In summary: as an old hi-fi enthusiast and generally a sound lover, I was asked by a relative to choose a portable radio (battery-electric). The requirements were that it should have a "tuning knob" for station selection and not buttons, with a price up to 50€. I ended up with the Sony and since I was pleasantly surprised, I might buy one for myself too! It is good to have, as Americans do (on AM, not FM) for any emergency, for some war, etc. Unless someone believes they will have internet regardless of obstacles!

In detail: there were branded and well-known options, only the Sony at 50€ and a similar style Panasonic RF-2400DEG-K at 30€. From its features, the Panasonic was rejected because the antenna does not rotate around its axis (I saw it on YouTube). Therefore, reception may not be sufficient in some difficult areas or for low-power stations. Also, the volume adjustment on the Panasonic is done with the old transistor knob, a bit inconvenient since it is small and integrated into the chassis, resulting in having to find the minimal protruding part like a magician with your finger (especially if you are elderly). Yes, I know, it used to be like that, but since it can be better now like with the Sony, why not? On the Sony, the volume adjustment is enjoyable; you "grasp" it with your index and thumb and enjoy how it gradually increases from silence. You will surely find your preferred volume setting, especially at low levels since it does not have abrupt "steps" (like, for example, Bluetooth speakers today, where the volume is adjusted in a few clicks predetermined by the phone, and if something suits you in between, it does NOT happen, like my JBL GO 3, which when I want it on my pillow at the lowest volume, it is louder, and one click down is zero, there is no in-between). Its sound quality is top-notch, from another era, with nice and sweet mids but also sufficiently strong lows, a natural sound, not altered. This is of course due to the FM stations having quality sound and the large diameter speaker for a small radio. Very well-made construction, China of course, but not "cheap Chinese." Whoever believes that the country of manufacture matters and not the specifications of each manufacturer is mistaken and is kindly requested to throw away their iPhone if they have one, as it is Chinese. The headphone jack is the usual 3.5mm and fortunately, it sounds in both headphones (it is not stereo, of course), and my Edifier 800bt has both a wired input and sounds great.

A suggestion for receiving strong stations and tuning in more easily is to find the station you want with the antenna retracted, tune into it, and then open the antenna for a stronger signal. Conversely, if you are looking for a station with a weak signal, fully extend the antenna, go out onto a balcony if you are indoors, do the tuning, and then return to the space to avoid being disturbed by strong signals that might be nearby. We said, it is a radio of the series, it does not have a super sensitive receiver to easily distinguish from neighboring stations! The cover for the batteries (I don’t know what it serves) comes off with a little trick, it has hooks at the edge. The power cable is of course included. Enjoy for now detailed photos as I am currently measuring battery autonomy and other issues, and I will return after prolonged use.

We have had it for about 2 years. With a few falls in its history, it still works and looks like it just came out of the box. This means that its color has many layers, meaning they didn't try to save money with a thin coating.

But I think its main characteristic is the sound. It sounds like you're listening to a CD or Spotify, it doesn't sound like the classic radio sound. Warm, full sound, considering the price always.

I appreciated it even more when we received another radio as a gift, the Akai PR006A-471U Retro, which is at a similar price, but the sound is day and night, as well as the build quality. The AKAI feels cheap. However, it may be convenient for travel.

It simply doesn't have extra functions besides the radio. No USB, no SD card slot, no remote control. And I've heard that the batteries don't last long, probably due to the large speaker.

Indeed, the semi-analog way of selecting frequency, in areas with many stations clustered together, requires extra precision in handling. And if the station you want doesn't have a good signal, it prefers to synchronize with the "neighboring" ones, which have a strong signal. But with a little forward and backward, it does you the favor.

For placement in the house, it's great, I highly recommend it.

Owner of the radio for about 20 days. First of all, let me say that the radio is much more quality than I expected. It is sturdy and gives you the impression that it will never break (at least externally). Starting with its sound, I will say that it is quite good, high-quality, with a sweet tone, and tonally balanced. Of course, the amazing 10-centimeter speaker helps with that. It has more bass than you would expect. However... in its attempt to help us with tuning/finding stations, SONY unintentionally creates a disadvantage. Or at least I see it as a disadvantage. The tuning of radio stations, although analog, is done in a "semi-automatic" way, simply to "relieve" us in the fine-tuning of any station. This is not necessarily bad... but:

For example, if we leave it on the X station the last time we closed it... the next time we open it, it may tune to the neighboring... Y station. Obviously, it has to do with the reception strength of the station, so it probably chooses the strongest one. It doesn't always do it, but sometimes. In contrast to a purely analog receiver (analog tuning) that, when we reopen it, will be on the station where we left it the last time we closed it. Like my amazing Tivoli Model One (purely analog receiver/tuning). Nevertheless, I must say that once it "locks" onto a station, it doesn't slip at all (signal loss/interference).

Another problem for some who are used to "photographing" the position of the needle, so that they can later put the X station back in the same position... it will be a bit difficult because the exact position of the needle changes +/-1mm for the same station, depending on how the needle moves (from 88>108 or from 108>88 MHz). Reception quality is excellent.

I haven't tried the batteries (because I'm not interested), so I don't have an opinion.

I will rate it with 5 stars because all these things that I perceive as disadvantages may be flaws or details for others. The reason I mention this about the so-called disadvantages is that I am a radio collector, so unintentionally it makes me a strict judge. If we simply rate it... as device quality, reception, and sound tone... yes, you can't give it anything other than 5 stars.