Updated January 21, 2021:
I am updating this review after a few years of use. Unfortunately, the love relationship with this radio ended after about 4 years of moderate use. The encoder no longer will reliably tune in a radio station. I contracted Crane but they said that they cannot repair this radio. So, it is not destined for the the trash bin. A shame really, this radio had amazing audio on shortwave.
I am a big fan of shortwave radio's, always had one since about the late 80's. I wanted to augment my Drake R8A and Grundig Satellit 800 with something a little more portable but still capable. I have great appreciation for well thought out and implemented products. So if I seem overly critical, well, it's because I am and will try to stick with the facts and leave out any emotions. My sample was purchased via Amazon from CCrane. All evaluations are based on the CCRadio SW connected to a Wellbrook 1530 indoor loop antenna and evaluated strictly for shortwave listening.
Build Quality.
The build quality is good. The radio feels solid overall, but I do have some niggles. The fit and finish are not that of exceptional quality, nor do I expect it to be given the price point. I had some paint smearing of the stenciled lettering. Not a big deal, but certainly a reflection of the level of attention to detail for this product. The tuning knob had some slightly burred edges from the manufacturing process. Most of the knobs have a relatively solid feel to them with the exception of the Band Selection and Bandwidth Selection knobs. They both are loose and moderately flimsy. The tuning dial is nice and large and doesn't have any wobble. But, the resistance while rotating has a bit of a drag to it as if heavier type lubricant was used. Noticeably worse than my Satellit 800 and not even close to the buttery smooth feel of my Drake R8A. The buttons have a slightly hollow plasticky tactile feel to them when activated, not quite as nice as those of the Tecsun PL-880. (3.75 out of 5 stars)
Reception Quality.
I find this radio to be rather sensitive. The selectivity may be good, but not good enough to always cope with strong adjacent frequencies from bleeding over. More on this in the Audio Quality section. (4.25 out of 5)
Audio Quality.
Simply put, it is superb. The audio section puts out full, warm, and clear sound. There are both treble and bass controls, each well implemented and in some cases work almost like a bandwidth filter. Above I mention some shortcomings with selectivity. Often, but not always, this shortcoming can be completely mitigated or greatly reduced by adjusting a combination of the RF Gain, Bandwidth Filter, and Treble controls. (5 out of 5)
Usability.
One common complaint is the lack of a keypad for direct frequency entry. I knew this before buying the radio and quite honestly thought I would have some problems adjusting to it. However, after using the radio for a few days, tuning in a frequency becomes second nature to me. One can use the SW Band button to quickly get to a starting point and then set the Dial Speed to Fast to get to a given frequency quickly in 5kHz steps. Alternatively, you can go to a preset memorized frequency and use that as a starting point, although having to cycle through 6 presets to get to the 7th could be seen as slightly inconvenient. The knobs and buttons are large, adequately spaced, and well placed. One other minor quibble is putting white lettering on silver buttons. At certain angles, it makes it impossible to see the lettering. And while I'm at it, putting some sort of colored marking on the knobs notched pointer would give you a better idea of the position of the knob, without having to turn it to either extreme to get a point of reference. But for me, these are simply small inconveniences and nothing to get overly bothered by. (4 out of 5)
Value.
I consider this radio a bargain for what you get in terms of reception and audio quality. When compared to my Tecsun PL-880, the latter has more electronic wizardry to cope with weak/bad signals, but when you compare them side-by-side for listenability, the CCRadio SW is the clear winner in my book and competes more against the beautifully sounding Grundig Satellit 800. It's not that the PL-880 is bad, far from it. But the sound coming from the CCRadio is just fuller and clearer that I can listen to it for hours without getting listeners' fatigue. (5 out of 5)
Reliability.
Still too early to say. I hope it will last for years to come.
Conclusion.
While simpler in design, the CCRadio SW seems to forego advanced electronic countermeasures against noisy and/or fading signals. Instead, it focuses on superb audio quality and strong signal reception to deliver pleasant well-weighted sound. This radio has quickly become a favorite of mine and one that comfortably sits on my nightstand.
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