Had this radio been free of bugs I would have rated it higher...While the English manual is better than nothing it still lacks a few critical details...Especially, the timed recording functions..The AM/FM/SW reception is absolutely superb for such a small radio...The mp3 player is good but lacks some of the sophisticated features of pure mp3 players..The recorder is adequate providing the sound it set high enough or you are close enough for VOP...For a radio of this price and this high quality of reception its a very good value...Originally the radio had v1.5 firmware and froze upon trying to exit the mp3 player...To reset it I removed the battery which seemed logical...Doing so it booted back up in Chinese but with normal symbols for music, radio, settings...I finally got it back into English after counting down the language and English positions in the menu...I then did some net searching and found a newer firmware v1.7 which I installed...After installing it again booted up in Chinese, so again I had to change to English...If you ever remove the battery make sure you have the AC adapter plugged in or it will boot back up in Chinese...Otherwise, the new firmware functions flawlessly...
I was amazed at the reception qualities in all the bands and the mp3 player sounds super when set in the rock mode...Even though the radio has an external extension whip antenna for FM and SW, the radio will also use the headphone wire as an antenna when using them alone...Extending the whip antenna while using headphones improves the FM/SW reception even more...I have 4 radios and all of then use either the whip antenna or headphone wire as an antenna, but not both...So I find this feature very useful to get better reception by using both or using just the headphones while walking or working..The DSP really locks in all stations in all bands, but especially the AM stations...My favorite AM station as night usually requires I set my large radio on local and narrow width to lock out a external station which always seems to creep in...The DSP on the DE 1126 filters out this and all external stations I have encountered...
I did one quick 5 minute alarm set recording to make sure it worked but I haven't tested that too thoroughly...Mainly because my primary recording will be done while I'm present...
The LCD is bright and the rubbery feel exterior is quite cool...
The more I use this radio the more I like it...After using it for a week I would rate it a 5, but honestly there was a huge learning curve along with searching and firmware installation to accomplish this...A user shouldn't have to do this so therefore the 4 rating...Then again, this is a Chinese radio that really hasn't been totally integrated into English as of yet...
If you can handle what I've mentioned above, then get this radio and you'll be amazed at the quality and reception...
Update: 8-10-2011
I have downgraded this radio down to a "3"...It now locks up at various times for no apparent reason, even with changing the firmware...I have to remove the battery and convert the Chinese menu to English every time after charging..This reminds me of the problems when I had a computer years ago which ran solely of DOS...Very frustrating and totally not cool in this age of electronics...
kd
Gone through this unit with fine tooth comb and everything works as advertised. The AM, FM and SW reception is good and clear with no complaints. The internal AM antenna is directional so weak distant stations will require the product face a set direction, but no positioning problem with decent local stations. The built-in stand is a nice feature. On shortwave (SW), flicked it on, did a scan and it stopped at an Australian station (during the day) using the installed antenna and it came in clear with the occasional fade... and this was in a house with lots of electronic noise.
Radio station or voice recordings were absolutely crystal clear. No need to preset the volume... it automatically adjusts. The microphone recorder easily picked up conversation from 12 feet away crystal clear. Can download to the computer allowing you to truly appreciate the microphone quality. There wasn't much difference in recording quality settings... but was slightly superior in the high quality setting with more subtle sound distinction.
Can preset the alarm to play MP3 music, turn on the microphone recorder, or record a radio station you are tuned to. Microphone or radio recording is about 1/2 meg per minute in low quality and 1 meg per minute in high quality. The 4 gigs of storage gives about 65 hours of recording in high quality mode, or over 1,000 songs.
Downsides:
When radio recording, the speaker comes on pretty loud, so it's necessary to plug in headphones to not hear the radio in the background.
The unit is a little complicated to operate and takes a few days to get it all down, but once you understand its operation... it's pretty straight forward. People who are technically challenged or have a slow learning curve might experience some frustration.
Summary:
I seldom write reviews... but this device is worth it. I really like this radio and highly recommend it. Since it's so small, it will be going everywhere with me. Bought a belt pouch to carry it in along with the earbud headphone (I did purchased a better quality and more comfortable earbud than the one supplied). Perfect hiking and traveling companion. Looks like they've worked out the bugs some posters complained about... so don't let them discourage you. I should add, if you are looking for a real simple device, then this is not for you... when a product has this many features, there's always a learning curve.
Buy Degen DE1126 Ultra-Thin AM/FM/SW Radio with 4GB MP3 Player, Voice Recorder & E-book Reader Now
I Have had this for a month, used it almost every day and I really dig it. The Shortwave reception is amazingly good for such a tiny device with a tiny whip antenna. Strong broadcasters are quite clear. The DSP cleans up the signal really well.AM reception is not as good, due to tiny internal loop antenna. But I can get weather and traffic on a Chicago station,(I live in Northern Indiana) so it's adequate for me.
FM is excellent.
MP3 player is fine.
Most important this works reliably without problems.
I earlier returned a DE-1125 that wouldn't work out of the box.
The DE-1126 is apparently de-bugged.
You do need the English Language Manual to fully utilize this player, though. You can download it online at the Kaito website.
-OZThe Degen DE1126 is a great little am/fm/sw radio, mp player, recorder & voice recorder.
Good sound, good reception and good looking. It does everything you may want from a latest generation radio and has 4mb storage. However, the Kaito 801 is doing all the same and is actually thinner (although a tick wider), but costs $ 20 less at Amazon. Note: It has 4MB built in storage, even if the the text is stating 2MB.
Both are from the same manufacturer and I assume that both are much alike inside. I couldn't spot any difference in performance, only the minor body size variations and that the areal of the Degen is slightly longer.
If you want to save the 20$ go for the Kaito KA 801, if you want the slightly more upmarket looks, have the Degen DE 1126. Booth are highly recommend and available at Amazon.Update March 2013: Make sure the screw at the bottom (not the back) of the radio doesn't come loose or fall out. It holds the antenna. Trouble if this happens! Try not to twist the antenna as you extend it.
First thing, I had to switch from the Chinese display to English. That was a formidable task, until I found N9EWO's improved version of the owner's manual online. I'm not sure I could have managed without that; the included Degen manual was inadequate.
Careful opening the battery compartment! The tab is quite firm and I can see accidentally breaking it if care is not used.
FM/AM reception are fine where I live (NYC). Can receive a Cleveland AM station at night. Sound over the little built in speaker is like a pocket radio; over earphones really good, even the AM band sounds almost-high-fidelity. The radio performance seems much like my Sangean DT200, which I consider to be about as good as a pocket radio can be.
Shortwave: wasn't picking up too much here in Brooklyn, even with a long indoor wire antenna. But I don't have another SW receiver for comparison.
I use the MP3 player for podcasts and that works and is convenient; a would be nice to have: the display only shows the filename, wouldn't mind seeing other file tags.
The radio feels like a quality item; example: the earphone jack is very tight. A good sign in a new radio.
So far, I feel comfortable recommending this radio.
Save 50% Off
No comments:
Post a Comment