Sony ICF-SW7600GR AM/FM Shortwave World Band Receiver with Single Side Band Reception, plus External Plug-in Antenna by Sony
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Digital camera reviews of Sony ICF-SW7600GR AM/FM Shortwave World Band Receiver with Single Side Band Reception, plus External Plug-in Antenna
Digital camera Review: Excellent product, does exactly what it states and more!
Summary: 5 Stars
Excellent Product! Does what it states and more! Great clarity and functions are easy to adapt to. Good buy!Digital camera Review: Excellent radio for the price!
Summary: 4 Stars
Overall I highly recommend this radio if you want to tune into exotic and far-away radio stations. The synchronous detection circuit helps reduce signal "fade". No other current radio offers this feature as this price. The ICF-SW7600GR is a solidly built radio and offers outstanding sound performance. The only complaint that I have with this radio (hence 4 out of 5 stars) is that it is slightly big and heavy. Nonetheless, the performance it gives makes it worth packing in your suitcase.Digital camera Review: Excellent radio, especially if you also get the accessory antenna
Summary: 5 Stars
I have had mine for a couple of years now, so I have had ample time to play with it and sort through it's idiosyncrasies. So this review is a bit late in the offing.
I don't know how Sony managed to stuff so many features into such a small package. Well, I do know because the thing must weigh 10 pounds (not really). Seriously though, I have diving weights that are lighter than this radio, it is a real brick. If it becomes necessary to do so, you can wield the thing as a bludgeon, like the old Nikon cameras from the 60's and 70's. So be careful not to drop it on your foot unless you are wearing steel-toes.
The synchronous selectable sideband feature is GREAT. It actually works and locks on to "iffy" signals very solidly, something radios costing 10x+ as much as the Sony still cannot get right. And the single sideband also works fairly well, even if the trimmer pot is a bit touchy, at least on my radio. And 100 presets are nice, although I can never remember what they are since you cannot put any kind of alphanumeric information along with the preset frequency.
OK, things to complain about. MW frequencies stop at 1620 kHz (oops). And it is not possible to do a full-spectrum scan without switching bands. And even then you miss the stuff between the bands unless you know the "trick" to make it scan between bands. Compared to my other radios it EATS batteries at a pretty good rate. And there is no really good AC power supply available for the thing which is guaranteed not to hum. There should be some sort of indication on the display that the antenna attenuator is "On", that has caused me grief on occasion. And the controls on the sides are damned crowded, but that is only because there are so many features crammed into such a small package. And to get REALLY good SW reception you need to get one of the accessory AN-LP1 active antennas, which are no longer available in the US (oops again). I got mine from a fellow in Japan off of EBay for a very reasonable price (<$100 new in box) with unbelievably fast shipment via EMS, the Japanese post office. The antenna actually shipped faster than the radio, and the radio came from one state away, not halfway around the world.
But in spite of these minor shortcomings, which are really just annoying idiosyncrasies and not actual faults in the equipment, I give it a good solid 5 stars. You will not find a radio that does as much as well as this one for less than 2-3 times the price.
Digital camera Review: Excellent radio; needs AC adapter though- not offered by Sony
Summary: 5 Stars
Easy to use; like the presets; world band use has a learning curve though - must read the owner's manual. Negative: needs AC adapter though - not offered by Sony.Digital camera Review: Expensive antenna
Summary: 4 Stars
Sounds like a good product, but wonder if the an-lp1 powered antenna is really necessary. The Sony website sell it for $100. That's nearly two thirds the price of the radio itself! Any of the audio engineers out there have a less expensive suggestion?