Sony SRF-M80V S2 Sports Walkman Arm Band Radio with FM/AM, TV and Weather Channels

by Sony

Product Details

Product Manual [747kb PDF]

• Item Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000066HO4
• Item model number: SRF-M80V
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (94 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,639 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: August 5, 2002

Product Description

If youM-^Rre tired of lugging a radio around with you, check out SonyM-^Rs ergonomic solution. This armband radio offers AM/FM/TV audio and Weatherband with digital tuning, 25 presets, and a Mega Bass« sound system. The water-resistant design is made for outdoor fun, so get out there and enjoy yourself with this little marvel.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

180 of 184 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Portable Radio, May 2, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Sony SRF-M80V S2 Sports Walkman Arm Band Radio with FM/AM, TV and Weather Channels (Electronics)

I listen to the radio while jogging and my search for the perfect companion has come to an end. This one is it.

Over the years I have tried most of the main brands (Panasonic, Sangean, Radio Shack) and consistently found the Sony's to be surperior in reception and sound. Most recently I was using the Sony SRF-M78 armband radio, the predessor to this one. The SRF-M80V is better in several respects. Let's look at the details:

Design:
The white and orange color scheme is ugly in my mind but who cares. This is a tool, not a fashion statement. The waistband clip is much better than on the M78 allowing carry on both arm and waistband. This finally gives the option to put the radio where it belongs during running: the small of my back.
Button placement is intuitive and clear. However, the numbering on the buttons is starting to rub of and will probably be gone in a few weeks. No big deal, use a Sharpie for re-labeling if it bothers you.

Reception:
In one word: Great. I live in New York City which has notoriously difficult radio reception. Both FM and AM are as good as it gets for a portable unit. In addition this radio offers TV channel reception and weather band, both are coming in well enough to be useful.

Features:
As mentioned the M80V allows you to listen to FM, AM, TV, and WB and has sufficient presets for all channels. In addition you can use the radio as stop watch, split timer, or can set it for automatic power-off, useful if you tend to forget to turn off the unit. The volume control is a small wheel which turns much to easy, the only true flaw of the radio. I slipped a 10 cent rubber O-ring over the wheel to provide the right amount of friction so that the volume doesn't get knocked unintentionally. Works perfectly now.

Head Set:
I don't care for the ones that are provided and replaced them with a good pair of Sony earbuds. The Mega Bass button is useless with my earbuds but may give you more oomph with bigger headphones.

Conclusion:
A small, well designed radio with all the features that you might desire in a work-out companion. Great reception and great sound. Highly recommended.

83 of 85 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Improvements??, November 17, 2002

By 

gotta run now (Seattle) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Sony SRF-M80V S2 Sports Walkman Arm Band Radio with FM/AM, TV and Weather Channels (Electronics)

I purchased this to replace my old sports walkman when I forgot to take it with me on a month long overseas trip. I loved my old one (don't have a model number, it's about 10 years old). The reception was great, I could change stations by feel, and it took whatever abuse I gave it, which typically included dropping it on the pavement at least once a week.
I have to say I'm a bit disappointed with the SRF-M80V. When shopping I immediately noticed all the changes, and assumed they would all be for the better, but not so.
Pros: It's lightweight, and the shape fits nicely on my arm. Running with it strapped to my arm doesn't bug me the way I thought it might, and it's a nice change from the radio pulling on my shorts. There is the option to strap it onto your shorts, but since it seems OK on my arm, I haven't tried it yet. The reception equals the reception on my old one, and I've never had any complaints. The headphones are lightweight, and they've shortened the cord, which keeps the excess from flopping around, but limits what you can do with it. I've only dropped this one a couple times, and it hasn't suffered, but the battery compartment does pop open.
Cons: It brags of 25 presets, but you can't really do it by feel since they are numbered, and not just an up/down button. When I'm running, I'm not particular as long as it's music and not talking. Scanning up and down worked pretty well for me. Grabbing my left arm with my right hand and looking slightly down to see what I'm doing while running is a bit awkward. Don't know if it would be better hooked on my shorts or not. The buttons are not recessed, so if you bump anything you get instant station change, or even worse, just a tap up or down on the station you are on. You can use the "hold" feature to avoid this, but then you have to take it off hold if you want to change stations. I should probably purchase different headphones, but I'm trying to avoid spending the money. The headphones are OK, not great, not terrible. The short cord was annoying this morning when I hooked the radio to my camelbak for a bike ride and it kept pulling the phones back because it wasn't long enough to drape over the backpack and up into my helmet. The worst feature is the volume control. For active sports, an up/down button would work best. Surprisingly they stuck with the dial method. And the placement couldn't be worse. Everytime I grab this thing, I inadvertently hit that volume dial. I cannot count the number of times I have almost come out of my skin when I either turn it on and it's been turned up too loud, or when I change the station and accidentally grab the volume dial. A word of advice: don't ever turn this thing on with the headphones on your head, it could damage your hearing.
It's nice that this radio has AM/FM/TV/WB, not that I can use anything but FM right now (living in the outback). Perhaps I will appreciate the 25 presets more when I get back to the states. But for me, since I use this radio exclusively for running and cycling, simpler would be better. A sports walkman designed for a blind person would be perfect for me, as I don't want to look at it when I'm using it. If you're looking for a portable radio with lots of features, you might like this. If you're looking for something simple to use that will provide distraction from your own heavy breathing when exercising, think before buying this one.

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Nice but with some reservations, September 25, 2003

By 

Kirk Griffiths (Milford, MI United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sony SRF-M80V S2 Sports Walkman Arm Band Radio with FM/AM, TV and Weather Channels (Electronics)

I have owned the Sony SRF-M80V for nearly a year.

I bought it for it's compactness and sound quality, because I have owned many Sony products for years and respect their quality and because I needed a radio that allowed me to use it while being very physically active outdoors: (mowing the grass, running, biking, etc.).

It's best attribute is it's sound. I am constantly amazed how good it sounds-when the signal is strong enough, that is. The 'Mega Bass' is definitely a "must have" feature. Sensitivity is fair to good, although I can get much better reception from more distant stations on my home entertainment stereo / tuner than I can on the SRF-M80V,(I live in a suburban area).

It's reception is VERY "directional" (especially when worn on your body, which is 99% of the time), as most small portable radios are. This is aggravating when you are running, walking, riding a bike, or doing just about anything except just sitting around. When you change directions, even slightly, the reception many times fades, drops out completely or you get a lot of static or "interference". However, if you sit in one place,(sit in a chair on the patio, for example), orient the unit well and don't move around a lot, you don't have this problem. It actually works much better when OFF your body. But, for a portable radio, this "directionality" can be very irritating, nonetheless. You are, obviously, going to probably strap it on your arm (as it is designed to be used) and MOVE around when using it!

Also: I am a 53 year old. My eyesight is still pretty good, but I still have a difficult time reading the very small display on this Sony without my mild prescription reading glasses! If I am riding a bike or doing some other "multi-tasking" physical activity, I have to often stop completely just to tune the radio or change one of it's settings. I know this may be a bit unfair, since the design is so small and has benefits because of it's small size, but there is ample physical room for a much larger text display - as well as some bigger keys! I think Sony messed up by not making the text display and keys much larger than they are.

Battery life is excellent. I'd recommend getting some rechargeable nickel metal hydride AAA batteries if you plan on using this radio a lot, (it uses 2 'AAA's and for the $50 bucks purchase price, you DON'T even get batteries included in the box- kinda "cheap" if you ask me!). I bought (4) Sony rechargeables and they have been great. The radio only uses 2 'AAA's at a time, but I always have 2 spares charged up when I need them.

The "key lock" capability is a really great - and you soon realize it is a totally necessary - feature!

The TV sound and weather radio channel capability is great to have also, even if you don't think it is before you buy it. I listen to them both a lot. I can cut the grass or ride my bike and listen to the audio feed for the 'ABC Evening News' news.During the recent power failures, I especially appreciated these features. Not being able to see the video is not that much of a loss, really, I have found.

Lastly, being able to wear this unit on your upper arm is a great feature,(you can also opt to wear it on your belt if you prefer). The headphone cord can be more easily run up your sleeve and under your shirt so it doesn't just hang and get caught on stuff,like the headphones cord on a wear-on-the-belt type small radio does.

I'd recommend this unit to anyone who wants a durable, quality radio receiver for an active lifestyle - but especially if you live relatively close to the broadcast towers, (like in an urban or semi-urban area). However,if you want to use it in the "boonies" a lot, I wouldn't highly recommend it. Too bad it doesn't have a small, pull up antenna (like a cell phone) to improve it's reception in difficult areas.

Bottom line: I am glad I bought it and, despite some annoyances in design, I'd buy another one if I lost or irreparably damaged mine.