Review on 📻 Sangean WR-22BK Table-Top Digital Tuning Receiver (Black) with AM/FM-RDS, Bluetooth and USB Connectivity by Johnny Bloomer

Update October 2016 I've been using the WR-22 for about 18 months and I'm still very happy with the radio. I've noticed that many other reviews complain about the clock's accuracy. The problem is with FM stations, not WR-22s. The clock is actually fairly accurate, but many RDS-enabled FM stations do not transmit accurate time and can cause the clock to run incorrectly. There is a radio station in my town. I used the WR-22's settings menu to set the clock to manual instead of RDS. After 12 months, the WR-22 was still within a minute of the correct time. I bought a Sangean WR-22WL with a walnut body. I thought, Walnut would not show fingerprints and dust as much as black. In short, this is a very good table radio with good rich sound. Although it is only a single speaker, this radio produces a lot of rich sound at a very good volume. Although Sangean does not publish any information on the receiver's sensitivity, quality tests in both the AM and FM bands show that weak stations can be received with minimal distortion. FM: No problem here. There is an internal VHF antenna, and the antenna can also be switched to use an external input. A cable with a suitable plug is included in the scope of delivery. RDS/RDSB: This is a feature on the FM band that is a radio data service. This allows the INFO button on the radio to display the station name, song title, Select ring sign, program type and text message sorting. The WR-22WL can also sync its clock to RDS, "CT”, the current time field. RDS seems mixed but that's not the radio's fault. Broadcasters don't seem to use RDS fields consistently, and some don't care about the exact CT signal. There is a station in my town that will set the WR-22WL clock back five minutes every time I tune into a station if I leave the tuning menu on RDS CT instead of Manual. I prefer to leave the clock set to manual so RDS doesn't mess up the time. AM: The AM receiver is very good. There appears to be little or no interference from the radio's processor and selectivity is fairly good. I've looked inside and there's a fairly large ferrite rod antenna running parallel to the side of the radio. The use of a rod antenna gives this radio better immunity to static electricity and noise than radios that only use the wire hanging from behind. There are also connectors on the back for connecting an external antenna and ground. Using an internal rod antenna makes reception at least somewhat directional, with best results when the radio side is facing the transmitter. This can be a problem if you only want to find a radio with an internal antenna in a location where the radio is not pointing in the best direction. This is not a disadvantage of this radio, as would be the case with any receiver with a ferrite rod antenna. At least here you can connect an external antenna if you wish. Bluetooth: Bluetooth works very smoothly and reliably and is easy to use. A few reviewers have mentioned issues, but it seems they didn't read the manual carefully. Put the radio in Bluetooth mode, then tap the multifunction controller once to activate pairing. Then use your device's menu to allow the device to pair. After pairing the WR-22WL and the device, they should automatically pair each time the device approaches the radio and both have Bluetooth enabled. The WR-22WL stores up to eight device pairs. I tested on my Android phone and the 7th generation iPod Nano. Both paired quickly and the radio was able to control both properly. USB: I don't have any music files on my USB, so I couldn't test this feature. The requirements are described in sufficient detail in the instructions. I used the USB socket to charge my phone and it worked perfectly. The charging current seems to be sufficient. Aux-in: I didn't test this, but there's a typical 1/8-inch stereo jack on the back of the cab. Fit and Finish: I love the style of this radio. . The design is uncomplicated, but not exactly unattractive. The LCD is very clear and can be dimmed just enough to be used in a bedtime story. There's auto dimming with an ambient light sensor, which seems to work well for me. The front of the radio is made of plastic with pleasant-to-touch buttons and dials. The radio has a pretty good weight as the body is made from a thick wood composite material. From the outside it looks like natural wood veneer. The finish is beautifully smooth. The electronics inside are also very well done. The circuit is very clean, there are very few wires. The assembly is very neat. sound quality; the sound is reminiscent of a tube radio from the 1940s. More bass than you would expect from a small radio. But I was able to easily adjust the sound to my liking by pressing the volume knob and adjusting the bass and treble to my liking. The speaker is small but has a long range, which allows you to use the full spectrum of sound. The speaker has a surprisingly large magnet, which explains its good bass performance. The volume control seems to be calibrated so that even at full volume the sound is not distorted and does not risk interrupting the speaker. I don't recommend using full volume as a precaution. Alarm: There are two independent alarms that allow you to run weekday, weekend, or daily triggers. Alarms can be set to sound the radio or horn, and also increase the volume from soft to your preferred volume, which is set independently. The alarm works as it should. The WR-22WL has no battery backup but can tolerate brief power outages. This can be a problem, for example, when you need to be woken up to work. If you're using an alarm, it's probably best to set the time sync to manual as well, so invalid RDS signals don't mess up the time. Remote control: I did not test the remote control because the radio is exactly where I use the radio. All the basic functions you need are on the remote and I assume it works well. Conclusion: This is a very good radio that doesn't try to overdo it while still doing its intended job well. The price is a lot cheaper than a fancy Bose or Yamaha tabletop radio for about a quarter of the price. Resist the temptation to overestimate your need for a stereo or more speakers. In the environment for which this radio is intended,