Yes, I probably am pretty down on the 909 and it is a much better radio than
I give it credit for. I think part of my "gloom" comes from the fact that
it was the first SW I ever bought, and a pretty expensive one (at least
compaired to a teacher's salary) and I expected much more from it. The
propigation conditions in my area are pretty brutal, so even the "big guns"
suffer from serious signal fading. This was what disappointed me the most
about the 909; it was difficult to enjoy major broadcasters because of the
fades, so a synch detector would have helped greatly. I still maintain my
displeasure at its' sensitivity because I can set a much less expensive
radio, like my Grundig S350 right next to the 909, tune in the same
frequency on each receivers, and the S350 gets a much stronger signal.
Again, that's just my experience. I also suffer from a pretty bad case of
the "crappy luck" syndrome. It could be that I had a substandard unit to
begin with. You do make a good point about the audio, it is very good.
It's certainly better than my much more expensive SW77 that's for sure and
it will probably be better than the audio from the external speaker on the
SW07.

"T. Early" wrote in message
...
Nah. I've always found that heavy beer drinking enhances one's
credibility. However, I think the assessment of the 909 (DX-398) is a
bit gloomy, especially given a pretty nice selection of features
(e.g., lots of memories, the signal strength indicator). I'll grant
that it's not the most sensitive radio out there, but I've had no
problem with the major broadcasters and many of the second level ones.
It clearly could use a synch detector, but I've had no problem with
the way it handles SSB (and the Liberty Net!). I do not own the
SW-07 (yet) but, based on word of mouth, it seems like the importance
of good sound needs to be factored in here--I'm pretty sure that the
909 will be the better sounding radio given the size of the Sony's
speaker. That said, the price of the SW-07 makes it the better deal
if a -small- portable is not an issue. The 909 is a considerably more
"substantial" unit.