Sony SRF59SILVER AM/FM Walkman Stereo Radio

Sony is offering a nearly-free gift. For fifteen dollars, you can purchase a phenomenal AM and FM Walkman radio complete with headphones. Light as a feather, the SRF-59 is so sensitive that Internet groups have popped up just to discuss its use. Sony's radio has become the standard in a new category of 21st century portables known as ultralights. Hobbyists who relish exotic long-distance reception have heralded the SRF-59 as a technological miracle. The unit houses a little printed circuit board with two integrated circuit chips. One is a self-contained complete AM / FM tuner and the second is the audio amplifier to drive the headphones. Due to its concise nature, its single AA battery lasts for over 100 hours. The SRF-59's performance is comparable to other radios costing hundreds of dollars. Sony's ultraweight Walkman has been compared favorably to legendary units such as the GE Superadio, The Sony ICF-2010 and the Sangean CC Radio. If you are looking for the ultimate receiver to hear distant ball games or talk shows, this is it. Seasoned DXers, the skilled sophisticated listeners who often homebrew their own equipment, have devised several modifications for the radio itself along with ideas to augment its circuitry with powerful outdoor antennas. Even as a stock unit, right out of its plastic bubble packaging, SRF-59 owners have heard AM radio stations all the way across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans from places like Japan and Saudi Arabia. The SRF-59 truly has enormous ears. After using Sony's miracle for several years, only a few criticisms can be made. The headphones are only average quality. Tuning the Walkman is a little fussy. The knob provided to adjust what station you are listening to is pretty tiny even for petite thumbs. With ferocious abuse, you can wear out the radio. After about a year of pounding during train commutes, and walking across Manhattan, I had to buy a new one because I wore out the tuning capacitor. The SRF-59 is worth the price of admission. I used to listen to WWKB in Buffalo, New York, on AM radio, while sitting in an electronic noise nightmare (a steel Metro-North commuter train) on my way to New York City. WWKB was 300 miles away! Whenever you need a little casual entertainment, the SRF-59 can't be beat. Leave one in your purse or coat pocket or in your attache case. The SRF-59 is low maintenance. You don't need to download to it. It almost never needs a battery. You can hear amazing things nearly everywhere you go. It weighs so little, you'll have to feel into your pocket just to know it's there. For in-depth information, take a look at two radio hobbyist web sites: [...]. As a dyed-in-the-wool radio listener, I couldn't recommend a purchase more highly! At this incredibly low price, you can't miss!

I stumbled upon the Sony SRF59 by accident at a local retailer, I liked it so much I bought another. Now that I haven't come across a small portable that compares I bought one more from Amazon. Yes, I now have 3 and am prepared if or when they are discontinued. The SRF59 is reaching near cult status among AM DX listeners. We're the folks who like to dial around on AM who try and listen to stations from far distances late at night and during the early morning hours, and the SRF59 delivers. Sensitivity and selectivity on AM is outstanding. Tuning is razor sharp and can sometimes take a surgeons patience but this is part of the fun. Being able to dig out a 70 watt AM station located 400 miles away nestled between two 50KW blowtorch broadcasters is nothing short of astounding. These results have not been uncommon for me. Image rejection is unsurpassed compared to any of the many radios I've owned over the years. Those looking for technical info about the unique IF stage and image rejection of the SRF59 will have to Google the radio for more details, I'd rather not bore anyone reading with techno babble. To the layman this means there is no detectible squeals or whistles on AM when dialing around...NONE. Nulling strong stations on a frequency to hear others is very sharp and narrow when turning the unit, I can routinely eliminate an unwanted signal down to about 1dB no matter how strong it is. FM? Well, I don't listen to very much. But I can tell you when I do, and paired with a good set of ear buds (ditch the supplied headphones) fidelity and dynamics is near DJ quality. Bass is big and tight but not annoyingly boomy. Highs are crisp and clear without being shrill. If you like your music loud the SRF59 fits the bill. But be careful, you can really crank up the volume on this. Reception on FM is very good, but you will encounter times where weaker stations will need the headphone cable repositioned since it doubles as the FM antenna. This is common to most radios designed like this and shouldn't be a black eye on the SRF59. The SRF59 sips on batteries. You won't find yourself replacing the single AA anytime soon, especially if you use alkaline. I use rechargeable NiMH batteries and one lasts 30+ hours of continuous use in the radio. Not having a speaker contributes to this power saving ability and is a clear indication the SRF59 was designed for intimate listening for both AM and FM fans alike.

Like to listen to the radio, but aren't in an environment where you can use a portable unit? Want to have AM/FM on your hip without risking your pricier MP3 player? Want radio that goes everywhere you go and lasts nearly forever on a single AA battery? This portable radio just might be for you. This little radio is stashed in the glovebox of my work truck and I use it on the job site, when walking, or in the back yard when I am moving from place to place that makes having a stationary radio impractical. Based on my experience of this radio.... Pros: * Reliability - This radio has proven to be utterly reliable over time, despite knocks, drops, bumps, and the occasional splash of water. It's nothing fancy, but it does AM/FM just great. * Features - This is a basic product, yes, but it has a couple of thoughtful features that really count. One is an on/off switch that is not tied to the volume control. Other typical transistor radios have the on/off tied to the volume control, where as you lower the volume the wheel will ultimately 'click' and turn off the radio; the great advantage of a dedicated on/off switch is that the volume setting remains exactly where you left it. If you are choosy about this sort of thing, as I am, you will really appreciate this little touch. The other thoughtful touch is the addition of a DX switch. For old-time transistor radio users, this will be familiar: it allows a boost to bring in distant radio stations with a weak signal with improved sound. (less background hiss) My favorite daily-listen news station is some sixty miles away, and this switch really comes in handy. These are minor things in an otherwise no-frills radio, but they combine to increase the radio's performance and usability. * Value - I think the value is good. Having said that, I would have preferred the price to be a couple bucks less if it came without the marginal headphones, which are terrible. (conversely, I would have paid a couple bucks more if it had come with the excellent Sony earbuds that I ended up getting anyway) Decent value for around fourteen bucks, then, but not the steal that is the excellent Sony transistor radio: Sony ICF-S10MK2 Pocket AM/FM Radio, Silver * Battery - Battery life is outstanding, and it gets there with a single AA. Grab a four-pack of quality AA batteries and you've got yourself months of daily use. Or, use Sanyo's outstanding Eneloop rechargeable ni-mh batteries, like I do: Sanyo Eneloop 8 Pack AA NiMH Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries These are the best AA batteries I have found for small electronics, bar none. I also like things that run on AA batteries, in general, because they are inexpensive and utterly ubiquitous. * Reception - This has proven to be good in my experience. The tuning is old-school analog dial and require finesse of the finger to tune in your stations. That's just fine by me, as it's super-reliable and keeps the cost down. The antenna comes in the form of the earbud/earphone cables and works well enough. Unlike a stationary radio, your Walkman 'antenna' will always be shifting and swishing around, giving you variable reception especially with some dimmer stations. All things considered, reception has been generally impressive. Cons: * Old school styling - Well, if you are yourself old school, as I am, you may well see this as a positive thing! Personally, I have no complaint about the styling as it is, after all, just a basic transistor AM/FM radio. (But remember when a Sony Walkman was hip and cutting edge? I do!) This reviewer thinks the styling is clean but basic. It's no Ipod, but then it doesn't aim to be, either. * Headphones - are awful. No, really, they are. Will they do the job? Yes, and they are perfectly adequate to transmit sound. BUT: they are utterly bargain basement and the sound isn't a match for even moderately priced earbud-style phones out there. I ditched these in favor of the very good Sony 'buds, at a very reasonable seven bucks: Sony MDRE828LP/SLV Lightweight Earbuds (Silver) While these are not top of the line, they pair well with this Walkman. I've become accustomed to earbuds and really prefer those to headphones that make my head hot. This is my preference creeping in, and your mileage may vary. * Size - The two cons above are, for me, quibbles. The size, however, could use to be smaller. True, the unit weighs little - under a few ounces with battery - and the size is about the dimension of a pack of cigarettes. (or a deck of cards, for us non-smokers) So, while it's not huge, it is also a lot bigger than some MP3 players that allow for zillions of songs as well as FM reception and come tiny enough to clip on your collar. Would I like it if this came smaller? Yes, I would. But I also have to allow that it is an unfair comparison to MP3 players and admit that when I wear this Walkman on my hip I really forget that it's there. So, smaller would be nicer, but it's not a deal breaker. Other thoughts: I like this player because I don't have to worry about it getting knocked about when I am on the job, in the garden, or anywhere else. It's a small investment and so I don't worry about breaking it or losing it like I would my Ipod. It has also proven to be robust, durable, and easy on the batteries. I would rate it at five stars rather than four if it came with quality earbuds (or came without any and was a few bucks cheaper) and had a slightly smaller profile. As it is, though, this is an excellent solution when you want a small, tough, reliable AM/FM radio to use on the go. Recommended!

I live in a fairly rural area, but am able to get several radio stations (FM is all I've tried as of yet) right in my home. The headphones are comfortable; not too tight, for my large noggin. I got this walkman because it looked super easy to use, and I have to say, I prefer radios with dials, rather than buttons, so the dials for tuning and volume are really great. The power button slides to the on position, and on one side is the tuning, and on the other is the volume. The sound is better than what I expected, though I don't really know what I expected; it's been many years since I've had a radio walkman. (I do have a 20 year old Sony CD walkman that has a terrific sound as well.) It's very light weight, takes one AA battery. I had looked for a rechargable unit, but having read so many great reviews on this one, I took a chance. I will get rechargeable batteries later. I realize that it's a retro thing to have a radio walkman, but I could hardly care. There's something ultimately comforting and gently suspenseful in listening to the radio when you don't know what song is going to be played next! Also I do not have a large amount of wifi to use on my phone when I leave my house, so listening to music on my phone isn't wise for me. Also, I'd rather have radio signals near my head than wifi waves. I'm listening to it right now, and the sound seems almost as good as a Bose radio. If I get chills when I next hear Mussorgsky's Picture of an Exhibition, then it'll be icing on the cake. Meanwhile I'm happy listening to the news on NPR. The sound is full without being too heavy. It isn't tinny at all. I hadn't wanted to spend so much on a walkman, but I'm glad I did. I read consumer reviews off online as well, and this walkman made the top 10. I'm very glad I got it. When I tried to register it online as directed, the model number wasn't accepted. This is why I like old school. HA

Still working after many years. Good radio reception, AM and FM. Perfect with smaller headphones when one cannot become totally sound-isolated from the rest of a home or workplace, for safety or having to be on-call. Can go into a pants pocket, or a small pouch to slip onto a belt. Some good things really do last forever; not allowing the required batteries to sit around leaking away for years also helps. On this point, everyone slips up-- but if that happens, cleaning the white residue with gloves an paper towels moistened with baking soda and a little water resolved that issue with this radio.

Before I bought this radio I owned the earlier Sony version which I absolutely loved ... it had great reception for both AM & FM and was almost indestructible. After years of great service it finally broke and the only replacement I could find was the model shown here .. which sadly turned out to be nothing like the original. I ordered 2 of these radios figuring I save with the free shipping ... what a sad mistake. The AM reception was OK at first .. FM reception was never any good (and I live in a major city). After a few weeks something happened to the AM reception such that it cut in & out ... volume would almost disappear until you gave it a gently whack after which (if you were lucky) it would come back for a bit. After putting up with it for a couple weeks I tossed it and began using the second radio. Again AM reception was OK .. but FM reception was terrible. To get a decent signal you had to orient the radio in a particular direction (not good if you are moving around) .. or even when listening while stationary you had to "arrange" the headset wire in some particular fashion to get any decent reception. I'm somewhat shocked that a manufacturer with Sony's reputation would put out such a lousy product ... makes me wonder if these are not some kind of bogus knock-offs of the Sony product line. Overall I rate these as JUNK and advise avoiding them.

It's clear to me that people love to rave about this radio. For $15 it's hard to complain too much about what it offers. The physical construction seems sturdy enough and Sony even throws in a pair of inexpensive headphones that are fine for AM talk radio type listening. PROS: * Audio seems tailored to talk radio, with a prominent midrange & good vocal clarity; lacking in bass * Small and lightweight; the sort of "pocket" radio you can actually put in your shirt pocket! * AGC (Automatic Gain Control) is fantastic; on fading AM signals, this unit handled them very nicely! * Selectivity is good; tighter than most other cheap radios with less "slop" from nearby channels CONS: * The analog dial was way off on calibration, reading about +80 kHz too high on AM (un-fixable?) * This radio is extremely hard to tune; takes a Swiss watch maker's hand to tune the tiny thumbwheel * It's impossible to overlook the fact that not having digital frequency read-out is a huge minus! * FM signal and audio quality was just OK, nothing special I also have the slightly more expensive Sony SRF-M37W portable AM/FM radio. It's a bit smaller in height and width but larger in depth dimension and is heavier. It is "pocket-able" but the weight is noticeable. It is extremely well built and goes for about $28 -- only $13 more than the SRF59. For that slight extra bit of money you get digital frequency read-out, better bass, a clock and the weather band. It sounds much better on FM even when compared to the SRF59 using the SRF59's headphones. You also get a much better pair of Sony headphones thrown in with the deal. Yeah, the AM selectivity is not quite as good as the cheaper SRF59 and the AGC is close to the performance of the SRF59 but not quite as good. However, I have to say that I much prefer the SRF-M37W with its digital frequency read-out and solid, very study design. The poor calibration on the analog dial of the cheaper SRF59 and the inability to have any idea of the exact frequency you are on are deal-breakers for me. Tuning the SRF59 with the small thumbwheel is also an exercise in frustration. One last thing... for some reason, I found the cheaper SRF59 got less performance boost than the Sony SRF-M37W when using an AM signal boosting loop antenna (Kaito AN100). That surprised me and I'm not sure why that was the situation.

I was looking for a small radio that I could use while walking outside. I read the reviews and ordered this radio, then, because I was influenced by reading reviews of the COBY CX90, switched my order the the COBY. That was a big mistake. I liked that the COBY was slightly smaller and sleeker looking and one reviewer mentioned great reception on the NPR station I usually listen to. (The reviewer was also in the same geographic area). The COBY has awful reception (I live in NYC Metro area) total static, and every bump and nudge of the earphones is amplified. This is with NEW earphones I purchased separately. With the earphones that the COBY came with, one side had no sound. I sent this radio back and ordered the SONY. The SONY has terrific reception. I have only tested it in my house but it sounded great with the earphones it came with and the earbuds I purchased. By the way, I have very poor radio reception in my home but the signal was very strong from this radio while indoors. I can only imagine that it will sound great while walking outside. The manual dial tuning is much easier than the COBY presets. And I don't think the dial will move once you find your station. The dial seems very stable/firm, not easily jostled and moved. The sound was superior the COBY's. Great little radio.

On receiving the radio, was disappointed to find that the foam covering the supplied headphones just fell apart after just wearing them for a matter of hours. I would have thought, considering that the radio was quite expensive the headphones would be of the same standard.

Habe den Radio täglich 2 Stunden beim Walken im Gebrauch, mußte bisher noch nicht die Batterie wechseln. Der Empfang ist sehr gut! Einzig die Kopfhörer habe ich gewechselt weil ich lieber INEAR Hörer benutze! Werein einfaches Radio zum Walken oder Joggen möchte ist mit diesem wirklich gut bedient!

I love this little radio - small, compact, takes only one AA battery and is long-lasting - reception is clear and works pretty much everywhere except tunnels (I listen to AM radio) - it's size is a little bit bigger than a flip cell phone. Fits in breast pocket, the clip is very secure and can clip to belt, bag, anywhere. Headphones are the kind I like and came in handy didn't need to buy separately. Of course, always great shipping with Amazon.

This is my third little Sony radio, I LOVE it. company whilst out walking or working in the garden. It is light weight, fits in my pocket or handbag, the headphones on this one are great, with good clear sound. My previous radio's had little ear phones, which I think I prefer ,as they wrap around the radio when not in use, and were equally great sound to the headphones. I found the reception to be great, finding that there were only couple of woodland tracks and Scarborough seafront that I couldn't get any reception. Battery life is long, and I only use approx. 4 batteries per year. (I do buy best quality batteries). Delighted with my purchase and use it all of the time.

I have had 2 of these radios over the last 15 years. Excellent antenna and the battery lasts 100 to 120 hours per 1AA battery. I use it to fall asleep and turn it off in the morning. I change the battery every 2-3 weeks-awesome! Very durable radio until it falls on the floor a couple dozen times overnight. I take it on trips because of its' small size also. Excellent value for $$$