Exceptionally good and delightfully small
There are lots of pocket radios less expensive than this one, but I've never found one that works better or has the same quality feel. I bought it to listen to on my motorcycle. I put it in my jacket pocket and put the earphone in one ear, leaving the other ear open for safety. The sound quality is very good through either the provided earphone or through the radio's speaker. Please note that the earphone cord serves as the FM antenna so you will need to leave the earphone connected when listening to more distant FM stations, even through the speaker. (Unlike many other audio devices, connecting the earphone doesn't silence the speaker; instead there's a switch on the back that lets you select to listen through the speaker or the earphone. This way you can leave the earphone connected to serve as an FM antenna even if you're using the speaker).
AM reception is stunning for a radio this size. I've never seen anything like it. Only a few of the much larger portable radios I have will outdo this tiny Sony on AM. FM reception is very good too but sometimes you have to move the earphone wire around some to optimize the signal. The only thing I'd change on this radio is to include an FM telescoping antenna, even a small one, so you would not need to carry the earphone with you if using only the speaker.
If you are old enough to remember the days when pocket radios were used more widely than they are today, you'll appreciate this radio. If you're trying to guess the size from looking at the picture, you're probably thinking it's bigger than it is. Imagine a typical pocket radio shrunk down to about 1/2 to 2/3 size. In fact, this radio is smaller than a deck of cards, yet the controls work smoothly, making this ICF-T46 easier to operate than you'd guess it would be, given its size. I have seen bigger radios that have much fussier tuning dials than this one, for example.
Designed for the Japanese market, this radio has the 76-108 FM band used in that country, but of course the United States FM band is part of that, so the only disadvantage for users in the US is that the stations are a little closer together than usual. It also omits the very top of the expanded US AM band (1610-1700) so if your favorite station falls in that very top part of the AM dial, this radio might not be the one for you.
The cool factor of this radio is second to none if you appreciate retro technology that's been honed to perfection. If the pocket radio you had as a kid got four or five stations, as mine did, you'll be amazed at how the dial of this very small radio literally comes to life. And if you like products that are obviously among the best available in their respective markets, here's the best pocket radio I've ever seen.
Verified purchase: YesCondition: New