December 2025

The new Sangean WR-8/WR-9 Compact Radios are interesting and innovative new models which fill a niche few other radios fulfill. For several years I have used a few of their earlier (and still available WR-7 series radios around the house, but these new models represent real upgrades in several ways. They both use CMOS-based circuits offering unusually high-performance specifications for this category of equipment. Other than styling differences these two units share seemingly identical performance except that the WR-9 has a unique AM internal antenna which offers the unusual ability to be used either horizontally or vertically. They also offer both AM and FM plus Bluetooth.

Specifications:

Backlight with Dimmer
Battery Low LED Indication
Charging Indicator

Size: 5.28 x 3.23 x 3.1 in   WR-8 / 5.4 x 3.16 x 3.12 in   WR-9

Weight: 0.96 lb   WR-8 / 1.01  lb   WR-9

USB DC-In (Type-C)

USB A to USB C Cable
Earphones 1/8”/3.5mm
FM Ext. Antenna 1/8”/3.5mm

FM Wire Antenna

Speaker: 2 inches 4 ohm with Passive Radiator

Amplifier Class AB / Class D (See text)

Output Power 1.8W AM & FM / 4.75W BT   WR-8

Output Power 1.8W AM & FM / 4W BT        WR-9

Battery Output Power 1.3W AM & FM / 4.2W BT   WR-8

Battery 18650 Li-Ion Battery 3.7V / 3350mAh

Playtime 54 h (Speaker) WR-8

Playtime 57 h (Speaker) WR-9

In Use:

The WR-8/WR-9 are innovative in several ways and as you can see from the specifications above, they share almost identical characteristics. The one big difference is that the WR-9 can be used either horizontally or vertically due to an ingenious internal AM antenna that works identically in either position whereas traditional antennas will lose most of their performance if tipped up on end. I verified this by tuning to several weak to medium strength AM stations and observed no difference with either orientation. I did note though that whereas most radios must be orientated broadside to the station the WR-9 must be in-line with it. (See picture).

Above: Station is Parallel to WR-8 but Perpendicular to WR-9

Another item of note is the high audio output power these radios offer. The specs shown above are a bit unusual as these radios have much higher output in Bluetooth mode then on AM/FM and slightly higher power when powered by USB. This is also reflected by the fact that the amplifiers are described as both Class A/B and Class D which is again, unusual. Being a CMOS design there are several IC’s which handle various functions but I can tell you that overall performance is excellent for this category in every sense.

AM and FM reception is excellent for such small radios, rating **** on both the AM and FM Mega Shootout lists. Weaker stations were received surprisingly well on both models.

Sound is very warm and full and although some may find it a bit mellow on AM…in my area one station has a decidedly mellow audio characteristic which sounded a bit dull on these radios  but other stations sounded decidedly crisper. On FM and Bluetooth the sound is both well-balanced and authoritative considering the small size. Sangean has mastered the art of using passive radiators to augment the warmth and the unusually high power provides convincing sound overall. These are very impressive sounding handsome radios.

Conclusion: I must say that I have always been impressed by Sangean’s radios…they seem to be of the highest quality and workmanship and the new WR-8/EWR-9 continue that tradition. If you are looking for a small, rechargeable AM/FM radio with strong reception and  sound which is much larger than their size would suggest, you can’t do better than with one of these radios…they will each find a permanent place in my home!

Recommended!

Jay Allen  

See the WR-8 at Amazon:   $113.39

See theWR-9 at Amazon:  $109.99