Sangean WR-3 AM/FM Digital Table Top Radio Review

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(More customer reviews)After much deliberation, and as much research as the Internet would afford me, I decided to buy this radio and try it firsthand. As always, I felt safer buying from Amazon because of their fair return policy and outstanding reputation. I knew I was going into this somewhat blindly because there are precious few reviews of this piece anywhere online, and even fewer by real folks like me.
Anyway, I got the product yesterday and test drove it in depth last night. Its first impression is an excellent one. The substantial heft and gorgeous "piano" finish would probably sell a ton of these radios if they were more readily available in stores. Set up was expectedly simple, and the user's manual wasn't needed until later on. Personally, I liked the metal, telescoping antenna mounted on the rear of the unit (where, by the way, you'll find a clean array of additional I/O plugs and the "3-D" sound selector. From every angle, this is a beautiful radio.
The first thing I did after plugging it in, was check a few local FM stations. They all came in very well, which was no surprise given Sangean's radio heritage. Be certain of one thing about this unit: it is a radio first, and then a CD player, audio file player, etc. The RDS feature was a novelty, but not as intuitive or lavish as I was hoping for. I'm not entirely familiar with what RDS normally provides on most equipment, though, and I don't fault this unit for anything in that respect.
It wasn't until I put in the first CD (a standard "red book" audio CD) that I experienced that all-too-familiar consumer electronics letdown. It didn't play. The unit acknowledged that it read the CD and recognized how many tracks were on it, etc. But I could not get it to play any of it. The CD was not suspect; in fact, I deliberately started with a CD that was playable on every piece of CD equipment I've owned. Subsequent discs, however, did work, and apparently with no further problems.
It was while I was waiting for the first CD to play that I removed a promotional sticker the factory had stuck on the front of the unit (advertising what types of media it can play). Where every other manufacturer I've seen has used a static-cling or no-residue adhesive to make sure the sticker comes off cleanly, such was not the case on this radio. The sticker came off with much effort and left behind quite a bit of very stubborn adhesive. This might've been negligible had this radio not been so beautifully finished, and the sticker not been put in so prominent a spot on the front. While this had no bearing on the player's performance, this was pretty disappointing to me.
In playing with the sound options--the part of this unit I had the most interest in and curiosity about--I ultimately realized that even the fine design and speaker capabilities of this radio/CD player are limited by the direction of the speakers and bass firing. In a very specific listening zone, this sounds pretty good. And by specific I mean, I found that directly facing the speakers from a distance of about 6 feet, with some peripheral area to either side, was ideal. Step much further outside this cone of sound, and the overall listening experience is compromised significantly (though the 3-D sound effect lessens the degradation a bit). This is more a limitation imposed by the direction of the speakers, and not by the design or components. But it's reason enough in my opinion to consider a radio/CD player with detachable speakers, unless you're using this on a nightstand or a very small room.
The USB and SD card input options are really fun novelties, and I wish more manufacturers would get hip to this simple technology. But in the end, when you have a unit that already plays MP3 CDs, these additional formats aren't as needed.
In the end, after only a day, I'm sending it back for a refund because of the fickle CD player issue. I'd rather not take my chances on this one. In a nutshell:
Pros:
-product feel and look
-simple set-up and easily moved
-excellent radio capability
-clean inputs and outputs on the back
-telescoping FM antenna
-full function remote
-SD card and USB drive options
Cons:
-Small "ideal listening zone"
-Unnecessarily bright display
Too bad these aren't in your local store where you can play around with them in advance. Hope this helps.

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The Sangean WR3 is the table-top stereo radio that many have been waiting for.Its features start with the ability to play MP3 and Windows Media Audio (WMA) formats from a slot load CD, but takes it further by offering SD/MMC and USB flash connections that provide flexibility that no other table-top offers.For those who enjoy radio, it provides the AM/FM reception and sensitivity that Sangean is famous for, 20 memory presets, and RDS text service that displays artist, song title, and other text information provided by your favorite FM stations.It has a large blue backlight LCD with white text that provides a full menu of options and settings.In addition to all this, stunning high-fidelity sound is produced by two 3-inch polypropylene speakers and dual front facing bass ports--all powered by a 3-watt by 3-watt amplifier.Featuring the Sangean AcoustaCase and 3-D audio projection technology, the speakers produce an unmatched level of surround performance and bass response in a table-radio.This unit also features an auxiliary input that allows a connection to your iPod, DVD player, or other audio source.

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