Sangean WR-12 AM/FM/Aux-in Stereo Analog Wooden Cabinet Radio (Walnut)

Been using this as an improvised confidence monitor for an FM station. Hefty, good looking, well-built cabinet. Precise tuning, rich sounding, not overly complicated. I wasn't expecting much and it over delivered. A great radio that is not just another extension of my smartphone. I'm very happy with my purchase.

I thoroughly enjoy this radio in my living room.DELIVERY NOTEI was surprised when it was delivered to my door in nothing but it's factory box with the shipping labels slapped on the front. There was no outer, brown box containing padding around the factory box.UNBOXINGInside that factory box, was the radio, power cord (not a wall wart), an external FM antenna & the multi-language manual.Once i removed the radio from the box, I saw for myself, it's simple, elegant styling. The radio is heavier than you might expect. You wouldn't want to put this radio on a flimsy table.The manual is well written, even though the radio is simple to operate. It helps, especially with the bluetooth setup.OPERATIONThe radio is super simple to operate. One oddity is, there is a master power switch on the back of the radio. This must be switched on for the front power button to work. Simply press the power button, select the band you want to listen to, then tune in your favorite station. Adjust the volume and your all set. There is a green LED about the tuning knob to help you tune for the best signal. The dial is lighted, but it's very dim. It's best if the room is completely dark. The AM & FM antennas are built-in, but there are connections for both external FM & AM antennas. There is a switch on the back, so you can compare FM reception from the built-in and external antennas. This switch has no effect on AM. You can connect an external audio source (tape dec or CD player, etc.) to the AUX port on the back. The bluetooth is easy to pair, but will not automatically sync up next time you go to use that feature. Pease note: This radio WILL NOT support bluetooth telephone calls.SOUNDI'm very impressed with the sound. It has a lot of bass for such a small cabinet, thanks to the woofer in the back & the bass port. There are bass & treble controls, so you can set the sound to your liking. The sound is not pretty even sounding, with the bass & treble controls set to mid point. It will certainly fill the room. If you connect the AUX input to the headphone jack of an audio source, the sound is slightly quieter that the bluetooth connection to that seme audio. I did not notice any "data noise" that some reviewers have mentioned, when using bluetooth.RECEPTIONI collect radios, & I find this radio to be the best AM/FM table radio that I've owned. The AM is very sensitive & selective to the point that you can count the stations, especially on the crowded upper part of the band. FM is incredible. It's very sensitive, as well. The selectivity is so good that strong stations don't take up any more space than weaker ones. I can even hear station clearly on either side of a strong station that is just a few blocks away.THERE IS A CONThe radio tends to drift off-frequency once it's tuned. It has only drifted once on me. Once I retuned, it stayed properly tuned for several hours.CONCLUSIONThis is a very simple-looking & operating radio, with lots of great-sounding technology under the hood.

I am a huge fan of vintage equipment. I have a RCA console radio from 1941 I restored and daily drive, I have 3 Pioneer receivers from the 1970's that I restored. SX-636, SX-1050 and a SX-3700. I love all these old machines.The WR-12BT absolutely nails the aesthetics of 70's equipment. When I take it to work and place it on my desk, I bet my co-workers will think it is 50 years old. Until they hear it. I also have a telescoping antenna on it to really drive home that authentic look.It is heavy, solid, feels well built. On looks alone, it justifies the price tag. All of that exceeds my expectations, it's an 11/10!However, I only rate the sound an 8/10. The sound is best described as a "bowl shape" EQ curve. Bass is good for being so small, and treble is clear. Mids are subdued, I agree with others that have shared the same observation. It still sounds good. Human ears will adjust to the subdued mids.BT works excellent. I saw many mention that they didn't like how it "disconnected" when turning the unit off or selecting the radio or AUX. Hmmm.... with my Pixel 6, the connectivity is better than any other BT device I have. Yes, it disconnects when not on BT, why wouldn't it? I don't want my phone trying to constantly reconnect as I walk around a large office. When I want BT on, it re-connects faster than any other BT device I have, less than 2 seconds. I don't understand why some think that is an issue.My area has terrible OTA FM. I did compare my WR-12BT to my SX-636 tuner, and they seemed the "same". In my area, that means I still don't get great reception from either. So, it's at least on par with good gear. I wouldn't even know what to listen to on AM, so no opinion on that.I have heard many top-rated, popular BT speakers. They are all plastic. They sound good too, but the heavy wood enclosure of the WR-12BT really makes a difference in the sound of bass. You can definitely hear an advantage to the wood enclosure, the bass sounds far better than other BT speakers. I don't mean in output power, I mean it sounds warm and full. In this observation I give the bass sound a 10/10, keeping in mind the small 3.5" woofer.I like the built-in power supply and that the WR-12BT doesn't have any built-in batteries that will fail and render the unit landfill fodder in time. I can see this radio lasting decades. This unit has been out for over a decade and I have not seen any reports of failures, only complaints about "plastic knobs" and BT operation.As far as the knobs go, I don't see any issues with them. Some say they are "cheap plastic", but, to me they are totally fine on this kind of device. I like the tone controls, Sangean intentionally made them to be depressed so that they don't get in the way of adjusting the controls. very smart IMO.The "shortcomings" of the sound are only due to the midrange dip and the fact it is a small speaker. People are forgetting what a real hi-fi sounds like, and many people think some BT speakers sound "excellent". I would challenge them to listen to even a mid-level hi-fi receiver and speakers. All BT speakers hit a size wall against real equipment. But, many people have not experienced real hi-fi, and I am not talking about audiophile gear, just the hi-fi that was typical before portable BT speakers became so prevalent.I would highly recommend the WR-12BT to anyone who appreciates the 70's aesthetic. It will excel in an apartment, home office, den, work office, cabin, etc. I wouldn't use it as a substitute for hi-fi in a house or large area. That's not something 2" speakers and a 3.5" woofer could ever do.