Sony SRF-M80V AM/FM/Weather/TV Radio
- Display: LED
- Tuning: Digital
- Type: Pocket
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A Tiny Little Troublesome Radio
Pros
Compact size, button 'hold' feature.
Cons
Poor design, awkward volume button, upside down belt clip, embarrassing reception, clumsy battery cover.
Recommended it?
No
The Bottom Line:
You can find a better quality personal radio for less, and I suggest you do so. The Sony SRF-M80V is way off the mark.
I move around a lot. I walk to work, cycle, and work out at the local YMCA. So when it came time to retire my old walkman and pick up something more portable, I chose the Sony SRF-M80V Personal Radio. Sony's design is definitely compact, but that is the extent of the pleasing features associated with the unit. The list of objectionable qualities is extensive.
The design flaws start with the basics. The belt clip is upside down. Unless you're using the arm band, the belt clip causes the plug side of your headphones to face the ground. In order for the headphones to reach your head the cord must run behind or on top of the walkman. If you are over 6 feet tall and plan on using the belt clip during any sort of exercise activity, you will experience an annoying feeling as though your ears are tethered to your waist.
The volume is placed in an awkward position, dead center on the inside of the unit. Also, half of the volume dial is exposed. This causes problems when you move. A simple brush of your arm can cause the volume to go from soft to excruciating loudness. If you are using the belt clip the problem intensifies because the volume is on the underside of the walkman. This is especially annoying while trying to adjust the volume while walking as you have to reach under the walkman to turn it up or down.
Poor reception also hinders this walkman's ratings. As a somewhat expensive radio-only walkman, reception should be its stronghold. With the Sony I can only pick up one channel while indoors. My old Aiwa AM/FM/cassette player receives 14 channels clearly in the same building, and the Aiwa was half as expensive.
The SRF-M80V has an unwieldy battery cover that busts open only during the most inconvenient times. Luckily, Sony decided to place the cover on hinges otherwise I would have needed to stop numerous times to pick it up off the ground. I may have worn the cover out, however, as the SRF-M80V chews through batteries faster than any CD player I've ever used. It takes AAA batteries instead of the standard AA, so even its tiny digital clock may run the batteries dry.
You can find a better quality personal radio for less, and I suggest you do so. The Sony SRF-M80V is way off the mark.
The design flaws start with the basics. The belt clip is upside down. Unless you're using the arm band, the belt clip causes the plug side of your headphones to face the ground. In order for the headphones to reach your head the cord must run behind or on top of the walkman. If you are over 6 feet tall and plan on using the belt clip during any sort of exercise activity, you will experience an annoying feeling as though your ears are tethered to your waist.
The volume is placed in an awkward position, dead center on the inside of the unit. Also, half of the volume dial is exposed. This causes problems when you move. A simple brush of your arm can cause the volume to go from soft to excruciating loudness. If you are using the belt clip the problem intensifies because the volume is on the underside of the walkman. This is especially annoying while trying to adjust the volume while walking as you have to reach under the walkman to turn it up or down.
Poor reception also hinders this walkman's ratings. As a somewhat expensive radio-only walkman, reception should be its stronghold. With the Sony I can only pick up one channel while indoors. My old Aiwa AM/FM/cassette player receives 14 channels clearly in the same building, and the Aiwa was half as expensive.
The SRF-M80V has an unwieldy battery cover that busts open only during the most inconvenient times. Luckily, Sony decided to place the cover on hinges otherwise I would have needed to stop numerous times to pick it up off the ground. I may have worn the cover out, however, as the SRF-M80V chews through batteries faster than any CD player I've ever used. It takes AAA batteries instead of the standard AA, so even its tiny digital clock may run the batteries dry.
You can find a better quality personal radio for less, and I suggest you do so. The Sony SRF-M80V is way off the mark.
