Apparently they are sending a totally different version of this radio now compared to what was available when many of these reviews were written.
The radio they are sending now (8-2009) is a heavy but cheap piece of black plastic with the lowest quality components possible. The sound is fairly harsh (due to significant amounts of high frequency distortion at ALL volumes) and it breaks up completely into a blast of noise and distortion with the volume is set past 3-4 on FM. It's not the speaker distorting, the problem is the tiny amp rated at 1/4 to 1/3 watt. Those numbers are fairly accurate and based on actual electronic measurements I did with a quality true RMS Volt and watt meter. While being physically large, this heavy radio has less power than some tiny radio's that I have and only 1/10th the power of a decent, 4 watt mp3/clock radio setup. Due to it's size it gets loud enough to use in a typical kitchen or living room setting but it's easily surpassed in reception, sound quality and volume by pretty much any decent quality boombox and most amplified mp3 or computer speakers. The original GE SuperRadio woofer has been replaced with an equal size but lighter and more efficient speaker with a smaller magnet and a lightweight cone.
There is a separate tweeter for clarity but the radio as a whole is easily distorted by even modest volume levels due to the tiny internal amp. Yes, the batteries will last a long, long time because tiny amps don't take much power.
They should replace the amp with a better one or change the design over to AA batteries instead of D cells since it would still run a long time even on AA's and then the radio could then be built at half the size and weight and still sound better.
The AFC button (auto frequency control) has a design flaw in the circuitry that reduces the bass response by 3-4dB when enabled.
The rotary knobs have a large amount of slop in the mechanism even when new and feel like they wont last long.
Good tuner designs can be completely silent between stations but they didn't try much on this one. It has loud noise and distortion between FM stations and the noise is often louder than the stations themselves.
Even a tiny Sandisk $29 Sansa mp3 player that I tested gets more stations and is clearer.
I own an original GE SuperRadio and have realistic expectations so I felt inclined to let people know that this is not the same product. RCA is clearly not trying much with this model since it has no relation to the original GE SuperRadio that it's based on. After reading some reviews talking about the wonderful sound quality I felt obligated to provide more detailed information from an Audio Engineers perspective and let them know that this is not the real deal anymore. I returned it. RCA RP7887 AM/FM Super Portable Radio
This is more of a Super-Radio 4 with the cosmetics of a Superadio III. This is the third version of the RCA-branded "Superadio". It's not made by Thomson Consumer Electronics as the original Superadio III was made but by a Canadian outfit called AVC Electronics. The target market no longer seems to be the USA but Canada (nothing wrong with that).
I bought one of these just to see what changes were made - I'm a radio engineer by trade and hobby.
It took me three samples before I found one radio that worked sort of properly. The first one was extremely mis-calibrated. The second one had floppy controls (the audio pots would turn 360 degrees as if their detents were broken) and dead spots across the dial. The third unit is calibrated properly on AM but slightly off on FM, particularly noticeable on the high end of the dial. A station on 106 FM appears halfway between 106 and 108.
Sound quality is not as good as the original IIIs. Audio is tinnier. The woofer in the current model doesn't have as much bass response as earlier units, even with the bass dial turned to maximum.
When turned on, it takes a while for voltages to ramp up and let the varactor tuning diodes return to the previous station that was listened to. Older IIIs would do this much more quickly. I haven't yet opened the radio to look at the circuit board, but the difference in performance suggests the electronics have been redesigned.
The most insignificant part is the slight but noticeable cosmetic changes: Printing on the top part of the cabinet is now gone. Also gone is the chrome finish on the knobs and switches - replaced by a dull-grey matte finish.
In short, I think it's seriously time to consider retiring this model line.
It's been a good 30 years (I, II and III under GE and the second version of RCA-branded III; the first version being plagued by defective tuning potentiometers) but better-quality contemporary analog-tuned and digitally-tuned radios (by companies like C-Crane and Sangean) have superseded it.
Clearly the current manufacturer (AVC Electronics) is just cruising on name recognition and not quality. - Table Radio - Am Radio - Am-fm - Am Radio Reception'
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