it will act as an external antenna.

I bought these to use at the gym for working out and on the treadmill. Needless to say, it didn't work at all. No reception. Now, my bulky walkman I previously used worked fine, so I know there isn't much distortion in the gym, but the signal gets lost somewhere in these headphones.

Do not recommemend!!

I returned it yesterday...

I bought one of these for my spouse to use at the gym. She tried it once and immediately complained that FM reception was poor. We live in a major metro area with a lot of stations, but this product could not tune in many of them. We returned it to the store and purchased an older Sony headband radio model(that actullay works) on the web.

I didn't realize when I purchased this that on top of the AM & FM, it also includes a TV band tuner (ch's 2-13) as well as weather (I think there are 4 or 5 preset stations, but I have yet to find one).

The receivers are also "weather- resistant," however I have yet to sample whether it will survive a decent downpour, but the seals seem adequate for an average rain. The earpieces are rubber (part of being WR), not the foam material one is used to having. They can be a little snug for a larger head, but I got used to the direct feel quickly.

I had a SONY headset radio unit with the small antenna before purchasing this. This is a little thinner and there is no visible antenna which had gotten in the way of my camera straps (I use them when I'm covering major league baseball & football). Hands down, a well- designed product, and rugged enough to handle my work in the field. Maybe I can use them to listen to a weather channel for the next hurricane? Most excellent value.

The first attraction of this headphone radion is it's sleek design. The reception is pretty good, the sound quality is not great but it's radio. People are made of different sizes. This headphone was not design to accomodate that. If you have a small or big head, this headphone is not for you. I have a neck size of 17", this head barely fit on me. It is very uncomfortable on me, my ear feel squashed and pulled by the headphone. SONY should have been more considerate to people like me and design a better headphone. They should try harder and made it adjustable to fit all head sizes. I'm very disappointed but praise its sleek design. If you're petite/big/tall, this headphone may not be the right for you.

I have an old sony "Sports" headset radio -- Model SRF-M59. I have used it and loved it for years, but it's fallingn apart. When Sony came out with this one, I was happy to order it, thinking it would be as good as my old one. It is not. We have a strong local FM station and I can't even get it much of the time. I'm back to using my old one -- and buying duct tape.

This is a bad headphone radio for people who listen while exercising. The earpiece hurts and digs into ears and head in about 2 minutes. There is no foam around the earpiece either, just hard plastic. You need that foam to absorb sweat when you exercise. Get the SRF-HM33 instead.