Sony Audio Sony ICF38 Portable AM/FM Radio (Black)

Product Description

AM/FM Tuner --- gives you access to AM/FM radio.High Power/Good Sound Output --- makes this an excellent portable for all-around use, at home and away. Ideal radio to have around the house during severe weather or power outages. LED Tuning Indicator --- helps provide precise station tuning even in dim light. Tone Control Switch --- lets you adjust high/low balance for most pleasing sound. Built-In Carrying Handle --- for easy portability. 3 5/8" Speaker --- reproduces a wide range of sound from high to low frequencies. Earphone Jack --- for personal listening. Operates on Batteries or AC --- with 4 "AA" batteries, or on AC with built-in power cord.

Customer Reviews

Updated Version of ICF-36 Radio
The ICF-38 radio is identical to the ICF-36, minus the weather and TV bands. Sony obviously created this newer model because, as of February 2009, the TV band will no longer be available on analog radio. It's a shame they couldn't have carried over the NOAA weather band, though, which is very useful for weather reports, storm warnings, and other emergencies. But then again, it didn't work so well on the older model.

The ICF-38 is a decent AM/FM portable radio and is very easy to operate. The controls include an on/off switch, an AM/FM switch, separate tuning and volume wheels, and a high/low tone switch. That's it! There's also a fold-up handle and a 24" whip antenna that swivels in all directions. The tone of the radio is good, though somewhat thin, in spite of the tone switch. The reception of both AM and FM is excellent - considerably better than most portable radios in this price range. Tuning the radio is helped by a tiny red tuning eye that lights up when a station frequency has been located. The ICF-38 can be powered either by a wall outlet or 4 AA batteries. Battery consumption seems to be minimal.

One criticism. In modifying this radio, Sony should have seen to the one consistent complaint that users made about the ICF-36: the headphone output is mono, which means it plays out of only one side of a set of head phones. The same is still true for this newer model.

The Sony ICF-38 is a very good, sturdy, and practical radio. It's fairly small and light weight, and the speaker has at least a decent tone quality. It would make an excellent radio to carry around the house or yard or to the park. Its extreme (almost severe) simplicity of design and function makes it a refreshing change from the far more sophisticated digital radios that are now the norm. I would think it would be a suitable radio for an elderly person. The lack of a lighted display window and digital clock - which some people would find disappointing - means that the batteries will last all the longer. Yes, such simplicity is good, and leaves you to spend all your time enjoying the pleasures of music, news, and talk radio, rather than thumbing through a multi-cultural manual, trying to figure out how on earth to program an overly-complicated machine. For its price and overall capability, the ICF-38 is an excellent item. I highly recommend this radio.

A Fine Little Radio
This radio brings in distant stations, sounds good, and takes up little space. The controls are easy for me to use. These were the qualities I was looking for so I am pleased I made the choice to buy Sony ICF38.