I have been looking for an inexpensive radio for my work bench for quite a while. What I really wanted was an AM/FM radio that I could mount out of the way and that also supported an input for my MP3 player. I was starting to think that no such item existed until I came across this radio - so I bought it and mounted it under my work bench.

The sound quality is good for a radio in this price range and there is a handy battery backup for whenever the power gets cut momentarily (which is fairly common out there just because I'm always dinking around with stuff). I also love that my MP3 player hooks up so easily, which gives me acces to pretty much all my music when I don't feel like listening to the radio. I kind of doubt I will ever use the CD player.

Unfortunately, I immediately found that the quality of the FM reception was so poor I couldn't stand to listen to it (AM was fine). After a couple of days of playing around with the position of the power cord, I realized that the problem was feedback from the battery charger for my cordless drill that is plugged into the same outlet. Once I realized that, I changed how everything is plugged in and now the FM reception is very good :). It's too bad this doesn't just have an external FM antenna so people don't run into this problem - I docked a star just for this reason.

I'll make one more comment about the more expensive version of this radio, the ICF-CDK70. When I was having all the reception issues, I thought I'd go give that one a try and I realized that this model (ICF-CDK50) is better in pretty much every way as long as you don't care about the CD changer. The ICF-CDK70 is bulkier, it does NOT have a battery backup, it still has the FM antenna in the power cord, it uses the same speakers, and it doesn't have the handy preset buttons for radio stations. In some ways, I can't believe they call it an upgrade! If you are considering one of these, I highly recommend sticking with this model.

Overall, I'm very happy with this purchase.

1) when one views the article on the site, the model number shown is different from the model listed. If purchased, note that the serial number is a small tag on the top-impossible to read after installation and not apparently found on the box.

2) As mentioned by others, the antenna is located in the power cord. This is problematic because it must be stretched out to get best reception making location a consideration. Also location may pick up static from other electrical devices if not carefully placed.

3) Consider that the design gives one a minimal "thickness" of about 2.5" when installed. So check distance to the counter below. Also check the height of the shelf above the cabinet base to make sure one can drill holes for installation or one will need to drill from below. The template for drilling is very helpful because it also matches the "footprint" of the unit for positioning. Take note of what is attached under the cabinet such as a light or front "trim" strip. The screws may not be long enough in some instances. The thin screws are adequate in most cases but their size may be difficult to find in a greater length. Note the side buttons when locating the unit where there are possible side restrictions to access.

4) As usual with electronic systems, buttons have multiple functions. For example, the radio "on" button is also the band select. The time comes preset as US Eastern time. To change needs a combination of "pushes" on the clock button and the timer button on the left side

5) Good sound, strong base (caveat: there is only the standard sound and a button for "megabase". Nice if your music likes a heavy base but can be problematic if you are listening to voice which can have a low end distortion- lack of treble to base adjustment).

This unit replaced an on-counter boom box which gave extra counter space. Recommend with the above caveats.

SONY ICFCDK50 UNDER CABINET KITCHEN CD CLOCK RADIO

We have had this unit in our kitchen for years. Our daughter liked it so much that she asked for one for Christmas. Ask and you shall receive --

Kim likes this radio/CD player as much as we do. It has a good, strong signal, allowing you to preset 15 radio stations. You can mix/match between AM and FM stations. The CD player works very well and accepts burned CDs. When playing a CD the sound is also very strong and pleasing.

There is a plug in for your I-phone allowing you to listen to music stored on your phone or from your Pandora app. The signal on this is also very strong and much louder than when listening from your I-phone. Our daughter did say she wishes the audio input cord was longer for her I-phone. But, still, it works well for her..

Other good features include a remote control that is magnetic and can be stored wherever you wish to keep it. The distance factor is good on this, although I have found I need to be in the same room as the radio. It sure comes in handy while sitting at the table working, wishing you had some good tunes to listen to, and using the remote, you don't even have to get up from your comfortable seat.

If there is a disruption in electrical service, once power is restored the radio will work immediately and the time will automatically return to the correct time thanks to the Lithium battery. Also, the time is preset so once you have installed the unit, the time is right or can be changed to your specific time zone.

Installation is also easy, both of our families mounted ours under a kitchen cabinet. The men in our lives handled this with little or no problems. Thanks, guys.

There is also a cooking timer that comes in handy if you place the radio in your kitchen as we did. It's so nice to do your kitchen chores while being able to sing along with the radio, listen to your favorite CD or music stored on your phone, or perhaps listen to an audio book while making that next fantastic meal.

All in all, a great little unit that fits and is hidden well under any cabinet anywhere you would like to have some music in your home. And you can't beat the price either!

Thanks.

Pam

The installation of the ICF-CDK50 is a 20 minute task using the adjustable spacers to compensate for front lip of cabinet, screws provided and template to drill four 3/16" holes. The Aux input is a 10" pigtail stereo audio cable well concealed that can be used on any MP3 type player left in a clip-on hanger or any other device with an audio output jack. The sound, with the built in Bass boost far exceeds typical table top radios with speakers of this size, enhanced by facing down and being reflected by the counter top, sort of a bass reflex effect. In a 12x16 home kitchen, any volume level above 50% is excessively loud. The manual tuning is very slow, be sure to program favorites in the 5 preset's. The timer function is easily used, set to even minutes; it counts down in seconds and sufficiently louder than the radio volume to gain your attention. The remote thankfully is not a credit card type, it is more like a roll of nickels and while IR, it has a full 180 degree range, likely not used in an active place like the kitchen but convenient if kept beside the telephone if more than an arms reach from the K50. In store comparisons with the twice thicker and expensive Sony ICF-CDK70 model proved it to be total overkill unless used in a work environment like a machine shop or sheltered outdoor/patio location. The 4+" thickness of the K70 vs the 2+" of the K50 reduces the typical 16" counter top to cabinet space to 12-", a significant consideration where Canisters or counter top appliances must exist under it. Other brands found at local store's sounded like pocket transistor radios while the K50 is comparable to a quality boom-box of 4~6' speakers. The rear of the case includes dogs to wrap excess power cable if you must power it from a receptacle in the counter backstop. However, from a performance standpoint, it appears that the FM/AM antenna is embedded in the power cord and coiling the excess length reduces signal strength, routing it up though or outside the cabinet to above, ideally if a gap or plate rail exist atop the cabinets routing the cable up and extending to any available power (like in a range hood) greatly enhances performance. The CD player is adequate, easy to use and when installed under a cabinet with a lower lip, easily accessed. The K50 is the optimum choice as a kitchen AM/FM radio, while offering excellent CD and MP3 player compatibility in a kitchen environment. Of note; there are other radios presently on the market that offer AM/FM/TV/Weather. None advertize the fact that the TV is an NTSC tuner that will be obsolete in Feb 2009 when TV moves to digital ATSC or that the weather alerts become terribly obnoxious after the "new' wears off.

I received the radio in good shape and in a reasonable amount of time.
The packaging wasn't done overkill, no plastic pillows or peanuts - glad to see they're using mostly recyclable brown cardboard. The installation went fairly straightforward - no glitches - I installed this under a corner kitchen cabinet. I would suggest Sony provide a larger washerhead screw for the mounting as insurance against the screws pulling through a soft fiberboard cabinet bottom (if your cabinets are cheap like mine were...) I lucked out with the radio reception picking up my favorite fm stations (didn't even have to unfurl the power cord out - this was my greatest concern) The single cd player works fine. I like the volume adjust dial on the right side - intuitive use design. Don't need the kitchen timer on the left dial - already got that on my stove - don't most? Pre-set radio station buttons work well. Nice low profile - didn't loose much counter space underneath.

The sound is very good - no problem w/ volume either - I can play this quite loud (level 6) and hear it in other rooms - I have yet to crank to maximum (level 10) Bass sound is good for it's size - mostly due to reflection capability off the countertop. Digital clock is ok, but I can't see the numbers that great from across the room (25 feet). I don't use the magnetic remote control - call me old fashioned - I just walk up to the unit for control - besides - I think I have grown an aversion towards life w/ so many remote controls w/ lots of buttons that you can't remember their functions and are not intuitively labeled. (Remember TV's when you had to walk up to the set and rotate the channel dial? Remote control then was a fork on a 6 foot stick to turn that dial!)
Overall, it does what it's supposed to do well, I will get another one for my own house. I reccommend this product. I would not get the 5 cd player unit - more stuff to go bad and break down plus a thicker body unit would use more under cabinet - countertop space.