Sangean U3 Jobsite Radio AM/FM, Ultra Rugged and Water Resistant, Blue/Black

The U4 radio/Bluetooth speaker is big in every way. If the size and weight don't scare you off you'll enjoy excellent sound and battery life.I bought this to replace a Sangean BB-100 that was stolen and it is a definite improvement in terms of volume level and features. The BB-100 always seemed a little too quiet even if it did sound pleasant. The U4 is loud enough for the campsite and a backyard BBQ but not loud enough for dance party. It might be too quiet for a large worksite too. Volume about 75% can start to experience some distortion depending on the tuning and music. I am super sensitive about this though. My kids were bumping some trap beats at 90% and it didn't bother them one bit.The treble and bass controls are a nice touch and let you custom tune the sound (which is optimized for outdoors by default). Sangean is always able to get very dynamic sound out of a single speaker, but you don't get the surround sound from many Bluetooth speakers (like Sony or UE).The battery life with rechargeables (sold separately) is excellent. The U4 made it through a week-long camping trip with 30+ hours of use at varying volumes between 25%-75% without dying. It is nice that they recharge in the radio and that you have the option to use alkaline batteries or to just plug it in to an outlet.You can charge things with the USB port when the radio/speaker is not in use. The power output is a low 1Amp (like phone chargers 10 years ago), so if you plug your phone in overnight it might charge it up.It is great to have AM, FM, and Weather band included. Weather comes in handy when camping or areas with bad phone coverage. As others have noted the antenna is a little short, but if you wrap or connect a wire to the metal base of the antenna you can boost the FM and Weather reception. I wish Sangean had included an external antenna jack for us nerds. They do this on most of their other radios and it is helpful. The attached antenna is short so that it can fold down and fit against the top of the radio (which makes it easier to store and travel with).The digital tuner and screen with RDS (the text that displays the station and song information) work well as do the preset buttons and other controls.Pairing is easy and the addition of aptX is cool (for nerds, again) but I don't think you can hear the difference.It is heavy but well-built and durable. During an attack you could probably wound a black bear with it. A grizzly not so much, but the radio would survive even if you didn't so be sure to include it in your will.With the purchase of rechargeable batteries added to the cost of the U4 you will most likely wind up spending over $200. If you don't need the extended battery life, radio, and other features you can get a better pure all-weather speaker for this price. For my needs the U4 is great and I don't think there is another product out there that could do better.

The audio is a bit on the bass side, even with tone turned to treble, but I have no problem with it. Someone else might.My favorite stations come in fine. Switching bands / stations is a breeze with pre-set buttons. The tuner will scan (similar to most car radios). The knobs are well labeled, very smooth, and simple to operate.Limited testing renders DX'ing with U3 comparable to CC Radio on both bands.The time / alarm are very easy to set. The clock displays the time when unit is turned off. The 2 AA batteries that just run the clock will probably last a year or more. I do not think the battery indicator reflects the strength of the 2 clock batteries. My guess is that when the clock stops displaying, it's time to change the 2 AA's(?).The "Sleep" mode is handy and easy to invoke. Using it could save some battery life if one should wander off and forget radio is on.I'm impressed with the build. The roll cage has rubber feet and the radio is mounted to the cage with rubber mounts. It should withstand rough riding and being moved around frequently. The "rubber ducky" FM antenna functions very well and makes moving / carrying radio much easier.Having only played U3 on the "D" cells for a few hours, I cannot comment on battery life at this time.The AC wire is on a spool in the roomy rear compartment. Returning the wire to the compartment is not difficult or "challenging", as with many portable radios. The AC plug is 2 prong; no wall wart.While operating on AC, the battery indicator disappears as an indication that batteries are not in use.The AC wire compartment has room for my 12V lighter plug adapter & cord.Sangean should include this wire/adapter or at least offer one as an option. I was able to make one up, but only by luck of having correct parts on hand.The display is large and easy to see and read.Display back light remains on for about 15 seconds in both battery and AC mode. This is a good thing, in my opinion, since my CC Radio back light eventually burnt out after a few years of being on with radio always connected to AC. Pressing any button re-illuminates the back light at any time.I've made no attempts to charge a cell phone from U3. I do not have the required wire for my phone. (No wires come with radio for cell phones or 12V DC input power.)I'm also impressed with the door on the battery compartment. It has a screw-knob, is hinged, and not likely to fail.All the auxiliary receptacles have rubber hinged stoppers in them to add to the water-proof integrity. Hand grip is rubber padded and very comfortable; radio is rather heavy (about 9 lbs),yet still easy to grab & go. It's very good for placing on the ground or floor.Side-by-side, the audio is just as good (for my ears) as my GE Superadio, which up until now, has provided the best audio of all my portables.Operating the U3 next to my computer, I get no noise on AM or FM.I'm very pleased with the U3 radio.I encourage Sangean to offer accessory connectors or at least links for 3rd party providers. Sangean may also care to re-visit the bass level of this radio.