Customer Reviews

Sony SRF-M35 Walkman Portable AM/FM Radio

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

 

 

My goal was to find a moderate to low cost portable FM tuner to wear for working out, jogging, walks, office, etc.

I evaluated solely on FM reception of two channels of interest, WEMU 89.1 (jazz and NPR, a very strong signal) and WUOM 91.7 (NPR, a moderate signal). Ann Arbor sits in a valley and has notoriously poor FM reception. (Even my high-end receiver with an indoor Terk antenna struggles.)

I tried at least 5 other units within a short period of time of purchasing the SRF-M35. These units are:

RCA RP1667 ($20) - Meijer
Jensen SAB-50 ($25) - Target
Koss PP260 ($30) - Meijer
Panasonic FR-SW200 ($50) - Meijer
RCA RP1876 ($20, with cassette) - Walmart

I have little doubt that among the 6 I tried, the SRF-M35 unit is the best with regard to tuning sensitivity. Sound quality was also very good, but of course very much a factor of the strength of signal.

I did not expect that the Sony would be my first choice. I thought that there was a good chance Sony was trading on its reputation and name. I was wrong. The Sony was the best of the bunch (and the list above is in order of my other preferences).

The SRF-M35 has no mono switch, instead uses a blend-to-mono circuit. This works pretty well on music. However, for talk radio, e.g. NPR (generally a mono program), I would have preferred a mono button to further reduce background noise. The RCA did have a mono switch that I used, and I liked this feature. However, the headphones I use have a mono switch, and this essentially reduces background noise as effectively as if the mono switch on the RCA tuner (I'm not sure I understand why, but that's what I observed.) You could also get a mono mini-plug converter from radio shack to go on the end of your stereo headphones, although this is less convenient.

The Jensen was a very good performer. I disliked its smaller buttons and preferred the one-button-one-preset approach that Sony uses. It also has a bass boost that cannot be disabled. It sounds good on music, but is a little annoying on talk. However, it did hold stations well, was the smallest of the bunch, and has a cool arm-band. If I was a jogger, I might have picked this one instead.

The RCA was a good performer as well. See my review of it. Before I tried the Sony, it was my first choice. It didn't hold stations as well as the Sony, and I wish it had a lock button. Also, there is no clock. It was a good performer, and I think I would have been very happy with it.

I cannot speak to long-term durability of the Sony, as I've only had the unit a week. Also, I am less likely to subject it (or me) frequently to the rigors of jogging.

In short, Sony provided the best in this class. I tried several comparably priced units, and was expecting Sony to be no better than the rest. I was surprised by the improved performance of this unit as compared to its peers. It is slightly more expensive, and in my view, justifiably priced.

Have ALWAYS had great satisfaction with every SONY product and have always been willing to pay the higher price for products. Have used the Walkman AM/FM radio for years. Finally, needed to buy new one. During 2001, had to buy THREE (3) of these items. Each "lost" the A M stations, the F M stations became limited and finally, the batteries (2 AAA) needed replacement with 15 hours of use. Returned to retailer. Was told to contact manufacturer. The SONY company has not responded. As I said...great product but... something has gone wrong with latest production quality.

Thought I was going crazy!!! So happy I read reviews on Amazon site re: Sony Walkman Digital Radio, Model SRF-M35.

Have had almost identical experiences as other reviewers... failure of performance, hissing, etc. I have been unsuccessful in getting ANY response from SONY after sending registered letter to Administative Offices. What happened to the great SONY company? Poor quality, poor service etc. Even retailers are reluctant to refund/exchange this item.

Coming from Sony, I expected a very good product
however I was disappointed. The unit is quite
light and compact but the FM reception is very
bad. In Local mode, the audio keeps fading in and
out. When switched to DX mode, there is unbearable
hissing and static. Got fed up after using it for
3 days, am returning it. I used to be impressed
with the general quality of Sony products but
nowadays I'm going for other brands like Panasonic.

Was looking for a small radio for outdoor listening. This was the best that I found. Works great and is small enough to fit in your pocket.

This unit provides average to above average reception. Once you get accustomed to the layout of the control buttons, memory buttons, etc., it's fine. It does have a "lock" button to prevent it from being inadvertently powered on. It's so lightweight (two AAA batteries that last a long time) as to be almomst unnoticeable on my hip. I'm looking for a second one so I can give my wife back tis one!

My radio worked great for about year but then I started getting bizarre malfunctions that are similar to what others are reporting. FM reception became worse and it drained batteries much faster than it used to. It would turn off by itself and would not turn back on until the next day.

i wanted something light, small, and easy to deal with at the gym while i work out. this product turns out to be near perfect. its very lightweight and has a belt clip that i can attach onto my shorts. i would have hoped that the headphones were the more 'sport' type, but they are the bigger, old-fashioned headphone. there is no arm band, but i prefer the belt clip to an arm band when i work out. overall, i would recommend this am/fm radio walkman because of its size, versatility, and good price.

I returned the SRF-M35 shortly after I bought it. Interference from other stations prevented me from using it: I would get the station I wanted for a few seconds after turning the radio on before another station drowned it out. None of my other radios share that problem, so I concluded that the SRF-M35 was at fault. It may be specific to my locale or my local stations in combination with this unit, or I may simply have gotten a bad unit, so your mileage may vary.

I bought this unit for work. I get good FM reception but no AM reception in the building where I work, but then again either did previous walkmans. For the abuse this walkman has taken it still works just like the day I bought it and it doesn't seem to eat the batteries like my previous walkmans. I would recommend this unit to anyone....I have really enjoyed mine....