Home > Consumer Reviews > Sony SRF-M37V FM/AM/Weather/TV Radio Walkman with 25 Memory Presets

I've had trouble finding a Walkman type radio that works well around Manhattan - FM signal overload and multipath causes noisy reception on most radios in New York City.

The Sony SRF-M37V is the best one I've found so far. It performs better than Sony's previous SRF-M35 model, and it also works better than models I tried from Panasonic and Sangean. While it isn't perfect, the SRF-M37V has a lot less multipath and signal-overload noise than those other models. The local-distant switch does a decent job of cutting down on this kind of interference in the city without killing the stereo separation, and it works much better than the same switch did on the SRF-M35. In "distant" mode, this radio has very good FM sensitivity. However, I'm not able to pull in a couple of my favorite low-powered out-of-town & college stations because those frequencies get overpowered by nearby local signals. I've had the same problem with every other Walkman-type radio I've tried though, so it's not just a fault of this one.

The AM section seems to have good sensitivity too, but the sound quality isn't as crisp as other models, including the SRF-M35. The treble is rolled off so sharply that it sounds rather muffled and you can't hear "S" sounds in normal speech. I know audio quality isn't a priority for AM radio but I've still heard better than this.

Reception on the TV and weather bands seems good, although the audio level is a little low on both. I have to turn up the volume nearly all the way to get a normal listening level.

Overall fidelity is very good at low volume but you can't turn it up very loud before it starts to distort. I expect this is because it runs on a single AAA battery so the headphone amp is probably underpowered. Stereo separation is great. There seems to be a bit of bass boost built in, which is not switchable, so the bass is the first thing to distort at higher volume levels. The supplied headphones sound like typical cheap Walkman phones, and aren't as good as the ones that came with the SRF-M35. This radio will sound much better if you get some better headphones.

There is a battery status indicator, which is useful. There is also a clock but the time won't show in the display unless you turn the radio off.

The bottom line is this is a very good radio. It's small, the presets make it easy to tune, and the TV and weather bands are fun to have. If all you need is a Walkman that does a good job at picking up radio I don't think you'll beat this one, especially for the price.

As I write this review the Sony SFR is 28.52 on Amazon (I bought mine on Amazon recently for 30 and I've seen it as high as 39). It is a digital radio with over-the-ear headphones (on the cheap side) and manual volume control. The AM is A grade. The FM is B minus as the NPR stations here in LA, 89.3 and 89.9, suffer a little static. Overall build quality is high. The SFR has a clip for my pants. Having said all this, I'm giving the SFR to my wife and I'm keeping my other pocket radio, the Sangean DT 180, which I purchased on Amazon for about 36 dollars. Currently, Amazon is charging 38.51 for it. For me, but not everyone, the Sangean is slightly better when compared to the Sony SFR. Here's the breakdown. AM reception is a tie. FM goes to the Sangean, which gets worse reception than the Sony for 89.3 but no static at all for 89.9. Regarding FM, all pocket radios seem rather weak in this regard since there is no telescopic antenna. The Sangean has no clip but is smaller than the Sony so it can fit inside my pocket. The Sangean doesn't have manual tuning. It has digital toggle feature with numerical increments. I like this feature. The Sangean has ear-canal headphones, which can be dangerous to hearing so be careful. All in all, both radios are almost equal with slight variations in features, which will become a matter of preference. For me, I prefer the Sangean. But currently it is 10 dollars more than the Sony, and I'm not sure it's worth that much more. Either way, you're getting an apex pocket digital radio.

I love this walkman..I wish it had a seek button. You can't automatically go to the next strongest station, but I do like the five direct pre sets..very easy to use and quite convenient. When travelling find five stations you like and punch them in. Usually most people would find five sufficient. The AM reception is exceptional. The local distant switch is a help on FM, even though there is still multi-path interference in a city even with the local switch on.The size is great and I use it often when traveling. Highly recommended.

I've had this handheld AM/FM/TV/WeatherBand radio for half a year now and it gets the job done and then some! I live in New Jersey and listen to NY stations of radio and TV with clear sound.. Couldn't be more pleased with being able to hear FM/AM radio and morning TV news from ABC2, NBC4, FOX5, UPN9,WB11, NEWS12 .
(Reception can vary depending where you live im sick of bad reviews I've seen on mp3 players with the same FM/AM/TV/ tuner feature)

The GOOD:
* Digtal buttons makes scaning stations simple
* Preset buttons lets you jump to favorites quick
* Has 25 preset channels
* Has Digtal Clock on display

* Works on a single AAA battery
* Has battery indicator on the digtal screen
* Has long battery life

* Sound is Good/Great Quality
* Volume is Loud

* Found Reception Great indoors and outdoors (varys in subways or basements)

* Small and Lightweight
* Fits in back/front pockets
* Belt clip is handy for on the job
* Fits in palm of hand for jogging or biking

The BAD:
* I couldn't pick up more then 1 or 2 weather bands and they sound fuzzy at times.

* I hardly use AM radio due to it's fuzzy sounding quality.

* Reception could be stronger for subways or building basements.

* Comes with headphones that are easy to break..better off with ear bud headphones.

((Price is little high but it's a Sony! THANK YOU FOR READING))

Not a bad unit, but if you are excersizing outside at night, which happens alot in late fall/winter/early spring, you will have no idea what you are listening to since there is no backlight on display and the WB button blends in with the 5 preset buttons (as explained in other reviews) which inadvertantly shoots you to weather reports. The BAND button is ackward to find off to the side. The MAIN dissapointment is that there is no SEEK or SCAN button- a user has to press the up or down tune buttons(nice small size by the way, for feeling), which causes you to hear alot of static between stations and then you end up passing stations, then having to go back a bit to get tuned in. Then you have to start the whole process over and over again until you find a station you like. The preset buttons are nice in the day when you can see if you are on the lower 5 FM stations or the upper 5 preset stations, but at night you have no idea which FM set of presets you are on- very frustrating.

The best thing about this unit is how solid it feels with its well built clip and the textured buttons. Its curved on the backside to follow the contour of your waist, so it doesn't get caught on things on the sides. Reception is great on AM like the person in Kansas explained, good on FM, great on TV, and poor on Weather Band.

Sangean radios have awesome tuning. Sangean does make units with SEEK and SCAN though which are great features! Their DT-110 has awesome sound and tuning, but no TV or Weather. Their carry cases are really cheap and flimsy- I don't understand why they make a radio with such great tuning and sound and then try to save a buck or two on the cheap cases. After all, they are high end in the price range and people that are paying 70 -80 dollars on their units will be greatly dissapointed with the plastic cases.

All these units come with compromises and after trying 2 Sony's and 2 Sangean's I chose this Sony. The price is the lowest of the 4 units I compared (I took the other 3 back to the stores which is a hassle, but the stores never demo these units- They demo cameras, but why they don't demo these small radios is beyond me). But at least we can use this great forum provided by Amazon to read each others comments- Thanks Amazon!