Review on 📻 Sangean RCR-9 AM/FM-RDS Digital Tuning Atomic Clock Radio (Black) – Unparalleled Precision and Crisp Sound by Mary Hall

I had to return the first RCR-9 due to intermittent audio cutouts. The radio suddenly turned off, which could sometimes be resolved by fiddling with the volume control or banging the radio on the table. This rating is based on the second radio I received. During the week I had it, it worked great. The RCR-9 is a compact radio, about 5 inches on each side, that delivers good sound with decent bass. With some music genres, the sound is a bit muddled. The voice is particularly pleasant. Due to the very difficult to read instructions, it is a bit fiddly. Basically, to change settings, press and hold the menu button for a few seconds until you hear a beep. Press the adjustment button up or down to select a menu item. Then press Enter until the option for that setting (e.g. Volume) flashes. Use the settings panel again to change your selection, then press Enter to confirm your choice. Clock setting can be done manually or automatically via RDS from a local FM station or shortwave WWVB from Colorado. More accurate, but in many places, especially on the east coast, reception can be difficult. FM time synchronization only works when a station near you is broadcasting a time signal, and it's impossible to tell which station is doing it. I found a page on RDSlist but that database is old and complex. oh search. Note that some stations have very incorrect time signals and your clock hands will start rotating according to the new "time". I recommend that if this happens in your area, you set the time and then turn off RDS time sync. I connected my phone to an auxiliary cable to play music. It works well but the sound quality was a bit more confusing than I expected but perfectly acceptable. Play around with your phone's equalizer settings to find a comfortable tone. The dimmer switches the watch face from off to very bright in about 6 steps. I really like this feature as it's easy to set up in the middle of the settings panel. The top display is also a nice feature, allowing you to choose between different displays of the date, time and radio station/track information. Volume is controlled with a scroll wheel, which I like, but it only scrolls in increments. Sangean is known for their high quality radios and this is no exception. It picks up stations clearly that no other bedside radio in my area can pick up. You may have to play with the connected antenna cable to maximize reception. All in all I am very satisfied with this radio and can recommend it.