ZHIWHIS Portable Bluetooth Radio, FM AM Shortwave Radios with Sleep Timer and Preset Function, Rechargeable Digital Recorder, Stereo MP3 Player with Lyric Display, Support Micro SD Card and AUX

First of all, I purchased an older version of this radio nearly a year and a half ago and liked it a lot even then. It could record from any source, mic, radio, line-in, even bluetooth, and could play mp3 files on a TF/MicroSD chip. But the automatic gain control built into the mic recording mode didn't really work as expected; many times the recorded sound would be too loud and would fluctuate rather wildly, while other times just clearing my throat close to the mic would allow the automatic gain control to work more as expected, though this was not guaranteed to work for every mic recording. Also, recordings were stored in folders called MRECORD, BRECORD, LRECORD, etc, and inserting a new TF card then reinserting the old one would cause recordings to be mixed in with the music in shuffle mode. Now fast forward to this new version, and wow have they outdone themselves with this one! First, the recording quality defaults to mp3 160Kb/s/channel, so stereo recordings via line or bluetooth are now 320Kb/s and mono recordings such as via the mic are recorded at 160Kb/s, a major improvement over the max 128Kb/s of the previous version. Also, the automatic gain control seems to be off by default, though I haven't checked the menu system to see whether or not it can be turned on. It's enough that it is off and that in most situations, the mic is not too sensitive and the recording will not be distorted unless I speak directly into the mic or blow into it or something as clipworthy as that. Playing back my recordings made with this new version sounds amazing now. I even got an excellent recording from FM radio, though I only tested for about half a minute. Other tests using the mic, both recording on the unit itself and connected to a computer using the unit as the recording source sounded quite good played back on the computer. Even better, recordings are now stored in folders named as AUX, BLUETOOTH, MIC and RADIO under the RECORD folder, which is only played when the unit is switched to recordings mode by holding the 0 key down. Doing the same to switch back to music playback mode will leave the RECORD folder out of the music being played, even in shuffle mode. Radio reception on all bands is very good, especially considering the price. I initially purchased the earlier version of this radio for casual shortwave listening, but found all the rest of its impressive feature set to be too compelling to ignore. Still, shortwave reception is not bad either, making this a great all-around value for the price. It won't win any battery life contests with the included battery, but the common BL5-C battery is rather inexpensive and after-market batteries will range in capacity from about the same as what ships with this radio up to more than 1 1/2 times the 1000MaH that ships with it, and that will considerably increase the life per charge. Sound quality is not bad through the internal speaker, especially as small as the radio is, and the maximum volume will certainly fill a small to medium room. Headphones though are another matter. I get more bass from the speaker than I hear through headphones, and something I find even worse is that the left and right channels on both the older and newer version of this radio as well as another similar radio by another brand are reversed, so I have to wear my headphones backwards to hear the sound as it was intended to be heard. As this seems to be a wide-spread flaw among many inexpensive radios, although I find it to be very annoying, I didn't feel the need to take off a star for this one, as the rest of the features and the newest implementation far outweigh the annoyance of the reversed headphone channels. I just note it here in case something can be done by the manufacturer at some point, as many improvements have certainly been made just in the past year and a half, all while keeping the price low. Overall, this little radio packs a ton of features in a very small, very inexpensive package, everything from AM/FM/SW reception to mp3 music playback to mp3 recording from every supported sound source to card reader to USB audio device. I can't recommend this one enough, and if it withstands the punishment the last one took, I'll be back in a year and a half to get another one.

I purchased this for the bathroom you hear the newIs. Its reception is excellent, good, volume, and good clarity. I especially like the digital tuning. It has many capabilities I have not tried, including a recording capability. It seems to be a very good product for the money.

THE JURY IS STILL OUT ON THIS UNIT. I'LL GIVE A REVIEW WHEN I HERE FROM THE MANUFACTURER.THE JURY HAS MADE A DELIBERATON:The verdict is ....GUILTY AS CHARGED.OK. To explain my jurisprudence, getting too far ahead of myself. I want to explain my ONE STAR. I give the unit a Three. Five...maybe FOUR, but that's about it....this is awarded to the dot com company. I wrote to them ten days ago, April 18, no reply. Adios, Amigo!As for the unit itself, it works good, very similar to others that I have. The one item is that if the battery 'takes a hike', you can replace it, or maybe 'reboot' by taking it out, but I don't know if that really works....I've tried it. NO CLOCK. ok, I didn't need it as I have a night-stand unit, but sometimes, I would like to look at it....no biggie. I have no issue with it. Other ONE star reviews had other issues that I do not. As said previously, no answer from the parent company to answer my simple request....send me a different long form operating manual. the quickie that was included is somewhat vague, and I send them an E to D/L me a much more explanatory one that THEY suggested I do. (Paper edification, etc.)NADA.WTF? If they suggested getting a complete manual, Y did they suggest it? DUH! The simple question was; To set the timer, what other buttons do I press to set? Simple question. I have several other similar units so I am not out of the loop. However, after waiting several days(10), I pursued the unit and FINALLLY, figured it out. DUH! Y didn't they include that info in the first place? Some Buyers are not that astute electronically from what I have read previously on other electronic products. Oh, to explain myself, I know electronics...built a few computers, know how to figure things out. sometimes one needs to elaborate on these things, which I am doing here, an esoteric understanding for people looking for a certain product.In conclusion, I will repeal my advisory admonitions. Caveat Emptor.UPDATE:NO REPLY FROM THE PARENT COMPANY! My inquisitive nature: Why did they include the gmail.com if they don't respond to it? Oh. They did include other webs but I figured as long as I had a gmail.com, I use it. NADA.I can't figure it out. If they want to promote their product, why include 'other options'? I'm confused.UPDATE; 4-30-2025Ok, I posted a scalding review earlier which I am amending today. I did get a reply apologizing for the long delay. The person who responded was on vacation. Only one body monitoring the E mails? Well, ok, maybe that is the premise.BUT HE DID RESPOND! THANK YOU.the e mail explained the procedure....simple. I also asked for a longer version manual....got it in a PDF form!All's well and good. As I previous stated its a good unit if you know what you are purchasing....and READ THE MANUAL!Thank you Zhiwhis. I heretofore amend my one star to a five star!!!!

I didn't open the box for a couple of months, so I couldn't return it. The battery didn't fit the radio. It was smaller than the opening so the contacts didn't touch. I couldn't get anything to help it make contact reliably. There's a Retekess that's very similar, but I've had two of those and they are great!