Customer Ratings & Reviews

I just want to listen to the radio while I go for a Run !!!! I think I should just buy something cheaper.

This product is poorly made. The one I puchased came new in unopened/untampered packaging and was broken. It has never been in working condition.

Radio signal is very weak, especially when you are moving around, walking or running.

Returned 4 separate units! All with the same defect. Wouldn't recommend to anyone!

My primary use of this radio is for working out. I probably use the radio about 6-8 hours per week and I like to change radio stations frequently so that I am can skip commercials. My review is based primarily on a comparison with the Sony SRFM37W, which I owned and thought I had lost it so bought the Insignia as a replacement. In my opinion, here are the major negatives for the Insignia compared to the Sony: Battery Life: Insignia requires 2 AAA and the Sony 1 AAA. I would conservatively estimate that the Sony lasts 3-4 times longer than the Insignia before the batteries have to be changed. It is annoying to find your radio is out of batteries right before your workout. There is a meter on the Sony that shows battery life. The Insignia does not have that and the readout becomes faint when the battery is wearing out. It seemed to become faint fairly fast, so it was difficult to determine how much battery life was really left. Channel Changing: The insignia stores 10 stations, but to change channels, you only have the ability to scroll up. So if you are on station 1 and you move up to 2, if you want to get back to 1 you have to go through all of the presets. This is very inconvenient if you frequently change the stations. To minimize this, I would program in the same stations in 2-3 separate preset locations. The Sony has individual buttons for each station, so going back and forth between stations is very easy. Loss of Station Presets: In my opinion, this is the main deficiency in the Insignia. Every time you change the battery (which is too often), the presets need to be reloaded. This was a major pain in the rear to have to do every time the batteries were changed. On the positive side, I feel the reception is better than the Sony and the sound is better as well. In addition, the buttons are hard enough to push that accidental button pushing is nearly impossible. I eventually found my Sony SRFM37W after I bought and used the Insignia for about 2 months. The advantages of the Sony were even more apparent after I was able to go back to it. If you only use the Insignia for an hour or two per week and listen to the same station all of the time, then the Insignia will be a good choice, otherwise the Sony is the way to go.

I live in an eastern suburb of twin cities and needed this radio for the bus travel to Mpls downtown and I can tell you that this piece gives good value for money. I get good reception throughout my travel and in the Mpls skyways and buildings. Since, it is a small radio, there may be some positions which introduces static, but one can managea. I do not use the headphone supplied as I have an ipod and use the same set for both. Also, the ones which came with this radio were too tight and gave me a headache. One drawback I see is that the volume control is digital but not smooth, which means that it changes in steps and in quiet env like work, I prefer lower volume than the smallest step available, which is not possible. I listen mostly to NPR, but I can receive all the stattions in FM very clear without any static. I haven't tried AM stations yet. it was the cheapest in the store and I did not expect more fro this radio that what it gives me right now. i can't comment on durability yet, but carry in a sac and it has broken yet. It looks pretty robust.

Acoustic Simplicity. Sonic Perfection. Superior Design. Overachievement to the max. Economical Price. These are just some of the characteristics that make the Insignia NS-R5111 AM/FM Stereo Arm Band Radio a formidable contender in the portable audio universe. This unit’s performance and feature set is consistent and commensurate with some of the more expensive AM/FM portable radios on the market. The Insignia radio features a rugged body construction, excellent radio reception, quality headphones, and a convenient arm band for comfortable placement of this unit during the morning exercise routine. This portable presents all of the amenities and comforts that a radio or exercise enthusiast would want. My particular model sports an attractive and bright yellow appearance that always reminds me of a beautiful summer day. The Insignia radio offers ergonomically positioned controls, AM/FM reception, and a water-resistant design for private listening sessions while sitting poolside or relaxing at the beach. This unit’s hold feature is extremely useful as I know that the great song I’m listening to won’t be disturbed by an accidental button press or if this radio suffers a slight fall to the ground. The LCD display gives me much needed time, station, and preset number information instantly, so that I can make an accurate station selection as circumstances require. The included stereo headphones fit snugly on my ears and offer a fatigue-free listening experience. The Insignia NS-R5111 arm band radio’s preset tuning feature is by far this portable’s best attribute. It’s very convenient to skip from station to station at the press of a button to find the best programming on at the current moment. This portable radio does a fine job for news, sports, talk, and weather broadcasts on the AM band. I don’t notice too much noise or the need to reorient the radio to get high quality reception for my favorite AM stations. Late night AM DX reception is possible with this portable as long as suitable atmospheric conditions are present. FM stereo reception is clear and consistently very good. The music comes in with great fidelity and with solid bass performance. The Insignia arm band radio features a headphone cord FM antenna that pulls in all the FM stations that I need or care for. FM stereo reception is always dependable, with accurate results both at home and outdoors. This unit demonstrates better than average sensitivity and selectivity broadcast AM/FM reception performance for this product category. The Insignia portable radio operates on two AAA batteries. I can’t recommend the batteries that are included with this unit. In my view, Duracell Ultra or Energizer Max alkaline batteries extract the most battery life and audio performance from this handsomely designed Insignia portable radio. The Insignia NS-R5111 AM/FM radio includes the following step-up portable features: digital AM/FM tuner, AM frequency range: 530-1710 kHz, FM frequency range: 87.5-107.9 MHz, FM stereo/mono reception, 20 AM/FM stations presets, 3.5mm headphone jack, stereo headphones, headphone cord FM antenna, built-in AM ferrite bar antenna, LCD display, digital clock, hold feature, battery life indicator, water-resistant, wearable oval design, power, preset, stereo/time set, memory, band selection, volume up, volume down, preset tuning/manual seek tuning controls, volume level indicator, belt clip, arm band, 2 AAA battery operation, battery compartment, and operating instructions. The Insignia NS-R5111 arm band radio features the following dimensions: Height: 4-3/10”, Width: 2-1/5”, Depth: 1”, and Weight: 4.2 ounces. The Insignia NS-R5111 AM/FM portable radio also includes a 90 day parts and labor limited manufacturer warranty. The Insignia portable radio is just a joy to use. I believe that your acquisition of the Insignia AM/FM Arm Band Radio will bring you a high quality personal audio experience for many years to come. Good Luck. Enjoy.

Overall this product is fantastic. I recently purhcased this product, to use when doing yardwork. Don't want to risk damaging an ipod while working in the yard. For the money, this AM/FM radio is the best thing you can fidI was concerned about the volume control and that has been great. I have used it when jogging as well. the radio always gets a great signal. Unfortunately it has fallen few times, but the product is very resilient and hasn't skipped a beat. The radio also allows for 10 preset AM and FM station which is more than enough.

My ultimate conclusion may not be surprising, given the price, but I have to conclude this radio is probably not worth buying. One's reaction to the radio may depend on location and stations desired. My intended use of the radio was listening to the local PBS station while walking for exercise. I could probably have used it satisfactorily for this purpose (reception on that station was OK), but I discovered that other similar radios are able to get more stations and better reception on most of those that this radio does receive. Though I could have probably used the radio for what I want to use it for more than 99% of the time, I decided to return it and spend just a few dollars more for something of obviously better quality

Work out, Lawn work, this makes it all more fun. I love it!

I'd been looking for a decent FM radio to use on my daily walks, and purchased this Insignia after reading moderately positive reviews. Boy, was I ever disappointed! The static is SO bad the radio is all but unusable. What an utter piece of c#*p! Might make a good hockey puck. Save your money and patience by buying something worthwhile - this ain't it!

I was hoping this would be a good running radio for the price. However, it only picks up 4-5 stations, and they full of static while I run. There are many other stations in the area that I can pick up with my alarm clock radio. The reception is fair while walking, so it might not be a bad option if that is what you primarily do. Also, the left earphone went out after a few uses, so I had to spend an extra $10 to get a decent pair.

This radio works fine and does what it's supposed to. It's convenient because it comes with a velcro armband so you can strap it to your arm. You can also clip it to a belt. Reception is fairly good, especially on AM stations. I found it to lack a little on FM stations when tuned to transmissions in the gym for watching TV channels. Overall, it's a good value.

Bought to use to listen to play by play during Brewers games. Was sitting outside at home...fuzzy reception, unless i turned it just right. Same at ballpark. I like the design...easy to set up, easy to read, but poor reception. Sorry!

Good receiver for the gym. sound has good clarity and reception

I got excited with this radio price and the above reviews. To the point of buying the 2 years extra replacement warranty offered by Best Buy @ $ 6.99. Originally, I bought this radio for my Bus commuting. I was NOT able to hear anything. To my dismay, problems continued when walking outdoors. Nothing wrong with the volume, which was adequate. It is basically a poor intermitent reception, sometimes with static. I had previously already unwinded and straightened out (without stretching ) the headphones wire which happens to be the antenna. Talking of headphones, they would slide upon walking. Never mind jogging. Reminds me of another cheap radio I wasted my money with elsewhere. RETURNING to outlet branch FIRST thing in the morning. Thank goodness for Best Buy great returns policy. Still, I might be given the same brand another chance with the MP3.

It is a good little cheap radio. Stations come in pretty clear and it makes life a lot better when sitting in a machine for 12+ hours a day.

It isn't bad for the price. It was too bulky for me at the gym. The arm band wasn't comfortable to me. It's easy to program.

I was just looking for a simple radio to listen to while working out. Looked similar to the Sony, so I thought I would take a chance (the SONY metal strap wears out so fast)--don't make the same mistake. The only positive for this radio is that it quit working fairly quickly! Terrible sound, poor human engineering, lousy radio reception and thank God, it finally quit after 3 months. Guess it just doesn't pay to be cheap sometimes!

This is not worth your time - I just bought a few months ago to use on my 4 mile walks daily - the headphones are junk - the part where it connects to the radio does not work well so only one ear works - the radio reception is horrible!