- AM/FM/iPod
- Battery Back-up
- Passive Reflex Speakers
- Bass and Treble Control
- iPod Dock Adjuster
I had never heard of Sangean and honestly was a bit skeptical buying this. I can't speak to the long term, but I can speak to my initial impression after getting it, setting it up, and listening for a few hours / comparing.
Good:
Appearance It has a very sturdy and eye appealing look. The solid wood is very nice (though not as nice as Tivoli). It has a very classic look to it, but is clearly modern also.
Has 2 alarms, so you can set one for weekdays and one for weekends, etc. Also has a battery backup. (I don't know why any alarm clock wouldn't have this? but many don't)
Radio reception is excellent. I get lots of stations I don't get in my car and it comes through very clean.
Auto sets time/date from radio stations? Not sure how it did it, but it did and that was nice.
Very clear display easy to read the time, date, radio station/song info from across the room. Dimmer allows multiple brightness settings including off (so if anyone has complained that the display is too bright obviously didn't notice this feature).
Remote Seems to have good coverage from anywhere in my room. Has functions for everything I could need.. radio, ipod, dimmer, even can snooze by remote.
Sound quality of speakers Those iHome and other table radio/alarms do not compare. Significantly better. Is it Tivoli or Bose equivalent? I think it's probably just slightly below those systems, but for 1/4 to 1/5 the price.... it's not that much below them. Bose never impressed me anyway. I'd have to do a side by side to tell for sure if it's any better. People like to hype up various table radios, but lets all be serious. You aren't going to get sound from something with a 3 inch speaker that rivals a full stereo not matter how nice it looks or how much they spend on marketing. If so, why would Bose also sell full stereo systems?
Price! all the previous stuff leads to this. I paid $99 bucks and got every possible option I would ever want from a great sounding, great looking table radio/alarm. Very few offer all of the full options of this one with the sound quality and those that do cost many times the price. Don't be dumb and pay $400+ for a table radio/alarm clock.. please.
Bad:
The volume knob seems oddly sensitive and will jump around a bit, but it gets you there and you can always use the remote which is pretty convenient too.
Slightly confusing setup. It is not particularly intuitive and the instructions seems to be a bit off from how it really works so if you are extremely un-tech savvy you might have some confusion setting it up. I got mine setup with alarms, radio presets, timing, etc in very short time.
Conclusion:
Very glad I bought it and would recommend it to anyone else considering the tivoli, bose, cambridge, etc group of radios that feel that several hundred dollars is kind of crazy to spend on something like this. I'll update in the long run on reliability.
Buy Sangean WR-5 Hi-Fi AM/FM-RDS Table-Top Radio with iPod Dock (Dark Walnut) Now
In my endeavor to replace an old and broken, but nice sounding and well made Sony boom box, I became frustrated with the current quality and sound of the newer products. I did MUCH research and found this wonderful hidden jewel: The Sangean WR-5. I just received it today and it truly is amazing! The quality of construction is very high: solid case, thick radio antenna, substantial rubber feet, solid remote, solid controls on unit, nice display; it doesn't feel cheap in any way. Reminds me of the old Pioneer, Kenwood, etc. receivers of the 70's (ie. indestructible). But the most important and impressive thing is the AMAZING sound that comes from this remarkable little unit. The sound is magnificent!! It blows doors off of my iHome (which I also love). The sound is large enough to fill a room (and more) with very large and beautiful nuanced sound without distorting out at high volumes. If you want to take full advantage of all the settings, be patient and go through the nice thick manual (yes, it has a very good one with lots of information) to get all of your settings perfected to your liking. The FM stations come in great...I have not tried AM, but there is the ability to attach an extra AM antenna if need be. Lastly, for those of you who are hesitating (I was) because you want to have a unit that has it all: iPod dock, radio, CD player, etc., this unit can play CD's, or other mp3 players (besides an iPod), using the line-in jack and a portable CD player. I plugged my AUX cable into the line-in jack on the WR-5 and the other end into the headphone jack on the portable CD player and it played CD's just as well as all of the other functions on the unit. The features that I absolutely did not want to compromise on were sound and construction quality, reasonable price, FM radio, line-in jack and iPod dock. I feel like I got everything and more with the Sangean WR-5!
Read Best Reviews of Sangean WR-5 Hi-Fi AM/FM-RDS Table-Top Radio with iPod Dock (Dark Walnut) Here
I bought this unit as a replacement for an office AM/FM radio because I wanted a unit with an IPod dock. My thoughts are as follows:
Pros:
The unit is attractive and feels well built
AM reception is better than expected with a plug in option for an external antenna. FM reception good.
Aux in ports for other audio sources.
Sound is fine but I do not pretend to be an audiophile.
Cons:
Unfortunately, the remote did not work even after a battery change. If I am paying over $100 for an AM/FM radio I want all the parts to work.
The biggest downside was the fact there is basically no support for this unit. Should there be a problem Sangean's warranty demands you send the radio and your first born back to Ca at your expense. There is no phone support, no email support, zip, nada, nothing. In the 21st century this is simply unacceptable from any manufacturer.
My advice if you want to buy from this manufacturer you need to remember it is definitely "caveat emptor". I sent it back.
Want Sangean WR-5 Hi-Fi AM/FM-RDS Table-Top Radio with iPod Dock (Dark Walnut) Discount?
I have owned this radio, purchased through Amazon, for about two weeks. I have owned similar and more expensive radios that, even after replacement, had constant and vexing software problems. The Sangean WR-5 Duo has no such problems. It works fine, and it doesn't seem to mind power disruptions. In other words, it remembers all of my stations and settings even after electric power failures that last 2 or 3 hours (and for some reason this is a frequent occurrence in the Washington, DC, metro area).
This iPod dock / tabletop radio offers good, crisp, ample sound for such a small device, though it is below the quality of the Bose or Boston Acoustics tabletop radios. In my view, sound quality is a very important consideration when buying a tabletop radio you will listen to frequently. The Sangean WR-5 has good, though not outstanding radio reception and a somewhat out-to-date iPod dock. By that I mean that my brand new Verizon iPhone offers a warning message when placed in the WR-5's dock, though I get no such warnings when I use my older generation iPod Touch and iPod Nano devices. All these Apple devices seem to get charged without problem. In contrast, more than a year ago I purchased a Boston Acoustics Duo iPod dock / tabletop radio. None of my Apple devices gives me a warning or error message when docked to the BA Duo. However, my new Verizon iPhone, when inserted in the Sangean iPod dock, gives the following message: "This device is not optimized for the iPhone. You may experience a decrease in cell signal strength." In other words, I may get weaker cellphone reception when my iPhone is inserted in the dock. The iPhone gets charged when inserted in the Sangean iPod dock, and the iPhone / Sangean combination delivers fine musical sound, but I do not know whether or not I'm missing some cell calls. There are no such problems with the Boston Acoustic Duo.
Let me make some comparisons of the Sangean WR-5 and the BA Duo iPod dock / table top radios. The Boston Acoustics Duo undoubtedly delivers better sound and offers a more up-to-date interface with iPod / iPhone devices. The BA duo and Sangean WR-5 offer approximately as good radio reception. The Sangean WR-5 has a smaller footprint and, because its iPod dock is more spacious, I do not need to remove the rubberized protective bumper from my iPhone before inserting onto the dock. In contrast, the rubberized bumper must be removed from the iPhone before it is inserted onto the dock for the BA Duo. Both devices accept input from a standard audio jack linking the radio with, say, a portable CD player. The instructional booklet for the Sangean WR-5 was worse written (I assume because its authors were Chinese rather than Americans), but the Sangean's set-up was faster and a bit more intuitive. I find that without wearing glasses it is easier for me to read, say, the time and radio frequency on the face of the BA Duo. That information is less clearly displayed on the face of the Sangean WR-5, and this may be an important consideration if you are also using the device as an alarm clock.
The biggest difference between the two iPod dock / tabletop radios is the price. As of this date (late March 2011), the Boston Acoustics Duo costs about $250 on Amazon while the Sangean WR-5 costs $100. Determining whether the better sound and more up-to-date Apple docking of the BA Duo are worth the $150 price difference is obviously a personal matter. I like both devices and give both of them equal ratings (4 stars), but that is because the price differential compensates for the somewhat worse sound and more out-of-date Apple docking interface on the Sangean WR-5. For a number of years now I have noticed that I actually listen to music much more frequently through my tabletop radios than through my far more expensive sound system. The better sounding tabletop radio -the BA Duo -is in my kitchen where I listen most often to music. The Sangean WR-5 is in our bedroom where it doubles as a tabletop clock and Apple iPod / iPhone charging device. I suppose other people discovered this fact long before I did: The availability of these iPod dock / tabletop radios means that you never have to worry whether your cell phone or MP3 player has a charge. If you listen to music through these docking stations for about an hour or so a day, your Apple device is substantially charged virtually all the time -it gets a charge at the same time you are using the device for one of its main functions, namely, to play music. In addition, of course, both the iPhone and iPod Touch devices can be used to listen internet radio, Pandora, podcasts, etc., partly depending on whether you have a WiFi system in your home. This means you worry less about the quality of your local radio stations: The internet offers a huge number of attractive alternatives.
In sum: the Sangean WR-5 radio is a very good tabletop radio / docking device. One reason I withhold a fifth star is that (a) better sound is certainly available on other similar devices (though at a higher price than the modestly priced WR-5); (b) the instructional booklet leaves something to be desired; and (c) the display is not as easy to read as the displays on other similar devices. On the whole, however, the Sangean WR-5 is an excellent investment. If money is not an important consideration, the Boston Acoustics Duo might be an even better investment, however. IMHO, the BA Duo certainly has better sound.
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I bought the Sangean WR-5 R clock radio after doing quite a bit of online research. I am thrilled with the flexibility of alarm settings, whereby each of the two alarms may be set for weekday, weekend, or daily; volume setting specific to each alarm; and alarms can be set to different music sources (IPod, AM, FM, buzzer). Setup is a bit complicated due to the flexibility of settings. The remote control is easy to use.
The sound quality is amazing, and the radio displays the artist and title of songs if transmitted by the radio station (which I did not read about anywhere). The major drawback is the readability of the time on the display from across the room it is no problem if you set it on your night stand, but it is difficult to read when on a dresser, even from a distance of 6 feet or so.
I do not know of a better clock radio for the money, and am very happy with my purchase.
