bySony
Price:$44.00+ Free shipping with Amazon Prime
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
on September 24, 2013
This is a great radio for minimalists, people on-the-move, or people who just don't like stringing cords all over the house. I've had this little gem long enough to test it out, and I even decided to buy a second one because it's so economical to have one in my everyday carry bag...and because I have a bit of a radio addiction right now. With all of that said, let's get down to business:
+ Sound: It's got that warm, slightly-tinny classic radio sound that I just love. It doesn't get amazing low's and high's, but it isn't built to! The great thing is, it takes having the volume turned up almost to the maximum in order to hear any volume-based distortion at all! That in itself is quite amazing. I sometimes put this radio outside of the shower in the mornings, and can hear it above the sound of running water AND the exhaust fan, with no distortion!
+ Reception: This little jewel barely has any drift whatsoever! Also, electronic interference doesn't seem to decimate the signal as badly as it does with some of my other battery-powered radios. Perhaps its power consumption makes its ability to pull and maintain a signal much stronger? I'm not sure, but it falters far less than others (like the ICF-38 and the ICF-S10MK2) when it comes to electromagnetic interference.
+ Economy: It's fifteen dollars! What more could one ask for in a basic-featured radio?? The battery life alone seems quite economical (I have yet to wear out the first set with almost daily use [1-3 hours]), and one can purchase rechargeable batteries (or at least D-cell spacers so that you can use rechargeable AA's) in order to save more money on battery costs. In my opinion, 200 hours of play out of a pair of D-cells certainly seems worth the price of admission. Some might complain that this model has no built-in power cord option like the ICF-38, but when the grid power in your home fails, this little baby will still be going strong.
+ Durability: Feels durable enough, although I DO NOT abuse my electronic devices. Do I carry them all over the states with me? Sure, but I DO NOT intentionally treat things badly in order to see how far they can be pushed. I have not performed any drop tests on it; nor do I plan to. Speaking of drops...
- The carrying strap feels like it will disintegrate at any moment. This isn't a huge gripe, so I only subtracted 1/2 star...the reason being: If you don't want people dropping such a fine radio and having to replace it often, you'll give them a better carrying option! That being said, I fashioned a rudimentary carrying strap out of paracord that will be more than sufficient.
- The tuning knobs feel a little loose, and therefore seem to "lag" a bit when you're adjusting the volume or tuning. For this, I subtracted another 1/2 star...although truthfully it shouldn't bother you if you love sticking with your favorite channel like I do. That being said, I may just end up taking this radio apart and modifying the knobs so that they turn a bit more stubbornly. Your mileage may vary, but I thought this was worth mentioning.
Bottom Line: When it comes to having a radio around for a long time that won't break the bank, this no-frills package gets the job done.
+ Sound: It's got that warm, slightly-tinny classic radio sound that I just love. It doesn't get amazing low's and high's, but it isn't built to! The great thing is, it takes having the volume turned up almost to the maximum in order to hear any volume-based distortion at all! That in itself is quite amazing. I sometimes put this radio outside of the shower in the mornings, and can hear it above the sound of running water AND the exhaust fan, with no distortion!
+ Reception: This little jewel barely has any drift whatsoever! Also, electronic interference doesn't seem to decimate the signal as badly as it does with some of my other battery-powered radios. Perhaps its power consumption makes its ability to pull and maintain a signal much stronger? I'm not sure, but it falters far less than others (like the ICF-38 and the ICF-S10MK2) when it comes to electromagnetic interference.
+ Economy: It's fifteen dollars! What more could one ask for in a basic-featured radio?? The battery life alone seems quite economical (I have yet to wear out the first set with almost daily use [1-3 hours]), and one can purchase rechargeable batteries (or at least D-cell spacers so that you can use rechargeable AA's) in order to save more money on battery costs. In my opinion, 200 hours of play out of a pair of D-cells certainly seems worth the price of admission. Some might complain that this model has no built-in power cord option like the ICF-38, but when the grid power in your home fails, this little baby will still be going strong.
+ Durability: Feels durable enough, although I DO NOT abuse my electronic devices. Do I carry them all over the states with me? Sure, but I DO NOT intentionally treat things badly in order to see how far they can be pushed. I have not performed any drop tests on it; nor do I plan to. Speaking of drops...
- The carrying strap feels like it will disintegrate at any moment. This isn't a huge gripe, so I only subtracted 1/2 star...the reason being: If you don't want people dropping such a fine radio and having to replace it often, you'll give them a better carrying option! That being said, I fashioned a rudimentary carrying strap out of paracord that will be more than sufficient.
- The tuning knobs feel a little loose, and therefore seem to "lag" a bit when you're adjusting the volume or tuning. For this, I subtracted another 1/2 star...although truthfully it shouldn't bother you if you love sticking with your favorite channel like I do. That being said, I may just end up taking this radio apart and modifying the knobs so that they turn a bit more stubbornly. Your mileage may vary, but I thought this was worth mentioning.
Bottom Line: When it comes to having a radio around for a long time that won't break the bank, this no-frills package gets the job done.
on March 25, 2017
I don't often write reviews, but this is an exceptional product. This is the BEST AM/FM battery powered radio I've ever owned. I live out in the country, and this picks up all the local stations crystal clear, and even picks up far away stations that I can't get on other radios. This works better than my car radio in picking up distant broadcasts.
Size: The size is perfect, the radio is light weight with only two D-cell batteries so it's perfect for travel and taking it out on a day hike or camping.
Audio: The sound from this is amazing for such a small radio. The speaker is high fidelity and has very good bass and good treble. Perfect audio for music, classical, rock, and talk radio. The speaker sounds clear from soft to full volume. It's LOUD! I can fill my whole house with clear audio. I can turn the radio up quite loud before any distortion comes. You can turn the volume dial up to the 1 or 2 o-clock position before you get any speaker distortion, but that's super loud. I usually keep the volume at the 9 or 10 o-clock position and it's loud enough.
Sensitivity: The AM tuner seems to work very well for me. I can pick up stations all over the northeast on this at night. The tuner dial has a lot of travel with sensitive adjustments which makes tuning in distant stations very easy. It locks onto stations and doesn't drift frequency. FM sounds clear and I get all the FM stations very easily, even distant FM stations I can't even get from my car radio.
Looks: I like the way it looks, and it reminds me of radios from times past. I like the retro colors and styling of this radio.
Controls: The dials are easy to turn, and stay put. The side switch works the on/off, AM, and FM. The nobs wobble a bit but seem strong and durable. Feels like it will last a while.
Power: Runs on 2-D batteries which should last longer than the smaller AA cells. I use it often and am on the same first set of batteries. I hear people getting 200+ hours of play time with this, but battery life depends on volume.
I highly recommend this radio. I've tried many portable radios in the past, and this is the best I've used. At such a low price, you can't miss this deal!
Size: The size is perfect, the radio is light weight with only two D-cell batteries so it's perfect for travel and taking it out on a day hike or camping.
Audio: The sound from this is amazing for such a small radio. The speaker is high fidelity and has very good bass and good treble. Perfect audio for music, classical, rock, and talk radio. The speaker sounds clear from soft to full volume. It's LOUD! I can fill my whole house with clear audio. I can turn the radio up quite loud before any distortion comes. You can turn the volume dial up to the 1 or 2 o-clock position before you get any speaker distortion, but that's super loud. I usually keep the volume at the 9 or 10 o-clock position and it's loud enough.
Sensitivity: The AM tuner seems to work very well for me. I can pick up stations all over the northeast on this at night. The tuner dial has a lot of travel with sensitive adjustments which makes tuning in distant stations very easy. It locks onto stations and doesn't drift frequency. FM sounds clear and I get all the FM stations very easily, even distant FM stations I can't even get from my car radio.
Looks: I like the way it looks, and it reminds me of radios from times past. I like the retro colors and styling of this radio.
Controls: The dials are easy to turn, and stay put. The side switch works the on/off, AM, and FM. The nobs wobble a bit but seem strong and durable. Feels like it will last a while.
Power: Runs on 2-D batteries which should last longer than the smaller AA cells. I use it often and am on the same first set of batteries. I hear people getting 200+ hours of play time with this, but battery life depends on volume.
I highly recommend this radio. I've tried many portable radios in the past, and this is the best I've used. At such a low price, you can't miss this deal!
on February 19, 2013
Howdy Folks
I don't write many reviews for Amazon, but every once in a while when I get a really good product, I'll throw in my 2 cents and write a review.
I originally bought this radio to bump up a free shipping order, I didn't really expect a great radio when I bought it at this price, I was in for a pleasant surprise!
I live in an extreme fringe area in deep woods, and to make matters worse, I have a metal roof on my house which really messes up radio reception.
This Sony is actually 8 inches long and 5 inches high, It works very well on FM and pretty good on AM, the radio puts out plenty of volume and the tone is good.
The radio looks nice, is simple to operate, it also comes with a cheap looking plastic strap to serve as a handle, but I have already throw that away, it's easy enough to grab hold of and carry somewhere else.
I use mine for a kitchen table radio, and drag it out to the deck when BBQing, it's also been camping and does pretty good there also.
I don't think this little Sony can be beat when you compare the modest price and the quality performance it delivers.
I don't write many reviews for Amazon, but every once in a while when I get a really good product, I'll throw in my 2 cents and write a review.
I originally bought this radio to bump up a free shipping order, I didn't really expect a great radio when I bought it at this price, I was in for a pleasant surprise!
I live in an extreme fringe area in deep woods, and to make matters worse, I have a metal roof on my house which really messes up radio reception.
This Sony is actually 8 inches long and 5 inches high, It works very well on FM and pretty good on AM, the radio puts out plenty of volume and the tone is good.
The radio looks nice, is simple to operate, it also comes with a cheap looking plastic strap to serve as a handle, but I have already throw that away, it's easy enough to grab hold of and carry somewhere else.
I use mine for a kitchen table radio, and drag it out to the deck when BBQing, it's also been camping and does pretty good there also.
I don't think this little Sony can be beat when you compare the modest price and the quality performance it delivers.
on February 15, 2017
I got this radio to use in my car, because my in-car radio is broken. I chose this Sony ICF-F10 based on its reviews and the price. So far this radio is excellent and has lasted longer than the one I'd purchased prior to the Sony. This is a basic bare-bones radio that works very well. I like to listen to an NPR station that is often overpowered by local stations - this Sony is able to hold onto the NPR signal where the previous radio couldn't. It can receive other stations that I couldn't get before. It actually works better in my local area without the antenna extended - more convenient for me. I can also get more volume out of this radio than the other one I had, so I can still hear it with the window open. And the volume remains consistent where my other radio lost volume. The first set of batteries has powered this radio for several months of moderate use, with no signs of failing. Frankly, the Sony ICF-F10 has solved my radio problem and I would recommend it to anyone, especially at this price. An terrific product.
on September 24, 2016
I really like the simplicity of this cheaply priced radio, no frill's here, no digital displays to go bad after time, no push buttons that one day will get suck or sticky, it's a very practical radio for what it is, it has very good signal strength, it pulls stations very good. Good seperation between the stations, the knobs are a little sloppy, they wobble a bit, I really do not expect them to break unless you were to force them or hit them or drop it on the knobs. It comes with a carry strap, and a earbud jack in the radio. The speaker does a good job considering it's a mono radio and the speaker fits the radio very well aesthetically, the tuning is close to the stations real numbers however they are a bit off, like 95.5 might be found closer to a bit over 100., not a huge deal for the price of the unit and you will find the station easily enough so I did not subtract a star for that. The only con in this unit, and the reason I removed a star, is the inability to plug it in, it only runs on D batteries, which are claimed to last about 200 hours, which is a considerable amount of time in an emergency when all you need is a a quick update here and there throughout a day, minutes at a time, the batteries would last seemingly for months or even years. and keeping a few extra's on hand for an emergency really extends listening to the radio for many extended periods of time, think years here. But I would still like to be able to plug it in to save my batteries while listening to it..The radio itself is Well made,and it should last a long time, it has a decent antenna as well. It's made by Sony, at a great price, need I say more? Pull the trigger and buy it, if you decide you don't like it you have my permission to send it to me.
on August 8, 2016
Retro looking. Great sound, Sony is unbeatable in the sound quality department. At night, I can listen to AM radio stations 450 miles away. I can't get over how good this unit looks. It's like it belongs to another time. I'm so glad you can still get these for 20 bucks in 2016.
The only minor inconvenience I have found so far is that the headphone jack does not output sound to both earbuds. But that's not really the point of this radio. The main advantage is that it is battery operated and has big simple dials.
I got this unit because I became sick of watching TV, listening to Spotify and downloading music. It got to the point where I got tired of the downloading, syncing, updating my apps. thinking about my data plan, wifi coverage, bluetooth signal strength, etc. I just wanted to listen to good music and listen to the news. This fits the bill perfectly. You will be amazed of what a luxury it is to have simplicity back into your life. Not a lot of people are fortunate enough to realize this and will just look for more features and blinking lights and bright screens and bluetooth and technology without realizing how good we already had it.
The only minor inconvenience I have found so far is that the headphone jack does not output sound to both earbuds. But that's not really the point of this radio. The main advantage is that it is battery operated and has big simple dials.
I got this unit because I became sick of watching TV, listening to Spotify and downloading music. It got to the point where I got tired of the downloading, syncing, updating my apps. thinking about my data plan, wifi coverage, bluetooth signal strength, etc. I just wanted to listen to good music and listen to the news. This fits the bill perfectly. You will be amazed of what a luxury it is to have simplicity back into your life. Not a lot of people are fortunate enough to realize this and will just look for more features and blinking lights and bright screens and bluetooth and technology without realizing how good we already had it.
on July 27, 2013
This is one of four Sony Radios I recently purchased. I wanted a whole bunch of radios for each room in my home, one in my shed, my Travel Trailer and one to keep in my JEEP. All the Sony radios are perfect. Just the kind of quality I would expect from Sony.
What sets this radio apart from the others is it's very large Speaker, among other things. After purchasing all the Radios this one has become my absolute favorite. The radio accepts 2 "D" cell sized batteries which has kept my radio playing for well over a 3 weeks. I use the radio for about 5~6 hours per day.
The large speaker is what makes this rig beautiful, though. It's has a full rich bass sound with ample mid-range and very sufficient treble. Compared to other radios with a single speaker (not including boom boxes) the sound from this Sony is almost High-Fidelity.
I like that there is a large tuning knob which makes for easy, accurate and dead-on fine tuning. A also like the adjustable carry strap, too.. Radios with plastic handles can only be carried with your hand, this unit however allows you to adjust the the strap so the radio can be carried by hand or over your shoulder.
This Sony sits easily on any table and is very stable since it's wide and not so top heavy to make it tip over if you accidentally bump it. The radio also has a very nice appearance. In the right environment the radio seems to add to the beautiful wood motif of my home.
I've been a Ham Radio Operator for over 35 years so I think I am very qualified to offer these three very important characteristics for a radio. A good radio has to have good sensitivity, selectivity and good sound. Well, this radio has all three of those quality's which makes this Sony the perfect companion.
FM reception is very impressive. I have six commercial stations on my Island and the radio receives all of them without me even having to extend the FM antenna. AM reception is equally impressive, I am able to hear stations 100 miles away loud and clear with very little receiver noise. I don't have to turn the radio all that much to try and capture AM stations either, so it's very sensitive, again with almost no receiver noise.
All this being said and for the price it's being offered for, it's also a great radio to kick around town with. You don't have to worry about bumping it around harshly since it's easily cheap enough to buy another, not that I would do that but it's certainly a radio that can withstand some decent abuse.. Anyway It's pretty hard to find a decent sounding radio with good sensitivity, selectivity and great sound these days but this particular Sony has absolutely blown me out of the water. I highly recommend the purchase of this Sony. I guarantee you won't be disappointed.
Thanks
What sets this radio apart from the others is it's very large Speaker, among other things. After purchasing all the Radios this one has become my absolute favorite. The radio accepts 2 "D" cell sized batteries which has kept my radio playing for well over a 3 weeks. I use the radio for about 5~6 hours per day.
The large speaker is what makes this rig beautiful, though. It's has a full rich bass sound with ample mid-range and very sufficient treble. Compared to other radios with a single speaker (not including boom boxes) the sound from this Sony is almost High-Fidelity.
I like that there is a large tuning knob which makes for easy, accurate and dead-on fine tuning. A also like the adjustable carry strap, too.. Radios with plastic handles can only be carried with your hand, this unit however allows you to adjust the the strap so the radio can be carried by hand or over your shoulder.
This Sony sits easily on any table and is very stable since it's wide and not so top heavy to make it tip over if you accidentally bump it. The radio also has a very nice appearance. In the right environment the radio seems to add to the beautiful wood motif of my home.
I've been a Ham Radio Operator for over 35 years so I think I am very qualified to offer these three very important characteristics for a radio. A good radio has to have good sensitivity, selectivity and good sound. Well, this radio has all three of those quality's which makes this Sony the perfect companion.
FM reception is very impressive. I have six commercial stations on my Island and the radio receives all of them without me even having to extend the FM antenna. AM reception is equally impressive, I am able to hear stations 100 miles away loud and clear with very little receiver noise. I don't have to turn the radio all that much to try and capture AM stations either, so it's very sensitive, again with almost no receiver noise.
All this being said and for the price it's being offered for, it's also a great radio to kick around town with. You don't have to worry about bumping it around harshly since it's easily cheap enough to buy another, not that I would do that but it's certainly a radio that can withstand some decent abuse.. Anyway It's pretty hard to find a decent sounding radio with good sensitivity, selectivity and great sound these days but this particular Sony has absolutely blown me out of the water. I highly recommend the purchase of this Sony. I guarantee you won't be disappointed.
Thanks
on June 13, 2013
This Sony ICF-F10 radio was purchased through Amazon early this May (2013) and it has been played about nine hours a day, for six weeks now, using the same Duracell D batteries..
.Imagine how pleased I was to be able to use this radio, same batteries, last night during a tornado warning, with lightning, thunder, rain, and high winds for hours.
Of course, static from the storms made too much noise to hear the AM stations, but I did find a friendly voice broadcasting on an FM station about 40 miles away. The station was following NOAA internet screens, and occasionally NOAA radio itself would break in to advise about the storms.
Believe me, I was grateful for this radio and for the Duracell batteries, which held up.
The reviews on Amazon recommending this Sony radio were quite technically detailed and helpful
, and I'd like to recommend these other reviews to you for more info.
Also, this radio comes with a strap-like carrying handle you can "lace" into the top.
Regarding my NOAA battery-powered radio, which did not work last night, I'll have to be more careful that the light on the NOAA radio doesn't get turned on by accident and use up the batteries (2A).
Although it looks as though receiving FM signals takes more juice from the battery than receiving AM-radio signals,
even so, the Sony ICF-F10 radio did its job last night, and the dog and I could follow info on the storms (tons of water from the sky, incessant cloud to ground lightning)and could say some prayers. For God's mercy and protection for all concerned..
All to tell you this radio has wonderful tone and would help, in addition to your other radios, such as solar-powered, in an emergency. Very good price, too.
.Imagine how pleased I was to be able to use this radio, same batteries, last night during a tornado warning, with lightning, thunder, rain, and high winds for hours.
Of course, static from the storms made too much noise to hear the AM stations, but I did find a friendly voice broadcasting on an FM station about 40 miles away. The station was following NOAA internet screens, and occasionally NOAA radio itself would break in to advise about the storms.
Believe me, I was grateful for this radio and for the Duracell batteries, which held up.
The reviews on Amazon recommending this Sony radio were quite technically detailed and helpful
, and I'd like to recommend these other reviews to you for more info.
Also, this radio comes with a strap-like carrying handle you can "lace" into the top.
Regarding my NOAA battery-powered radio, which did not work last night, I'll have to be more careful that the light on the NOAA radio doesn't get turned on by accident and use up the batteries (2A).
Although it looks as though receiving FM signals takes more juice from the battery than receiving AM-radio signals,
even so, the Sony ICF-F10 radio did its job last night, and the dog and I could follow info on the storms (tons of water from the sky, incessant cloud to ground lightning)and could say some prayers. For God's mercy and protection for all concerned..
All to tell you this radio has wonderful tone and would help, in addition to your other radios, such as solar-powered, in an emergency. Very good price, too.
on October 13, 2016
This radio replaces a Sangean PR-D4W which was supposed to be the shop radio. Well, that D4W didn't nearly measure up to it's reputation and went back.
The ICF-F10 AM/FM radio has a crisp, pleasant tone, tunes easily, (yes, you can wiggle the knobs a little...so what ?), and gets local and near AM stations well. Used mostly for talk-radio it can be easily heard and understood by these old ears. The FM seems to be very good, though I don't use it usually, it picks up numerous stations 50+ miles away, clear and pleasant tone.
The included carry strap can be significantly shortened to become an unobtrusive safe carry method.
The uncanny fact is that this is a supposedly old technology radio, for $20, which uses only two long lasting common D cell batteries, and unobtrusively performs very well. AMAZING.
The ICF-F10 AM/FM radio has a crisp, pleasant tone, tunes easily, (yes, you can wiggle the knobs a little...so what ?), and gets local and near AM stations well. Used mostly for talk-radio it can be easily heard and understood by these old ears. The FM seems to be very good, though I don't use it usually, it picks up numerous stations 50+ miles away, clear and pleasant tone.
The included carry strap can be significantly shortened to become an unobtrusive safe carry method.
The uncanny fact is that this is a supposedly old technology radio, for $20, which uses only two long lasting common D cell batteries, and unobtrusively performs very well. AMAZING.
