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 On: 2006-04-04
The old (Silver) Grundig/Eton S-350 is being phased out. (see my review on the S350). The Eton S350DL series is the replacment...For more on this, visit the website of "Passport to World Band Radio" (passband.com) under "Receiver News: Update to Edition 2006" (near bottom of the page).
The S350DL (with headphones eliminated from the package, see S350DLR, S350DLB and S350DLS) will then drop to about the same price as the old S350. Right now, some of the older stock of the S350DL (with headphones still included) is being sold off at cheaper than the normal price...shop around.
I do not own a S350DL, but it has been reported that this model reduces the "drift" problem observed on the S350, and provides STEREO reception through the headphone jack. Perhaps Eton will now offer this radio in more colors, since it is dropping the silver model... a nice "electric blue" or "emergency yellow" like they use on some other models (crank-power and pocket) would go well with the blue display illumination.
 On: 2006-03-11
"Million-Dollar Looks for $100" - Analog w/digital display receivers do not have the stability of digital phase-locked loop (PLL) receivers.
I opened up the back of the radio, before returning it to RadioShack - it was mostly hollow inside, very cheap, low-grade plastic, and with 1960s-grade electronics. The front filter and band switches and tuning knob are flimsy. When putting the radio back together, I was very careful not to over-tighten/cross-thread the screws, but as soon as, one of the screws started to tighten down, the plastic started to crack. Because of the very cheap quality construction, the radio is very light-out-of-the-box, until the 4 "D" size batteries are inserted.
The filters do a minimal job and only muffle the very good audio. The RF gain control can always be set on maximum, so it only acts like a DX/LOC switch. Even the newer model drifts off the tuned frequency, despite a kludged fix, that only causes ergonomic problems - once a frequency locks on, it still drifts, causing one to have to retune way past the desired frequency, to break the lock. The S350 has significant tuning backlash, which is partly responsible for the frequency drift. There are images all over the SW bands, being a cheap, single-conversion superhet. There are no station memories, so anytime the band selection changes, the radio has to be retuned to the desired frequency. The speaker grill is plastic, the digital readout is low-resolution, the antenna doesnt lock into place, and the carrying handle is cheap, smelly, imitation-leather.
Instead, I bought a Radio Shack AM/FM (for AM DXing) model 12-898 for $25; it has digital PLL tuning (prevents drifting), DX/LOC switch, hi/low tone switch, 3" speaker with metal speaker grill, internal ferrite-bar antenna, lock switch, 20 station memory, almost as sensitive as the S350, and much better quality - even the antenna locks into place.
Dont be fooled by the "Grundig" name - it used to be made in Germany, but is now made in China, by Tecsun/Eton. Check out the Tecsun/Eton brand of this radio on Amazon (same junk), and show, "lowest rating first", also, look at the reviews for Grundig G2000A. Tecsun/Eton is becoming known for marketing jazzy, pretty radios that are poor quality/performers; they bought the rights to market products, under the "Grundig" name, hoping consumers will think they are still made in Germany.
With all that being said, with the restructuring of the 50K watt clear-channel AM stations, in the 1980s, AM DXing is not what it used to be, in the 1960s and 1970s. For example, many stations out West now have to use directional antennas, that cannot be picked up on the East Coast. All the hype about the CCradio, Superadio III, and S350 being, "DX machines", is nonsense, and with the clear-channel situation, certainly not worth the extra expense. With the Radio Shack receiver, I can easily pick up WWL 870 New Orleans (1000 miles), WHO 1040 Des Moines(900 miles), WABC 770 New York, and my favorite, WLW 700 Cincinnati - same as the S350. These stations can easily be picked up with standard car radios.
For just, as little as $30 more, one could purchase the Sony ICF-SW7600GR instead; it has digital PLL, SSB, and synchronous detection - the ICF-SW7600GR is many times the radio compared to the S350 (Ide be kicking myself, if I was stuck with the S350).
On: 2005-09-28
I read reviews for a few hours online looking for a radio that had excellent FM and AM reception. This was supposed to be one of the best. The picture looked great and the switches and dials looked like brushed metal with a stamped metal body. Grundig is a well respected name of solid German manufacturing.
This radio was a disappointment right out of the box. The weight was light, the body, switches and dials were light plastic and felt as if they would break easily. And I was shipped a radio branded as an "Eton" instead of a Grundig which I understand is the same company, so perhaps that doesnt matter, but I still felt like I was shipped something I didnt order.
Reception:
I bought this because I live in New York City and have a place deep in the Catskill mountains in a steep valley. Both have their reception challenges. The challenge in the city is interference with other stations. The callenge in the country is no reception at all.
My city experience:
In the city I have a 25 year old JVC dedicated stereo tuner I got at a tag sale for $10 with a piece of speaker wire coming out the back for an antenna. I get my favorite independent stations (the ones in the high 80s and low 90s) but with a lot of static and agressive positioning of the speaker wire depending on the station, if the Nigerian cab drivers are talking over a similar frequency or if the fire station behind my apartment is radioing in a call. My other radio is my car radio, which works better than the stereo component tuner. I figured a $150 portable radio would beat both of these. WRONG! This expensive piece of junk does not recieve my favorite station WFMU 91.1 FM AT ALL! Nothing but static, not even a hint of speaking voices or music. It does get my other favorite station NPR 93.9 FM but the interference with a salsa station a few ticks up the dial is so bad that I have to listen to All Things Considered with accompanyment of congas and timpany.
My country experience:
Now this is marketed as a "field" radio. Maybe it works better in the "fields" and was never intended to work among the crowded airwaves of the USAs most densely populated city. I will use it this weekend and see. Ill update this review next week.
For now, I have nothing good to say about this radio. If I find that in the country I get a full range of stations, I might keep it. But if I had to choose right now, Id send it back. With a nasty note to boot.
 On: 2005-06-30
The S350 DL Deluxe is essentially an upgraded version of the popular Grundig S350, which features analog tuning with a digital read-out. The improvements on the Deluxe version are as follows: Longer telescopic antenna, an AFC switch for FM to grab stronger stations over the weaker ones; the elimination of "drift" whereby the station "drifts" away from the chosen station; a bigger stereo speaker; and the ability to listen to stereo with the included very nice headphones.
The question for many will be is it worth the extra fifty dollars for the deluxe version. For me the answer is yes. I want stereo and I want the elimination of drift.
As the owner of both the regular S350 and the deluxe version, I can say that both are nearly identical in AM/FM reception. What stands out in the deluxe radio is the brighter stereo sound. In the case of both radios, what really shines is the FM reception. The S350, in both versions, grabs everything on the FM dial.
The internal ferrite AM antenna is such that to improve AM reception, you need to angle the radio, moving it left or right, until you find the sweet spot. Its pretty easy and is a normal procedure for all the dozen radios I own, whether they be digital or analog.
If youre looking for a similarly priced radio with digital tuning and presets, you might want to check out the Tivoli Songbook. Youll be getting a beautiful sound and an attractive package. But while the Tivoli gets above average reception, its still not quite as strong on FM as the Grundig S350.
For a cheapter alternative, fifty dollars will buy you a Degen DE1107, which I assume will be eventually released as a Kaito 1107. Its an analog radio that presumably has the best FM reception, tied with its digital cousin the Degen/Kaito 1103, and has a decent speaker. You might want to check that out as youre getting similar performance as the Grundig for a hundred dollars less.
Postscript: For those who are disappointed with this radio and have dismissed it in their reviews, may I suggest that some environmental factors, like interference, can be so insurmountable that no radio can overcome them.
Update: AM stations 980 and 1150 overload and bring in two stations at once. Highly annoying. Lack of separation and filter. Maybe AM is "too good." My Kaito 1103 has excellent separation and gets these stations with no overload.
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