Sony SRF-S84 FM/AM Portable Walkman Radio with MDR Ear Buds - Compact & Lightweight for Travel, Sports, and Outdoor Activities (Blue)

Sony SRF-S84 FM/AM Super Compact Radio Walkman with Sony MDR Fontopia Ear-Bud (Silver)I was looking for a small AM-FM radio about the size of my iPod, primarily so that I could listen to news & sports talk, and baseball games (and occasionally listen to music) while on my daily walks.After looking at a few models online, based on its features and customer reviews, I decided to go with the Sony SRF-S84 over the less expensive Sony SRF59 (which also received excellent reviews). I chose the SRF-S84 because of its slightly smaller size, the fact that it had the Bass Boost feature (for the times when I'm listening to music stations), and because it came with ear-buds as opposed to headphones.My biggest concerns/questions were would it have adequate reception and reasonably good sound quality out of the box? The answer to those questions are that the reception is far more than adequate,as it is great on both AM & FM and the sound quality is superb as well (even with the stock ear-buds - which are far nicer than I expected). I've found that this little Sony holds stations really well on my walks and I have had no issues at all with stations fading in & out. In fact I am amazed at how well the SRF-S84 pulls in and locks onto even distant stations.Another huge plus is its very small size which is perfect! - It is not even as wide or as tall as my iPod Nano (4th generation), and not too much thicker/deeper (enough to accomodate the one AAA battery that powers it). I find the analog tuner to be easy to use and has fantastic sensitivity to tune-in the station you are searching for even in areas with many stations close together on the dial. All other controls are simple, straight-forward and intuitive. I must also mention that even the belt-clip appears to be very sturdy. This tiny gem of a radio is just what I was looking for.To say that I am pleased with this little marvel would be an understatement. It not only meets my expectations, it exceeds them. The SRF-S84 is a great little AM-FM radio, and would make a great gift as well! I would have to say that this was one of my best purchases of 2012.