Sony ICF-S10MK2 AM/FM/RDS Radio

You know you're becoming an old fart when increasingly you don't watch television, haven't listened to a Led Zeppelin record (excuse me, CD) in ten years, and prefer almost above all things to sit in a chair, turn on the radio, and listen for endless hours to faceless people talk, -- and talk and talk and talk. But AM radio has become one of the most intelligent and entertaining media these days. It has a wealth of talk shows as informative as they infuriating or comical, and as wide-ranging in their political viewpoints or subjects as there are tastes in the world. In AM these days, there really is something for everyone.

Unfortunately, listening to AM radio has not, over the last thirty years or so, been especially enjoyable on account of the indifference of mainstream radio manufacturers toward that frequency band. Instead, they have concentrated on producing good-sounding FM band radios. This is understandable because of FM's ability to broadcast in stereo and with less background noise. Nevertheless, AM can actually sound rather good if care has been taken in the design of the circuitry, and in the days before FM, radio manufacturers prided themselves on the quality of their AM receivers. This pride and selling point continued during the transistor revolution of the 1950s and into the 1960s.

Sony was foremost among manufacturers who made a reputation for producing quality transistor radios. Many of its early transistor radios, such as the TR-63, are highly prized by collectors. (Find a picture of this radio on the internet and you'll see what a sweet little thing it is.) Well, finally Sony has created again a fine pocket radio, the ICF-S10MK2. It has very good AM reception; probably better than most household or automobile AM radios. Local stations come in crisp and clear, and at night, when the ionosphere expands, some pretty distant AM stations can be tuned into. From New York City, where I live, I have been able to listen to stations as far away as Cleveland, Ohio and even (are you ready for this?) Windsor, Ontario! Of course, these distant stations will not come in as clearly as those that are nearby; sometimes they are faint, and sometimes they drift; and should there be a storm between you and the place of broadcast, you'll hear the interfering crackle of lightning come through; but, on the whole, these stations are listenable, especially if you are willing to make a little effort and carefully -- with the minutest of upward or downward pressures on the tuning wheel -- tune in as precisely as possible. This kind of sensitivity is almost as good as that of my GE Superadio, which is bulkier and uglier by fifteen times!

The Sony ICF-S10MK2 measures 2 7/8" x 4 3/4" x 1 3/16". The case has rounded corners and is made of silver-colored plastic. The top half is composed of a linear tuning dial, which is adjusted by a tuning wheel on the right side of the unit just above an AM/FM switch. Demurely visible at the lowest left hand corner of this faceplate is a red LED "Tune" light which goes on when a station is locked onto. Photographs of this radio on the net make it look as though this part is stamped or painted directly onto the case; it is not: it's actually a separate, beveled, piece of thick clear plastic with the Sony logo and frequency markings showing through from behind. Reverse-painting here? No; it is more likely a foil layer of some kind. Nevertheless, it is attractive -- a small touch of elegance. On the left side of the radio is a jack for an earphone as well as, at the back, an FM antenna which can be extended.

The bottom half of the unit conforms to a "sheerform," minimalist style, in which the case is merely perforated in lieu of a real speaker grill. This is unfortunate. Less may be more in home design, but in a pocket radio it only makes for a bore. The classic pocket radios of the past are collectible because they were tastefully designed — some thought was put into making them pleasant to look at and to hold. The addition of a shiny speaker grill, bright with steel or brass, would have made all the difference here. One can only hope that Sony and other manufacturers will hark back to their earlier, classic designs, and draw some inspiration from them.

A few other minor criticisms could be made about this radio. First, the FM section is not in stereo. As this unit surely uses integrated circuits, it could only have cost a few cents more to implant a chip capable of FM stereo reception. Also, the speaker appears to be somewhat unsuited to the unit, since it distorts the sound when the volume is turned up to maximum. A slightly larger component, or one of better quality, would have been in order here. Though the tone is pleasant enough, it would have been nice to have a tone control to reduce the hiss of reception plagued with interference or to brighten a booming voice. Finally, the earplug jack is monaural, which means that if you plug in the typical stereo earphones (which most people have), you will only hear the sound out of one side.

These criticisms would carry a lot more weight if the radio cost, say, $30 or so. Then one would accordingly expect more. But at an absurdly low price of $10-$14, one perhaps cannot expect too much in the way of cosmetic additions or inessential electronic refinements. At least Sony engineers were conscientious enough about this product to put the quality where it largely counts.

You may just find yourself deciding to buy an extra one for the inexpensive pleasure of owning two, or buying a few to hand out to friends. This is a lot of radio for the price.