Sony ICF-S10MK2 AM/FM/RDS Radio

This Sony ICF-S10MK2 Pocket AM/FM Radio looks very retro. I was surprised to discover it. It has a time warp appeal to it. I was in a Sears looking for a small travel radio, nothing too expensive, just something to listen to quietly in the background while reading. At $10 I wasn't worried about having buyer's remorse.
 
The basics 
 
The station tuner is a bar that moves across the frequencies. It is controlled by a dial on the right. It is fairly easy to provide accurate tuning thanks to a red LED light in front that will reach maximum glow when you have the strongest signal. On the right is an AM/FM switch. On the left there is a combined on/off and volume dial.  That's it for operational controls. There is a headphone jack. The specs say it's capable of 40 hours of battery life. I've never measured it, but I'm pretty confident that I have received more than 40 hours on one double set of AAs. It comes out-of-the-box with a small strap.
 
Reception
 
Reception is very good. It holds its signal well and there are no obvious signs of signal drift. At night it does a very good job pulling in distant AM signals. It's actually fun to play with.
 
Design
 
The design is one of the best parts of this radio. It has a distinctive 1960s/1970s design to it. It's a classic. It feels very solid. The antenna, when folded, slides in neatly on the left side and is almost invisible from the front. What's nice about the antenna is that you can adjust its direction. Unfortunately, it doesn't rotate off a ball for a 360 degree range, but allows you to move it up and down in a 180 degree range. That's a plus, nonetheless, I have seen some radios in this category that only allow you to move the antenna straight up and down, but having the ability to angle an antenna can improve reception. The base is reasonably stable for a radio this size.
 
Sound quality
 
This is a mono radio, even when headphones are used. The sound is clear and precise, not deep and rich. I'm really ok with that. If you are listening to a news radio station, NPR, a ball game -- I think you'll be happy with it. I listen to classical music when I read at low volume and that works for me.
 
Should you spend more on something else?
 
After buying this radio, I did some research in this product category: low cost, pocket transistor AM/FM radios with speakers. One radio I kept running across was the Grundig Mini 300. (There are variations of product model online: Grundig M300BL Mini300PE). This isn't a review of this radio just an FYI, points of consideration when comparing models.  If you do any research at all on the Sony, the Grundig will likely cross your radar. I was so curious that I bought this Grundig model at Radio Shack.
 
The Grundig is only $29.99, or about 200% more in price than the Sony, but includes shortwave bands, digital tuner, and stereo when using headphones/external speaker. The Sony is better. The Grundig may be digital but there are no station presets (which was really cheap of Grundig). You change stations using a dial similar to the Sony. But unlike the Sony, there's no LED that lets you know when you are tuned to the optimum signal. Why didn't Grundig include a signal strength meter? That was cheap of it. If I had thought about this issue before buying it, I don't think I would have.
   
I didn't buy this radio to use with headphones (have mp3 player for that), so the stereo capability is a non-issue. The speaker sound quality isn't better than the Sony. I've had experience with shortwave, and it's great fun if you're into it, but if you are buying this radio because you really want to listen to shortwave, then don't. Spend a little more a get a unit with digital keyboard for entering stations, signal meter, and flexible antenna. And regarding design: The antenna on this Grundig only goes straight up. Not good. Being able to change the antenna position does help with reception, so I don't know what Grundig was thinking here. But there's a practical side-- if you want to put this radio on a night table, for instance, next to lamp and other stuff you loose a little ability to position it in the best area. It also falls over more easily.
 
 
Bottom line
 
The bottom line is this Sony radio only cost $10; it sounds good,  it has a long battery life, and is exceptionally well designed. It is an electronic version of comfort food. If you are of a certain age, it will remind you of a past time. For me, that was listening to a game with my father. This radio is a timeless classic -- it really is. Appreciate it for what it is.  It's the kind of product you'll likely see displayed at the Museum of Modern Art at some point. I'm not kidding.