O-Sense
CONCLUSION
We spend a total of two weeks with the WFT-3 and although I still don’t like listening to local radio it’s very interesting to be able to listen to stations from all over the world at the push of a button. This of course is not new and you can do so from your PC just as easily but using the WFT-3 is much faster and easier. Unfortunately DAB/DAB+ is not available where we’re located (the WFT-3 was unable to pick up any stations of that type) so I can’t really comment on that feature as I can’t comment on the Spotify feature since it’s not an app any of us uses. However it was a pleasant surprise to see that the WFT-3 does support playback of FLAC audio files (perhaps that was added via firmware update and Sangean forgot to update the features list?). We were also quite satisfied with the number of available audio outputs the WFT-3 has (stereo, optical and coaxial) but we do feel that just 5 presets for each radio type might just be too few (this is something pointed out by some people we talked about the WFT-3 with – personally I feel that even 5 is enough for each radio type). As for the UNDOK app well it is a generic 3rd party app which means it can be used with a wide range of compatible devices. Still it worked flawlessly and that’s pretty much the only thing that really matters. Of course we do feel that Sangean can further improve the WFT-3 perhaps by adding a touch screen to make it easier for people to use the menus and select stations and songs. The sky is the limit here really so we’re very curious to see what plans Sangean has for the near future.
Pricing is perhaps the only slight drawback of the WFT-3 digital receiver by Sangean since it currently retails for 355.60Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) a price tag which although quite reduced compared to its launch day it’s still set quite high. Of course we did check around to see just how much similar devices go for and although we did find many DAB/DAB+ and FM radio combos for much less none supported internet radio not to mention the USB/Network media player feature so at the end of the day it all comes down to what your needs are. Leaving out its price tag however there’s no denying that the WFT-3 offers more compared to its direct competition and that’s why it gets our Golden Award.
PROS
- Build Quality
- Internet / DAB / DAB+ / FM-RDS Radio
- Spotify / UnDOK App Audio Streaming
- Network / USB Media Player (MP3 / WMA / FLAC)
- Wired And Wireless Connectivity
- Available Audio Connections (Stereo / Optical / Coaxial)
- 3.2” Color TFT Screen
CONS
- Price (For Some)
- Current Availability
- Only 5 Presets Per Radio Type
