Sangean WFR-20 WiFi Internet Radio & Media Player by Sangean
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Digital camera reviews of Sangean WFR-20 WiFi Internet Radio & Media Player
Digital camera Review: Not as good as the Boom
Summary: 4 Stars
I've had the WFR-20 radio for 2 years and enjoyed it all along. However, I've purchased two logitech network radios (the radio and the boom) and would recommend the Boom over the WFR-20 for several reasons. The Sangean does look great, and sounds ok, and it works as-advertised. But the Boom does many things better than the Sangean. Here's some key points to consider:
Sound: the WFR20 doesn't have audio mixing options (treble/bass), the boom does, plus XL sound which is like virtual surround, and several other options. Plus, it sounds better. My speakers in the Sangean have blown! Granted, this was because my 2 year-old cranked up the volume for fun - so I take the blame, but the fact that they designed the levels and knob to allow this to happen so easily is annoying.
Controls: the sangean's design is sleek with the single continuous dial, but a lot is sacrificed for this from the user perspective. The remote is ok, but kind of a pain to rely on and awkward to use. The boom also has a remote but I seldom use that either. The "back" button and presets on the face of the boom are huge differentiators for me. It allows you to jump to things and surf internet stations much more easily.
Connectivity: the Boom just connects to the network promptly, where the sangean takes up to 30 seconds to load and play. Note lots of people make this observation in their reviews.
Compatibility: the Booms Squeezebox interface seems more intuitive and superior to the Recieva interface used by the Sangean. Plus Recieva has some technical limitations and can't accommodate Flash (I believe) based stations, whereas the Boom can. I've found several internet stations that fit this criteria and can't be added to the Sangean.
Favorites/presets: The Sangean does have 12 presets you can store, 6 auto dial on remote and 6 more you can store on a list. But that is it. The Boom has 6 presets on the face of the unit (a major plus for me!) and an unlimited 'favorites' list in the menu. This is a huge factor in storing lots of internet stations I want to return to at some point without searching for them.
Size: the boom actually takes up less space than the sangean, which.. even with the product dimensions, is hard to tell without having them side by side.
With all of this it's a no brainer that I'd buy the Boom first before the Sangean, but even with all of this, I do not regret buying the Sangean. It does look really cool and it works just fine, and at a fair price for what it offers. The Boom just has it beat on so many levels and is priced lower. I will say that the Boom is majorly due for a model update, as is the Sangean. The Boom's sister product, the logitech radio, has a nice color screen and a rechargeable battery (sold seperately), which I really love and will purchase when offered for the Boom. I hope it's soon!
Official Firmware Update Breaks This Radio
Summary: 1 Stars I received this radio today and absolutely loved it. It's magical, when it works.
Then I did the firmware update. I followed the instructions to the letter. And it bricked the whole radio. It gets into some crazy loop when it starts up and keeps trying to re-connect to my wireless network. Doing a hard reset on the radio let's me re-enter my network information, and everything works fine. Then it gets back into the crazy loop whenever I turn it off and back on again.
After I hit the forums I found out that this firmware update which causes all the problems was released at the beginning of November 2009. It's now the beginning of January 2010, and there's no fix available. Unacceptable.
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I love this radio & wish that it worked as advertised. But I highly recommend that you read the forms and wait until Sangean fixes this problem before you buy this. Mine is going back to amazon first thing Monday morning.
Digital camera Review: Only gadget enjoyed by my grandmother and myself ..
Summary: 5 Stars
Excellent combination of technology and looks. My grandmother is amazed at ease of using this machine and really likes the looks of it.
Sound quality is very good. But what really makes this a must item to buy is its ease to use and looks.
only thing to complain about is only six preset channels. I will prefer to have more choice since we are using this machine in living area and different family members have different preference.
Digital camera Review: Outstanding radio
Summary: 5 Stars
I've been a radio "nut" since I built my first crystal radio when I nine years old. Since then, I've become an amateur radio operator, worked as a maintainer for aircraft radios, and been a shortwave listener for years.
That's my "radio" background.
So what about this Sangean WFR-20 wifi radio?
I've had my radio for a few weeks now and I am very pleased. Set up was accomplished in minutes. It's user friendly even if you have the slightest aptitude for computers/radios etc. Nothing tricky at all.
Now I can receive, in clear digital audio, 30,000 radio programs from all over the world. No static, no drift, no radio buzz if my neighbor decides to use his electric saw. Searching for stations is easy through the decision tree on the display, i.e., locale, genre, my stations etc. Pick one and go through the stations.
In addition, I've programmed, via the easy to use Reciva site, all my favorite talk shows, news programs, music stations. I found excellent stations I never heard of before.
You have to get used to the one dial set up. That takes about 30 seconds to figure out. Big whoopie. The only "negative" I can come up with is that the "tree" you go through to get from one station to another is a little awkward, but no big deal at all.
The radio is convenient enough for me to use it in the basement, in the kitchen, outside in my workshop. Comes in great everywhere on my property.
I don't know about other brands of wifi radio, but I do know that I really like my radio a lot. Should have bought one earlier.
Digital camera Review: Perfect for my Purposes
Summary: 5 Stars
For my limited purposes, this toy has brought me delerious joy -- moved from LA to San Francisco recently and sorely missed KROQ, et al, from SoCal. (Tried moving my laptop into the bathroom every morning; not advised.) Anyway, I was worried about everything: Would it be broken out of the box? Would it take me three years to set up? Would the radio stations sound like they were coming to me from underwater? Would the reception break and re-buffer every 30 seconds? NO, times four. I can't speak to its other functions -- haven't even tried them. But as a true "Internet Radio" I can't imagine anything beating it! After a month of GREAT performance, I'm nothing but Happy Happy Happy.