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Review on Tecsun PL398MP DSP Digital AM/FM/LW Shortwave Radio: Dual Speakers & MP3 Player, Black - The Ultimate Audio Solution by Barry Hill

Revainrating 3 out of 5

Good radio, bad MP3 player

Pros: The MW/AM, FM and SW functions are excellent for its size and price. It is both very sensitive and selective (AM bandwidth adjustable to 6, 4, 3, 2 and 1 kHz). As for a pocket radio, I seriously doubt you'll find one that picks up stations as well at this price point. It is slightly more sensitive to AM/MW than the Tecsun PL-310 and PL-606. No, it's certainly not the most popular DX rig of all time and can't be compared to larger radios and/or more expensive radios, but it's amazing for what it is. Sound although the speakers are about what you would expect from a 2 1/2 inch speaker. Good for the voice, but certainly won't win any hi-fi competitions. It's quite comfortable and powerful through the headphones. The SD slot plays stereo. Suffering from what I call the "Realistic DX-440" Syndrome. The tuning speed is determined by how fast you turn the tuning knob. On paper this seems like a good idea, but in practice it takes a lot of getting used to. For those of us who grew up with analog technology, this can be a little disappointing. Cons: Forgot SD/MP3 player slot. There is no display at all. Not even a track number let alone a track/ID3. The functions are very simple and are still located on the back of the radio. Previous, next and pause/play. That's all. Holding "previous" or "next" does NOT scan the track but skips to the next or previous track. It remembers the last track where you need to turn it off or switch to the tuner, but it starts at the beginning of the track. For cheaper, low-tech devices like radio/SD/USB combos from companies like " and "Quantum FX" (see my other reviews for info on that) this is understandable and even expected, but for something in this class with such incredible high tech wireless circuitry I expected a lot more from an SD player If you want an MP3/SD/USB player with speaker(s) you could do better (or..) for a much lower price about the same) Of course, it doesn't support BFO/SSB chip.

Pros
  • Great price
Cons
  • Big and chunky