Shelf Stereo System Recommendation

[Renault78law]

I'm looking for a shelf stereo system, a small unit that plays CD's and has a FM/AM tuner.  It's a gift for my dad, who likes to listen to the radio at work.  Unfortunately, the radio that's he's currently listening to has horrible reception.  Thus, my biggest consideration is radio reception...the man NEEDS his weekly dose of Car Talk.  Are there any brands that are known for good reception?  What kind of antennas are best?  I tried epinions, but it wasn't much help; know of any other resources?

edit: I forgot a pricerange...$150?  These things aren't too expensive these days, right?  Sound quality isn't too important, he listens at very low volume.

 

[artdeco73]

Renault, What is your father's office like and where is it located, both geographically and architecturally? I would venture a guess that the reception problems he is having are not the result of a poor radio but rather the result of his location and the building's construction, or, most likely, the combination of all. Having said that, if a built-in CD player wasn't a requirement, I would recommend the Tivoli Model One: Tivoli Model One It's compact, beautifully built, has great radio reception, solid, high-quality tuning mechanism and has that certain oomph about it that I don't quite know how to describe. Very giftable. Comes in several color combinations (browse the site). There is actually an external CD module that you can add on later. Besides that, I'm not sure how much shelf system $150 would buy, quite frankly. With compact systems, one pays for the compactness, design and the sleekness factor, which tend to eat into the basic quality of the guts. So decent ones are still pretty expensive. Good luck. Best Regards, Tony

 

[topcatny]

If he already has a small stereo system he may just need to add an amplified antenna. I had a problem with reception in my house. I added this and it solved the problem.