Review on 📻 Sangean WR-50 AM/FM-RBDS/Bluetooth Wood Cabinet Tabletop Radio in Black by Gabriel Salleh

I bought this system in August 2017. Basically I was looking for something to use in my kitchen to listen to the radio, both AM and FM. Now that I've been using it for a few months I can honestly say I LOVE it. The radio reception is amazing. I have never owned a Sangean radio but WOW! They know how to build a radio to get good reception. I know not all of their radios have as good a reception as this one, but this one is really good. I was impressed. I live in a large urban Midwestern neighborhood (over 300,000 people) that is densely populated. Depending on where you live and how close it is to your home/office, your results will vary. . The price difference is not that big, but the difference in sound is very noticeable, especially when listening to music. I tested the system with only one speaker (I didn't connect the second one) and found that the richness of the sound and the purity of the music make up the difference in quality by up to 2 notches. I didn't expect it, but it was. I'd like to agree with other reviewers who point out that there's no balance adjustment, so even if you have two speakers you can't adjust the balance. It didn't make much of a difference when using the system as the speakers are high above the kitchen cabinets and far apart. I had to experiment in about 5 different places in the kitchen (ie moving one speaker farther and closer and changing the angle of the other until the sound quality was what I wanted). Once I set up the dual speaker layout for optimal sound quality, I never changed them again and they consistently deliver great sound for talk radio and music. Positioning the radio high also freed up tabletop space, which works perfectly for my arrangement. It sat on my counter for a few days to see how it sounds on par and how great it sounds. I just prefer to place it high above the workbench in the kitchen. block of wood. Both a receiver and an additional speaker with a metal front panel. Black matt, not glossy (so not piano). Pay attention to the dimensions of the receiver and additional speakers. DIMENSIONS. PLEASE NOTE: This is a desktop device so check the dimensions so you are not surprised. The dimensions given in the description differ from those I measured on the device received. The dimensions of the unit I received are as follows: Width: 5 inches, Depth 9 inches (this measurement includes adding an extra inch for the cables coming out the back of the units - you need that extra inch and also to account for the orientation of the sphere holding the extendable FM antenna on the back of the receiver) Height 8.75 inches Each of the speakers is rated at 7 watts (14 watts combined), but they deliver a rich sound that's direct competes with a much higher performance system. I was surprised that this Sangean model filled the entire room with a very crisp and clear sound both on the radio and via Bluetooth. I've never had to crank the device's volume above normal. The remote control is excellent and fits in one hand. Not too big. (See image) I have had no issues with the device being electrocuted when touched. I used it on the counter for a few days and that never happened. However, I now use the remote 100% of the time so I don't touch the receiver at all. I use the remote for EVERYTHING as the remotes control almost everything. Considering the unit sits high above my kitchen cabinets, this works great for me. I had no problems with the remote control. I programmed the preset radios and tuned the unit once and never had to redo or change them again. Bluetooth function works fine and Bluetooth sound quality is better than radio. I used it every day and I am 100% satisfied with the sound quality and sound quality. It also supports NFC pairing, which is very convenient. The display has 4 brightness levels (one is also completely off - a completely black display). You must manually adjust the brightness level so that when you turn off the device, it displays the last brightness level you selected before turning off the device. I don't use it in the bedroom so I don't care, but if you use it in the bedroom you'll probably want to use the lowest dimming level as the blue light display is very bright at the highest settings. The device also has alarm and snooze functions which I never used. The display also shows you what station you're listening to and song information as it scrolls across the display. I like that, but you can change this to show the time or other things if you don't want that scrolling to happen. For example, you can specify that the time is always displayed instead of receiving information about the current music selection. You can change this to your liking with the remote control. Some tips when buying this device: 1) Install all your radio station presets. I'm very glad I did it once and didn't have to go back to it again. 2) Be sure to place the receiver (not the additional speaker, just the receiver) away from the power cord wall. Sangean got really smart with this model as they used a power supply in combination with an additional noise controller. This new addition of a noise canceler has helped partially solve the problem of wall noise interference that many people experience with AM and FM radio. However, there's a trick to this new feature: if you place this power cord and noise canceller within 2 feet of the receiver, you won't get optimal radio reception (the noise canceller is hard-wired into the power cord, about 4 inches from the receiver). wart on the wall --- see picture). I believe my AM and FM reception is so good because I run the power cord as far from the receiver as possible (if it's as far from the receiver as possible, it's probably about 3 feet). These power cord adapters interfere with radio reception on AM and FM discs, so it makes perfect sense that they added noise cancellation right on the power cord. Sangean draws attention to the importance of not placing the receiver too close to this wall adapter on a separate sheet that came with the system, as well as in the manual itself. Please make sure you have read all documents related to this device. Also make sure you don't place the receiver near objects with strong magnets as this will negatively affect the antennas. You will use the device. Adjust the spacing and angles until you get what you want. I also used the volume slider and treble and bass settings to get the sound quality I like. 4) The AM antenna is a built-in ferrite antenna. If AM reception is important to you, you know that the AM antenna on this device is really good, BUT you have to move the actual receiver to change the orientation of the antenna. So if AM reception is important to you, set up the receiver in the room so that reception is optimal for the stations you want to listen to regularly. This wasn't a problem for my listening experience, but I did make sure I was receiving the 2 o'clock stations I wanted to hear before determining the receiver's location in the room. I then adjusted the position of the sub speaker in relation to the receiver to ensure sound quality. The internal AM antenna in this device is really powerful. If you have had a Sangean radio in the past and used it for AM reception, you will get the same quality from this radio's AM antenna. OPTIONAL you also have the possibility to add your own external AM antenna to this device, since the connector on the back of the receiver is dedicated for this (this external AM antenna is not included, but if you need it you have this option ).5) The VHF antenna was a bit finicky for me, but once I got it at the right angle I didn't have to re-align it. The VHF antenna is a classic telescopic antenna, which is perfect for my use. Unlike the AM antenna, you cannot add a separate external FM antenna to this unit as there is no connector for it on the back of the unit. The difference lies in the ability of the DSP tuner to capture the radio signal and keep it as small as possible. I was impressed. In addition, you also have the option to "limit" your tuning choices with a very sensitive calibration, which is very useful for AM reception and talk stations. I used this feature once on a radio talk show and the difference in reception and sound quality was remarkable. 7) You can connect external devices to this unit, but not USB or other memory cards. I connected my phone and computer to it and music played without any issues. You can also connect headphones to it (the connector is on the back of the receiver for both an auxiliary device and headphones. Some inconveniences, but not critical). There's also an option to connect a subwoofer to the unit, but that's not necessary and the unit really can't handle the power of a powerful subwoofer in my opinion. It's good that Sangean gives you the opportunity, but I don't see any practical need for it. I am also attaching pictures of 1) the remote control that came with the unit, 2) a page from the manual describing the connections and buttons on the rear and front receivers, 3) the functions on the remote control, and 4) a picture the power cord wall wart with soundproofing attached. I hope this will be helpful. Overall I am 100% satisfied with this purchase considering the amazing AM and FM radio reception, sound quality, overall performance and price. I highly recommend this Sangean model with the additional speaker and am impressed with the Sangean quality of this unit.