Sangean WR-22BK Digital Radio, AM/FM with Bluetooth, USB, Black

UpdateI've been using this for almost a month now, and continue to be very impressed. I swear, the sound, the speaker, seems to improve with time. Indeed, it just may be that the speaker needs some time break in (not that it was bad at first). I listen to a wide range of music on this, and the breadth of fidelity continues to amaze me. Given the quality of the sound over time, the price of this unit actually seems modest to m e.Update #2I've had this radio for 9 months now and appreicate its sound qualities every time I play it. I am listening to classical music over a local NPR station as I tyupe, and the sound is so accurate and full for a single (but very high tech) speaker/reflex system. You hear all the instruments, whether classical, jazz, or country. An oboe, a flute, a pedal steel guitar will just suddenly emerge clear and crisp. Voices sound great. Piano is clear and undistorted. The primary variable is the sound source, e.g., station reception. Also, some FM stations simply put out better sound. Bluetooth off my phone generally sounds quite good. I just love this radio in its wonderfull acoustic nook within the kitchen.Original review.This is a quality well-built piece of equipment, and is quite easy to use, very intuitive. I have found the instructions clear and easy to understand. For a radio with a single 3-inch speaker, this little gem puts out incredible sound. It plays the full range of sounds and is very high fidelity. For example, listening to a jazz program on the radio, many of the songs emphasize the stand-up bass, and the sound comes through surprisingly well. I have this radio in our kitchen, and it's just perfect; I can listen to high fidelity sound without an elaborate sound system. It is sensitive picking up stations, but like any radio, you sometimes have to physically move the radio to pick up certain stations adequately. The remote is small but works just fine, easy to use.What is surprising are the under-emphasized features. Specifically, the headphones-out jack in the back serves as an audio-out, to which you can plug in powered stereo speakers. It works quite well. The onboard speaker turns off when headphones or external speakers are attached). There also is a subwoofer output. Now keep in mind that the onboard speaker has surprisingly good bass, and a subwoofer seems unnecessary. However, if you attach external speakers, the onboard speaker shuts off as already noted, but the subwoofer continues to work. In short, you end up with a 2.1 stereo system. Very cool. Sangean does not really highlight this feature in any of their advertising or in their manual. Also, if you stream music via Bluetooth, it streams in stereo (I carefully checked this). I also attached a turntable (with a built-in phono preamp) into the auxiliary input, and it worked fine in stereo. So, you get a nice little radio here which in free-standing mode provides great mono sound, but plays FM stereo and other sources in stereo with the right attachments.All in all, I am very pleased with this handsome and versatile radio. I have been very impressed with the fidelity, accuracy, and lack of distortion of the radio. I have enjoyed a wide range of sounds (double bass, violins, oboes, distorted guitar, cymbals) that are so well reproduced out of this relatively small box. While I mostly listen to it in its free-standing mode, I really appreciate the ability to utilize external speakers, and the auxiliary-in and Bluetooth options. I have been using this for close to a week, and so far, no significant negatives to report (I have not yet used the alarm and snooze features, so no-comment there). My only compaint is that the black finish is a magnet for fingerprints, especially with the radio in the kitchen, so beware.

If you're wondering how this radio compares to the Bose Wave Radio read on! Spoiler Alert: The Sangean WR-22WL is the clear winner in both sound and functionality and at roughly one-third the price!Last year I inherited a Bose Wave Radio. While it seemed well-built enough, there was something about its sound that very much irritated me. Even at low volume, I could not listen to the Bose for any length of time without experiencing a feeling of pressure around my ears and ultimately I would get a headache. Try as I might, I just couldn't get used to the Bose Wave Radio's sound.So I sold the Bose but decided it would be nice to have a good sounding table radio. After much research I decided to try one of the Sangean models and ultimately I ordered the WR-22WL. Based on many reviews, I had very high expectations for this model. I am pleased to say that this radio has met and/or exceeded even my highest expectations.My radio came superbly packed. Physical inspection showed no defects whatsoever and its operation has been flawless. I don't often use the word "craftsmanship" anymore but this is one well-crafted radio! I love its mirror black front finish. All the knobs, buttons, jacks, etc. fit snugly and work smoothly.The display is top notch! It features large white letters/numbers against a black background and the clock can easily be read across a large room and at most any angle. The FM RDS (Radio Data System) functionality not only shows you the station ID, song name, and artist, but it can set your clock's day/month/year settings too! Unlike some other reviewers, I've found that the automatic time setting feature (thru RDS) works flawlessly. It is every bit as accurate as the clock on my cell phone. I guess the radio stations in my area do a better job of ensuring the correct time is set on their broadcasts.My main reason for purchasing this radio was to have a great sounding unit and this radio delivers superb audio in spades! It has a very well balanced low end, mid-range, and upper end sparkle that sounds just right to me. I find the default settings (loudness on, base and treble both at +0) to be just right. But if you don't like the defaults, you can easily turn off the loudness compensation and/or make considerable adjustments to the bass and treble levels to suit your own tastes. The Bose Wave Radio, on the other hand, has absolutely no ability for you to alter its sound. Also, I can listen to my Sangean for hours on end and not experience the "listener fatigue" that I always experienced with the Bose Wave Radio.One feature I've really come to love with the Sangean, is Bluetooth. I have an iPad Air and can effortlessly stream any audio from it to my WR-22. I find the Bluetooth audio on this radio to be excellent and the convenience of Bluetooth has to be experienced to be appreciated. In fact, the majority of my listening on the WR-22 is now via Bluetooth from my iPad Air. Whether I'm listening to my own library of music, streaming Pandora, or whatever, the audio is excellent. With the Bose Wave Radio, there is no Bluetooth support.Some of you might be saying, well the Bose has two (stereo) speakers! True. But in my experience, unless you are directly in front the Bose Wave Radio and at distance of 4 feet or less, you are not going to hear the stereo separation. The WR-22 with its single 3 inch speaker can fill my entire house with beautiful music if I (choose to) turn it up loud enough.The WR-22 also can play MP3 and WAV files from a USB stick. I've not yet tried this feature but again this is a capability you won't find on a Bose Wave Radio. I have used the WR-22's auxiliary input and have tested the subwoofer and headphone outputs. All are excellent. (The Bose Wave Radio also offers a good selection of inputs/outputs for wired connections.)Both the Bose Wave Radio and Sangean WR-22 have excellent FM tuners and good (though not exceptional) AM tuners. I do find the quality of the WR-22's AM reception to vary greatly depending on where it is placed in my home and how it is orientated. Serious AM listeners will want to try out the external AM antenna connections provided on the WR-22. (No such AM antenna extension is available on the Bose.)Internal FM antennas and external FM antenna connections are both offered on the Bose Wave Radio and the Sangean WR-22. However, for best results, you need to disable the internal FM antenna when using an external one. This can easily be done on the Sangean unit via a switch on the back panel. The Bose does not offer this capability.Both the Bose and Sangean radios offer dual alarm-clock capability. I won't be using my Sangean radio for an alarm clock so I've not yet tested that feature. But I'll update my review if/when I do try out the alarm(s).I found both the Sangean and Bose remotes to work equally well. The Sangean radio itself is more compact than the Bose mainly due to its single speaker versus two for the Bose Wave Radio.All in all I'm glad I sold the Bose and bought the Sangean instead. I find the WR-22 to be much nicer to listen to, more convenient to use, and its available at a much lower cost than a Bose.