An Inexpensive Radio That's Hard to Beat

Author's Rating:

Pros: Ultra-low price, excellent audio for a radio of this size, good shortwave performance

Cons: Tuning dial hard to read and inaccurate

The Bottom Line: 
The Coby CX-CB12 is a $15 radio that performs as well in most categories as a $50-$70 radio

Author's Review
It's interesting to note how long this little radio has been on the market -- the reviews span back several years. While a product that's been manufactured for a considerable period of time is not guaranteed to be of high quality, "staying power" does indicate that, for some reason, people keep buying it. In the case of the Coby CX-CB12, they buy it because it's a surprisingly good radio for very little money.

Attractively boxed with a set of earbuds and a clear, comprehensive instruction sheet, the little Coby is presented in about the same way as any radio you buy, whether it costs $15 (which is what I paid for the Coby) or $300. It takes two "AA" batteries, which are not included, and they are inserted by opening the battery access door on the bottom of the radio. Whomever designed this radio apparently thought he or she had a better idea by making little plastic tabs on the battery door that simulate hinges, so the door swings down instead of merely coming off, as most battery compartment covers do. Trouble is, with the door in the way, it's nearly impossible to get the batteries in, so I wound up taking the battery door off anyhow. You can do this by simply angling the door out of the opening -- you do not have to break the hinges off.

Upon initially powering the radio up, I was immediately impressed by the sound quality. Compared to other small radios with small speakers, this one sounds amazingly good. Voice, in particular, is crisp and easy to understand. Music does not sound half bad, either. The included earbuds make FM sound really nice, and also work well on AM (medium-wave) and shortwave during times when you want to listen in private, or listen more loudly than others nearby might care to hear.

I like that there is a separate power switch, volume control, and band selector switch. Often on radios of this price, the volume control or the band selector doubles as the power switch. To me, those configurations are inherently less convenient, and also probably subject the "double-duty" switches to more wear and tear and ultimately a shorter life.

Performance on each of the bands differs. AM (MW) sensitivity seems to vary across the band. At some frequencies, it's practically amazing, bringing in stations even radios costing ten times as much have trouble picking up. At other frequencies on the same band, it's average. On FM, the radio's sensitivity exceeds its selectivity, so strong stations take up a lot of space on the dial. But, in situations where you have a far-off station that's not surrounded by other close ones, this radio's sensitivity really shows up. Receiving FM from 80 miles away is possible, again, as long as there aren't any nearby powerful stations to drown out the distant one.

Shortwave performance is great, in some respects equaling that of several other radios I have that cost more. Compared to a Sony ICF-SW12, a Grundig G5, and a Tecsun R9700DX, this radio is definitely in the same ballpark in out-and-out sensitivity. The advantage of those other radios comes in features and overall refinement. The G5, for example, is a truly top-notch radio that offers steady single-sideband reception, synthesized digital tuning, and numerous other useful features. But, it costs $150. The Sony ICF-SW12 is a very tiny radio (considerably smaller than the Coby), and it has a world clock in it. It goes for about $80. The point is, for $15, you're able to hear a lot of what you can hear on the costlier radios, albeit in a package that's less refined and feature-rich. Even being able to compare this radio to those, in itself, says something.

My only real criticism is that the dial is hard to read, and the pointer is inaccurate. On the first point, the dial markings are tiny, and there is a dark-colored background to the dial that makes for very low contrast between the frequency number markings and the background. I have no problems passing the vision test for my driver's license without glasses, but this radio will make you feel like you're going blind. Perhaps this curious design feature exists for a reason, though: The dial pointer is so inaccurate that there's not much reason to look closely at it. If you listen to this radio a lot, you might want to get a "Sharpie" or similar pen and put a small dot on the plastic covering of the dial the dial to indicate the locations of your favorite stations, because the numbers on the dial won't help you much. On mine, true 103 MHz on FM is a little below the 100 MHz indication, and this error level carries over to shortwave and AM (medium-wave) as well. But, hey, it's a $15 radio, and it sounds good and generally receives quite well, so this is far from a deal-breaker.

I have played my radio for 20 or so hours, including inadvertantly allowing it to play all night once, and the batteries seem to be going strong, so it's unlikely that operating costs will be much of an issue. You could also use two "AA" rechargeables and practically eliminate the issue of battery cost altogether.

I did have a problem with my first CX-CB12 that caused me to exchange it for a different one: The volume control came loose internally and began wobbling back and forth, with occasional cut-outs of the audio. In all other areas, the replacement unit performs the same as the first one did, but its volume control appears to be properly held in place.

The size of this radio is handy. It's small, but it would be a little too big to put in a shirt pocket. A coat or jacket pocket would work. While there are smaller radios out there, the size of this one probably accounts for its much fuller, clearer audio. Also, on a larger radio such as this, it's easier to operate the controls. It's a trade-off.

If you'd like to try out shortwave, or perhaps want a good radio for earbud listening while walking, jogging or working out at the gym, you really can't go wrong here. The Coby CX-CB12 would also make a nice gift for someone who'd appreciate having a radio with its desirable qualities. All in all, it's hard to imagine getting much more for your money.