Product Description

WiFi Internet Radio & Media Player

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #22424 in Consumer Electronics
• Color: BLK
• Brand: Sangean
• Model: WFR-1
• Dimensions: 4.25" h x 8.25" w x 13.00" l, 5.00 pounds

Features

• Access over 16,000 Internet Radio Stations
• FM-RDS displays track and artist info during FM radio playback
• 20 FM presets
• Remote control included
• Aux In/Line Out jack

Customer Reviews

Sangean WFR-1 Internet Radio
An internet radio opens up an almost overwhelming number of broadcast streams and for someone like me, who enjoys classical music, there is a wonderful choice of commercial free stations worldwide. I own (or have owned) a number of internet radios;a Slim Devices Squeezebox(!), a Roku Soundbridge R1000, a Revo Pico portable, a Receiva AE and a Sangean WFR-20, but the new Sangean WFR-20 is almost the best of the bunch (I will explain why it is not unequivocally the best in a minute!).
The Sangean WFR-1 is beautifully finished with a polished wooden case, an array of controls on the front panel, including on/off, volume and equalizer (tone control). They are not particularly intuitive but better than the single knob on the WFR-20. There is also a substantial and full function remote control, resembling that of the Roku, rather than the credit-card sized devices that come with Pico and the WFR-20. The amber display is larger than those found on any other set but the Roku (more about this later).
Set-up was very easy (I use an ethernet wired connection to my router but it works with my wi-fi network) and it was playing within a few minutes of unpacking. There is also an FM tuner with a separate antenna. Sound is excellent and far superior to any of the other sets I have owned except Roku, which is almost as good. For this unit, Sangean has gone to Frontier Silicon rather than to Receiva for their streams. Nevertheless, there is an abundance of stations, including Real format so I can get all the BBC channels (a big negative with Roku). There is little delay in receiving streams after switching on and Frontier has a good website where you can set up favorites and add new stations. Playing stored music from my computer via Windows Media Player has been easy and more consistent than with the WFR-20 or AE.
Now for the downside. Despite a larger display that claims to offer four lines of text, there is no control for format (as Roku provides) or for brightness (which the WFR-20 offers). Most frustrating is that Frontier do not stream program information with the station! There is plenty of room for this on the display and such information on content is invaluable because some stations do not provide this audibly; the WFR-20 does this well because it uses the Receiva streams but it would require reprogramming of software by Frontier to have this on the WFR-1. Frontier tell me it is being discussed but they have no plans for implementation! Surprisingly, Sangean, although the 800lb gorilla here, do not seem inclined to pressure Frontier. I have had several conversations with the amiable Selwyn, whom you reach quite easily when you call up technical support at Sangean, and he agrees totally with me and suggests that I contact Frontier (which I did) or write a review to make this point - which I am doing!
So in summary, this is an excellent product with great acoustic performance but marred by small, but irritating, shortcomings in the display. As a result, I gave it 3 stars rather than 5.

Excellent WiFi Radio
I primarily chose this radio over others (including the Logitech Squeezebox) because of its good looks. But it's a very good radio as well. The menu structure is logical, the display is easy to read, there is a cool web interface to easily surf all stations and add them to your favorites. Truly amazing stuff! The sounds is good, though don't expect miracles. It can be a bit boomy at times, but otherwise sounds quite good.

A quick tip: I had the same problem with the WEP setup, it only allows 64-bit WEB encoding (10 characters). However, you simply download the latest firmware (Sangean posted a new version on Nov. 5, 2008) which supports 128 bit encryption! Set your router to 64-bit (for now), connect the radio, then download the update directly over the internet (Under setup menu -> Upgrade). It will download the latest firmware and install it in a minute or so. After that you can set your router back to 128-bit encryption and reconnect the radio, this time you can enter a full 128-bit HEX code! The backlight is still on after you turn the radio off, but it's dimmed. I have this in my office, not the bedroom, but I wouldn't expect this to be a problem.

Truly amazing wi-fi radio - highly recommended!
I've watched this advertized on Sangean's site for a year, impatiently waiting, and finally got it yesteday. Its beautiful in every way. Installed easily, menu to navigate the 16,000 internet radio stations well done, web creation of playlists you can access directly from the radio or your own content on Windows Medida player 11 quite easy. The audio is very good (If the Bose CD desktop is an A, this is a B+ after getting the EQ right.) Most channels CD quality sound. I'm quite ecstatic having this and very highly recommend it.

A few little tips: when putting in your router password, there is a lower case alphabet later in the selection to use, and the remote didn't work great til I put a little paper between the batteries to line them up better, now its flawless. Don't let this lead you to believe this cheaply made, this is a very nicely built, attractive device.