- PLL Synthesized AM/FM/LW/SW Radio with DSP (Digital Signal Processing) Technology
- Dual 2.5" Speakers provide FM broadcasting in stereo
- SD card reader & Line-in with controls for MP3 Players
- 12/24 Alarm clock with C/F thermometer + Sleep timer + Built-in battery charger
- Kaito Electronics, Inc is the only authorized Tecsun Distributor in North America, Only the Tecsun radios sold by Katio come with English user manuals
It's MW/AM, FM, and SW performance are outstanding for it's size and price. It's both very sensitive and selective (AM bandwidth adjustable to 6,4,3,2, and 1 KHz). As far as a coat pocket sized radio I seriously doubt you'll find one that will pull in stations quite as well as this one does at this price.
It is quite a bit more sensitive on AM/MW than the Tecsun PL-310, and PL-606.
No, it's not the hottest DX rig off all time, of course, nor is it comparable to bigger radios and/or radios is a higher price class, but it is amazing for what it is.
The alright:
The sound though the speakers is about what you'd expect from 2 1/2 inch speakers. Fine for voice, but it's not exactly going to win any hi-fi contests. Through headphones it's quite pleasant and powerful.
The SD slot plays back in stereo.
It suffers from what I call "Realistic DX-440" syndrome...i.e. When I turn the tuning knob where will it take me this time? The tuning rate is determined by how fast you spin the tuning knob. On paper it seems like a good idea, but in practice it takes some serious getting used to. For those of us brought up back in the analog days it can be a bit frustrating.
The bad:
The SD slot/MP3 player aspect was an afterthought. No display at all. Not even track number let alone title/ID3 display. Functions are as basic as basic can be, and on the back of the radio at that. Previous, next, and pause/play. That's it. Holding down "previous" or "next" noes NOT scan through a track, but rather jumps to the next or previous track. It does remember the track you where on last should you shut it off or switch to the tuner, but it starts at the beginning of the track.
For cheaper low tech devices such as the radio/SD/USB combinations from outfits such as "Supersonic" and "Quantum FX" (for info on those check my other reviews) this is understandable and even expected, but for something in this class with such an incredibly high tech radio circuit I was expecting much more from the SD player.
If an MP3/SD/USB player with a speaker (or speakers) is what you're after you could do better (or about the same) for much less.
Of course, it does not have a BFO/SSB capability.
It does not record on the chip.
Buy Tecsun PL398MP DSP Digital AM/FM/LW Shortwave Radio with Dual Speakers & MP3 Player, Black Now
I've got Tecsun PL-600, which has AMAZING clarity audio considering it's size, it's crystal clear, with rich bass, and makes you wonder, how such small radio produces such nice sound? But, it has only one speaker, mono. I needed something with same sound quality, but with stereo speakers. So, I bought PL398MP. And I was unpleasingly disappointed, radio has cheap, bass-less pong-pong sound. Of course, it is more feature rich, can be recharged from USB, has mp3 player, but in audio quality it suffers, so no way it can replace PL-600.Bottom line:
If you need good quality sound, get another radio.This my 3rd Tecsun SW radio and they are all great little radios. They very easily pull in even the weakest signals. The ETM tuning is very useful when traveling to other cities. Just activate the ETM and lock in all the local stations without losing your home stations. Also, it's about time someone had the brains to incorporate an SD card slot in a portable radio to allow playing MP3's. You can't go wrong with this little gem.I travel a lot and need a travel alarm. It's useful to have a radio and the ability to play MP3s is a big plus.
This little radio has just the right mix of features for me.
Once I got my hands on it, I was astonished. The technology and quality are impressive. The design and layout are exceptional. It can do a lot more than I am going to ask of it.
It really sounds good with ear buds.
The MP3 play on this gadget could be better but it gets the job done. I listen to audio books and it does fine.
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I VERY MUCH LIKE THE DESIGN OF THE RADIO. I EXPECTED A BETTER RECEPTION FROM A LOT OF THE RADIO STATIONS.
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