The 4 Best Tabletop Radios of 2025

Crosley Milton and Crosley Tribute: These tiny radios have an aesthetically pleasing design and multiple input options. But both rely on a USB power cord that extends only 21 inches, with no power base included, and neither performed well during our reception testing. Additionally, the Milton’s Micro-USB charging port is positioned close enough to the telescopic antenna that you have to lean the antenna out of the way while plugging in the radio. While these radios’ rechargeable batteries are more convenient than the four C batteries required for the Studebaker SB2000, our budget pick sells for less, got much better reception, and had comparable sound quality.

Hearth & Hand with Magnolia AM/FM Bluetooth: The Hearth & Hand radio’s sound quality, retro design, analog tuning, and ancillary features (Bluetooth, aux input) were decent for a brand that doesn’t specialize in audio equipment. However, this model picked up the least amount of FM channels during our most recent round of testing, and it was shaky at best with AM stations. The small, EQ tuning knob is superfluous, as it gives you only the option for +/- bass or treble—separately. To set the level back to flat, you have to make sure the knob is directly in the center.

Sangean WR-2: Although the WR-2 represents a functional upgrade over the WR-11SE—in its digital tuner, station presets, and front-panel headphone jack, just to name a few features—we prefer the WR-50P if you’re shopping for a model with a digital tuner and station presets.

Sangean WR-12: The WR-12 is simply a larger WR-11SE with stereo speakers. Two speakers packed into a cabinet that small can’t give you much sonic impact or channel separation, though, so if you’re looking for stereo, you’d be better served by the WR-50P.

Tivoli Model One: Although there’s a lot to love about the Tivoli Model One, particularly its iconic design, the Sangean radios offer better build quality and features. We also found the Model One’s imprecise radial tuning dial a bit frustrating. Tuning to 95.1 FM, a popular classic-rock station in our previous test location, required us to situate the dial between 94 and 95. Likewise, 95.5 FM, another local classic-rock station, was located at precisely 95 on this Tivoli model’s dial. The Sangean radios were more precise and cost less.

Tivoli Model One BT: We experienced the same tuning issues on the Bluetooth version of the Model One. Its indicator light was constantly flickering, highlighting its own tuning difficulties. It also performed the worst in all of our channel testing.

Victrola Willow: This radio, surprisingly, performed the best in previous rounds of FM testing, thanks to its attached external antenna. However, its tuning dial was extremely imprecise and seemed to get worse as we continued up the dial. For instance, 89.5 FM, NPR’s San Diego station, was closer to 89 on the dial, while 100.7 FM, a popular music station, landed on nearly 102.

View Quest Monty HD: The Monty’s control buttons were prone to frequent misfires, and nearly every long or short press felt like a gamble, making auto-scanning impossible. Its reception was middling, picking up only seven of the 45 FM stations clearly and four of the 25 HD Radio stations in our area. The HD Radio stations it did pick up sounded good, and its Bluetooth functioned well. But it had other quirks that were difficult to ignore: The LCD screen would display strange characters when the radio tuned in to an HD Radio station, and while it has a battery pack on the back, we couldn’t find one that would fit it.

We did not test boombox-style radios like the Sony CFD-S70, focusing on more minimalist tabletop designs. We may reconsider testing boombox radios for future updates.

This article was edited by Adrienne Maxwell and Grant Clauser.