[IRCA] Sony ICF-S5W vs Sony ICF-EX5

[D1028Gary@xxxxxxx]

As most medium-wave DXers know, after Sony  discontinued the top-rated 
ICF-S5W in 1981, it has never returned to the USA  market with a medium-wave DX 
specialty portable.  But a little-known fact  is that the Japanese market has had 
a phenomenally successful medium-wave DX  receiver sold continuously since 
1985... the Sony ICF-EX5.
     Since this radio was strictly designed for the  Japanese market, to my 
knowledge, it has never been offered for sale here, and  the documentation on 
the web is almost all in Japanese.  Intrigued with the  Japanese reports of 
outstanding sensitivity and selectivity, I placed a couple  of orders for the 
radios, eager to test the ICF-EX5 against my  ICF-S5W.
     To my surprise, when properly aligned (a simple  procedure), the 
sensitivity of the ICF-EX5 was generally equal to the ICF-S5W,  and it has the added 
benefits of a synchronous detector circuit, and  double-conversion circuitry.  
That's not to say that all is perfect.. the  dynamic range seems a little 
worse than the ICF-S5W, and the Japanese written on  the dial will not please 
everybody.  But, at a price of $175 delivered  (from sources such as audio 
cubes.com),  it certainly seems like a  sensible alternative to those DXers who 
always wanted a portable with  performance roughly equivalent to the ICF-S5W, but 
don't wish to pay $300  or more for the decent ones which rarely show up on 
eBay.  If there is  sufficient interest, I would be happy to write a full report 
on the  comparison in DXM, and also loan out an EX5 to someone in the local  
Seattle/Tacoma area who wishes to run comparisons with their own  portable(s). 
                                     Best wishes,  Gary DeBock/N7EKX (in 
Puyallup,  WA)     
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