Sangean HDR-19 HD Radio/AM/FM-RDS/Bluetooth/AUX Premium Wooden Cabinet Radio

Excellent product, easy to install and clear reception. Expensive but totally worth it given the other radios don't really work in Indian homes anymore. Needs a step down converter in India. Very happy with purchase.

Très bon radio de table avec une grande qualité de son. Surprenant pour sa petite taille.

I am a radio listener going back to high school days. In recent decades I've had Teac R-1's, small but great-sounding analog rigs. But the rotating switches on these eventually wear out, so I've been looking for a modern update. Along the way I learned that almost all modern radios operate on a software-defined radio (SDR) architecture, all but obsoleting the old tuned circuit designs. Sangean offers this HDR-19 model as a premium, feature-laden AM-FM-HD Radio table radio, fully SDR but with traditional volume and tuning dials. They have done about as much as practical to make a usable user interface, but it does require a modicum of familiarity to access all the features. Like most users, I needed to consult the downloadable manual as I was setting up the radio. Good sound is a must for me and the Sangean provides a clean, highly listenable and pleasant audio output. I haven't played with the EQ settings yet because I find the default Normal to be fine for both music and spoken programs. Here are some additional points and observations that I've made so far: -- I tried AM to make sure it worked but as yet I've spent zero time listening to AM stations -- The attached extendable FM whip antenna is fine but it doesn't do that well for very weak FM stations -- Be sure to set the FM region before anything else (to B for US) -- I stored some presets, then when I later set the correct FM region, the radio cleared out my presets back to factory default. -- I had thought the reported lack of battery backup for the clock would be an issue even though I'm not using the radio as an alarm clock. However, there is a setting to allow any RDS station to update the HDR-19's clock. With this setting, when I relocated the radio (unplugging it overnight), the clock was back to the correct time as soon as I turned the radio back on. The RDS clock is 100% accurate like GPS so it's actually better than manually setting the clock. -- The labels over the function buttons are legible in good direct light, but otherwise not very readable. The critical On/Off button (right-most on the strip) benefits from an embedded soft blue-white LED to locate it in the dark. -- Bluetooth input is easy to setup and works great. It expands the radio to handle my internet radio stations, Qobuz, Apple Music, streaming from local NAS, etc. -- I haven't tried the remote control yet because I'm so accustomed to working table radios up close. Neither have I tried the Aux Input nor the Headphone output, but I expect these will be very useful from time to time. -- The control scheme - the interaction of the buttons with the two knobs - is simple and very logical. Once you learn the scheme, you shouldn't have problems accessing all the HDR-19 features. -- The cabinet with its faintly art deco styling is gorgeous. The HDR-19 will stand out in a room and probably attract conversation. Bottom line, the HDR-19 is the modern premium table radio experience.

It's not a deal breaker, and this radio is gorgeous, but no auxiliary jack for stereo speakers. I liked the radio so much that I bought some Kanto Ora speakers for it! You can easily remove the antenna cover and add the Bingfu FM Radio Antenna FM Dipole Antenna, found on Amazon. Once the antenna cover is off, just remove the whip antenna by removing the nut holding the antenna. I did notice large improvement in reception, from 2 bars/3bars to 3bars/4bars. I live in an apartment so the walls are full of metal that hold the plaster and interfere with reception, and I'm located on the opposite side of the building from the radio station transmitter. It takes some work and testing to find the right antenna position, but it is well worth the effort. I won't guarantee that this antenna is better for you, than the antenna that came with the radio, but the articles on the web that I read say that it is a better type of antenna. I like the fact that the original whip antenna isn't annoying me anymore!

I've been researching compact home audio systems for several years. I have one old huge 8-speaker Technics component stereo and a smaller Pioneer component stereo - 500+ watts each - and I never use them because they are just too much. For years I had planned to hard-wire speakers throughout the house using one of these beasts but, again, it's just too much. I wanted something much smaller that sounded disproportionately good. I considered going the obvious route with a small army of Sonos speakers. Personally, I've never really found their sound to justify the immense cost. Being a fan of JBL, I was excited when they released the [new] Authentics series. They look and sound good but seem a bit cheaply made. While they are Wi-Fi and meant to compete with the Sonos, I'm constantly annoyed by JBL not getting any of their products to work together. If I were to do a wireless household audio system, I would want a decent sound bar included in the setup but JBL refuses to make any of their speaker series connect to each other and they're constantly changing the type of wireless technology while also not making any of it backwards compatible with older products. Then I finally decided to ditch the entire idea of an expansive interconnected household system. Our house is only 1,200 square feet on a single floor, so there really isn't a need for speakers in every single room. We have a collection of JBL Bluetooth speakers we use a lot with our mobile devices but I now wanted a tabletop radio with Bluetooth instead of always using the battery-powered JBL's (which are getting old and the batteries aren't lasting as long as they used to). I've also had a Sangean WR-15WL radio centrally located in our dining room for the past 10 years. It was connected to my girlfriend's turntable and we would occasionally use it to listen to OTA live FM radio. We actually really like to listen to live radio but don't often do so in the house as the WR-15WL reception and sound quality is decent but not awesome and radio tuning can be cumbersome. Still, the WR-15WL let me experience the high quality of a Sangean radio. So my new plan was to replace the Sangean WR-15WL in our dining room with something that has better sound, volume and features. My first consideration for a new radio was a Sangean WR-12BT or a WR-16 but I figured these would have the same standard radio tuner. Then the new Sangean HDR-19 was released. I didn't jump on it right away due to the price, but when I came across it on a really good sale, I ordered one right away. Unboxing it I wondered if I was going to keep it. Turning it on and giving it a quick trial, I wondered again if I was going to keep it. Well, that was a week ago and I've used it pretty much every day. The little Sangean HDR-19 turned out to be exactly what I was looking for: a compact, high-quality tabletop radio with clear and accurate radio tuning, an auxiliary input, Bluetooth and a good match of speakers and amplifier with some tone control (3-band digital EQ). To me, it sounds really good with a broad range of fairly crisp highs and mids and enough bass to fill out the whole sound. Despite suffering a bit at the top third of its capable volume, the radio definitely punches above its weight class. The controls are minimal and easy to navigate but the radio does require some minor setup (like time, date, emergency alert system and region selection for radio reception - hint: USA is region "B" which is not the default). Everything about the HDR-19 feels premium with smooth, LED-lit knobs and firm buttons. The LCD screen can be a bit cluttered but it does a good job of displaying information. I have no regrets at all in buying this radio. If you are looking for a small but very good sounding radio (FM & AM) with added features like Bluetooth and an auxiliary line-in (3.5mm stereo) definitely consider the HDR-19. If by any chance the radio is in stock locally, don't hesitate to go and try it out. You'll be able to tell right away that Sangean makes quality products. I strongly recommend this Sangean HDR-19 tabletop radio.