Uploaded May 2017 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
My incipient impression of the Sangean WR-2 was that of casual indifference; this radio looked just like every other knockoff of the famed Tivoli Model One--a contemporary table radio so many have taken to and held in high regard. Plenty of manufacturers have tried their hand at producing tabletop radios that are grossly inferior to those that were two decades their junior. Terrible sound fidelity and dreadful reception of AM & FM are two character traits in a radio I can't abide.
Uncharacteristic of nearly all audio equipment manufactured in the recent pass which possess AM/FM tuners, the Sangean WR-2 can not only tune to weaker stations and those that happen to be sandwiched between their stronger neighbors, but the sound of its built-in monaural speaker is best described as imposing.
R.D.S. is gratifyingly implemented, even allowing the clock to retrieve and update its date and time settings directly from an FM station utilizing R.D.S. clock time. This is doubly convenient when there exists the need and desire for the WR-2 to behave as a clock radio.
Options for improvement are provided for in the way of external AM and FM antenna connections, and line-in and line-out jacks on the rear.
It would be remiss of me to fail to take the price-tag of the Sangean WR-2 into my consideration. Fetching prices starting at $120, this isn't a purchase to make just to satisfy your curiosity. Moreover, with the Tivoli Model One Classic priced at $140, the decision of purchasing one or the other might need to be carefully contemplated.
Astute viewers might've taken notice of the flashing R.D.S. indicator on the unit's display when tuned to 91.1 at 12:29. This doesn't contradict my caption, as this station makes use of R.D.S. to display little more than its call letters.
A textual review of this radio may also be found at stereophonicstuff.mooo.com/reviews/sangeanwr2
My incipient impression of the Sangean WR-2 was that of casual indifference; this radio looked just like every other knockoff of the famed Tivoli Model One--a contemporary table radio so many have taken to and held in high regard. Plenty of manufacturers have tried their hand at producing tabletop radios that are grossly inferior to those that were two decades their junior. Terrible sound fidelity and dreadful reception of AM & FM are two character traits in a radio I can't abide.
Uncharacteristic of nearly all audio equipment manufactured in the recent pass which possess AM/FM tuners, the Sangean WR-2 can not only tune to weaker stations and those that happen to be sandwiched between their stronger neighbors, but the sound of its built-in monaural speaker is best described as imposing.
R.D.S. is gratifyingly implemented, even allowing the clock to retrieve and update its date and time settings directly from an FM station utilizing R.D.S. clock time. This is doubly convenient when there exists the need and desire for the WR-2 to behave as a clock radio.
Options for improvement are provided for in the way of external AM and FM antenna connections, and line-in and line-out jacks on the rear.
It would be remiss of me to fail to take the price-tag of the Sangean WR-2 into my consideration. Fetching prices starting at $120, this isn't a purchase to make just to satisfy your curiosity. Moreover, with the Tivoli Model One Classic priced at $140, the decision of purchasing one or the other might need to be carefully contemplated.
Astute viewers might've taken notice of the flashing R.D.S. indicator on the unit's display when tuned to 91.1 at 12:29. This doesn't contradict my caption, as this station makes use of R.D.S. to display little more than its call letters.
A textual review of this radio may also be found at stereophonicstuff.mooo.com/reviews/sangeanwr2
