Customer Reviews

Sony SRF-M37V FM/AM/Weather/TV Radio Walkman with 25 Memory Presets

5 star:		(95)
4 star:		(70)
3 star:		(21)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

I've had trouble finding a Walkman type radio that works well around Manhattan - FM signal overload and multipath causes noisy reception on most radios in New York City.

The Sony SRF-M37V is the best one I've found so far. It performs better than Sony's previous SRF-M35 model, and it also works better than models I tried from Panasonic and Sangean. While it isn't perfect, the SRF-M37V has a lot less multipath and signal-overload noise than those other models. The local-distant switch does a decent job of cutting down on this kind of interference in the city without killing the stereo separation, and it works much better than the same switch did on the SRF-M35. In "distant" mode, this radio has very good FM sensitivity. However, I'm not able to pull in a couple of my favorite low-powered out-of-town & college stations because those frequencies get overpowered by nearby local signals. I've had the same problem with every other Walkman-type radio I've tried though, so it's not just a fault of this one.

The AM section seems to have good sensitivity too, but the sound quality isn't as crisp as other models, including the SRF-M35. The treble is rolled off so sharply that it sounds rather muffled and you can't hear "S" sounds in normal speech. I know audio quality isn't a priority for AM radio but I've still heard better than this.

Reception on the TV and weather bands seems good, although the audio level is a little low on both. I have to turn up the volume nearly all the way to get a normal listening level.

Overall fidelity is very good at low volume but you can't turn it up very loud before it starts to distort. I expect this is because it runs on a single AAA battery so the headphone amp is probably underpowered. Stereo separation is great. There seems to be a bit of bass boost built in, which is not switchable, so the bass is the first thing to distort at higher volume levels. The supplied headphones sound like typical cheap Walkman phones, and aren't as good as the ones that came with the SRF-M35. This radio will sound much better if you get some better headphones.

There is a battery status indicator, which is useful. There is also a clock but the time won't show in the display unless you turn the radio off.

The bottom line is this is a very good radio. It's small, the presets make it easy to tune, and the TV and weather bands are fun to have. If all you need is a Walkman that does a good job at picking up radio I don't think you'll beat this one, especially for the price.

As I write this review the Sony SFR is 28.52 on Amazon (I bought mine on Amazon recently for 30 and I've seen it as high as 39). It is a digital radio with over-the-ear headphones (on the cheap side) and manual volume control. The AM is A grade. The FM is B minus as the NPR stations here in LA, 89.3 and 89.9, suffer a little static. Overall build quality is high. The SFR has a clip for my pants. Having said all this, I'm giving the SFR to my wife and I'm keeping my other pocket radio, the Sangean DT 180, which I purchased on Amazon for about 36 dollars. Currently, Amazon is charging 38.51 for it. For me, but not everyone, the Sangean is slightly better when compared to the Sony SFR. Here's the breakdown. AM reception is a tie. FM goes to the Sangean, which gets worse reception than the Sony for 89.3 but no static at all for 89.9. Regarding FM, all pocket radios seem rather weak in this regard since there is no telescopic antenna. The Sangean has no clip but is smaller than the Sony so it can fit inside my pocket. The Sangean doesn't have manual tuning. It has digital toggle feature with numerical increments. I like this feature. The Sangean has ear-canal headphones, which can be dangerous to hearing so be careful. All in all, both radios are almost equal with slight variations in features, which will become a matter of preference. For me, I prefer the Sangean. But currently it is 10 dollars more than the Sony, and I'm not sure it's worth that much more. Either way, you're getting an apex pocket digital radio.

I love this walkman..I wish it had a seek button. You can't automatically go to the next strongest station, but I do like the five direct pre sets..very easy to use and quite convenient. When travelling find five stations you like and punch them in. Usually most people would find five sufficient. The AM reception is exceptional. The local distant switch is a help on FM, even though there is still multi-path interference in a city even with the local switch on.The size is great and I use it often when traveling. Highly recommended.

I've had this handheld AM/FM/TV/WeatherBand radio for half a year now and it gets the job done and then some! I live in New Jersey and listen to NY stations of radio and TV with clear sound.. Couldn't be more pleased with being able to hear FM/AM radio and morning TV news from ABC2, NBC4, FOX5, UPN9,WB11, NEWS12 .
(Reception can vary depending where you live im sick of bad reviews I've seen on mp3 players with the same FM/AM/TV/ tuner feature)

The GOOD:
* Digtal buttons makes scaning stations simple
* Preset buttons lets you jump to favorites quick
* Has 25 preset channels
* Has Digtal Clock on display

* Works on a single AAA battery
* Has battery indicator on the digtal screen
* Has long battery life

* Sound is Good/Great Quality
* Volume is Loud

* Found Reception Great indoors and outdoors (varys in subways or basements)

* Small and Lightweight
* Fits in back/front pockets
* Belt clip is handy for on the job
* Fits in palm of hand for jogging or biking

The BAD:
* I couldn't pick up more then 1 or 2 weather bands and they sound fuzzy at times.

* I hardly use AM radio due to it's fuzzy sounding quality.

* Reception could be stronger for subways or building basements.

* Comes with headphones that are easy to break..better off with ear bud headphones.

((Price is little high but it's a Sony! THANK YOU FOR READING))

Not a bad unit, but if you are excersizing outside at night, which happens alot in late fall/winter/early spring, you will have no idea what you are listening to since there is no backlight on display and the WB button blends in with the 5 preset buttons (as explained in other reviews) which inadvertantly shoots you to weather reports. The BAND button is ackward to find off to the side. The MAIN dissapointment is that there is no SEEK or SCAN button- a user has to press the up or down tune buttons(nice small size by the way, for feeling), which causes you to hear alot of static between stations and then you end up passing stations, then having to go back a bit to get tuned in. Then you have to start the whole process over and over again until you find a station you like. The preset buttons are nice in the day when you can see if you are on the lower 5 FM stations or the upper 5 preset stations, but at night you have no idea which FM set of presets you are on- very frustrating.

The best thing about this unit is how solid it feels with its well built clip and the textured buttons. Its curved on the backside to follow the contour of your waist, so it doesn't get caught on things on the sides. Reception is great on AM like the person in Kansas explained, good on FM, great on TV, and poor on Weather Band.

Sangean radios have awesome tuning. Sangean does make units with SEEK and SCAN though which are great features! Their DT-110 has awesome sound and tuning, but no TV or Weather. Their carry cases are really cheap and flimsy- I don't understand why they make a radio with such great tuning and sound and then try to save a buck or two on the cheap cases. After all, they are high end in the price range and people that are paying 70 -80 dollars on their units will be greatly dissapointed with the plastic cases.

All these units come with compromises and after trying 2 Sony's and 2 Sangean's I chose this Sony. The price is the lowest of the 4 units I compared (I took the other 3 back to the stores which is a hassle, but the stores never demo these units- They demo cameras, but why they don't demo these small radios is beyond me). But at least we can use this great forum provided by Amazon to read each others comments- Thanks Amazon!

I purchased this for use when walking my dogs. I wanted digital tuning in a small package. I tried the SRF-M37V along with several other similar radios and found it to be the best.

Pros:
1)Small and sturdy. So light you will forget you're wearing it.
2)Excellent battery life. I am using a basic Walgreens battery and it has lasted for weeks.
3)Sound quality. Even with the base headphones that others here have criticised, this unit has excellent sound.
4)Lock out button so you don't accidently bump the unit and lose your station.

Cons:

1) Presets buttons are the same size and shape as the weather band button. When walking, I often will accidently hit it when I try to go by feel rather than having to look at the unit. The band button is slightly smaller and thus avoids this problem.
2)Reception is good, but not great. No other unit was measurably better. AM was weak at night, stronger during the day, FM would fade in and out a bit from time to time, and the weather band is very low volume. TV band is all but useless where I live.
3)Digital display isn't backlit. Hard to see at night unless you pass under a streetlight or use your flashlight.

In summary, it sounds good, is fairly inexpensive, is durable, and easy to carry. Give it a try!

If you are looking for a small portable radio that is quality constructed and whose most important feature is digital tuning, you can do no better than the Sony M37V.

I looked at many small radios before deciding to purchase this unit. Sangean radios were attractive and stylish. If I wanted to spend $70 on a portable radio, they would have been my first choice. Panasonic also makes a radio that is about $5 less than this one. I liked the unobtrusive color, bigger headphones and Sony's superior quality reputation enough to shell out a few extra bucks.

The sound is good with the provided headphones. I think it would be much better with a real pair such as Sennheiser manufactures. I think it is silly to buy a small portable radio for $30.00 and expect to have an Onkyo or Bose type sonic experience no matter what you spend on headphones.

I have had good reception on this unit indoors, and excellent reception outdoors. This unit may not be your best choice for use in the home or office, based on the experiences other reviewers have had. If you are going to use it for outdoor activites, I can't give it a better reccomendation.

For health reasons, I walk at least a mile every day but I frankly get bored. So, I first tried the discman approach, but quickly realized that carrying it in my hand was not for me. I then received a no-name radio walkman as a gift, and gave it a try. It solved the problem of having to carry something in my hand, but unfortunately I could get only one station (yes, one) and that was a country station. Living in a Washington, D.C. suburb I thought that I should be able to receive more than one station on any kind of radio.

Thus began my quest for a name-brand radio walkman, but I quickly realized that there weren't many choices. I considered the Sangean, but the only thing it had extra was a little speaker. Since my purpose was to listen to music in stereo, I couldn't personally see any benefit in having a tiny little speaker on the radio. That left the Sony and Panasonic brands. After reading reviews of both brands, I was more confused than enlightened because it seems like some people find fault with either brand. In spite of some of the negative reviews about the Sony, I decided to try it anyhow. I immediately understood why many reviewers don't like the headphones that come with it. They just didn't feel comfortable, although I couldn't really fault the sound quality. I simply swapped them for the Sony headphones that came with the Sony discman I had purchased, and that solved the problem. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I could easily fill all ten presets on the two FM bands with stations that I normally listen to at home or in the car. Maybe the reception on this radio simply depends on where you live. I didn't even bother trying the AM band, because, again, my purpose for buying a walkman radio was to listen to a variety of music stations in stereo. Likewise with the T.V. band. If I want to listen to T.V. I'll watch it instead. I finally tried the WB band, and was able to hear all about the weather. In fact, if I could have found a unit that simply had an FM band I would have bought it.

One last comment. For those folks who think that the sound quality of this radio is disgusting I can only assume that they are purist musicians, super audiophiles, or ultra critical types who aren't satisfied unless they are listening to a $10,000 stereo system. Therefore, I dismiss their criticism. For me, this is a perfect radio walkman.

For my intended purpose, the Sony M37V is excellent. I walk twenty to thirty miles per week, and this unit provides superior musical accompaniment in a lightweight ergonomically designed package. I have a Sangean DT-200V (which is very good on local and fringe FM reception and fantastic for bedtime AM broadcast band DXing--I have heard stations in Fort Worth, Orlando, and Winnipeg from WNY) but it is too big and heavy to risk using while exercising. First I tried an analog-tuned Sony SRF-59. While the sound and the reception on FM was sterling, and slightly brighter sounding than digitally tuned units like the Sangean or M37V, it was a pain to find a new station with something I wanted to listen to every time a commercial break began and I found myself breaking stride struggling to adjust the controls of this otherwise excellent little radio (which I intend to repurchase in the future). I realized then that I needed something smaller with easily accessible presets, and after a visit to fixup.net which I came across while browsing the Portable Audio sub-forum at Head-Fi, I stumbled upon the M37V which seemed to fulfill all my requirements. The UPS man delivered it just today and after loading up its two banks of FM presets I took it out for its maiden voyage. It performed superbly. I put a snug fitting rubber band over my left bicep and carefully positioned the clip of the radio underneath it, then attached the radio itself. After hooking up my JVC Gumy earbuds I was in business and took advantage of today's crisp sunny autumn weather. With the M37V's five individual preset buttons, changing channels is a breeze, and I have no doubt that I will soon be able to do so by rote without even looking down at the radio. Some fringe channels have a non-objectionable level of hiss and periodically drop out, i.e. revert to mono, but not for long. Given the impoverished choices on the FM dial where I live, I am well pleased with this little gem's FM performance. Others have written that the M37V is also a capable performer on the AM band, but I haven't put it through its paces yet in that regard, nor on the TV or Weather bands (but it has been my experience that unless one lives close to a major city, TV and Weather band reception is spotty at best). The combination of the M37V and JVC's Gumy earbuds may not please an exacting audiophile, but should thrill the ordinary guy or gal. The M37V weighs just over three ounces fully loaded with a single alkaline AAA cell. Battery life is reputed to be very good, so even heavy users of this product may not find it necessary to purchase rechargeables. The symphonic level of sound that small quality units like this and the Sangean produce is utterly amazing.

The radio does fine for picking up FM/TV/WX bands. Not the best in the world, but it's a whole lot easier to get a fairly weak FM with digital tuning.

However, I've been ridiculously impressed with AM reception on this unit. Single battery, sub-deck-o-cards sized? Nighttime reception from West of Kansas City... I've gotten 5 Chicago stations, Nashville, Cinncinnatti, Atlanta, Detroit. Unreal. The ferrite bar in there is very directional. But, pick a frequency and wave the radio around and you'll find something.

Of course this was a lot cooler 20 years ago when all the "clear channel" stations weren't Clear Channel stations. That detracts nothing from this fine radio, though.