7 out of 7 people found this review helpful.
BEST LOOKING AND MOST FRUSTRATING RADIO EVER MADE!
Date of Review: May 5, 2009
The Bottom Line: I recommend this Teac if you can find it under $100 and you have reasonable expectations.
I've had this radio for about a year and a half. As you can tell, I have very mixed feelings about it. I've always loved radios, and started first by looking for a Tivoli. They have a model for about $999 that really picqued my interest. However, upon hearing it, I decided it was NOT worth anywhere near that kind of money. The same store had this Teac for something like $299 or so, so I decided to try it out. They had a sample CD to listen to. The sound was good, not great, with a nearly absent midrange, no where near the Tivoli, but at this price I thought I would reassess my needs. I have to say that the Teac SRL50 is the BEST looking table radio out there. It looks both modern and retro simultaneously, but there is nothing gaudy like faux chrome trim like you'd see on Teac's or Crosley's other "retro" radios.
It's built like a tank (it weighs just over 13lbs). VERY solid construction. It's bigger than it appears in the pics, mainly because you can't see behind the radio, where it juts out like an extra 3".
Using the CD/radio functions are easy enough, and they can be accessed on the unit or the remote. One important note: you can ONLY turn on the BASS BOOST from the remote!
So if you lose it, you're sunk. Luckily, there IS a bass control on the unit, fairly well concealed in the right silver cylinder...atop it there is a knob you turn to adjust bass. I keep the bass boost on all the time, and then adjust the bass manually when needed. Therefore, if I ever lose the remote, I can still use the bass boost feature. Setting the clock is not too hard.
However, setting the alarm function is basically impossible without a PHD in quantum physics...push this, but only for 2 secs, then press that button for 4 seconds, quickly press a different button...it's really insane, and I really can't set the alarm!
Since I didn't buy this as an alarm clock, I can live with that.
Soundwise, the sound is merely good...bass response is pretty good at moderate listening levels, but pump up the vol. toom much, and you will hear distortion, especially if the bass boost is engaged. However, if you are sitting with the Teac at ear level, and the music is not too demanding, it has a nice soundstage that is pretty nice. I kept this radio mainly because of its looks. It has beautiful blue accent lighting, at the tops of the silver cylinders, around the 2 circular tuning and volume buttons, and as an added value, underneath the radio also. The color is beautiful, not too bright, yet it can be dimmed if it is too much for you. And, when you turn the unit off, the lights lower slowly, like they would at Radio City or an opera house.
Both FM and AM reception are excellent, probably the best am reception I've ever had in my apt. I listen to a lot of talk radio, and the sound is great for voices.
All in all, this flawed but beautiful radio is a welcome addition to my collection.
Oh, BTW, I paid under $100 on Amazon.com.
I give it 3 stars, including 1 for looks alone.
