I frequently use my laptop at my kitchen counter and I like to stream music while I work. I'd been plugging my computer into a JBL 200ID iPhone speaker dock, but I was getting tired of having almost no audible bass in my music. I wanted to get a better sound without spending a fortune, but there were few speakers for $100 or less that were an improvement over the JBL. (A 2.1 computer speaker system would probably have done the trick cheaply, but this is a kitchen counter, not an office desk.) I'd heard good things about Tivoli and Sangean radios, so I thought I'd try them out. They have aux-in jacks, so I could still connect my speaker, and having a radio would mean I could listen to basketball and football games while working or cooking.
After some research I decided I couldn't afford the Tivoli, so I ended up with a Crosley CR221, and then a Sangean WR-11. Here's the comparison of those two radios:
The Crosley CR221
I got the Crosley first. I liked the retro look--kind of an art deco or old aviation theme. My wife liked it too. She wasn't a fan of the look of most speaker docks in the kitchen, but this is one she was actually happy to have. The Crosley is very compact, and can sit reasonably close to the wall, though plugs do stick out the back. The plug is a small A/C adapter. One nice feature that the Crosley has is a selector switch that can choose between "Off", "FM", "AM", AND "Aux". As other reviewers have said, the Crosley does have a surprising amount of bass for such a little unit.
Unfortunately, as much as I liked the style of the radio, there were a few flaws which led me to try the Sangean WR-11 instead. First, the AM radio reception was not as good as I'd hoped. Our major local sports station does not come into my house very cleanly. My cheap stereo tuner in the living room can pick it up, but with a fair amount of static. I had hoped that the Crosley, designed first and foremost to be a radio, would do better. Unfortunately it did much worse. No matter where I put it in the house I could barely get the station. Secondly, despite having some bass, the Crosley just didn't sound very good with music. I was really disappointed because other reviewers had described it as having good sound. Maybe they were just surprised that such a small radio could reproduce bass notes. It did produce more bass than my old JBL speaker, but there's more to good sound than bass, and it just didn't have a pleasant overall sound that makes you want to listen. I was disappointed enough that I decided I needed to try something else. Enter the Sangean...
The Sangean WR-11
The Sangean, like the Crosley, looks good in a retro kind of way. I actually like the natural wood look of the Sangean better. The Sangean is a bit bigger than the Crosley, both in depth and width, but it's still small and looks good on a kitchen counter. It uses a regular power cord rather than the wall wart A/C adapter of the Crosley. This is both good and bad. The good side is that the plug takes up little space on your wall outlet, and it's not constantly sucking power even when turned off like A/C adapters do. The bad part is that the cord is thicker and sticks out further from the back of the radio, meaning you can't get it as close to the wall, and it's harder to hide on a countertop. Also, the selector switch doesn't have an "aux in" setting on it like the Crosley. When you plug an auxiliary cable into the back of the Sangean, it automatically switches to aux in. You then can't turn on the AM or FM radio without unplugging the auxiliary cable first. This would be a hassle if I were constantly switching between the radio and my computer, but since I don't switch back and forth too often it doesn't bother me.
After the Crosley, the Sangean was a huge improvement. The first thing I noticed was the sound. It was everything the Crosley was missing. The sound is full, deep, rich, and just sounds great for music. It brought an involuntary smile to my face the first time I heard it. For it's size the Sangean has good, warm bass. It's not overwhelming, and it doesn't have the precision or the depth of a speaker system, but it just sounds good. The rest of the sound is very well balanced. It's shocking to hear such good sound coming from a 3 inch speaker in a small unit like this. Of course, it's not incredibly loud. It's great in my kitchen, but this is not a replacement for a stereo system, and it won't keep up volume-wise with more expensive speaker docks.
The other big improvement over the Crosley is the AM reception. It does much better at pulling in that sports station.
All in all, I highly recommend the Sangean WR-11. It actually costs less than the Crosley, but I would have chosen it even if it cost a bit more. At $80 it's just a great piece of equipment. I'm very satisfied with it.
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From the brand
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Since 1974, SANGEAN has established a reputation for setting a standard for its build, design, sound, and reception. The path to success isn't always smooth, but we pride ourselves on overcoming every obstacle while ensuring that each product is upheld with the same standard.
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Elevate Your Audio World
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From the manufacturer
Established in 1974, SANGEAN Electronics has been engineering and manufacturing world band radios, portable pocket radio equipment, and other advanced audio equipment for over 40 years.
SANGEAN Electronics has established a reputation for manufacturing the highest quality and performance products in the consumer electronics industry. We’ll continue to strive for the best to achieve maximum success for our customers.
AM/FM Analog Wooden Cabinet Radio
SANGEAN WR-11SE
Based on SANGEAN's simple style and elegance as well as the desire to keep radios simple, the tabletop wooden cabinet AM/FM Radio is here. With its acoustically tuned wooden cabinet, large 3” speaker and just 3 rotating knobs, this sensitive and sophisticated radio is easier to control than your average TV that sounds better than most home stereo systems out there. The classic and modern look give your living room, bedroom or even kitchen a brand-new style.
- AM/FM Analog Radio
- Tuning and Band Indicator
- Soft and Precise Tuning
- Deep Bass Compensation
- 3" 6.5-Watts Full Range Speaker with Enlarged Magnet
- AUX-In for Additional Audio Sources Like MP3 Player or Mobiles
- I/O Ports: AC-In/DC-In/Aux-In/REC-Out/Headphone/FM Type-F Antenna Terminal
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AM/FM Analog RadioSANGEAN has always been known for exceptional reception with AM/FM radios, WR-11 is no exception. Other than its wooden retro exterior, this analog radio delivers clear and accurate tunes over all frequencies, so beautiful that you forget you are on air! |
Tuning and Band IndicatorWe know tuning with that knob is rather soothing, but there’s more, the LED indicator on selected band and while tuning makes it even more reassuring getting the best reception possible from your antenna! |
Soft and Precise TuningThe WR-11 features the soft and precise tuning using the rotary dial makes it easy to achieve a strong and stable signal. |
Convenient Multi-Output Connections (Headphone/REC-Out/AUX-In)A 3.5mm AUX-In allows you to connect your favorite devices such as your phones or other portable media player for you to enjoy digital music library on the WR-11. 3.5mm headphone jack for private listening of your favorite radio programming and a REC-Out is available to route your audio output to a recording device are also available for you! |
Compare with similar items
This Item  Sangean WR-11SE AM/FM Table Top Radio 40th Anniversary Edition Walnut |  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | $91.90 | $119.00 | $59.99 | $59.99 | $99.99 | -36% $159.99 List: $249.99 |
| Delivery | Get it as soon as Friday, May 17 | Get it as soon as Thursday, May 16 | Get it May 16 - 17 | Get it as soon as Thursday, May 16 | Get it as soon as Thursday, May 16 | Get it as soon as Friday, May 17 |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| Sound quality | ||||||
| Volume control | ||||||
| Sleep mode | ||||||
| Sold By | Hour Loop | Amazon.com | Abt Electronics | Prunus Store | Amazon.com | VirVentures |
| power source | Corded Electric | Corded Electric | Battery Powered | Battery Powered | Corded Electric | Corded Electric |
| supported bands | AM/FM | 2-Band | AM/FM, AM/FM, AM/FM | AM/FM | AM/FM, AM/FM, AM/FM | 2-Band |
| connectivity tech | Auxiliary | Bluetooth | — | Bluetooth, USB, Auxiliary | Auxiliary | Bluetooth |
| hardware interface | 3 5 mm audio | radio frequency | radio frequency | bluetooth 5 | radio frequency | bluetooth 5 |
| display type | LED | LCD | LCD | — | LCD | Analog |
| power rating | 7 watts | — | — | 15 watts | 6.5 watts | — |
| frequency | 108 MHz | 108 MHz | 108 MHz | 18 MHz | 108 MHz | 108 MHz |
| weight | 6 pounds | 5.2 pounds | 0.88 pounds | — | 5.03 pounds | 4.5 pounds |
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Reviews with images
Third Sangean tabletop radio
2022 Oct bought a WR-16 SE for my wife. We live in Chennai, India. So had to get it shipped internationally. It’s on daily 6.15am to 10.15am. Quite happy with the looks, build quality, sound and reception.Gifted HDR-18 to my son living in Toronto. We were in Toronto last summer and enjoyed HD sound. Again a good looking tabletop radio with awesome sound and reception.So decided to get one for me. I’m 65 year old retired male. Ordered WR-11SE on 24th Jan, 2024. Received on 13th Feb 2024. The wood color is of a lighter shade when compared to the pictures. The front fascia also is slightly different from what I thought it would be. It a has slight golden hue to the metallic finish. I love the looks. Sound quality matches WR -16 SE. Build quality also as good as WR-16SE. I’m able to receive all the 10 FM local stations with good reception quality. I have fixed the wired external antenna which came along with the radio. We have 220v supply in India. So I am using 12v 1A wall wart which I purchased in Amazon India separately. Working good.
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2024
Style: WR-11SEPattern: RadioVerified Purchase
2022 Oct bought a WR-16 SE for my wife. We live in Chennai, India. So had to get it shipped internationally. It’s on daily 6.15am to 10.15am. Quite happy with the looks, build quality, sound and reception.
Gifted HDR-18 to my son living in Toronto. We were in Toronto last summer and enjoyed HD sound. Again a good looking tabletop radio with awesome sound and reception.
So decided to get one for me. I’m 65 year old retired male. Ordered WR-11SE on 24th Jan, 2024. Received on 13th Feb 2024. The wood color is of a lighter shade when compared to the pictures. The front fascia also is slightly different from what I thought it would be. It a has slight golden hue to the metallic finish. I love the looks. Sound quality matches WR -16 SE. Build quality also as good as WR-16SE. I’m able to receive all the 10 FM local stations with good reception quality. I have fixed the wired external antenna which came along with the radio. We have 220v supply in India. So I am using 12v 1A wall wart which I purchased in Amazon India separately. Working good.
Gifted HDR-18 to my son living in Toronto. We were in Toronto last summer and enjoyed HD sound. Again a good looking tabletop radio with awesome sound and reception.
So decided to get one for me. I’m 65 year old retired male. Ordered WR-11SE on 24th Jan, 2024. Received on 13th Feb 2024. The wood color is of a lighter shade when compared to the pictures. The front fascia also is slightly different from what I thought it would be. It a has slight golden hue to the metallic finish. I love the looks. Sound quality matches WR -16 SE. Build quality also as good as WR-16SE. I’m able to receive all the 10 FM local stations with good reception quality. I have fixed the wired external antenna which came along with the radio. We have 220v supply in India. So I am using 12v 1A wall wart which I purchased in Amazon India separately. Working good.
Images in this review
Top reviews from other countries
Jaime L
Buena calidad.
Reviewed in Mexico on March 22, 2024Style: WR-11SEPattern: RadioVerified Purchase
Marlene Body
A great radio but it ships from the US
Reviewed in Australia on February 24, 2023Style: WR-11SEPattern: RadioVerified Purchase
Sreekumar V T
After reading so many reviews stating that the SANGEAN WR 11 is a good radio, I ordered for this product
Reviewed in India on January 26, 2018Style: WR-11Pattern: RadioVerified Purchase
ShigDig63
I have been very happy with this solid little radio to date
Reviewed in Canada on January 27, 2017Style: WR-11Pattern: RadioVerified Purchase
Brunito
Ce que j'attendais
Reviewed in France on July 16, 2014Style: WR-11Pattern: RadioVerified Purchase
