Rating: 
Summary: ok - not great
Review: This radio has decent reception, which is what I wanted in a small portable radio. I wish it were smaller. It is incomprehensible to me why Sony would provide such poor quality headphones with its radio. Presumably Sony would know how to make good headphones. When I replaced them with my Earhugger headphones, the sound quality improved tremendously as did the comfort. The volume control knob is poorly positioned and often moves with normal arm movement. Before I turn the radio on, I always turn the volume to its lowest level, so as not to be blasted by inadvertent change in the volume control level.
Rating: 
Summary: Terrible reception. Terrible purchase.
Review: Worst Sony product I've ever seen!!! ...
I purchased this arm band radio for my wife to do excercise.
I tried to go walking with it. It has the worst reception of any radio I've ever used. It has worse reception than a no-name ... headphone radio I have. Even the strongest stations get a lot of interference. It's too big and bulky for just being a radio. The battery latch often disengages accidentaly. It doesn't have a search function, so you have to go click by click finding a station, or you have to memorize it. It's terribly difficult to get the radio on your arm. The headphones cable is too short. Trying to excercise with this radio is a stressful, hazardous activity. Sony used to be my favorite manufacturer.
Rating: 
Summary: its da bomb
Review: i love it has good sound the stations are mostly all clear and you get a good buy i think!!
i would recomend this to anyone who walks alot and always is worried about breaking it because this one does not break. it (for me) has lasted a long time,so far.
i also think it looks real awsome and so do my friends!!
Rating:
Summary: Shocked that Sony could make
Review: Bought this so I could use in a gym - but never get a single radio station, and the one the gym provides for its TV stations - just barely hear it. My friend bought a raiod - very similar which has a much better reception.Other than the fact that this does NOT receive radio waves (???) the headphones are just useless. After a few days of disappointing use - the headphone strted giveing me the static in just one ear! Can't believe SONY would actually let this out in the market without testing it out properly. The plus side - it looks good....
Rating: 
Summary: I thought new models were supposed to be an improvement..
Review: Well, the title says it all -- not terribly happy with the new Sony S2 armband radio. Compared to the predecessor model, the new S2 at first appeared to provide several improvements, but upon more use, many flaws were revealed. Most of these comments are geared towards those people who have the old model and are looking to "upgrade" (I use that word loosely...) Positives: Sony attempted to address several complaints regarding the prior model but wound up going further in the wrong direction (for the most part.) On the positive side: A "hold" lever was added which means it is far less likely that the radio will turn itself on in your gym bag or when you travel. Nothing worse than getting 5 minutes into your workout/run and realizing the thing turned itself on overnight and drained the batteries. Which brings up another big plus for the new model -- the inclusion of a battery meter, which I have found to be quite accurate and very helpful. Sony has also moved the power button to the side and geared the button so that it needs a firmer push to activate, making it less likely that you will turn it off inadvertently. Other plusses include the addition of an extra 5 FM presets, TV and weather bands, a stopwatch with lap feature, and a new mega-bass booster. The new headphones are pretty good for working out and provide much fuller sound than the old model. All of these new features work reasonably well, although I do not use the TV and weather bands very often. Sony has also changed the shape slightly so that is a little larger and more curved to match the curvature of your arm or waist. While it is slight larger, it feels more solid and better shaped to its purpose. Reception: Although there seem to be many compaints with respect to this, I have found the reception to be comparable to the old model -- nothing stellar but good for a small radio which uses the headset cord for the antenna. Back to the drawing board... Now for the not so good. First, and probably the most annoying thing about all Sony Armband radios, THE HEADPHONE JACK IS AWFUL! After only a few weeks of use, it was shot (without dropping it or having the cord yanked out.) I constantly have to jiggle the jack to get clear sound in both ears, and it was the same with each of the prior models I have owned. I attributed this shortcoming to the fact that the headphone jack used to be on the side of the unit and more prone to get wet. Sony tried to improve this by placing the jack for the S2 on the bottom of the unit where it is more protected, but it simply has not helped. I do not understand why they cannot get this most crucial connection to work! Next, the contrived upside down design is abysmal compared to the old model. I know Sony was trying to make it easier to read/manipulate while running, but it missed the mark by a mile. If using it on either arm and having it mounted so that the face points away from you (the only way to wear it and not have it interfere with your arm movement), there is almost no way to see the display or face of the unit without almost pulling it off your arm. Furthermore, the layout of the buttons makes it very difficult to manipulate the presets by feel. Presets 1-5 are all bunched together, along with the button to activate the weather band (it is the same size and color, as well.) Once pushed, which is easily done when feeling around for a preset button, getting back to your FM or AM station requires seeking out the "band" selector, slightly smaller and right next to all the preset buttons. Very hard to do by feel, and it is not very fun while trying to maintain your pace. Finally, the position of the volume dial makes it very easy to inadvertently turn the volume to ear-splitting levels, even through normal arm movement if the cord gets caught up in the wheel. I happen to like the wheel design, but its was better positioned on the side as it was on the predecessor model. In conclusion, if you still have the old version and it is working, or you need a replacement and can still find a "new" old one, I would definitely choose that over this S2. If that is not an option and you must buy a new sports radio, this is still the best sports radio for working out by a mile. If you are looking for a radio/MP3 player suitable for the gym, which has been hard to find for a while, have a look at the Rio S35 Sport.
Rating:
Summary: somewhat disappointed
Review: I purchased this basically to use while working out at the gym. It's the only one I know of that has an armband so it doesn't get in your way and is very secure. However I got very poor reception for 2 of my favorite radio stations. They barely came in and there was just too much static no matter which floor I was on. However Circuit City has a very generous 30 day return policy so I'm going to try it several more times. On the plus side, the stations that do come in sound great. They're just not my favorites.
Rating:
Summary: major disappointment...
Review: I bought this to wear working out, thinking that everything else I own that is a Sony is great so this should be too. I was WRONG! the radio feels cheap right out of the box, the battery door doesn't want to stay closed. when I bend and raise my arm to look at my watch the volume gets turned up, LOUD. the reception in the club just [stinks] and I am not talking about normal broadcast stations, I am talking about the stations right in the building for the TV monitors. I had to play with the connection to get the sound to come out of both earphone speakers. so here is my advise if you are considering purchasing the radio....DON'T!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Best radio for the gym
Review: If you exercise at a gym, this is the perfect radio. Yes, the reception can be lousy at times, but then you're surrounded by many RF noise sources and a metal building that shields the radio signal. The plus side is that buttons are convenient, the locking mechanism means the radio won't accidentally get turned on while it's stored in a gym bag, the TV channels mean you can hear a local station even if you can't get a clear signal from the gym's local FM re-broadcast, and the arm strap works well. Now if Sony could just fit an MP3 player in there...
Rating:
Summary: Improvements??
Review: I purchased this to replace my old sports walkman when I forgot to take it with me on a month long overseas trip. I loved my old one (don't have a model number, it's about 10 years old). The reception was great, I could change stations by feel, and it took whatever abuse I gave it, which typically included dropping it on the pavement at least once a week.
I have to say I'm a bit disappointed with the SRF-M80V. When shopping I immediately noticed all the changes, and assumed they would all be for the better, but not so.
Pros: It's lightweight, and the shape fits nicely on my arm. Running with it strapped to my arm doesn't bug me the way I thought it might, and it's a nice change from the radio pulling on my shorts. There is the option to strap it onto your shorts, but since it seems OK on my arm, I haven't tried it yet. The reception equals the reception on my old one, and I've never had any complaints. The headphones are lightweight, and they've shortened the cord, which keeps the excess from flopping around, but limits what you can do with it. I've only dropped this one a couple times, and it hasn't suffered, but the battery compartment does pop open.
Cons: It brags of 25 presets, but you can't really do it by feel since they are numbered, and not just an up/down button. When I'm running, I'm not particular as long as it's music and not talking. Scanning up and down worked pretty well for me. Grabbing my left arm with my right hand and looking slightly down to see what I'm doing while running is a bit awkward. Don't know if it would be better hooked on my shorts or not. The buttons are not recessed, so if you bump anything you get instant station change, or even worse, just a tap up or down on the station you are on. You can use the "hold" feature to avoid this, but then you have to take it off hold if you want to change stations. I should probably purchase different headphones, but I'm trying to avoid spending the money. The headphones are OK, not great, not terrible. The short cord was annoying this morning when I hooked the radio to my camelbak for a bike ride and it kept pulling the phones back because it wasn't long enough to drape over the backpack and up into my helmet. The worst feature is the volume control. For active sports, an up/down button would work best. Surprisingly they stuck with the dial method. And the placement couldn't be worse. Everytime I grab this thing, I inadvertently hit that volume dial. I cannot count the number of times I have almost come out of my skin when I either turn it on and it's been turned up too loud, or when I change the station and accidentally grab the volume dial. A word of advice: don't ever turn this thing on with the headphones on your head, it could damage your hearing.
It's nice that this radio has AM/FM/TV/WB, not that I can use anything but FM right now (living in the outback). Perhaps I will appreciate the 25 presets more when I get back to the states. But for me, since I use this radio exclusively for running and cycling, simpler would be better. A sports walkman designed for a blind person would be perfect for me, as I don't want to look at it when I'm using it. If you're looking for a portable radio with lots of features, you might like this. If you're looking for something simple to use that will provide distraction from your own heavy breathing when exercising, think before buying this one.
Rating:
Summary: Poor Reception, Static and Hiss
Review: Purchased for use while jogging as a replacement to an SRF-m70 after 4 years of use. Reception was terrible. All AM and FM stations had background static and hiss. Local/Distance button seemed to have no effect. I live in the DFW area so it is not like distance to the transmitters were an issue. Also did not like the way the controls were shown "upside down", presumably for when the unit is used with the arm band (I used the belt clip).
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