Home > Consumer Reviews > C Crane C CSW Clock Radio with Snooze Alarm

I've been a fan of the original CC Radio Plus for a few years... but now the latest addition to the family is rising up the ranks.

The CC Radio SW, adding shortwave but removing the TV & Weather band, is as good (or better) than its CC-cousin. With many of the same features, incl., lighted dial, alarm & snooze functions, as well as terrific AM reception...and excellent sound, it outperforms most portables of similar size. It has many of the same extras as the Grundig S250, incl., an AM RF Gain knob. Also, separate switches for local & distant AM reception, in addition to operating on 2 types of batteries!! Either 4 AA's or 4 'D size. When plugged-in to the AC adapter, it has the ability to charge the batteries. This of course is only useful if you're using rechargeable cells in the unit. I haven't had this long enough to give a comment on battery usage, although if the key-pad lights are used too often, that will help to drain them quicker. The tuning ability is excellent. The large knob is easy to control and the ability to switch between slow & fast tuning (plus locking it on a frequency) is a nice addition. Another plus; it's very lightweight, and the built in (pop up)handle makes for easy transport.

The only gripes I have is that the small function buttons are a bit difficult to decipher at first due to the tiny print, and I wish there was a way to "lock out" the backlight display when tuning stations, on battery-power... like there is on the original CC.

If you like the CC Radio... you'll like this. Or, if you already have a Grundig, or similar brand, you may want to try the CC Radio SW!

I live in Los Angeles where 103.1, 89.3, and 88.9 FM stations can cause problems with most radios. This is not the case with the C.Crane CSW, a rebadged Kaito 2100, which I had to return after it went bonkers in first 3 weeks.

After a month, the CSW is still going strong and I hope my previous clone was a rare lemon.

CSW Performance:

The FM is the best I've ever experienced, better than my Eton S350DL (excellent) and Kaito 1103 (excellent). Evidencing its strong FM, it does not even need its telescopic antenna fully extended to grab hard to get stations.

AM is also very strong, much better than my Eton S350DL (very good) and a tad less powerful than my Sangean PR-D5. However, the advantage of the CSW over the PR-D5 is that the CSW has AM filters so you can fine-tune RF grain if you're getting AM overload. I haven't had overload problems on my PR-D5, but my friend who lives 2 miles away did have this problem and he was glad to sell his PR-D5 and replace it with the CSW.

Ergonomics

This is a bit weak in regard to preset memories which are half-baked. A radio of this caliber should have direct key entry. Another annoyance: The preset memory button scrolls upwards only so you have to scroll through all 10 presets before getting to the one you want. You'll get to your station just as quickly using the high-speed manual tuning dial.

Sound

The sound is loud, full, but a little flat and some say "harsh." This is not "high fidelity." If you're looking for warm lush sound and don't need short wave, you should check out the Boston Acoustics Horizon Solo ($90-100) or the Sangean PR-D5 ($80).

While not a great music radio, the CSW has treble and bass controls and I find that turning up the treble helps with music.

I think most radio buyers will be better served getting the $80 PR-D5, which gets better AM (but no filters) and 95% of the CSW's FM strength. But if you want SW and want the best FM I've ever tested, the CSW is well worth the $139 price tag.

The CCRadio SW probably has the fullest and richest sound of any portable AM/FM/shortwave radio presently available. I like to set the treble and bass controls both on full, which provides for a beautiful tone for listening to classical music. The sensitivity and selectivity of AM, FM, and shortwave is excellent, and the window provides a large lighted display of the frequency or time.

Now the down side. The buttons, which are quite small, take two or even three tries before they respond. One has to wonder if this might worsen with years of use. The lack of SSB is a terrible omission for shortwave listening. Worst of all, though, is the lack of key pad entry. I realize that old school SWLers won't mind this, but in the digital age it's an unpardonable fault. The frequency can be adjusted only by means of a tempermental scanner or by turning the wheel at one of two speeds, while skipping around using a switch that divides the entire shortwave band into three segments. I find this to be a constant annoyance, since the divisions cannot be over ridden - say - by holding down the scanner. Instead, after reaching the high end of the band division, the frequency jumps back to the bottom again, and then continues in the same direction. In order to reach the other two divisions, you have to turn a switch. This is simply stupid. In addition, the memory system is just terrible. In fact, every time I decide to give this radio a second chance, I begin scanning the shortwave band, but then quickly switch to my Sangean 909, which is so simple to use. I've done this over and over again.

In general, this is an excellent radio for those who listen only to a few stations and leave it at that. But I definitely wouldn't recommend it for the constant scanning that one does with AM or shortwave DXing.

In my opinion, the CCRadio SW has been far over-rated. Again, it excels in the essentials of sound and reception, but it suffers from poor ergonomics. It also lacks the versatility that one expects from modern shortwave radios. In addition, after only a few months my unit developed a major problem with distortion, which made it unusable. The same problem seems to be common with this radio. I'm shipping it back to C. Crane for repairs, and wouldn't mind if I never see it again.

Hopefully, with the next version of this radio, the flaws and omissions will be corrected but the sound the same. For now, however, I could not enthusiastically recommend the CCRadio SW, except to those who listen to the same few stations, and leave it at that.

UPDATE: Because it was under warranty, C. Crane did not charge me for the repairs. The radio is now working fine. The receipt says that the RF board was replaced. C. Crane's service was quick and cordial. This is the advantage of buying a radio from an actual company, rather than from an impersonal virtual network like Amazon!

SECOND UPDATE: The problem has returned as bad as ever, so I've thrown the radio in the trash. Done! I would down grade my rating to one star.

If you purchase this item through Amazon.com, C.Crane will not honor the 12 month warranty. I just spoke to Customer Service at Amazon.com and they will not honor the warranty either. Buyer beware.C Crane C CSW Clock Radio with Snooze Alarm

This is my first c crane radio. I decided to buy it after hearing
about it on the COAST TO COAST AM show and i am pleased with it.

I am an avid a.m. listener and i find it hard to believe that I
paid big bucks for an expensive pioneer receiver before I
purchased this.

For a lot less money and a lot better quality this
c crane radio is far superior in tuning in those hard to reach
a.m. stations.

At night i can even hear a station all the way from IDAHO and
I live in west MICHIGAN!

There is an a.m. rf gain dial, for fine tuning your stations in
during the evening hours, in the case of those irritating night time overlaps.

This radio comes equipped with a twin coil ferrit antenna,
short wave radio,dial speed settings, lots of pre set memory,
an alarm and great f.m. reception. There is also a line out,
so you can plug this into your big expensive stereo receiver( that you may have spent too much money on ).

One of my favorite things about this radio is... you can use rechargeable batteries and recharge them in the radio itself.

This radio is simple enough to use for the normal plug in and play
person and fun enough to tinker with for the gadget persons as well.
I would suggest this for any one who lives in the city or hard to reach places out in the middle of no where.

The only reason why i did not give this radio 5 stars is because it is not AMERICAN made. How ever since nothing is ever really AMERICAN made any more i am happy to say that the company is here in the states for
customer service and sales and happy to report that you wont have to speak to any one in INDIA!

I have had this for a year now and still no problems.
I have NOT had any of the led display problems that have been talked about in regards to this radio in other reviews.