Customer Reviews

Sony SRF-M97 Radio Walkman

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

This is a very good radio and better than my old Radio Shack brand that finally gave out.My old one mind you could only pick up a few stations clearly.Now with this new one I'm getting over 15 FM stations clearly some in Philly and some in New Jersey.I assume since I'm only 35 miles from Philly that would explain why I'm getting the outstanding reception.The AM is great as well as it comes in very clear.There are also a few features that come in handy.One is that you can set the radio to turn off automatically after a set time.Also has bass boost and a digital clock.I leave it on the DX mode because if it's on the local setting the stations will sometimes have static.Also you will be surprised at how tiny and compact it is making it easy to carry around.It's also very convenient to jog through the preset stations while on the go and it also has a lock mode for when you what just one station set.Now the important news.The provided headphones are useless.This is probably why other reviewers could not get good reception.Frankly,I got no reception at all when I pluged them in because the FM antenna is in the headphone wire.Not only that but the ear buds don't even fit in your ears.What I got instead are the Sennheisers PX-100 portable headphones and now I'm getting outstanding reception from them as well as great sound quality.So if you order the sony radio make sure you get some portable headphones too.

As an owner of two previous high end Sony Walk-FM products,
I was looking forward to this highly touted and hard-to-find item.
Disappointment and disbelief were my rewards: poor signal-to-noise,
poor rejection of neighboring stations, significant multipath deflection,
poor general sound quality, poorly functioning ear buds in an
attractive, tiny package.
Don't even consider the SRF-M97!!!

I've spent a week with this little jewel and, after playing with the programming mode, finally got the hang of entering preset stations. The manual doesn't do a capable enough job of explaining how to do it. Once you get the jist of it, though, it's pretty easy. The sound is incredible, the reception is very good, the size is amazing, and the battery life is very impressive. ONE AAA lasts for quite a while, and, the little symbol that tells you "battery wear" is quite ingenious!! This little companion is one of the best radios I've ever owned. I've just ordered TWO more, just in case. The little earbuds that come standard with the set do a very capable job. One COULD upgrade and, perhaps, get better sound, but, not really needed. I do a lot of brisk walking, and, this is the perfect companion for being on the road. This would also be a great "companion" at ballgames. The small size is amazing and the performance is tops. It's no wonder that a lot of the websites that carry this item show that it's out of stock. Get it. It's a great radio. By the way, the mega bass switch is extremely impressive. The BIG sound of this set for such a small unit is unbelievable. I LOVE this radio!!!!

Other reviewers have given this a mixed reception. Some I concur with, others not. One said it was hugely difficult to program, especially to set stations. I'm surprised - the manual was clear enough and I did it very quickly.... a matter of minutes. The only frustration with tuning is (1) no auto tune function to pull in the 15 strongest stations, and (2) when saving each station, the station number <1-15> always shows as <1>. So you have to remember that you've already saved e.g. 7 stations, and that the next position will be <8>. Then you have to scroll up from <1> to <8> and save it. Would be smarter if the next vacant storage position number was offered.

Someone else mentioned a feint background hiss. I too can just hear this on DX mode. Be nice if it wasn't there! On Local mode it is LOUD... I can't see any use yet for Local mode.

On another website a reviewer said they could only use Sony headphones - all other brands only gave mono output to one ear. Not so for me. I use Sure e5 earbuds, and they are fine. One of the reasons I upgraded to this Sony is because the e5s are very sensitive. They sound loud even at very low volumes. My old Teac digital am/fm had a step by step electronic volume control. With the Sure e5 it is either Off or Too Loud on the first step. The Sony is much better. Its manual scroll volume wheel allows infinite volume adjustment.

So this is written after 1 hour with the Sony. It will be used at my gym... if I find any other stuff that is particularly good or bad I'll post another message.

Enjoying it a great deal. Some stations seem to drift, but otherwise it being so compact it is a huge improvement on my other walkman. I walk at least 3 miles daily so it is my constant companion. It keeps excellent time. Using a single AAA battery is another huge plus. And the battery lasts a very long time.

I bought this because it was small (and, to be honest, a Sony-- a brand I've liked for other things). It's truly a radio for minimalists, though, and not at all in a good way. For the comparatively steep price:
-- there are virtually no features (presets and extra bass aren't enough);
-- the construction is shockingly CHEAP (what I would expect from a no-name drugstore brand instead), which means it would get easily crushed in my backpack; and
-- the reception is poor, poor, poor (as tested in spots all around NYC).

I'm returning it to try for something better made.

This is the first portable radio I have ever used. I love the size - small enough to not be in my way when I work out. Reception is not perfect but since I've never had another one, I don't have anything to compare to. But overall, I can get most of the stations I want to listen to with bearable statics some of the time (depending which direction I'm facing). I got a $30 discount for getting an Amazon credit card. Otherwise I wouldn't have bought it for $60.

This radio is very light, easy to use and has very good reception. The only problem area I forsee is the belt clip. It could have better gripping ability.

Update. This radio still works well after two years. Excellent battery life and great reception. To the people having reception problems try different headphones. I did notice that the new price is $158.33. Well I paid around $50.00, Which is fair, 158.33 is outrageous. This radion is not that good Sony.

This is a nice little radio but reception in buildings is pretty shoddy. Outdoors, reception for both AM and FM is pretty good. For $60, you'd expect it to have some other features like voice recording to flash memory, or some limited flash MP3 storage (256mb or 512mb) but it lacks those features.

This radio's optimal price would be $30, no more. At $60, you're obviously paying for the Sony brand, not the quality.

This is the 2nd radio I've purchased. The first one I dropped into the toilet and so I bought this new one - but after two weeks the other one dried out and it actuall works again.

This is a fantastic radio. It has everything I want, including great reception.

The suggested retail is $79.95 so I have no idea why it was priced at $109.00 - I've never seen an item priced *higher* than the suggested retail...