Review on Sony SRF59SILVER Walkman Stereo Radio by Erik Snyder

I stumbled across the Sony SRF59 at a local store and liked it so much I bought another. Now that I haven't come across a small laptop to compare to, I bought another one from Revain. Yes, now I have 3 of these and will be ready when they are posted. The SRF59 has almost achieved cult status among AM-DX listeners. We're people who like calling AM and trying to hear stations from a great distance late at night and early in the morning and the SRF59 delivers that. Sensitivity and selectivity on AM is excellent. The adjustment is razor sharp and can sometimes require patience from the surgeon, but that's part of the fun. Being able to dig out a 70 watt AM station 400 miles between two 50kW blowtorches is amazing. These results were not unusual for me. Image rejection is unrivaled by any of the many radios I've had over the years. Those looking for technical information on the unique IF stage and SRF59 image rejection will need to google the radio for more details. I don't want to bore those who read techno babble. In layman's terms, this means there's no audible squeaking or whistling when dialing into AM. If I cancel strong stations on one frequency to hear others very sharp and narrow when turning the device, I can consistently cancel the unwanted signal down to about 1dB no matter how strong it is. fm? Well, I'm not really listening. But I can tell you when I do, and when paired with a good pair of headphones (throw away the included headphones), the fidelity and dynamics approach DJ quality. The bass is big and tight, but not annoyingly boomy. Highly crisp and clear, no harshness. If you like loud music, the SRF59 is for you. But be careful, you can really crank up the volume here. FM reception is very good, but for weaker stations you will need to reposition the headphone cable as it doubles as an FM antenna. This is common with most radios designed this way and shouldn't be a black eye with the SRF59. SRF59 swallows batteries. You won't find yourself needing to replace a single AA any time soon, especially if you're using an alkaline battery. I use rechargeable NiMH batteries, one of which lasts more than 30 hours of continuous radio operation. The lack of a speaker helps save energy and is a clear indication that the SRF59 was designed for intimate listening for both AM and FM fans.