Sangean DT-200X FM-Stereo/AM Digital Tuning Pocket Radio Black

I just added this radio to a list of other Sangean radio products I have purchased, the WFR-32 table top internet radio, the HDT-20 HD radio receiver and the HDR-18 HD table top radio. All are excellent. The hand held / portable AM/FM radio I had been using is a small rechargeable one about half the size and price of this unit. But, it also has about half the capabilities of this portable radio. You get what you pay for by spending a moderate amount of extra money for this. This does require batteries but not an issue to me - I suppose I could just buy rechargeable batteries and make it one if I wanted. The reception, sound quality, ability to lock into channels and its general functionality is excellent and much better than what I had. The bass boost and My Favorite channels button are great bonuses and it general operation is very logical and intuitive. It’s still small enough if I wanted to use the belt clip and walk around with it and the much better reception makes that portability option a much better experience. With the other you have to constantly move into a position to get the best reception. There is much less of that. The product is another Sangean hit for this customer. I had not planned to use the wired headphones that came with it but these sound very good although I am sure I could maximize the sound with a better pair. This radio is a keeper. Do not use lithium ion batteries as they create electrical interference that blocks AM reception. If you want rechargeables use NiHMs which don’t create the electrical interference and reception problems.

I hesitated somewhat in buying this radio because of its size, so I made a 3 dimensional template and happily, it ended up smaller. It is exactly 4¼ inches tall x 2 3/8 x 7/8 inches without the removable belt clip. It is only slightly larger than the DT300 model, (which has served me well - for two pocket radios, but no longer available). The rounded bottom of the DT200 does not allow it to stand, so why not lay it down at a desk? Those rounded bottom and corners are likely designed to slip easily into your pocket and not catch or create wear on the pocket fabric. I like that. The many reviews here were very helpful in deciding between various models, but I am definitely a big fan of Sangean. This will be my fourth purchase, with three of them now being pocket radios and the fourth a clock radio that I really like with the buttons for station changes instead of a dial. I am replacing the Sangean DT300 with this one because that radio no longer has a working `down' button feature. So I wonder when I will lose the `up' button and be forever stuck on the same station. The identical model radio previous to that one lost its on/off function. Now back to this DT200. Overall I am pleased with its features. The port for the L plug trailing antenna/ear buds (straight plug) is on the top of the unit - I liked the side feature slightly better so that it did not interfere as much with the volume wheel. The on/off button is at the top. The lock button is on the side - I liked the top position better so as to activate the locking feature w/o taking out of pocket. But I can live with the differences. The topside port does give a point of reference for other features on the top. If the MEMORY feature is turned off, you select the band and move through the frequencies one by one or hold down the button for the radio to select the strongest. If the MEMORY feature is turned ON, you scroll through whatever channels you have set one both bands. I am pleased that this radio has only the two bands and not also the weather band (which I don't use, living in sunny southwest, it is pretty much the same) or the no longer accessible analog TV band. The TV band still exists on some other models for sale here but, since the change to digital TV a couple years ago, it will no longer work no matter what you read or expect! With my DT300, I had to scroll through 3 other bands to get to my band of choice. The mix of AM/FM on the DT200 favorites function is a most welcomed feature. It is no longer necessary to switch bands for favorite station presets. I was thinking that for those who bemoan the fact that they have only a few favorites and unable to delete slots; why not enter your favorites twice or to where you use up all the slots? Now, after I have set some of my favorite stations, I see that it does not scroll through any empty slots, i.e., I have selected only 7 favorites and it does not scroll though 8-19. I find that selecting and adding favorites is much more intuitive than the 300 model. It is much easier to understand these directions which may have been written by a more user friendly user than in the past! The overall reception after a few days use is definitely better out of doors and seems to be quite good. The display is a generous 1 3/8 by 5/8 inches and there is a brief back light - this may come in handy during an infrequent power outage or certainly when I'll use this radio at night. The battery life indicator is active when the radio is in use. If the lock button is ON, it will blink if you try to change the setting or turn it off. It does not lock the volume, as someone else indicated. It locks only the ON/OFF feature and the current station setting. Because of my main use out of doors, I keep the radio in a clear sandwich bag. Thus, our fine desert dust and occasional rain can affect my nice little radio a whole lot less. I am a big fan of rechargeable batteries, so always carry along a spare pair at the ready. How do I use my radio? Mainly out of doors, horseback rides, overnights, yard work and gardening, nature walks and finally as a companion for that dreaded job of cleaning the pool tile! The occasional power outage makes this a handy little radio to have while trying to get back to sleep. For the most part I do not use the supplied ear buds, but the trailing antenna instead, which by the way must be let out if you want FM reception. I am one of those folks who still likes to hear what else is going on around me in the realm of nature. For night time use, I use ear buds, but the ones I prefer are made by Phillips with a soft over the ear wing. This radio was an excellent choice and is highly recommended.

This is a fine radio, but certainly not at all worth the extra money compared to the Sony SRF-37v in my opinion, unless you require a very small speaker and not simply earphone listening capabilities. PROS: 1) It has generally quite good reception on all bands, but no NOAA weatherband reception is available. This latter deficiency is now being corrected by the new Sangean DT-400W (available in June 2008) with both weatherband reception as well as official NOAA weather alert detection capability for slightly more money than the DT-200VX. Both Sangean units have a monaural/stereo switch (bandwidth control) for FM listening improvement, but there is no RF (radio frequency) DX gain switch on the 200-VX as there is on the Sony SRF-37V, but see Con below. 2) It has a very big easy to read display with a battery level indicator, a lock display indicator, a 90 minute shutoff capability and on-screen indicator for late night listening, etc. It also has a backlit display, but see Con below. 3) There is a very nice arrangement (called My Favorites) for as many as 19 presets for any band in any order with simple retrieval of all presets, but only in order from the first one to the 19th one in a logical progression (it won't go backwards to find the previous preset for example). 4) Its deep bass boost is a very nice feature. 5) Automatic scanning capability and seeking capability, but see Con below. CONS: 1) Backlight cannot be turned off even in daytime and even in bright sunshine conditions. It is apparently an LED with very low power drain, but it seems very illogical to me that it can't be overridden when it isn't needed at all. Apparently, it is actually only on while tuning the radio (I don't own this unit any longer, so I can't readily check this explicitly) and then it shuts itself off after a time, but to not be able to disable it entirely when not needed seems absolutely counterintuitive to me. 2) It is certainly well built with a fully attached battery compartment door (requiring two AA batteries), but it is not as rugged as the Sony SRF-37V (only requiring 1 AAA battery). Several reviews have discussed its demise after it was inadvertently dropped. 3) During automatic scanning/seeking, the audio is muted so you can't hear any stations as they are detected. Only the strongest stations are picked up during the scanning/seeking process. Of course during manual scanning the individual stations are easily heard so that you can pick the station you want to listen to. 4) When changing from the DT-200V to the DT-200VX, Sangean chose to put the speaker controls on the same slide switch along with the Stereo/Mono (bandwidth) changing capability. In my opinion the arrangement was better on the DT-200V with a simple and direct push button Stereo/Mono switch on the front of the radio and not on the side with one other commonly used function. 5) The supplied earbuds are very uncomfortable and could also be quite dangerous given the volume output that this unit is capable of with 2 AA batteries.

Ieir units will continue to be available for me. (2) to address some comm am posting this on both the DT-200V and 210V sites, as it relates to both. I am writing for several reasons. (1) Sangean makes the best "walkman" ever made by any company ever, and I want to help make sure thents made by other reviewers. (3) to comment on 200 vs. 210 features. (4) Please note that I commute primarily by bicycle, sometimes motorcycle, so my needs are not those of most. And even though I protect itas much as possible, in a pouch on a fanny-pack belt (except when I'm at work or in the steam room), it nevertheless is probably exposed to environmental extremes more than most (like steam heat and salt air). (1) I first bought the 200V years ago (8 or 10, I think), when it was the first to have AM/FM/TV audio, and I found it to be one of those rare examples where so much attention is paid to detail, but in design and manufacturing, that the product actually does MORE than you expected (more below) (2) Others have discussed AM reception, but my bigger concern is FM reception. I found that I can be in my gym n Santa Monica, surrounded by all the electronics, dial in a weak FM NPR station in Pasadena, and bring it in loud and clear in stereo, no problem; with the other Brands, either I'd have to switch to Mono, or the station wouldn't come in at all; ditto for other areas where good reception is difficult. I've been spoiled. (3) One reviewer said Sangean was the only one who made this type. Actually, in the first couple of years I tried other brands,including Sony, Aiwa, Radio Shack (et al.), and not one came even close to Sangean in quality (reception, sound qualilty, ease of use), notwithstanding their names (4) Another reviewer complained that his "died" after "only" 2 1/2 years. Mine also had to be replaced every 2 1/2 to 3 years. Given the abuse I put it through, I think that's great. Moreover, Sangean has this incredible "out of warranty" replacement program. Basically, every few years,I have replaced the one I bought retail with a brand new one, for a fraction of the price. (5) I discovered, through playing around with it, pluses that Sangean never even mentioned. One example (there are several): All other units, when setting the pre-sets, no matter how many you have already set, when you do the next one, the counter starts at 1, so you have to hit the button twice, then three times, then four, and so on, and repeat to the last preset, and then again for each band. Sangean is smart enough to know you already set #5 (for example) and doesn't make you start over. One more example(and them I'll let you discover for yourself). Re the 4 front buttons on the 200V that I use most, each is contoured, with a raised edge on a different side, making it extraordinarily easy to feel which button I'm touching, with no need to take the unit out and look at it. Try that with any other brand. (6) Finally, as to the 200V vs. the 210v, I finally lost my 200V while bike riding (my pouch wasn't securely closed), went to the website, found out about the 210V, which seemed like an upgrade and ordered it, only to exchange it. Overall it is improved, but not for me. While the 210V has 30 presets, vs. 19 for the 200V, the 30 are divided up, 10 per band, and to change bands you have to hit a separate button. On the 200, I have the 19 set up with the first 7 on TV, then most on FM, then a few on AM, so if I need to change from 107.5 FM to TV Channel 4 because it's time for Law and Order, I can easily do so, without lookingwhile riding,, just by reaching down, Unlocking, &hitting Memory a few times, cycling from one station to the one I want, regardless of band all in literally 1-2 seconds. The only negative for me is the 1-hr. automatic shutoff on the 200V; on the 210, you can disable it. I like that, but nothing's perfect. I do not own stock in Sangean, but I cannot stop singing their praises. I personally prefer the 200 over the 210, but either one is superior to any supposedly-comparable "walkman" made by anyone else. Buy one (or two), and then tell your friends.

Please Notice that this review is for the DT-200X, which replaces the DT-200VX, as it doesn't have a TV tuner anymore. I just got this from FedEx about an hour ago, so I'd like to just clarify some things that were unclear or incorrectly stated from other people. Firstly, the LCD does lit up orange like the Amazon picture shows. I couldn't find written confirmation of this anywhere, so I wasn't sure. It lights up when you turn it on or push a button, and stays lit for about 10 secs. Secondly- the presets. It must have been stated about 100 times here that when you are tuning from preset to preset you can only go in 1 direction. FLAT OUT WRONG. The "My Favorites" button acts like a toggle. Push it once to go into your presets, push TUNE UP button and you go to your next preset, push TUNE DOWN and you go to your previous preset. Push "My Favorites" again and you go back into manual tuning, which includes use of the scan feature. (Hold TUNE button for 1/2 sec and it scans to the next clear station) Third- setting presets. Couldn't be easier. Tune to the station you want, push the MEMORY button, use the UP/ DOWN TUNE buttons to select the preset slot you want to use (1-19) and push MEMORY again. Other Upsides: Overall the build quality is very good. Like most people the only reason I spent $50 on a portable radio is because I expect this to last many years. FM reception is very good. I live in an area that gets terrible reception, but the unit brought in the best stations clearly and the weaker stations moderately. The speaker is weak in strength, but high in volume. I had it at about 3/4 up for maximum volume/ clarity. There's a toggle on the side for headphones/ speaker, so you can have your headphones plugged in for use of the antenna, but still listen to the speaker. Downsides: I couldn't find a way to delete presets. You can always change a preset slot to a different station, but you can't outright delete a slot so you can skip it as your flipping through your "My Favorites". It seems that only removing the battery's to reset the unit will do this. The volume control dial is located at the top, I think it would be better on the side, so you could use your thumb for it as you hold it in one hand. Conclusions: Very good product, no regrets buying it.

This device is: easy-to-manage, easy-to-tune, incredibly tuning-sensitive, delivers 5-star sound with earbuds, is aesthetically pleasing, very light (about 5 ounces w/ batteries) and is especially well-designed for pocket & on-the-go usage. As example, the volume wheel is recessed, so it won't easily be accidently turned. (And there is a 'lock' switch so that you can prevent any changes once you have things set where you want them.) Plus they kept the features & functions & buttons and such to a very bare minimum. So you can figure out the whole device in under five minutes, likely without even consulting the manual. I first purchased (the legendary) Sony ICF-P26 AM/FM Pocket Radio … I liked the styling and I liked the $20 price. And that Sony was touted by many as the best AM/FM (only) pocket radio (at that price). But the tuning-sensitivity and sound THIS Sangean radio delivers has got to be 10-20 times better than the Sony. I live in a city of 2 million people, large enough to have loads of local stations … and the Sony just could NOT do the entire job. The Sony is now relegated to the storage box in the trunk of my car … in case I get caught without a portable radio on a picnic or whatever. (And note that both the analog-tuning Sony ICF-P26 and its digital-tuning successor ICF-P27 have exited the US market entirely, the latter just months after its introduction.) I only see three (sort-of) downsides in this Sangean product: ONE: The bottom is not entirely flat, meaning you cannot 'stand it up' on its own. I admit that, aesthetically, the slightly rounded bottom looks nice … and it probably snugs-up into a pocket much better the way it is. But not being able to stand it up vertically is a bit of a loss (for my planned use, at least). Maybe when they refresh it, they could tack-on four little tiny 'nub legs' for the rest of us. TWO: There's no fixed external FM antenna. So you may have to plug in the external dangly antenna wire to get enough FM sensitivity to suit you. If you plug in earbuds then THEY will serve as an external antenna. So if your planned use is, as example, during your morning run with the earbuds, then it won't even be an issue for you. And, again, they designed this unit for pocket & on-the-go use and, in that case, a fixed external FM antenna would, more often, be more of a burden than an asset. And the dangly un-fragile external wire will suit you better. Actually I am really OK with the lack of fixed antenna, but I mention it since you might not be. THREE: The default mode is for the radio to power itself down after 90 minutes. I do know how to turn it off all by my big-boy self. And the worst that could happen if I forget to do so is that I have to replace a couple of AA batteries. You can defeat the function by LONG-pressing the Power button when you power-up. But you have to do so every time you power-up the device. I believe I saw a couple of reviewers say they could not locate a PDF User's Manual for this item. I did. Just Google up the URL for the model number listing at the Sangean website, follow it, then click on the "Support" tab. There you will find an English version of the Manual … as well as an English version of the Product Specification Sheet … available for download. But, really, you won't even need it. Happy motoring !!

I may have expected too much out of this radio because of the glowing reviews of this radio but I have some negative observations. First off I have to say I bought this radio because I wanted something that could pick up long distance AM reception. I listen to a lot of Chicago radio stations which are about 90 miles from my home. Mind you that most of these stations are high powered and 90 miles isn't that great of a distance. Ok here are my thoughts on this radio. It feels cheap to me, the way it looks and handles. A minor drawback is the bottom of the radio is rounded which makes it difficult to stand the unit upright on a desk or whatever while you listen to it. That I can live with but a more major deficiency is the batteries in my unit don't seem to secure meaning a few times the batteries have dislodged themselves from the power connections in the radio. I examined the springs in my unit and they don't seem compressed enough to hold the batteries in place and they don't exactly line up like they should do. I like to listen to the radio when I do tasks such as mowing the lawn. I keep this radio in my pocket and a few times the batteries have moved enough in the radio where I lose power. Maybe I just got a bad unit. I don't know. Another problem is the radio keeps cutting in and out when I'm walking and slightly jiggling the radio. This would be AM stations in Chicago but I also get the same effect but a lot less pronounced on local stations just a few miles away. Another observation is that FM reception is almost nonexistent unless the trailing antenna is plugged into the ear piece connection but then you can't use ear plugs to listen to the radio. I also didn't think even the local AM stations came in great. I may revise this review when I buy another small portable radio and I'm open to suggestions on which ones to try for mainly AM reception. I really wanted to like this radio but I just don't think it was well thought out and made. Maybe when I can compare it with similar type of radios I will revise my opinion. Anyways I tried to be honest as possible on this review. I usually post more positive reviews of products I buy but just couldn't do that on this radio. Ok this is three months later an d I have downgraded my review to one star. As I said it feels cheaply made and the batteries do not stay in play. Half the time I feel like Im walking around with a pocket of rocks with the batteries tumbling around in the unit. Maybe I got a bad unit but this radio is useless for being mobile such as walking.

What is with these guys that they have not figured how to do a direct tune radio. Who wants to scan thru 10 stations to get to the one you want. Even my 1950 Mercury offered this, as well as Radio Shack on several models some 10 years ago in their pocket radios. Even Radio Shack dropped this feature, which for the life of me I do not understand. Sony makes a neat little push button model, but it requires that you walk around with some dumb earphones plugged into your ears all day(no speaker). C'mon guys, we already have 37 different models of MP3 players, can't we get one decent pocket radio with push button tuning. If cost is the issue, drop the dumb tv tuner that never works well anyhow. Here it is two years later and still no push button, direct tune radio. Of course we have seen another couple hundred new cell phones and another 50 MP3 players, but no one has yet the sense to build the same radio that Radio Shack offered some 10 or more years ago. Now I find that even my new car(Mercedes, the idiots!) now forces me to scan thru a bunch of stations because of their insipid I-Drive like system. No more direct tuning here either, I guess they think it is a good idea to take your eyes off the road to change stations on your radio. What next, will see the same thing from Directv on our television sets? May 2013. After owning this radio for a while, I have found it to be the best of what I have found currently available. Tuning is better than other Sangaens, sound quality is a bit nasal even with setting toward more bass, reception is somewhat marginal on 910 and 560 Am in SF bay area. Was going to order up a 2nd one for backup and today stumbled over another radio on Amazon that look more interesting. Made by C-Crain. Is a pocket radio with "real" direct tuning buttons. Push a button and you are at another station,,,,like your car radio. What a brilliant concept,,,,of course Radio Shack(Optimus Brand) had the same feature 15 years ago on a couple of their models, which unfortunately have been out of production for many years. As far as I can determine and I have been looking for many years, this C-Crane is the only model from any manufacturer that offers this convenient feature. Just ordered one up today. Hopefully will all I expect it to be. Is a bit expensive at 60 bucks, but worth it to me if I get my push button tuning and decent performance. Incidentally I had to call Crane directly to assure myself that push button tuning was a real feature of this radio. The Amazon write up is a bit vague on this, and the photos helped not at all,,,shows 5 buttons but not labeled as 1 thru 5. I just upgraded this Sangean on my edited review to 3 stars as performance is somewhat ok,,,better than other radios that I have tried over the years,,,,including a couple of other Sangean models that were truly marginal.

No issues at all, very impressed at the ease of use, quality of the build and powerful reception.

Excelente sonido y buena recepción

This is a good basic AM FM personal radio, with most of the features that you would want. I listen to both bands. Reception is better than average for most stations on AM or FM. However, I find that when I'm listening to FM, the stereo fades in and out depending on my location, and in those cases I switch to mono. This is occasionally true, even for some local stations. I especially like the digital tuning capability, and station memory. No need to fiddle around trying to see if you have tuned the station in correctly as is the case with analog tuners. The tuning display is backlit which is very convenient. The sound quality of the built-in speaker is adequate and what you might expect from a speaker of its size. It will not fill a room with sound, but it certainly provides acceptable listening volume. If you pop open the battery door you can use it as a stand for the radio while listening through the built-in speaker. The sound through the headphones is of course dependant on their quality, but I find listening through the headphones supplied by the manufacturer to be good. Other devices may, of course, provide higher quality sound, but in this case the sound is adequate and volume is good. One improvement could be some mechanism or depression built into the housing to facilitate storing earbud headphones when attached. This could be as simple as a clip or strap loop, or perhaps a slot of some sort. The supplied belt clip is functional and I use it often. It is easily removable for those people who do not wish to use it, which is convenient. The unit takes two AA batteries and battery life is very good. I have owned this model for years and have replaced it with the same model once it has worn out. It is relatively durable and I have dropped it in the past without fatal damage, but you should take care to avoid drops due to the plastic housing. It is not waterproof and it should be kept dry. The manufacturer is very experienced in producing radios and this one is a good value for the money.

I chose this for my gost hunting,,,re to make it a voice box, But have found that it is not made for that,, re the modifications that are required to make it such do NOT WORK. there for it is a prefect radio,,,,and not for paranormal work as is recomeneded out there in the internet world.

This is good product from sangean I have ordered it on 24 February, 2015 and exelent delivery on 04 march from USA to Delhi. Very Good delivery and packing was also amazing. But it is not compatiable synchonize with Indian frequency. Espacially AM frquiency is not for India because indian frequency is avaible on 09 Khz step up or down but this unit is design to search AM frequiecny 10Khz step up or down. For example India station vividh bharati medium wave is 1368 Khz i Delhi or nearbly areas. But this unit will not stop on 1368 it will stop on 1370 Khz. But FM frequency is OK. So I want to return it if possible and trying to take regund as this is not suitable for me living in India becuse I bought it for digital reception for AM. Updated : I e-mail to SAngean Technical head, USA. They send me e-mail to set Indian frequency. I follow the steps. Now it is OK and my set is working fine with 09 Khz frequency. Thanks to Sangean to giving solution.