Solid performance, super features, unreal size

Author's Rating:

Pros: Features like SSB, a line out jack, and Sync detection, great performance, SIZE

Cons: Price, not for the large-handed, less than intuitive controls

The Bottom Line: 
This radio is for the techie who must have the smallest, coolest gadgets. It's an excellent performer, but probably too expensive for most. I'm lucky I found one so cheap.

Author's Review
I just received a Sony SW100 for Christmas and like it so much I felt compelled to write a review.

I must preface my review with a little piece of information that has certainly influenced my enjoyment of this outstanding little multiband radio - I got mine for the whopping price of $90, plus PA tax, which came out to about $98, IIRC. This was because it was purchased at a Sony Outlet store (in Grove City PA) and it is a refurbished unit with very minor cosemtic issues. These amount to: the chromed Sony logo on the outside of the case is a bit scratched; there are 2-3 minute scuffs on the top outside edge of the cool rubberized case. Other than those minor flaws, I feel like I got the shortwave radio deal of the century, especially considering that the little bugger came with all its original accessories - even a suction cup to mount the included active antenna's mast to a window (more on that later).

On to the review. I own a Sony SW7600GR as well (and have written an epinions review of it), and was immediately familiar with the labeling of the control buttons, scan buttons, clock setting, frequency entry buttons, etc., so I was up and running with the radio in less than 5 minutes, having set the clock with the help of WWV. That being said, its controls are tightly spaced and might be difficult for folks with larger hands to use. Buttons push and click very satisfyingly, and are clearly labeled in white on black, though some of the alternate functions are printed in red on the black plastic case, which is tough to read in low light.

The unit has a nice dot-matrix LCD display that indicates SW meter band when powered on and time zone / label when off. The frequency selected (no matter the band) is listed below the dot matrix display in standard lcd numbering, and is easy to read. Functions such as SSB band selection, Sync, and Standby timer have corresponding icons / text that appear to the left of the display.

Volume and tone controls are located on the right side of the unit, and DX/local and master power are on the unit's left side. The volume knob in particular is a bit tough to manage until you're used to its necessarily small size, and using the unit in its vinyl screw-on case doesn't make twiddling the little knob any easier. The slider switches are fine, though also tiny.

The display has a nice autofader light, and the radio also has two standby timers, a sleep function, and a decent 10 pages of 5 memory slots for storing frequencies, though each can be labeled in that nice dot matrix text display individually when you're using the memories.

Performance wise, this little thing matches the 7600 on SW, exceeds it on AM (better DX), and equals it on FM. Just FYI, I tuned in the BBC on 5975 on each unit side by side (Sync enabled, internal whip antennas only), and actually preferred listening to the SW100's tiny speaker! The 100's miniature speaker seems to project sound more cleanly, where the 7600's just doesn't live up to the unit's performance. It's really odd seeing the super-tiny SW100 sitting next to the also fairly compact 7600 and understanding that they both do the same exact thing, just a bit differently. AM DXing, something I'm not really into but enjoy from time to time, was a dream on the 100, as even with only its tiny whip antenna, it pulled in some very distant and weak signals at night. Which leads me to the active antenna that's included with US versions of the radio - the nice AN-100. It plugs into the side of the SW100 and can help tune in more signals by virtue of its narrower bandwidth selector switch, but didn't seem to make as large a difference as I was expecting. Its antenna is perhaps 3"-4" longer than the SW100's internal whip, so I guess it's more of an antenna tuner than something that'll provide significant gain.

Other included accessories: a Sony 3V / 250mA AC transformer for home use, the aforementioned vinyl screw-on case with velcro closure, some pretty lame headphones (MDR-E757), the suction cup that you can loop over the active antenna mast to keep it close to a window, and Sony's Wave Handbook.

I can't address battery life just yet (the unit uses 2 AAs), but I'd expect it'll be pretty good unless one uses the active antenna frequently or listens to FM through the speaker a bunch.

Overall, I'm very happy to have such a nice radio with such high $$$ features like Sync detection for such a low price, though I admit I got lucky on that account. Sync detection, BTW, allows the radio to lock on to either the upper or lower sideband of a weak SW or AM broadcast signal, and often makes listening to that station much easier.

To close, if you can find one for $100, as I did, get one. The 7600 does the same stuff for less money, though in a much larger package, so if size matters more than $$$, the ICF-SW100 might be for you.

MINOR UPDATE: Almost 2 years later, this little powerhouse is still my SW listening device of choice. Whenever I want to hear what the rest of the world is talking about, I plug in to the sw-100 and scan the frequencies I want to hear, most often with decent results. SW propagation is in a low point due to cyclical 7-11 year solar cycles (as I meagerly understand them, and YMMV), but I still manage to grab most broadcasts with ok clarity and decent to good listenability.

Even at this unit's current market price of around $375 US, it's still a great buy, given its size, features, and excellent performance. Just to provide another point of view, here's Radio Netherlands' review from about 10 years ago: http://www2.rnw.nl/rnw/en/features/media/productreviews/receivers/icfsw100.html