Sony Portable Sports AM/FM Radio (SRF-M78)

• AM/FM stereo digital synthesizer tuner
• 10 random memory station presets
• Water-resistant design and ultralight water-resistant MDR headphones
• Built-in clock and stopwatch
• Unique wrap-around arm band

All in all, I prefer the Koss, but these are two great radios for runners and other active people. Below is a comparison by category.

Reception:

Edge to Sony due to Distance/Local switch. The Koss does fine in the city, but suffers when signals are weak or adjacent to dominant signals. The Sony can switch to Distance mode. Neither does well in extreme interiors. By the way, on my Sony, I have to tune one frequency up on FM, e.g. tune to 94.2 to receive 94.1. Once you get used to that, it is OK and may be unique to my unit.

Wearability:

Tough call. Edge probably to Sony. The Koss is lighter and more comfortable, but its armband has problems. If your arm is very small, the Velcro patches may not overlap; if very large, they may not meet. The Sony is much easier to put on one-handed, as one half of the band is permanently coiled and can be placed around your arm before stretching the Velcro band.

Button Layout:

Toss-up. The station presets are laid out in a circle. With the Koss, it is possible to confuse the buttons while on the move. If you pay attention, though, a couple of trips and you will learn what is what. The on/off switch of the Koss is much better than the soft button on the Sony. With the Sony, you need to always "lock" the unit when not in use to avoid accidental activation and dead batteries. The Koss also has a lock feature, but that is just to avoid accidentally changing stations.

Funtionality:

You have to give a big edge here to Koss, which has a SEARCH feature. If the Sony has one, I can't find it. When in my home city, it doesn't matter, but when I travel my presets are useless. Without a search I have to run along pushing the tuning button once for every tenth of a frequency! This problem is what led me to the Koss. Otherwise, they both have about the same functions.

Headphones:

You can, of course, replace either of them, but the Koss headphones are surprisingly comfortable (The Sony headphones are the jam-in-your-ear-till-they-are-rubbed-raw type and are unacceptable). The Koss headphones are independent pieces that fit around the ear like a hearing aid, and lay the actual speaker gently against the ear canal. They are incredible light. I still prefer the around-the-back-of-the-head type only because the two independent pieces inevitably get tangled up while stored. Then again, if you run in the cold and wear an ear band, you can easily wear it over the Koss headphones, something you cannot do with many styles of headphones. If you don't want to spend extra on headphones, the Koss is the better choice.

Buy Sony Portable Sports AM/FM Radio (SRF-M78) Now

I have owned four SRF-M78s in the past 6 months no exageration; three have failed. The battery contacts fell out of the first unit after three weeks. Moderate perspiration will cause rust in the battery compartment as it did in my second unit which failed after two months. After the third unit failed I went to the Sony service center. They replaced it but within a week rust began to form on the battery contacts. Failure is inevitable The first Sports Walkman had a rubber gasket which this unit lacks. It also sadly lacks scan capability. Ten presets but only five FM; does anybody need five AM presets. This unit has serious flaws. One of the few Sony Bummers I've ever owned. I'd pay twice the price for the previous the unit. I can not recommend this piece and eagerly await an anticipated "next model" when Sony gets enough complaints

Read Best Reviews of Sony Portable Sports AM/FM Radio (SRF-M78) Here

This is the best walkman I've found for using at the gym. You can velcro it around your arm or wrist while lifting weights or velcro it to the treadmill or stairmaster if you don't like wearing it. Programming stations is easy and there is a hold feature which allows you to stay on a station even if you accidentally bump one of the buttons. The hold button is also useful for keeping the walkman off when it's in your bag so the batteries don't run out. Also, about batteries, they last for quite a while with this walkman. The headphones that are included aren't the most comfortable that's basically my only complaint.

Overall, this product has a great design and wonderful features.

Want Sony Portable Sports AM/FM Radio (SRF-M78) Discount?

I have owned this compact AM/FM sports radio for 2 years. It is really handy for running or the gym. The biggest negatives are that it only allows for 10 programmable stations (some other models allow for 20) and that is only 5 for FM and 5 for AM (you'll need more FM in most radio markets) and the reception frequently fades in and out and you have to move the earphones wire around to improve reception. Arm band velcro systems works well even after 2 years. Hold button prevents accidental power-ons when it is stored in a bag. 2 'AAA' batteries offer lots of playing time. Overall, useful, but not perfect.

I've bought several of these the last few years, as I always seem to lose them somewhere, and each time I do--I look for others that are better. So far, I haven't found one.

I use it at the gym and running, and it rarely falls off. Radio reception isn't very good, but it was much worse with the most recent Panasonic [RFSW200] I tried while waiting for this one to be in stock again. Another virtue is the ability to tune to a specific frequency [for audio from the gym TV's], as opposed to only certain increments on the Panasonic. Also, battery life is better--working a long time before replace the 2, as opposed to the very quick depletion of the single battery on the Panasonic.

Sure it's a bit large for what it's doing--but you can easily reach over and tap the pre-select buttons while running, and it curves around my arm and the velcro works well [although to be fair, Panasonic's strap was actually superior while dealing with a much lighter product], so I can recommend it despite the wish for improvements--including the irritating idea that you have to turn the radio off to even see the time.