ZHIWHIS Shortwave Radio, Bluetooth Speakers with Sleep Timer, Weather AM FM SW Radios with NOAA Alerts, Retro Analog Tuner with Preset, Rechargeable MP3 Player with 6 EQ Support MicroSD Card ZWS-700

Josh

Surprisingly precise "analog" controls

Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2022

Color: Army GreenVerified Purchase

This little radio is a refreshing fusion between old and new. It seems to be inspired by older radio designs, but it doesn't feel like a "nostalgia prop", they've made some very practical design choices. Not having a graphical interface or any always on display means less battery draw.

*The good*:
Sound quality - It's a tiny speaker. It can only get so loud. But these small speakers have gotten very efficient. This falls into the "surprisingly loud" category and has decent acoustic range. It is crisp and even has a little bit of low end. There is an EQ option. It only works in Bluetooth or MP3 mode, but it is good for toggling between settings that are better for music vs. voice on the little speaker. Radio is a decent neutral balance.

The frequency dial is of course less precise than a digital display, but it is consistent and accurate. It's as much as you can expect from a small analog dial. One small touch that I noticed is the volume knob. Rather than a "wherever it lands potentiometer" there is clearly (if a bit subtly) labeled volume levels 0-9 and the indicator lines up well and there's no scratchy or null zones in the range as far as I can tell.

While tuning the dial you can hear "in between" signals. This is important for finding weak stations. Some SW radios basically do a "scan to next detected signal" kind of tuning or mute the output during frequency changes. This radio makes it possible to "explore" the bands more than other digital SW radios.

FM reception is clear and signal lock indicator helps to dial in a station (signal lock indicator works on other bands as well).

AM and SW reception are surprisingly good without the included wire antenna.
Decent controls given the limited number of buttons.

NOAA Weather Radio reception is strong, I really appreciate this band being included. It turns the radio into a good emergency radio option.

You can toggle the LED indicators to show various things OR TURN THEM OFF COMPLETELY! The backlight can be turned off as well making the radio totally dark and using no more power than needed to play audio.

Bluetooth speaker mode - I didn't expect to use this, but it does actually sound better than my phone's built in speaker. The play/pause and forward back buttons control the media playback as expected. No mic, so it can't be used for phone calls, but I actually prefer that. I've never found a Bluetooth speaker that was good for talking on the phone with.

SD card player - Audio might be a little lower while playing MP3s, but there's plenty of headroom in the volume control to bring it up to a good level.

Accessories: Heavy duty wrist strap. It's not a thin string. The included pouch is big enough for the radio and the wire antenna.

Battery life: I have not had any issues with battery life, but to be honest I haven't been using it for an "all day" radio. What I really appreciate is that it is a removable battery and a quick search reveals a ton of replacement options at or below $10. So it's not unreasonable to have spares.

*The okay*:
The included wire antenna is very well made and I'm sure it can help in certain situations. I've had little success with short wire antennas like this in my area (not just with this radio) so it's not something I'm likely to use much, but that's mainly because I already have a large HF wire antenna for amateur radio up in the trees. That's always going to outperform a ground-level antenna anyway so I can't really fault the radio kit.

Depending on the viewing angle the backlight can make it look like one of the numbered indictors is lit when it is not. Not really disruptive once you realize it (it's a different color anyway), but a little confusing at first.

The forward and back buttons are reversed from what I would expect (forward is on the left). Just a small gripe but something I keep forgetting while using it. They are labeled accurately.

The labels are a little hard to read. In addition to being small, many labels are textured into the material rather than a contrasting color. So you need the right light to see them. I haven't had much issue with it, but it could be challenging if you have poor eyesight. The flip side of that is that all of the controls are very tactile, so once you know where the buttons are you really don't need to read the labels.

It's plastic. It would be great if the body was metal, but that would probably cost way more and may actually impair the reception on some frequencies. The build quality feels very solid and it looks like it goes together with metal screws / bolts. So there's that.

*The bad*:
Nothing here is bad enough to lose a star, but everything has compromises.

No headphone jack! At first I was really bummed out about this (even though it is clearly noted in the description), but I realized that I am not likely to use this radio with headphones or a receiver for a amplified speaker. I have other, more appropriate devices for those applications and given the single speaker design and limited space I can understand the decision to omit it from the design.

Heat sensitivity: Like all electronics, you should avoid leaving it in a hot car. Unfortunately this year has been particularly hot and my first radio fell victim to my carelessness. It actually wasn't in that bad of shape. The mode selector switch became a little loose and the front panel showing labels for the LEDs and frequency line got warped. I could live it (and could probably keep using it in a limited fashion) but there's no way to just replace the front panel. After explaining the situation to the seller they very graciously replaced the unit! I am very grateful to them for that! They did not request that I leave a review as a result of this, but it definitely inspired me to go into a bit more detail than I normally would.

*OVERALL RECOMMENDATION*:
The price point is a little hard to classify as a "cheap" radio, but given the features and the thoughtful design I don't regret the purchase and would absolutely recommend it. There are other options that have similar features, but if you like the look of the radio and are worried about the functionality, don't worry. It's a completely functional device.

40 people found this helpful

It's a fair little personal radio

Reviewed in the United States on November 24, 2022

Color: Army GreenVerified Purchase

Ignore the talk about loudness, it does put a lot more than its fair share of sound out from its tiny speaker, but the quality isn't great at higher levels. It really is tiny, and the addition of SW bands is fun.

5 people found this helpful

Tome Raider

Impressive!!!

Reviewed in the United States on July 10, 2022

Color: Army GreenVerified Purchase

I’m old enough to remember when Japanese goods transitioned from being considered junk to being considered impressive. That was in the mid 60s. It started with motorcycles, and then it went on to electronic products. I’m wondering if a similar type of transition is occurring now with some Chinese goods? This radio would be a good example. It is really impressive. Very nice build quality. Excellent reception. Excellent sound quality. This thing is beautifully packaged, if you’re looking for a sexy inexpensive gift to give someone, look no further. I spent about a half hour playing with this thing, and I really love it. I’m thinking about whether I can justify buying a second one for myself. I had to give a bunch of gifts for graduation last month, and I’m regretting I didn’t give everyone one of these.

The only concern I have is that the battery cover seems to come off very easily. If you threw this in a day pack, or a purse, the battery cover might come off and the battery might fall out. But part of what I love about this is that it does have a removable battery. I will likely put this in the drawer and not touch it for years, and I don’t have to worry about the device being ruined because the battery goes bad inside of it. At worst, I will just have to buy a new battery for it. I presume batteries of this type will be available for many years.

This little thing is just downright sexy. It has all kinds of cute flashing lights, but it feels almost military grade in build quality. I bought a little Bluetooth speaker sometime ago that’s about the same size and looks very similar and it’s made of metal. That’s also beautifully done. But this is plastic, and as such lighter, and there’s a lot to be said for that as well.

In the event the manufacturer reads my review, all I can say is that I encourage you to continue to build super high-quality products at a reasonable price. You build them, and I will buy them.

23 people found this helpful

JM Bunkin

Not that good

Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2023

Color: Army GreenVerified Purchase

Am not that impressed with this radio. Like the features but not wild about the tuner or the fidelity.

rickydoo

Worked fine

Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2023

Color: Army GreenVerified Purchase

Returned radio for digital form,needs longer antenna

Chris B.

DOESN'T HAVE AN EARPHONE JACK

Reviewed in the United States on July 12, 2022

Color: Army GreenVerified Purchase

VERY GOOD LITTLE SPEAKER, DIAL IN AM(AKA MW) OR FM STATIONS AND IT SORT OF LOCKS THEM IN, THE 10 FOOT WIRE ANTENNA EXTENSION IS WORTHLESS, IT DOESN'T HAVE AN EARPHONE JACK, IT DOES HAVE AN MINI SD CARD PLUG, IT DOES FAST FORWARD FAIRLY FAST WITH A RADIO SHOW THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE RECORDED ON YOUR LAPTOP AND TRANSFERRED THE SD CARD TO THIS LITTLE RADIO, TURN OFF THE LITTLE GUY AND WHEN YOU TURN IT BACK ON IT STARTS WHERE YOU LEFT OFF, BUT IT DOESN'T HAVE A DIGITAL STOP WATCH TO TELL YOU WHERE YOU ARE IN THE SHOW.

One person found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

RODOLFO GONZALEZ

el desempeño del equipo

Reviewed in Mexico on May 31, 2022

Color: Army GreenVerified Purchase

Ya lo he calificado y repito la calificación de 5 estrellas en su desempeño excelente recepción en odas mw y fm..recomiendo ampliamente ..su durabilidad la dirá el tiempo...lo compre a mediados de mayo aprox.

2 people found this helpful

英語彷徨い人

技術基準適合証明付きで安心して使えます！

Reviewed in Japan on February 5, 2022

Verified Purchase

技適マークが無事裏ぶたに印字されました。これで日本国内でも安心して使えます。　
このラジオとても気に入っています。Bluetooth機能や、マイクロSDカードによるMP3/WAV/WMA再生機能も便利です。音質、ラジオの感度もとても良好です。メーカーのユーザーサポートも大変丁寧です。本当にこのラジオは小型ながらびっくりするくらい音が良いですね。かなりの音量も出ます。キャンプやちょっとした旅行に持っていくには丁度良いかもしれません。短波もまずまず受信できます。ダイヤルがアバウトなので探りながら受信となりますが、昔のラジオのチューニングを思い出させてくれて、なかなか楽しいラジオです。Youtubeにアップされている大昔のラジオ番組音源をBluetoothモードでPCからこのラジオに飛ばして聞くと、ちょっとしたタイムスリップ感を味わえますよ。

24 people found this helpful

Javier

Batería se descarga

Reviewed in Mexico on June 23, 2022

Color: Army GreenVerified Purchase

La batería no retiene la carga, si no se usa 1 día se descarga por completo, eso no me gustó nada. Hay que cargarla diariamente.

One person found this helpful

XYZ

武骨なラジオと言うけれど‥‥

Reviewed in Japan on March 2, 2022

Verified Purchase

外箱を含め、付属の外部アンテナやストラップも雰囲気に合っている。
見た目から“武骨”と言われるけれど、防水でも防塵でもないし、落とせば壊れるフツーのラジオ。
決してアウトドア向けではない。

USB充電式であるため、電池が切れたらオワリ。
なので、アウトドア・災害用に向いているとは個人的には思えない。

短波放送（ラジオNIKKEI）はほとんど入らない。
韓国（北朝鮮？）の放送がノイズ混じりで入るだけ。

Bluetoothモードにすればスマホ音楽のスピーカーとして使えるが、ボリュームはかなり低め。
本体とスマホのボリュームを相当大きくしないと聴こえない。

また、バッテリーの持ちは非常に悪い。
付属のバッテリー１個では、切れたらそこまでになってしまう。
単３・単４電池ではないため、普段使いする分には予備のバッテリーと充電器は必須。

そして、イヤホン使えないのはやはり不便。
SDカードも使えるので、イヤホンが使えれば通勤時にも持ち歩けたのに。

そして、スリープタイマーはラジオにしか機能しない。

デザインと性能含めて全体的に悪くはないのだが、細かい点で気になる点がいくつかあるのが残念。

18 people found this helpful

Melody Line

日本メーカーが参考にすべき逸品(実用性◎)

Reviewed in Japan on March 12, 2022

Verified Purchase

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使用場所(自宅)：北海道、某峠の麓
所有ラジオ　：SONY ICF-800・ICF-A101・ICF-29・ ICF-R45・SRF-R356
　　　　　　　TOSHIBA TY-BR30F
電波環境　　：FM / 皆無・AM / 多少の雑音混じり

昔からラジオを聴いていて、最近始めたキャンプでも聴きたいと思い収集癖がつきました。
なのでラジオ機としてのレビューです。

スピーカー　　：ソニー製と遜色ありません。ストレスなく聴けます
チャンネル機能：プリセットATS(自動登録)があるのは嬉しい(使用ボタンを覚える)

電池：唯一残念な点は乾電池式ではない点です
　　　入手の便利性を考えると乾電池なのですが3.7Vなので1.2V充電池だと3本必要になり、
　　　本体のサイズアップ・重量アップになってしまいます
　　　そう考えると嗜好品として割り切って使うのが良いのかもしれません

その他：遊び心がある音楽リズムランプは見ていて楽しい
　　　　外部アンテナのおかげでFMが綺麗に聴けるようになりました

総評：但し、水・汚れ・衝撃には弱いですからキャンプや防災には向きません。
　　　嗜好品として5000円で色々機能が詰まったこちらはかなりオススメです。
　　　わたしは昼食が車内なので外部アンテナを付けて毎日FMラジオを楽しもうと思います。

11 people found this helpful