SonyICF38 Portable AM/FM Radio (Black)

I want to start by saying I'm not really a radio person but I'll throw in my "2 cents" anyway.As a matter of fact the only reason I purchased the radio was so I could listen to it at night, 102.7 Fresh FM (I'm in New York City), has some rather relaxing songs and is my current favorite radio station. I bought this radio to replace an extremely cheap clock radio which I bought a couple of years back just to have something to listen to at a security post. The clock radio had very poor sound and a not so great tuner to say the least. I wanted to replace it and at first I looked into buying another clock/radio,but the "clock part" really didn't interest me because I just want to listen to the radio and having that bright red light in my face from the "clock part" wasn't exactly what I wanted.Any way so I came across this little radio,it was affordable and it's nothing fancy,it's simply a nice little radio,I mean more can you ask for right?I think it functions above average in my opinion,first of all it's made by Sony and Sony has a well known and very good reputation when it comes to making good radios,stereos etc. The sound is really what will blow you away,you may be thinking to yourself how could such a big sound come out of something so small. I was totally AMAZED at just how LOUD this thing can get. I mean you just have to hear it for yourself. Now for me sound is not too much of an issue but it may be for you,but unless you're very far away from the radio,you won't have a problem in the sound department. The sound on this radio is very good to say the least,at least in my opinion.The tuner is very good as well it actually says "Tune" in the upper right hand corner and it has a red light that goes on when you have the station tuned pretty much just right,likewise the light will get dull or just go out all together when you have static,so you really have to just turn the knob until you get it just right. I get 102.7 Fresh FM just fine now and I didn't even have to raise the antenna. Like I said I'm not really a radio person so I don't know how well the other stations will come in,but I'm sure they should be just fine. Also it's FM/AM so if Am is your thing then you have that as well.The radio comes with a power cord and it can used as a portable radio as well,it takes 4 double A batteries. I really don't have any complaints,I mean I just got it and opened it up barely 2 hours ago so if something goes wrong maybe I'll update this review if that's possible.I was going to give it 4 1/2 stars because the numbers that represent the radio stations that are printed on the radio seem to be maybe slightly off,again I'm not a radio person so I'm not exacty sure how this is supposed to work. As I said, I have it tuned to 102.7 fresh FM but the dial is pointing to about 104. I actually had to check on the internet and find the station there first and then tune the radio to it,just an idea I had which worked very well. I mean that's kind of nitpicking to me,but it may become an issue if you listen to multiple stations,you may have a hard time going back and forth because the numbers are a bit misleading,or so it seems.Overall though I'm very pleased so far,I just want to say one more thing and that is, this is just a simple radio. There is nothing fancy here,you won't find any tape or CD or anything like that,no way to program any stations into the radio or any other "extras". The only thing you're getting here is a radio with a band to change from FM to AM and 2 dials,one for the tuner and one for the volume and that's pretty much it. I'm saying all of this because I want people to know what they are getting before they make the purchase. Thanks for reading and I hope you have a great day.

Remarkable if you look at the date this Sony ICF38 first became available at Amazon (October 2, 2001), the first customer review shown was posted 7 years afterward. It is labeled as a Best Seller, so that means that after 14 years it remains very popular, and is obviously appreciated by the very many purchasers who have plopped down their $25 (or thereabouts) for this very basic but dependable portable radio. The number of reviews in just seven years is noteworthy too, and with so many reviews before me, what can I possibly say now that hasn't been said a dozen times before? Well, I'll try. Personally I consider myself fortunate to still have this radio available to me considering the fickle nature of companies to discontinue just about anything that might show a slight dip in sales. Its purpose then is in fact to be the perfect placeholder for Sony's basic AM/FM radio entry. There is no advantage in designing something else that doesn't offer anything better, which in this case is to tune into and play all the local radio stations in the area, and this one does so much better than other brands I have used.The radio itself looks a little different than what the pictures on this page depict. It is actually a little larger because it is more rectangular than what is being shown, and thicker, so don't have the idea it is small enough to fit into your shirt pocket (like the itty bitty radios we carried in the 1950s) because it ain't gonna' fit. Most importantly my radio does not stink at all! So either that little defect has been fixed over the years or this innocent little radio is knocking out buyers left and right with toxic fumes. Some reviews are classic! Fortunately I have other things to do that keep me from reading the many comments about this radio while listening to my favorite station on it.The Sony ICF38 does demonstrate the sound of a bigger radio, and it has a switch for more bass, but then the volume needs to be turned up a little to compensate. If you have a central place where you can place the radio, then this radio can be a real improvement over anything else you might have used before it. I prefer connecting my Bluetooth transmitter and listening using Bluetooth earphones while staying within a 25 foot radius of the radio. Doing so also cleans up the signal while boosting it. There is the option to connect the radio to AC power or use 4 AA batteries for portability. Either way I can put it on my workbench and walk into the house and get perfect reception because Bluetooth signals notoriously transmit through walls without distortion. Just remember that this radio doesn't have stereo FM so it will need a mono to stereo 3.5mm headphone adapter if you happen to use a stereo set of earphones and want reception in both ears.