Crosley Solo Radio CR3003A Black

At first I wondered why I was spending over $70 on a radio (and not even one with a dock). But I've started listening to public radio a lot and it's nice to have something that I can just turn on when I get home without having to fumble with audio input cables and an iPod/laptop. I decided on this model because it got better reviews than other Crosley radios, and I have a friend who has this exact model and highly recommends it. I like the "new-stalgic" look, although I was at first frustrated that, since you have to tune into stations, I might not be tuned into the exact best frequency. But there's a small light that gets stronger as you hone in on the station and I've managed to have great reception even with the antennae down. I'm not sure how the sound fills out big rooms, but it's more than adequate for my tiny living room: the quality is great and the volume is loud even when the dial is only turned a fraction of the way. I haven't tried hooking it up to my iPod or laptop yet, but the friend who recommended it says they use it as a speaker all the time (and their house is a lot bigger than mine is). My new favorite Friday night activity is to invite friends over, mix some drinks, and sit around talking and listening to the radio like it's the 1930s :)

I purchased this radio primarily to use as a speaker system for my iPod Touch, and the fact that it is also a radio is an extra bonus. I've searched for something with a retro-look for a while, and the style and small size of this unit caught my attention. I also wanted something I could connect my iPod to with a wire, not a docking station, so that when my iPod became obsolete, I wouldn't need to get a new radio/speaker unit as well. This unit is just what I was looking for, and I am amazed by the great sound quality it produces. For such a compact unit, the sound is mellow and rich, not at all "tinny" like other small speaker systems. Having the speaker on the top of the unit is great since I can tuck it into a compact space without compromising the sound. For anyone who is looking for a simple, sleek-looking little radio/MP3 speaker with really nice sound, and for a reasonable price, this is a great buy. I am really pleased with my purchase. One note for iPod users: This unit has very rich bass, and I actually found that I had to increase the treble setting on my iPod (go to the Settings menu on your iPod/iPhone, then Music, then "EQ" to see the available options) to balance the sound a bit. Once I made that modification, it sounded even better. A great purchase!

My son bought one two years ago. When I've visited him, the radio has impressed me with its full-bodied sound (claimed to be 20Hz-20,000Hz frequency response) and its bass-ported speaker. It impressed me further with it's ability to pull in distant stations. So this year, seeing that it was a manufacture-discontinued item but still available, I bought one for myself. I REALLY like the sound. Reproduction of classical music and jazz is easily equal to that of an audiophile-quality stereo system at a fraction of the size, weight, and cost. I like the simple controls, too. Its input connector allows me to listen both to music and to streamed radio from my cell phone as well -- WGBH Boston, WCLV Cleveland, WUOL Louisville, WKNO Memphis -- they all sound great through this radio. (Mine came with a connector cable included.) The "finish" isn't perfect, as the lower right corner of mine has a tiny gap between the front panel and the case, but a dab of silicone sealer took care of that. I'm not a fan of wall-warts that suck power 24/7 whether the radio is on or not, but I love the fact that this radio can also be powered directly from 12 volts DC, so it's an OK trade-off for me. My only real complaint is that I must re-tune the dial slightly as the radio warms up, but it is fully frequency-stable from then on. My advice? Grab one while you can!

I frequently use my laptop at my kitchen counter and I like to stream music while I work. I'd been plugging my computer into a JBL 200ID iPhone speaker dock, but I was getting tired of having almost no audible bass in my music. I wanted to get a better sound without spending a fortune, but there were few speakers for $100 or less that were an improvement over the JBL. (A 2.1 computer speaker system would probably have done the trick cheaply, but this is a kitchen counter, not an office desk.) I'd heard good things about Tivoli and Sangean radios, so I thought I'd try them out. They have aux-in jacks, so I could still connect my speaker, and having a radio would mean I could listen to basketball and football games while working or cooking.After some research I decided I couldn't afford the Tivoli, so I ended up with a Crosley CR221, and then a Sangean WR-11. Here's the comparison of those two radios:The Crosley CR221I got the Crosley first. I liked the retro look--kind of an art deco or old aviation theme. My wife liked it too. She wasn't a fan of the look of most speaker docks in the kitchen, but this is one she was actually happy to have. The Crosley is very compact, and can sit reasonably close to the wall, though plugs do stick out the back. The plug is a small A/C adapter. One nice feature that the Crosley has is a selector switch that can choose between "Off", "FM", "AM", AND "Aux". As other reviewers have said, the Crosley does have a surprising amount of bass for such a little unit.Unfortunately, as much as I liked the style of the radio, there were a few flaws which led me to try the Sangean WR-11 instead. First, the AM radio reception was not as good as I'd hoped. Our major local sports station does not come into my house very cleanly. My cheap stereo tuner in the living room can pick it up, but with a fair amount of static. I had hoped that the Crosley, designed first and foremost to be a radio, would do better. Unfortunately it did much worse. No matter where I put it in the house I could barely get the station. Secondly, despite having some bass, the Crosley just didn't sound very good with music. I was really disappointed because other reviewers had described it as having good sound. Maybe they were just surprised that such a small radio could reproduce bass notes. It did produce more bass than my old JBL speaker, but there's more to good sound than bass, and it just didn't have a pleasant overall sound that makes you want to listen. I was disappointed enough that I decided I needed to try something else. Enter the Sangean...The Sangean WR-11The Sangean, like the Crosley, looks good in a retro kind of way. I actually like the natural wood look of the Sangean better. The Sangean is a bit bigger than the Crosley, both in depth and width, but it's still small and looks good on a kitchen counter. It uses a regular power cord rather than the wall wart A/C adapter of the Crosley. This is both good and bad. The good side is that the plug takes up little space on your wall outlet, and it's not constantly sucking power even when turned off like A/C adapters do. The bad part is that the cord is thicker and sticks out further from the back of the radio, meaning you can't get it as close to the wall, and it's harder to hide on a countertop. Also, the selector switch doesn't have an "aux in" setting on it like the Crosley. When you plug an auxiliary cable into the back of the Sangean, it automatically switches to aux in. You then can't turn on the AM or FM radio without unplugging the auxiliary cable first. This would be a hassle if I were constantly switching between the radio and my computer, but since I don't switch back and forth too often it doesn't bother me.After the Crosley, the Sangean was a huge improvement. The first thing I noticed was the sound. It was everything the Crosley was missing. The sound is full, deep, rich, and just sounds great for music. It brought an involuntary smile to my face the first time I heard it. For it's size the Sangean has good, warm bass. It's not overwhelming, and it doesn't have the precision or the depth of a speaker system, but it just sounds good. The rest of the sound is very well balanced. It's shocking to hear such good sound coming from a 3 inch speaker in a small unit like this. Of course, it's not incredibly loud. It's great in my kitchen, but this is not a replacement for a stereo system, and it won't keep up volume-wise with more expensive speaker docks.The other big improvement over the Crosley is the AM reception. It does much better at pulling in that sports station.All in all, I highly recommend the Sangean WR-11. It actually costs less than the Crosley, but I would have chosen it even if it cost a bit more. At $80 it's just a great piece of equipment. I'm very satisfied with it.