Product Description

Listen to over 10,000 Internet Radio Stations and stored media, wireless or wired, fulll range stereo spkrs.,

Product Details

• Color: High-gloss piano black
• Brand: Sangean
• Model: WFR-20
• Dimensions: 4.50" h x 11.50" w x 8.50" l, 8.65 pounds

Features

• Wired or wireless connection
• Infrared remote control
• Large, easy to read 3 line display
• High quality full-range stereo speakers
• Play your music collection from your computer

Amazon.com Product Description
The Sangean WFR-20 Wi-Fi Internet Radio offers direct access to over 6,000 internet radio stations and 21,242 on-demand streams in 250 locations from 60 genres. This allows you to drill down your search quickly and conveniently from your radio. You can also use your favorite web browser and a computer to search for specific stations and upload those stations to your radios. The "MY Stations" folder allows quick and easy access to your most desired stations. Don't find your favorite internet station on the list? Just submit the station to the website and it will be researched and added to the list, available for all of the current 14,000+ subscribers. Don't have a computer? Not a problem with the WFR-20. It still provides you access to the same internet radio stations and is designed to work as a completely independent stand alone unit anywhere in your home, office or dorm. All you need is a broadband internet connection and a wired or wireless router. Used in conjunction with your wired/wireless networked computer and Windows Media Player you have full access to your digital media library using the UPnP Server, or simply your Microsoft Shared File Folder function in MP3, AAC, WMA, FLAC, Real Media, and AIFF formats.

Customer Reviews

A good quality radio
I have just recently purchased a Sangean WFR-20. Here are my initial thoughts. (I will update this posting with additional information, if necessary).

Sound Quality: Good dynamic response for such a small unit, at both low and high volume levels. The unit has a reflex port on the rear which boosts the bass. There is also a noticeably good stereo separation on high bit-rate streams (e.g Radio Paradise).

Build Quality: Heavy duty case**, very solid and sturdy construction. My only minor criticism is that the 'tuning' knob is slightly wobbly, and taints an otherwise robust design.

Software Quality: The radio uses the Reciva software. This is reliable, but seems a tad buggy. For example, when attempting to load "My Stations" while simultaneously listening to a Podcast, it displays a menu load error; Of course, this is not a fault of the WFR-20 itself, and I am certain that firmware quirks like this will eventually be resolved by future `online' firmware upgrades. The Reciva website is easy to use, and I had no problem registering and setting up my radio's station, stream and podcast lists. The Reciva forums are also a good source of information, for example if you have questions regarding setup, connection to Premium streams etc ...

Usability: I found the navigation of the menu system to be straight-forward, using either the `tuning' knob or the remote control. The instructions are almost redundant because the menu system is quite intuitive. The three line display is sufficient to browse station/tracks lists and the horizontal scrolling feature effectively allows long track names to be displayed. That said, I am aware that some less tech-savvy users might disagree with this analysis; the radio's features are not quite as simple as a normal table-top FM/DAB unit, and the display is not what I would consider to be large, or crystal clear. So beware if your fingers are a little stiff, or your eyesight is a little tired,

Connectivity: I had no problems setting up the WFR-20, on our home network. I use a WRT54G Linksys with WEP in B/G mixed mode. After initial configuration I was able to instantly access, browse and play Internet Radio stations and access my WAV encoded music library (Twonkymedia on an NSLU2).

Cost: The WFR-20 is what I would consider to be an expensive unit, when compared to other Reciva based radios. Shop around, because you may find a bargain!

Conclusion:

I am very happy with the WFR-20. It provides me the access to the BBC listen again/on demand streams, which is the primary reason for the purchase. While expensive, the sound quality is better than I expected and the unit has a definite quality feel ... reminiscent of early transistor radios in Bakelite cases! I would recommend the WFR-20 as a good WiFi table-top radio, with any caveats previously mentioned. Internet Radio is still in its early stages, and I would consider this to be a great table-top radio to enjoy the new technology!

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** Regarding the case material: I believed this to be plastic when I first wrote the review, however I stand corrected! (Please see first comment). 11/22/07

Does well what it is advertised to do
This internet radio does well what it is advertised to do. It took me five minutes to set it up to work with my Linksys wireless router. I was able to save a large number of favorite stations as "My Stuff" after registering the radio at the Reciva Radio Portal. The single button/dial system is not difficult to use and, at night-time, in the dark, offers advantages over multi-button sytems.

Pros: Ease of use and set up; the Reciva linked system which enables easy access to thousands of radio stations and streams without having to use a computer; Real audio enabled, which the Roku R1000 is not, allowing listening to many streams, especially great BBC on demand streams, that cannot be picked up the Roku R1000.

Cons:
1. Low power speakers - will be sufficient for many listeners,but audiophiles will want to connect higher powered speakers, i.e. Logitech or Creative, via the auxilliary line out.

2. Does not accept DRM protected files. This deficiency is clearly stated in literature about the radio, and was, thus, not unexpected. Thus, Napster, and other media service files cannot be played on the radio. I do not think there is any device that plays both DRM protected files and Real audio streams, thus, when purchasing internet radio devices, it is necessary to choose between a device such as the Roku R1000, that plays premium service files, but has limited radio stream access, and a device such as the WFR-20 that does not play premium service files, but has extensive radio stream access. This is probably the most difficult decision that any purchase of these devices has to make. Since I enjoy listening to on-demand BBC streams, I opted for the for the WFR-20. I may one day add on a Roku M1000-like device so as to be able to access Napster, especially if Reciva does not add access to DRM streams, as they are, apparently, trying to do. The WFR-20 is not the right device for someone uninterested in international radio broadcasts seeking a device to wirelessly play their premium service playlists/downloads.

3. The clock is only visible consistently when the radio is in standby mode (off).

4. It would be nice if Reciva expanded the genres, eliminated radio stations that failed their listening tests, and subdivided the US stations by state.

5. Some reviewers on the internet have complained that this radio does not pick up analog AM/FM radio stations. I do not see this as a disadvantage. The internet radio probably picks up the local stations digitally via the internet better than most analog radios can pick them up, and a much less expensive conventional radio can be used to pick these stations up.

It can be useful, when looking for reviews, to know that the Sangean WFR-20 is the same as the Roberts WM-201 internet radio. The Roberts name is used in the United Kingdom, and the Sangean name is used elsewhere, including in continental Europe. Although the manual has pictures of the radio with 220 voltage input, the radio, as sold from Amazon in the U.S. has the U.S. 120 voltage input.

All that I wanted
I ordered this radio after doing a great deal of on-line research, frustrated that American retail electronics stores for the most part don't stock internet radios, thus leaving consumers without an opportunity for in-store inspections. The radio arrived this afternoon, I had it configured within minutes of opening the box, and it's playing splendidly in the background as I write this. The sound quality is much better than I expected for this size unit (though I'd hoped for good sound given this price). Another pleasant surprise is that the navigation is much simpler than I'd expected, given the solitary knob that controls everything. AND, this radio performs much better as a media streamer than most products currently on the market for that purpose. After fooling around with radio stations for a while, I started streaming music from my immense collection on a hard drive in another part of the house -- One selling point is that the Sangean can play lossless files in the FLAC format -- On the whole, this item surpassed all my expectations.