Sangean radios?

[JTK]

My beloved old huge display GE clock radio met it's demise a week or two back. It got knocked off the dresser.

I'm old school and like to wake up to the radio as an alarm and use my cell as a backup. Trying to find something with a display an old guy can see, along with a radio that actually works and sounds decent is not easy to find. This lead me to Sangean products.

I ordered a Sangean RCR-20 off the amazon and I have to say this thing is awesome. A little pricey in the ~$80 range, but totally worth it. The sound is incredible for this price range, it's easy to set and has tons of features along with a remote. Great reception too, which is an issue where I live. It's a little large, so it might be tough on the average night stand, but perfect for a dresser. I highly recommend this brand.

 

[skyactiv]

I happen to have the same clock radio. It has a wire FM antenna out the back. Also has BT and RDS; It can set the clock to a station tuned into a proper RDS signal. I also have a Sangean portable HD radio.

 

[PimTac]

I used to have a Sangean AM-FM-Shortwave portable radio. I got it in the mid-80’s when I was listening to Art Bell on the drive home from work near midnight every night. One of his sponsors was C Crane radio. Sangean was their big brand. That radio played on till around 2012 when it finally quit working. That was my kitchen radio.

 

[y_p_w]

Sangean is Taiwanese. I guess kind of an obscure name, but apparently pretty high quality. Grundig used to have fairly similar radios. There was a California company (Eton) that was a Grundig licensee, but eventually started making products under its own name. They're still a licensee of Grundig though.

A friend of mine used to have a Sony stacked shelf system with a CD player and tape. But the thing I found rather different than anything I've seen is that it had a digital displayed quartz-locked radio with shortwave. So no tweaking an analog dial to try and nail a shortwave station. I had a few shortwave radios, and it was interesting trying to get a clean signal from thousands of miles away.

 

[hrv]

I purchased a pocket radio from Sangean and it was crap... Returned it for a Sony and is much much better...

 

[vwmaniaman]

I you live out of the big city I can only recommend two brands, Panasonic and RCA are the only 2 that pickup weak signals in my area by Kentucky Lake. Both of mine have a large LED display.

 

[hrv]

I you live out of the big city I can only recommend two brands, Panasonic and RCA are the only 2 that pickup weak signals in my area by Kentucky Lake. Both of mine have a large LED display.

C Crane makes some good radios also....but not cheap in price..

 

[PimTac]

I you live out of the big city I can only recommend two brands, Panasonic and RCA are the only 2 that pickup weak signals in my area by Kentucky Lake. Both of mine have a large LED display.

RCA is just a brand label anymore. Who knows who really made that radio?

Panasonic is top notch.

 

[y_p_w]

RCA is just a brand label anymore. Who knows who really made that radio?

Panasonic is top notch.

Panasonic has more or disappeared as a consumer brand. About the only thing sold under their brand directly to consumers is batteries, and they don't even make them any more (after they sold off the business to Fujitsu.

 

[JTK]

I you live out of the big city I can only recommend two brands, Panasonic and RCA are the only 2 that pickup weak signals in my area by Kentucky Lake. Both of mine have a large LED display.

Those were quality back in the day for sure, but as far as I know, neither makes a clock radio today other than small sized wall-wart powered, tinny sounding things.

The sound quality from my new Sangean is incredibly good for the cost of it. Obviously it's not Bose wave radio sound, but it's close.

The only oddity is the display is angled slightly upward and is hard to see if your viewing angle is lower than the display or off to the side. There is 7 brightness levels available, from barely visible to nuclear meltdown.

 

[PimTac]

Panasonic has more or disappeared as a consumer brand. About the only thing sold under their brand directly to consumers is batteries, and they don't even make them any more (after they sold off the business to Fujitsu.

That’s interesting. Maybe it’s a US market thing?

I have Panasonic air conditioners, microwave, electrical switches and maybe in the future one of their refrigerators. But that is not in the US

 

[GSCJR]

Don't forget cordless phones and bathroom fans too.

 

[y_p_w]

That’s interesting. Maybe it’s a US market thing?

I have Panasonic air conditioners, microwave, electrical switches and maybe in the future one of their refrigerators. But that is not in the US

They've never sold large consumer appliances in the US market. They discontinued televisions in 2016. I guess cordless phones may still be one, as my parents have a set. But I'm looking at them, and their big thing is industrial goods. They got out of the NiMH battery manufacturing business, but they supply lithium-ion batteries including the ones used by Tesla.

It's also really odd because Panasonic as a name was really a creation for the US market. Matsushita had used the National name for decades in other parts of the world - especially Japan.

 

[vwmaniaman]

I worked at Motorola when they made TV's and had the quasar tvs. Then they sold out to Matsushita / Panasonic. They were high quality back then. When I find an old Panasonic for sale I can't resist.

 

[Schandyman]

Very nice alarm clock radio. I never heard a bad thing about sangean you’ll get many years of good use. I miss my old Boston acoustics receptor clock radio. Strong reception and really rich sound.

 

[NormanBuntz]

Very nice alarm clock radio. I never heard a bad thing about sangean you’ll get many years of good use. I miss my old Boston acoustics receptor clock radio. Strong reception and really rich sound.

Yes. my old Boston Acoustics Horizon Duo radio was a big disappointment. It had very nice sound for a compact unit, but one day if just froze up and wouldn't turn on. Found it was a common problem. But I still use a pair of rebuilt Boston Acoustic A60 speakers in my home garage.

 

[PimTac]

Not a Sangean but a Nakamichi. I bought one of these in the late 80’s. It still works.

BleusNak Studios ~ Nak TM Clock Radio System Informational

 

[Schandyman]

Not a Sangean but a Nakamichi. I bought one of these in the late 80’s. It still works.

BleusNak Studios ~ Nak TM Clock Radio System Informational

Beautiful clock radio. Love that design and the companion speaker availability. 5watt rated speaker is a lot of sound next to the bed especially most clock radios are 250-750mw.

 

[y_p_w]

How about this one?

 

[Vern_in_IL]

Sangean makes great stuff, but when it comes to "alarm clocks" my TOP PRIORITY is DOES THE ALARM WORK ON BATTERY BACKUP?

I need the alarm to work, even during a power outage. I regrettably went with Onn, two months in the led display digits are already dead.