PRUNUSJ-160 Retro Transistor Radio Battery Operated AM FM SW Radios, Small Rechargeable Portable Radio with 1800mAh Li-ion Battery, Support TF Card/Aux/USB MP3 Player(Gold)

Full disclosure: I work in broadcasting (former FM DJ and radio news anchor), so to say the least -- I'm a bit of an audio snob.But I'm also a pragmatist. I'm looking at this radio through the eyes of someone who remembers what radios used to cost, and how they used to sound.That said, let's dive in.I paid $23.00 for this little guy -- free shipping -- and it arrived within two days.Initial thoughts:-- It's cute as all hell.-- It's plastic (of course) but it has a solid feel to it.-- It arrived fully charged -- turned right on.-- Others have complained about the lack of smoothness in the volume knob; I had the same problem at first, but once you start using it, the knob smoothed itself out, allowing a nice variable volume control.-- Bluetooth pairing with my MacBook Air was instantaneous.-- The sound is awesome* (*FOR A UNIT THAT COULD ALMOST FIT IN YOUR POCKET, COSTING ONLY $23!!!)Doing a deeper dive:-- The two silver knobs (selector and volume) have a decently solid feel, but use them GENTLY, especially the selector knob; each of the 4 positions are quite close to each other, so a light touch is best.-- The radio dial. It lights up in a gorgeous period-authentic golden glow, and stays on even during bluetooth mode when you're not using the radio. It has a tight, solid, and precise feel to it, even if the dial markings are pretty far off (CBS-FM here in New York City -- 101.1 -- was between 102 and 103). Frankly, this is not a big deal for me; once you figure out the stations on the actual dial position -- very few analog dial radios (especially in this price range) have ever been exact.-- Use the antenna. Despite being non-directional, it helps tremendously with pulling in the stations.-- FM sounded great, but AM was actually the big surprise here. AM talk radio sounds so rich and full, you'd almost swear you were inside the station, listening to a studio monitor.-- This little guy also does a fair job of pulling in shortwave. BUT -- don't get too excited -- and don't buy this just for the shortwave. If you're really serious about shortwave, get an actual shortwave radio. Still -- it does a good job of pulling in overseas signals -- as long as you're patient, deliberate, and delicate with the dial.Review:Here's where my audio snobbishness is tempered by my pragmatism and experience. I remember how much "transistor" radios used to cost back in the day (1977): the equivalent of $70 in today's dollars, AM only, with an (at best) tinny-sounding little speaker.To get this kind of sound -- AM, FM, *and* shortwave (not to mention the unheard-of-in-1977 ability to plug in 2,000 hours of programming with a chip the size of your fingernail, PLUS the ability to connect to basically the entire WORLD via bluetooth) -- one would have had to spend upwards of $700 (of today's dollars) back in 1977.So -- for 20 bucks and change -- this little guy is a gem!!Final analysis:I'm planning on using this radio primarily for music and news in the kitchen (which is why I needed both AM and FM). This radio delivers a bigger punch, wider range, and richer sound than the "table radios" (with much bigger speakers) of the '60s-'80s. It's more than enough to fill my 1920 10x12 ("closed") kitchen with rich sound.*BONUS*!!!It takes a mini-SD card onto which I'm going to download my old-timey radio shows, and have on my bedside, as I drift off to sleep, back into the 1940s.FINALLY, A WORD OF CAUTION ABOUT THE BATTERY:It's a sealed battery that can be charged only via USB.***IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT YOU FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS AND NEVER PLUG THE USB INTO A CHARGER THAT PUMPS MORE THAN FIVE VOLTS OF DIRECT CURRENT INTO A MAXIMUM OF 1000 MILLIAMPS PER HOUR ("DC5V/1000MaH").***Not all USBs are created equal. Some of the new wall adapters and power strips have built-in USB chargers that push out 5 volts of DC power into as much as 2,400 Milliamps per hour. That kind of power will ultimately fry the radio's battery; it's like trying to fill a shot glass with a fire hose. This little guy needs to sip power, not gulp it like your MacBook. Look carefully at the charger's output before you plug it in -- and when in doubt -- DON'T.FINAL THOUGHT:Given its tiny size (but big sound), this little guy is perfect for college dorm rooms ... on your desk at the office ... in the kitchen or (extremely well-ventilated) bathroom (use common sense and don't give it a steam bath or allow it to get wet).It's also a great gift idea for housewarmings, Secret Santa grab-bag-style gift exchanges, etc.Enjoy!!!

This little radio is one of my favorite possessions now. I really can't believe how good the sound quality is. The radio reception is very good too. There's little static, even on the AM band.It's so cute! I loaded an old 4gig micro SD card with a few hours of anime songs rendered in music box style so I can use it as a little lullaby machine while I sleep. It worked on the first try. Easy and adorable!It seems to last a long time on a charge too. I haven't run it dead yet.Soda for scale. :)This would make a great gift. Especially if you put a personalized playlist on your own micro sd/TF card and insert it before gift-wrapping.

Along with the feel of a table radio from the mid-20th century, you also get good AM/FM/shortwave reception plus the bonus of being able to use Bluetooth and SD/USB storage to play audio.FM and shortwave both come in very well, with sensitive and selective reception. The dial comes alive not only with the warm glow of this radio’s dial light but a wide selection of stations. AM reception is not quite as good as FM and shortwave. I think this radio may be calibrated for 9 kHz AM spacing, not 10 kHz as we have in the United States. This isn’t as big a problem as it sounds like it would be; you can still get a good selection of AM stations, but you do notice that some of these are stronger and louder than others. For example, 720 kHz is an active broadcast frequency on both 9 kHz and 10 kHz spacing plans. I notice that this station comes in stronger than, say, 650 kHz, which is only an active frequency with 10 kHz AM spacing. Again, not a huge deal because you still get the other stations, but you just have to turn the radio up a little bit because they’re quieter.The Bluetooth and USB/SD card functionality both work fine. The radio pairs up quickly with my phone and plays audio, and it recognized the USB device I used with no problem.The audio quality has a good balance of bass and treble with a hint of that “warm” sound old radios used to have. There’s also a fair amount of power behind the sound so you can play this radio loudly enough to hear it in a large room or outdoors.Here is the only concern I have with this radio. I do not like that it has a “non-replaceable” battery. This radio is too nice to have it quit working one day when the internal battery stops holding a charge. If the owner is careful not to overcharge the battery and not to leave it completely discharged for a long period of time, the battery would probably last for several years. But still, the rechargeable battery should be in a battery holder behind a regular battery door so the user can replace it if that ever becomes necessary. I did take the back off of the radio and I noticed that it is an 18650 battery inside - a widely available battery - but they have wired it in directly. It could be replaced by someone with some tools and a small amount of experience working on such things, but this should not be necessary to replace a battery.Other than that one thing, there’s nothing here not to like. It’s nice to have a traditionally styled radio that also can play modern forms of media such as audio files from USB and SD storage devices. And the price is certainly more than fair for an audio device that works well and sounds good.

This is for my 4 year old boy to listen to the radio at night. It seems sturdy plastic. The volume knob is a bit janky. I barely touch it and volume goes up loud. I like the radio and the build and the look. If my son keeps blasting it on accident at night I will just use this somewhere else in the house. It’s a good radio.

I work at a nursing facility and a patient had a “small radio” as a request on her Christmas list. Her room is full of red decor and I thought the red version of this would be a super cute addition to her space. She loved it! She carries it everywhere now. I was surprised by its sound quality, especially for its size. The reception seems decent (picks up Providence/Boston stations pretty clearly from my area). A coworker of mine liked it so much she had me order her one as well. She really liked that it’s rechargeable. Definitely recommend for anyone looking for a small, affordable, portable radio.

I love it!! So small so cute. I love the retro look. The sound is like a big sound system. It's fantastic.