Home > Consumer Reviews > Sony SRFH4 Analog Tuning AM / FM Headphone Radio

I already own the previous Sony product, the SRF-H3. That is a fine product for the money, which I use while working out.
So, when I needed another headphone radio, I decided to buy another SRF-H3, but then noticed that Sony had just updated the product as the new SRF-H4.
The new version has been improved in a number of ways:
- The larger ear pad fits more comfortably and don't move from the correct position.
- The FM tuner now does a better job of rejecting adjacent channels (much less bleed-through from other channels).
- Even with the normal setting, the H4 has much better bass than the H3, and in the Mega-Bass position, the bass response is unusually good for a product in this price range. (Not only is this important for current pop music, but it also makes jazz and classical sound more natural.) The increased low end makes the overall response less emphasized towards the high end, which also makes the inherent noise and hiss of AM & FM radio less apparent and thus less annoying. By the way, the response sounds more even with Mega-Bass turned on, indicating that the designers anticipate the product being used by most users with it switched on, and thus provide the off position as a convenience for those who find that much bass annoying.
- The mounting of the speakers directly on the ear pieces is more solid, and eliminates the possibility of the sort of breakage mentioned in customer reviews of the H3.

Note that the product is extremely inexpensive and thus one ought not to expect the sort of sound quality you might get if you spend "three figures". However, most of the inadequacies are in what is missing (instrumental tonality and detail, dynamic range, etc.) and thus the product is still pleasant to use. Also, my radio tuning needs are minimal (there are only a few stations here), and as local radio conditions vary quite a bit, it's possible that your situation might require a more expensive tuner. But then again, it might not.

I reserve 5 stars for those high-end units, but I don't see what Sony could do to further improve this product without also having to increase the price.

PS It uses one "AAA" battery (easily available) - I mention this in case Amazon has not yet corrected their information.

Like another reviewer, I had the SRF-H3 model, and loved them - comfortable, secure, decent sound, and *almost* indestructable.

I was hoping these would be "new and improved". Well, they are new... I really do not like them. The electronics/sound seem to be at least as good as the SRF-H3, which is fine, but the new design does not work for me at all, for 3 reasons.

1. The bigger band that goes over the top of the head is almost square - flat on top, instead of curved, so the weight all rests right on the crown of my head.

2. The smaller band, instead of keeping it secure, just loosens up rather than hanging on.

3. The earpads, which were on wobbly stalks on the SRF-H3, to match the angle of the ears, are fixed on this model. so they push more on the rear edges of my ears, and push the headphones forward.

The quality of the electronics and sound don't do much good if the things are a pain to wear. Maybe they will work well for some head shapes, but not for mine. Bummer... Maybe I can find the old model somewhere.

Just received this unit. It is simple and easy to use and has a solid feel. Reception is just fine for my use (bike and bus).

I previously had the older model Sony headset with preset buttons. This new model gets much better reception, is lighter weight and much easier on batteries.

It lacks a backlight on the tuning dial, however, none of the headsets I researched have one. This would be extremely helpful, since I listen to it in bed at night a lot, can't read the dial without turning on a light.

I am a relatively new (2nd season) NFL Season/Ticket holder and had noticed a few people sprinkled throughout the section my seats are in were using head-sets to get the local play by play. I originally purchased a much more expensive Sony Walkman Model #SRF-HMD3V FM/AM & TV they have a verticle sliding interior ear piece that I found very uncomfortable to wear due to limited flexibility. They were difficult to operate and ate up battery power like it was going out of style. There is no comparison to the Sony SRFH14 Analog Tuning AM/M Headphone Radio. It is much less expensive, easy to operate, and I am still only on my first original set of batteries. It is comfortable to wear and the reception is fantastic. One out of two isn't bad? Thank you for another great product!