HDR-18 HD Radio/FM-Stereo/AM Wooden Cabinet Table Top Radio Silver

I had an older Boston Acoustics Receptor radio which worked fairly well for an FM radio with good sound and questionable reception even with well rated antennas (I tried a bunch). I also listen to various sports and talk shows on AM and with an excellent AM antenna I received good reception on the BA but the signal would tend to fade at night and require a lot of adjustment. I was very interested in this radio as it appeared it would be an improvement in each of these categories and would provide HD radio which I enjoy in my car. On this radio, even with the internal antenna I was receiving remarkably better reception over the BA Receptor or any of my other AV receivers, radios or tuners. It is as good as the car HD radio which is remarkable. I do have a HDT-20 with a good AV receiver which also gets good reception but nothing like this one. I am using an external AM antenna (Terk Indoor AM Antenna Advantage) and the FM antenna that came with the set but may mess around with another of my antennas to see if I can do any better. The FM stations lock in and without fade. The AM reception is better but I continue to have some fade at night likely due to the nature of that broadcast signal. The mono speaker sounds great and I also have a small set of two Bose speakers I have plugged into the output that I use at times if I want more from the sound. For the most part the mono speaker is fine with me. This radio has checked most all the boxes I needed to serve the multiple purposes I hoped it would work for. I haven’t gotten to the alarm yet but will only use it sparingly. The remote works well and it was easy to program the stations. The one good problem is that I found more HD and FM stations than I have presets. An updated model should have more FM presets but this is not nearly a dealbreaker for me. Display and location of the controls, buttons and inputs / outputs are not an issue for me although the blue power button light at night could be much less strong. I think many other reviewers feel the same on that. They controls / buttons are mostly intuitive and work for me without any particular issues. Looks good, too. This is as good as I could get for the price for an over the air radio. Very satisfied customer. Others might want to explore an internet radio, particularly if you want out of town stations that are out of range.

Purchased at discounted price from Amazon. It was returned to Amazon for unknown reason I suspect. Nothing was missing and no damage detected. It's possible that it was purchased for the HD reception and there were no local stations broadcasting HD. If you want to know if there are HD channels in your area, you may want to check the Internet for listed radio stations. If it was returned because of the clock error reported by other reviews, then please read further. I turned the radio on and tuned into my local NPR radio station as it is the only local HD radio station in my area that transmits HD channels. I live about 15 miles from the transmitter two HD channels came in quite strong. I have to say, the sound quality from this radio is top notch. Crystal clear reception and static free. If you push the volume button you can toggle BASS and TREBLE settings. The display has adjustable brightness control from bright, all the way down to no back light. I would recommend this radio for sound quality. This was purchased for the bedroom, but I may get one for my office. 5 star at this point. The Good: Great sound. HD radio sounds awesome. Wish there were more HD stations. 5 star. The Bad: Poor button user interface. Lettering too small to read at quick glance. Think of the buttons working like a keyboard. There is a button like a SHIFT key to access the next level of button operation. I don't like that at all. Car radios seem to have a better interface. Why should I have to hit two buttons to get a preset channel? My car has a one button preset. Using the remote is a much better user interface. Don't lose the remote. It's easier to operate the radio using the remote. Because of this I removed 1 star. The Ugly: Loses time during power loss. Some radio stations will not set the correct time. You can set the clock for automatic update, but only RDS stations with Clock, Time and Date (CT) signals can do that. I may use a UPS as a power backup. I have regular power interruptions at home, all the time. Don't depend on this clock radio for a mission critical wake up call. Troubleshooting this problem from the Sangean website, I see they recommend, "If the clock time from your local RDS station is not correct, you should consider disabling the RDS CT function and set the radio manually." This tells me that it's highly possible that some radio stations are updating the time incorrectly. Another document I found on line describing how RDS CT works says, "...Note: Radio stations should ensure to always transmit accurate time and date. Faulty time and date information could have a negative effect on users (e.g. wrong time of a car clock or clock radio). Critical is also the change between normal and daylight savings time. If accurate time and date information could not be ensured, it is better to turn off the CT transmitting. So clocks with an alternative internal reference still work properly." My conclusion is that it may not be a problem with the radio, but with the radio station. Is the signal strength strong? Do you have a good antenna? Is the transmitter broadcasting the correct time signal? I have tested at least one FM RDS station that is putting out the wrong time. So there you have it. Buyer beware. My recommendation to Sangean: 1. install a battery backup for the clock and mission critical wake up calls. 2. Improve the user experience with a one button preset operation.

I like to listen to AM talk radio as i go to sleep, and this radio is great for that. Music sounds fine as well and bass and treble can be adjusted to suit. The radio can be lit up or completely dark, as you prefer, and the gradual increasing alarm beep/snooze has not failed me yet. The digital tuner lets me get exactly where i want to go and keeps me there so the built in AM antenna is pretty good! An FM telescoping antenna is included and seems to work well. Takes a bit to figure out,set and save all the potential settings but once done is a piece of cake to use. The included remote is a welcome gizmo tho !

When I removed the Sangean HDR-18 from product box, I noticed that the radio did not have any label, sticker or mark of any kind that would indicate a third-party safety test certification process had been performed. I searched the user's manual and radio package for any indication of third-party certification i.e. U.L. Underwriters Laboratory without success. I decided to directly contact Sangean America Inc. From their website contact information I tried: 1. Email at info@sangean.com and received a "Undeliverable" response 2. Used the Sangean toll-free number at 1 888 726-4326 and received a prerecord message that the number I was dialing could not be completed. 3. Phone Sangean America Inc. directly a 1 562 941-9900 and received a prerecorded massage that the number I've dialed is not in service. Having third-party safety test certification on any electrical device is very important. Such certification ensures the user that the electical device meets a certain level safety to prevent electric shock and/or fire. Manufacturers pay thousands of dollars to have a product third-party safety tested certified. Once the electrical product is certified, only then can a manufacturer place the testing laboratory certification symbol on the manufacturer's product. If a consumer uses an uncertified electrical device that causes property damage and/or personal injury, do you think a reputable insurance company would compensate for such damages? Most likely not. For the lack of any electrical certification on this radio and the inability to contact Sangean for inquiries, I do not recommend the Sangean HDR-18 to anyone.

The radio looks good and solid with beautiful wood finish. The sound is clear and easy to tune-in / preset radio stations. Yes I like it

Good sound Good looking It's slightly more than a year since I gifted it to my son living in Toronto. We visited him in June /July for about 40 days and I enjoyed listening to the the HD radio channel Kiss FM daily. Thank you Sangean for making quality products. I bought WR-16 SE in October 2022 for my wife in India. Ordered through Amazon. Com and shipped it. Landed cost was USD 240. Well worth the money spent. The radio is on daily from 6 - 10am. Awesome sound for a small footprint. Padmesh India

Bought as a gift for my father… he is extremely happy with sound and ease of use. Would appreciate other wood finish or colour availability (silver or black) vs the light wood. That was his only complaint!