J985 Pocket Radio with Earphones

A few weeks ago, I was jolted by a small earthquake here in Southern California, so I naturally searched for my transistor radio to see if there was any news about the location and severity. However, I couldn’t find that radio, in spite of my frantic search for it. That’s when I went to Amazon to find a new one, and I was bewildered by the vast quantity and variety available for sale. I decided I wanted a small but simple one, without that bothersome antenna, or fancy digitized controls. I finally spotted the tiny Prunus J-985 model, which was a basic analog transistor radio, with no speakers, and where the provided earbuds also served as the antenna. It had an on/off switch, an AM/FM switch, a tuner wheel for selecting the stations, and a sound volume wheel. In other words, all the basics with no additional bells and whistles to add to the cost. It also had a metal clip for sturdy attachment to clothing. It was very light weight, and very small…about two thirds the size of a deck of cards, and all for only $17. Perfect! I read the accompanying blurb on the Amazon page, touting the features of this item, but like all such devices made in China these days, it sounded like it was written by a junior high school student who would have received a C- grade if it was a class project. But I decided to buy it anyway, because it also came with a DSP chip, That stands for Digital Signal Processor, which is supposed to be a chip primarily used in calculators. (I was sure it had its uses in radios as well.) When the gizmo arrived, I inserted two rechargeable AAA batteries, attached the earbuds, and began listening. (Tip: Buy a good pair of lengthy earbuds, e.g. from Sony, because the longer wire makes for clearer sound and the ear pieces are more comfortable.) Bottom line? The unit worked well. Quality of sound? About what you’d expect for a 17 dollar analog transistor radio. After all, “analog” means simple or usual, and that’s what the quality was…simple and usual. Actually, it was better than I expected, because it picked up almost every station in the surrounding geographic area. I even had a little trouble focusing the tuner wheel to the stations that I wanted because there were so many nearby stations broadcasting their diverse signals. I listen to my favorite AM stations when I’m in my car, but I don’t think I’ll be using my little Prunus, until there’s another earthquake or power outage, etc. Why? Because the number of sequential commercials on AM radio is a real turnoff. Give me Youtube, where you can zap the commercials after a few seconds. Can’t do that with a radio. Still, five stars for my cute little boom box.

For an inexpensive little AM/FM radio, this little guy blows me away! I bought this for my sister who has difficulty with anything digital, and I tried it out when I got it. It immediately picked up both AM and FM stations easily and clearly--I live in an area surrounded by hills, and even my Lexus can't pick some of these up! The sound is rich, the volume is enough, the included earphones are comfortable and fit well, the controls are easy to use, and having it battery operated rather than rechargeable is a bonus. I ordered another one to have on hand for myself in case of emergencies. I would highly recommend it especially for those who have difficulty adapting to our digital age.

The first one I got was defective. Prunus sent another one immediately - I didn't have to wait until I sent the defective one back. Note: I am an audiophile and former sales manager and buyer of a chain of hifi stores, so I am expert at purchasing quality electronics and reviewing them. It is a nice radio for the money, as follows: 1. HEADPHONES: The included headphones are not good sounding. Headphones are not even marked R / L. It sounds a lot better if you have some old Sandisk clip sport earbuds. It is passable using old Samsung cell phone earbuds. It is loud enough to mow the lawn with It sounds good if you plug in some Beyer DT-770 professional studio headphones, but is not real loud because those are low impedance headphones. You want to get some good sounding high-efficiency headphones if you want good sound. 2. BATTERIES: The fact that it runs on 2 AA for about 30-40 hours is a winner. I am not about to buy MP3 players or radios that have NON-REPLACEABLE batteries. I am not dumb enough to buy a new unit every couple of years and have to charge it once a month to keep the battery from dying. They could make fancy digital MP3 and FM players with replaceable batteries rechargeable batteries, but they don't. 3. FM SECTION: The frequency numbers on the dial are accurate. It does well with most FM stations that have a good signal in your area. However, tuning in a station is tricky because this has an analog tuning section. You have to mess with the tuning knob to get it exactly on frequency or no FM stereo. If you bump the tuning knob it goes off frequency. It would have been nice if they put AFC in the tuner (standard on all older analog car and home stereos) so the radio zeroed in on the frequency for you. Stereo separation is good. 4. AM section: The frequency markings on the dial are accurate. It works well on more powerful local stations. We have a lot of low power AM stations in my city but it doesn't receive them well. Tuning is not tricky like on FM stations because AM is analog with a wider-frequency signal. 5. CLIP: The clip does not hold it in your pocket firmly because the plastic strip behind the metal clip is smooth. If you are going jogging or biking you might want to zip or button it in a pocket. You could also glue a strip of 240-grit wet-or-dry sandpaper to the plastic strip behind the metal clip. Actually I might to that to mine. I would have given this 5 stars if it had decent headphones, AFC on the FM tuning section, and the clip backing had molded teeth so the radio doesn't slide out of your pocket easily.

My dad uses this for work so he doesn't have to worry about breaking his phone. He really likes it. Great price and does the job. Easy to use.

THE WORST! I really DO NOT KNOW WHY this junk has even ONE GOOD REVIEW. Im not happy at all. Yes I guess it's true. You DO GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR and this was pretty cheap. I needed it for my autistic sister it would not work it was horrible especially that your buds just horrible what a piece of junk I'm so dissatisfied and so disappointed and this will be going back. The tuner is really bad it says it has a built-in antenna but it's just bad you can hardly get any music on it at all and when you do if you move around a little bit it goes off of it it's just horrible I'm going to have to find something different for my sister.

I would have rated it 5 stars were it not for the horrible earpiece, which sounds like a tin can. Once I plugged in a high quality earpiece, the sound followed. The set itself is a nice, compact receiver, no complaints. But the earpiece is junk.

I am amazed at the quality &fine tuning of this very small personal radio. The sound quality is simply awesome! I haven’t owned such a great personal radio like this since the early 1990s. I own a modern XM portable & personal size radio that’s similar in size to this radio, and yes it has more channels overall, BUT I really love this radio much more because of the manual tuning dial & volume and I really enjoy the sound quality it provides. I like it so much that I have bought 3 extra of these new radios to put in my home safe to have for the future years so that no matter what happens, I will always have one in case I wear it out or break it, etc. I might even have to buy a few more of these radio’s to give as gifts to my closest friends! 5-Stars

Really nice small radio. We bought 2 and used them at a college football game to listen to the play-by-play. The reception and sound were excellent. We supplemented by buying pairs of more substantial ear phones, but the ones that come with the radio are certainly adequate. The only thing that could be improved is the hook attachment on the back of the radio - it's sort of flimsy and did not last even one use. But especially for the price, this little radio is GREAT! We recommend it.