Sangean RCR-30 FM-RBDS/AM/Bluetooth/Aux-in Digital Tuning Clock Radio with USB Phone Charging and Sound Soother, Gray

I've had clock radios for 50 years and this is the best-thought-out design I've ever seen. It is a refinement of a product that doesn't try to be all things, focuses on what you will actually use and addresses chronic complaints that users have had for years. It is a balance of one-touch features, flexibility and true ergonomic design. It doesn't try to re-invent an old thing: it refines well appreciated features. I use it in the bedroom. Don't most people? Let's be specific: 1. Go look at a car radio from the 1970s. Two dials, a bunch of push buttons for radio stations. Love the independent, large dials for volume and tuning. Easy to find and use in the dark. A physical/tactile design makes it easy to find in the dark and operate. My kids are satisfied with their phones but they require me putting my glasses on and fat-fingering around through dozens of icons. Some things still require physical controls. 2. Clock illumination - Almost 10 different settings, simply adjustable by using the snooze button. SIMPLE. A nice, soft LCD illumination. My old radios had two settings: high and low, and usually used the colors red or blue for the display which would nearly illuminate the entire room. Another ergo feature others cheap out on. 3. FM Radio - Pulls in weak stations - I live in the country, most of the good stations are 50+ miles away. This is when a radio with that wire that comes out the back (the antenna) is most useful. If you live in the burb or city, it may not be important to you - most radios do without this external antenna. AM Radio - I listen to distant AM stations late at night, have not yet tried these features. 4. Time inaccuracy claim - Huh? The radio employs a feature that most radio stations transmit, the actual time (DTS) and automatically corrects your clock time, if you enable the feature. If you don't use the radio, why don't you just get a clock? 5. Battery Backup - Now, I appreciate the battery backup on radios dating back 30 years ago but none of these ever really kept the correct time. Have not tested this. 6. Case - it's substantial, unlikely that I'll drop it onto the floor during the night and have to wake up to retrieve it. It's also big because there are some sizeable speakers inside it. I don't use the speakers at all, using headphone so that my partner will not be disturbed by my nocturnal listening habit. 7. USB charging port - Nice. lessens the number of things to plug into the inconvenient power outlet. 8. Bluetooth - suppose I might use this to stream music or programs from another device (i.e., phone) to be played by the clock radio, but I don't think I would use this. 9. Remote Control - unnecessary - one more thing for me to lose, one more set of batteries to replace or leak. The on-radio buttons control all I need. 10 Radio preset buttons - individual buttons. I like dedicated buttons. They are also well placed, making it easy to locate in the dark. The buttons are backlit, but can't see them when my head is on the pillow. 11. Aux input - I might have used this before the advent of Bluetooth, but no more. 12. Power button - doubles as a sleep timer - with multiple pushes, it will keep the radio on for 60, 30, etc. seconds so you can listen before you fall asleep. In summary, an excellent case-study in usability and simplicity. what it does it does in an uncomplicated manner and addresses all the clock radio inadequacies of the past fifty year. Well done.

This is a great clock radio and I am really enjoying it. First of all, I am so glad that I read other reviews prior to purchase. For some reason, the dimmer setting is set at zero at the factory. When I first plugged it in, nothing noticeable happened. But I remembered reading in the reviews that this was the case, so I knew what to do. Press and release the snooze bar a few times and the display becomes visible. I find level two works well for me. It's bright enough for daytime use, but not too bright during sleeping hours. It has five FM presets, which is perfect for me also. I didn't even have to set the clock. As soon as I tuned in some FM stations, the clock/date set automatically. I was able to connect my phone via Bluetooth very quickly so I can listen to my Sirius XM app on the radio. It also has a USB around back to charge my phone. It is a very slow charge, about five hours to fully charge my phone from 20%. But since I'm sleeping anyway, it doesn't matter. It also has a remote control so when i get out of the shower, I can quickly grab the remote to change the preset station and the volume from across the room. Worth every penny.

My 15 year old Sony alarm clock radio broke and I needed to replace it. I’ve been using the new alarm clock for about a month now. First, I will give you a synopsis of my thoughts. My Requirements: Speaker on top or front Digital tuning USB charging port Dual alarm Radio used as alarm Large time display Desired Options: AM band Preset buttons Bluetooth (functions as BT speaker) Unexpected Features That I Like: Dimming of display Weekday/weekend setting for alarm Station display info (from RDS) Negative: Can't distinguish buttons by feel Can't get RDS time to work I was surprised that it was difficult to find the things I wanted in an alarm clock radio. The biggest surprise was how many had their speakers facing to the rear! That was absolutely unacceptable for me. The Sangean RCR-20 met all my requirements and had the desired options. It was a little more than I wanted to pay, but I decided to invest in it. The speakers, which face the front, are acceptable. I listen to talk radio and music. The sound is fine. I have the FM antenna strung up the side of a bookcase, so that helps the FM signal come in clearly. I don’t listen to AM much, but it comes in fine as well. (I live in metro Portland, OR. So, stations are close.) The presets work well. I set and forget about them. The USB charging port comes out the back. I don’t sleep with my phone by my side, but it’s a nice option to have in case I need to charge something and have it at my bedside. I didn’t think I needed the weekday/weekend alarm setting, but I love it. Now I don’t have to reset my alarm on the weekends. And, I don’t unexpectedly awaken at 6:30 on Saturday mornings because I forgot to change the alarm. I wanted to have a dual alarm that could use the radio as an alarm as well as a buzzer. I set the radio to come on, then the buzzer goes off 15 minutes later. It helps me wake up more easily that way. I have played music from my phone through the Bluetooth speaker. It sounds great and was easy to set up. I love the display. I am starting to not see as well as I used to, so I need a decent sized readout. The display has about 7 brightness levels. I have it on the 4th or 5th level. My husband woke in the middle of the night and thought I was on my Kindle reading when he saw the glow. It doesn’t bother me, though. It cycles through the brightness setting using the snooze button, so it’s very easy to change. I also like the station display info. I didn’t think that was a big deal, but it’s a nice convenience. Some stations just display their call letters, some display the song that’s currently playing. The main negative I have with the alarm clock is that you can’t distinguish the buttons by feel. I have put a clear rubber bumper on the on/off switch so I can turn off my alarm more easily. See the photo. I also had trouble with the RDS time function. I set the clock to the RDS CT time setting. I didn’t know if it was working, so I tested it when Daylight Savings Time started. I knew that it wouldn’t change unless my radio was on. So, I turned my radio on the morning of the first day to see what happened. I waited about half an hour, and nothing happened. I changed it to 4 or 5 other RDS stations and waited at each one. Still nothing. So, I just set the time manually. I read that the time on RDS stations is sent once a minute. Perhaps that’s not true. Regardless, that’s not something I’m going to rely on. Overall, I’m very pleased with my purchase. I’m hoping this alarm clock will serve me for years to come.

I am so pleased with my new Sangean RCR-20 clock radio, I wondered what others were unhappy about. The biggest complaints were poor AM reception, and low Bluetooth playback. I compared the RCR-20 with two AM radios and found it generally comparable. Radio-Locator.com lists six AM stations I should receive in my zip code, and the RCR-20 picked up five; the sixth came in when I rotated the radio for the best reception. However, only four were noise free enough for regular use. For AM, you'd want to listen to a strong local station. The low Bluetooth complaint is justified. I needed to set the RCR-20 and my Galaxy smartphone near maximum volume, but then got clean, room-filling sound. Another complaint was difficult programming. I am very sensitive to that and returned another model because it was too confusing. The RCR-20 is digital, and therefore more complex than older radios. You need to hold some buttons down, and that is not intuitive, but I learned the pattern quickly. Some complaints are personal opinions about appearance and sound quality. I find the radio good looking for any room, and the sound exceptionally clear for a small radio, even at maximum volume. The RCR-20 does not have an atomic clock--it does not receive the government time signals from Fort Collins or Hawaii. Instead, it receives less reliable time and text signals from some local FM stations. If you tune the RCR-20 to one of these FM stations, you will see text under the time on the display and the clock and calendar will be set. The setting is retained if you then tune to AM or to an FM station that does not transmit these signals. The time will be wrong if you tune to a station in another time zone or to a station that does not transmit time signals when Daylight Saving Time changes. For more information, read the Wikipedia article on Radio Data System. An advantage of the RCR-20 is that it displays RDS so you can read the station name, programming type like Rock Music, and the title of the song. To explore complaints about backup I did some experoments and came away very pleased. The RCR-20 wakes you up on time even if the power is off and has been off for hours. If you set it to wake up to radio,and the power goes off, it buzzes instead (beeps really). One quirk: It the radio is playing when the power goes off, it won't turn on until you press the On/Off button. Finally, some users complained that they could not locate the buttons by feel. Three suggestions: use the remote control buttons, don't touch any buttons and the radio will go off in an hour, or fasten a small shirt button on top of the RCR-20 button (but don't let any glue get inside). In conclusion, no buyer's regrets--I'm very satisified with the RCR-20.

Reason I’m giving it three stars is because it has a good sound both a.m. and FM stations. After three years, the lights are starting to dim on the dials and controls in even the clock. It has never worked for me as far as daylight saving time goes must change it manually myself. And sometimes the alarm have not gone off or worked properly. Isn’t very easy to change or manipulate the functions and this RADIO also it does not charge any of my new iPhones.

Review updated 10-26-2019: New problem. The LEDs that are under the buttons are starting to go out and no longer illuminate the buttons at night. I cannot trust this product lasting for extended time. Manufacturer support website does not load. One star! Original review: My biggest problem is the clock function itself. This is also the reason I decided to write a review. After all this is a clock-radio but the RCR-20 does not do a good job of being an accurate clock. I am writing this review today, March 11 2019, the day after Daylight Saving Time (DST) took affect. In the RCR-20 the clock does not resync automatically and also does not update for DST as I expected it to do at 2am last night (March 10, 2019)! I left for work at 3 am and the time did not adjust for DST at 2am. It also was not adjusted when I came come at 1:30pm. I had to do it myself so I looked in the manual and DST does not appear anywhere in the manual! So guys forget about DST! Having the radio set the clock automatically would require you to follow several MANUAL steps from the manual below so I hardly call this automatic. ***** The following taken straight from the manual on Sangean website ***** When you set the clock time using the RDS function, your radio will synchronize its clock time whenever it tunes to a radio station using RDS with CT signals. 1. When tuning to a station transmitting RDS data, press and hold the Info/Menu button to enter the menu setting. 2. Rotate the Tuning control knob until a clock symbol appears on the display. Press and release the Tuning control button to enter the setting. 3. Rotate the Tuning control knob until “RDS CT” appears on the display. Press and release the Tuning control button to confirm the setting. The clock time of the radio will set up automatically according to the RDS data received. 4. When the action is completed, the RDS icon will appear on the LCD display indicating the radio time is RDS clock time. The radio clock time will be valid for 2 days each time the radio time is synchronized with RDS CT. ***** I do not understand the last line above at all! Do they mean that the radio is only guaranteed to be accurate for 2 days? Do they mean that if you listen to that same station it will automatically readjust the time every 2 days? I don't know. I do not listen to the station I used to set the clock initially. In my experience the clock has lost approximately 56 seconds in 5 months since initial setting when I received it Nov 9 2018. So it is approximately 1 minute behind my other clocks that reset themselves automatically on a regular basis (cell phone, atomic wall clock and computers). Of course this would not matter if the radio would self adjust the time every so often like the other devices I mentioned. The radio has good quality sound but is behind on the technology to keep the time accurate. I have not tested the NFC and Bluetooth functions so I cannot comment on them and I assume they work otherwise the radio would not get over 4 stars from other reviewers as it has now. I would not recommend this radio for time accuracy.

I wanted to replace my old am/FM clock radio that I have had for years. Well before I got married....The fast forward button to set the clock or alarm was broke, so I would have to continually hit the slow button forever until it got to the time I wanted. I started looking for something to replace it, and came across this item. I LOVE IT!!!!! It came with actual directions on how to set it up which was great. Once I figured it out, it was pretty easy to do. Not hard at all. What I love about this radio is it actually has AM and FM on it. Most that I looked at only had FM. I listen to AM radio more, so I really wanted AM as well. I also like that to set the clock or alarms, you turn a dial. No more clicking buttons forever. All of the buttons are lit up so they are easy to see. I think the directions forgot a step when connecting the radio to Bluetooth. The radio does have to be turned on to do this. Then you need to hit the "source" button. I also like that I can plug my phone into the radio to charge. I was skeptical on paying $90 but it is worth it. The sound is good and once you know how to set everything, it isn't hard at all. I also like that you can dim the display if you think it is too bright. Another great feature is the alarm clock settings. You can set your alarm for "once", "daily" or weekly. So if you get up at the same time each day, you can do daily. It has 2 alarms, so that is nice if you need another alarm for whatever reason. It also has a remote, but I haven't used this yet since getting it. This really is a nice radio. I'm not disappointed in it at all. If you are thinking about getting this, go for it. I don't think you will be disappointed.

Got the Sangean brand for sound quality and product quality. Got the RCR-40 instead of earlier models for Bluetooth 5.0 upgrade, dial-driven user interface, and real wood veneer. Very solid-feeling unit with perfect fit and finish. Sound is excellent for this classical/jazz musician/audiophile! It is only a bedside clock radio, so don't expect to host a dance party with it. Tone is a bit "boomy", but bass and treble controls go from +5 to -5. I have treble at +5, bass at -3, and turn on loudness to boost both. The sound is far superior to my cherished (and broken) Sony Dream Machine of 30 years. If the RCR-40 lasts for even 5 years it will be well worth the high price tag over cheaper off-brands. You can listen to radio, Bluetooth, or aux. Two convenient front charging USB ports (not for USB input - charge only). I imagine there are USB-to-aux adaptors out there if you really must hardwire a USB source. Wake to buzzer or radio, two separate alarms with daily, weekdays, weekends, or once - plus individul wake-up volumes and station selection. Sleep to radio or blue tooth (or aux I assume). Cautions: 1. The "buzzer" is actually a chirp, and pitch is kind of high, so may be too high for some seniors to hear even at full volume. If so wake to radio at loud volume. 2. User manual is excellent and extensive, so plan to spend at least 2 hours with your unit on the kitchen table getting used to the interface and many great functions. Keep the manual handy - you will need it for reference. The large top knob is volume control in normal mode, but acts like a mouse in menu mode (press down on knob to "click" an item, rotate knob to scroll through items and settings - be sure to click to cofirm a setting or it will revert). If you are impatient or easily frustrated learning new things then be prepared - but it's really impressive once you get the hang of it. 3. "Sleep Timer" instructions are misleading. You have to press and KEEP HOLDING DOWN the Power button. While you hold it down, the power will switch off, then it will enter sleep timer mode, then it will scroll through 60 mins, 45 mins, etc. Only release Power button when it at long last gets to the sleep time you want. Kind of a pain to figure out and use, but I'll get used to it. 4. Two AA backup batteries are not included (not necessary for operation, but to hold settings and time in power outage). Two AAAs not included for remote (again not necessary for unit operation, only if you want to use the remote). 5. The large display is very easy to read, although the dimmest setting is a bit too dim and the next step a bit brighter than I would like.

It’s a good clock radio with outstanding features. I’ve had it for a week with no problems. The remote gives me flexibility of where to place the radio. In my area the reception is excellent if I extend the FM Antenna. I set my screen brightness to 2 at bedtime and 3 at other times. The brightness can be turned off or go as high as 7 which is very bright. The controls on top are illuminated according to the dimmer settings. It has Bluetooth pairing, audio out socket, usb A for charging a phone via your cable. The setup is ok after reading the user manual. This is a chunky radio, so make sure you have room on your bedside table to accommodate it and your lamp and other things. You will notice the price on Amazon is at the top end for clock radios, but I think it’s worth it. It’s made in the U.S.A. or most of it is.

We wanted a bedroom clock radio with good sound. We tried the WR-2 and the WR-22, but settled on the RCR-40. Sound: It’s better than most other clock radios, but not as good a some higher end table radios that double as clock radios. For example, the Sangean WR-2 and the WR-22 sound better. True, the RCR-40 has stereo speakers, but they are so close together that one does not get much stereo effect. A pessimist might describe the sound as a bit boxy, while an optimist might call it “mellow”. In either case, it’s much more pleasant than normal clock radios. The sound characteristic can be somewhat altered, as it has loudness, bass and treble controls. If you want better sound, with proper stereo, then get the WR-50 with the external speaker, although it lacks a balance control. Functions: AM and FM reception is about as good as most of the other radios I’ve used. On the other hand, there are no external antenna terminals, making this a poor choice for those far from radio stations. The controls are quite intuitive, apart from the menu system for setting it up; you’ll need to refer to the instruction sheet the first few times. Bluetooth paired easily with no noticeable delay. I did not try the auxiliary 3.5 mm socket. The presets work easily—hold one of them down and the current station is memorized. The remote control is reasonably sized, much better than the tiny ones that come with the WR-2 and WR-22. The two USB (charge-only) ports on the front are handy. Display: The display has lighted characters with a black background. This is what you want for a clock radio, as it does not flood a bedroom with light. There are three levels of luminance, and an off. Also, the display somewhat adjusts to the ambient light to keep the display visible without having to mess with the brightness control. In contrast, the WR-2 has a lit background with black characters, rendering it nearly useless as a bedroom radio, as it's more of a night light. The WR-22, on the other hand, has a similar display to the RCR-40, making it a good choice if you want a bedroom radio with excellent (mono) sound. Internet (Wi-Fi) Radio: While the RCR-40 lacks Internet radio, it is dirt simple to overcome this. An old cell phone can be turned into an Internet streamer by installing Audials Play, or any of its competitors. No phone service is necessary, as the stream comes in via Wi-Fi. Connect the cell phone to the RCR-40 via Bluetooth and use one of the two USB charging ports to keep the cell phone battery topped up. Voilà, the RCR-40 now has Internet radio. This is better than buying an actual Internet radio, because they all use an aggregator; aggregators have a bad habit of going out of business, which turns an Internet radio into an expensive piece of e-garbage. With a cell phone, if your chosen Internet radio app ceases to receive radio streams, one can simply install another one.

El pedido llego en buen estado y un dia antes de lo programado. Respecto al radio-despertador funciona excelente, el sonido muy bien.

Es pequeño, sí, pero cuando se activa la función loudness su sonido es impresionante a bajo volumen. Obviamente no es para hacer una fiesta en un gran salón, sin embargo, más que un simple reloj es un radio para disfrutar por su calidad de sonido. Por si fuera poco, la pantalla es ideal para ver la hora en la noche sin que moleste la luz. Justo lo que estaba buscando. Sangean es de las mejores marcas de radio que conozco.

Very good sound quality, easy to use, screen large and clear and has a very handy remote control. I highly recommend this quality product.