Best Kitchen Under Cabinet AM/FM Radio

This is where we'd point anyone who wants the whole dial. The four-band digital tuner covers AM, FM, weather and TV, which none of the other six lists, and the slim under cabinet body comes with a remote that clings to the refrigerator on a magnet. A CD player, a clock and an easy kitchen timer round out a plain, practical setup.

Owners report that AM and FM reception is the strong suit, and that it keeps working when carried to another room. A common complaint is that the build and sound quality feel merely decent. Bluetooth streaming is not part of its listing, so it suits broadcasts and discs better than audio from a phone.

We'd consider this one for a kitchen where a CD collection and phone streaming both matter. It pairs a CD player with Bluetooth rated for a 33-foot range, 20 FM presets, a clock, a kitchen timer and a remote, and the clock rides on a battery backup. The listing is blunt that AM is not available, so it parts ways with the Sony Clock Radio CD Player on the very point this keyword cares about.

It also will not play copied or burned discs, which matters if your CDs are homemade mixes; the Monodeal Bluetooth Under Cabinet CD Player lists CD-R and CD-RW support instead. Owners report the weak spots as FM reception that fails to pull stations in, units that stopped working within months, and buttons too small to read. Sound quality draws mixed comments.

Among the radios that skip the CD drive, this is the one we like for a tight kitchen. Its 9.09 × 7.32 × 2.44 inch body is the smallest in the group and its 1.61 pounds the lightest weight listed. It packs 20 FM presets, a clock, a single alarm, a countdown timer, a dimmer and a built-in LED kitchen light, with mounting hardware in the box and AAA battery backup to hold clock settings through an outage. Because the listing describes an FM radio, anyone who wants AM should look at the Sony Clock Radio CD Player.

Next to the iLive Electronics iLive Bluetooth Under Cabinet CD Player and its 33-foot Bluetooth range, this one is listed at 60 feet. Owners report that pairing with a phone is seamless, that the setup instructions and placement template make installation easy, and that FM stations come in clearly. The recurring complaint is the controls: the buttons are too small to read, and the display is hard to see from certain angles, especially while standing at the counter.

Unlike the CD players in this lineup, this is built around the phone. A built-in microphone turns it into a hands-free speakerphone, NFC and A2DP handle pairing, and an auxiliary jack takes an iPod, an MP3 player or another digital audio source. Add a 4x LED work area light, PLL digital FM tuning with presets, an LCD display and a clock with timer, and it covers a lot of kitchen ground. A 120V adapter runs it, with a battery backup that keeps clock memory through outages, and mounting hardware is included.

Owners report that Bluetooth links to a phone quickly and works for calls. Feedback on sound runs from good to tinny, and a common complaint is that the radio switches on louder than expected. Reception is described as poor, and the work light as too dim to be useful, which are the two points to weigh before choosing it over the Monodeal Bluetooth Under Cabinet CD Player.

Both this unit and the Jensen Under Cabinet Music System carry a work light, but this one adds a disc drive that handles CD, CD-R, CD-RW and MP3 playback. It also lists Bluetooth, an FM tuner with 30 presets, a built-in LED kitchen light, a cooking timer, a dual alarm clock, a 2 × 16 display and a remote control for volume and play mode. Two 2-watt speakers do the sound work, and the one-year warranty is longer than the 90-day terms most of the others list.

The owner feedback points one way. Owners report that it works as advertised, that it mounts easily under the bottom shelf of a wall cabinet, that Bluetooth sets up without trouble, and that it plays louder than its size suggests. They also like the remote and the clean look. FM is its only listed radio band, so listeners who need AM should go to the Sony Clock Radio CD Player.

Anyone who left discs behind should start here. Bluetooth 5.3, a USB port that plays MP3 files, a 3.5mm aux input and a PLL digital FM tuner give it a broad set of ways to feed the built-in stereo speakers. An LED kitchen light with dimmer control, a negative LCD with white backlight, a timer, a clock and a single alarm round it out, and it weighs 2.25 pounds.

Owners report that the build feels high quality, that the sound is good, that installation is easy and that the sleek look suits a kitchen. Owners disagree on size, calling it a perfect fit under a cabinet or smaller than expected, so check the 11.63 × 8.31 × 2.94 inch dimensions against your gap. The common complaints are tiny, almost unreadable buttons, a finicky power button and a display that is hard to see. Its Bluetooth 5.3 is also a generation ahead of what the Proscan Under Counter CD Player lists.

This one covers the basics: CD playback, an FM tuner, built-in speakers and Bluetooth 3.0 in a 14 × 4 × 12.5 inch case. An LED display shows the time and station, the mounting kit and a full-function remote come in the box, and it runs from an AC adaptor. The listing says plainly that there is no AM, and that the internal antenna may need the unit repositioned for better reception, a point owners echo with mixed reports on FM.

Owners report that it is easy to install and mounts neatly under the cabinet. The complaints are heavier here: units that stopped working after a short stretch of use, a display that is almost impossible to read, and volume control trouble where the radio cannot be turned down. Bluetooth gets mixed reports, with reports ranging from a smooth connection to pairing that fails outright. Compared with the Monodeal Bluetooth Under Cabinet CD Player, which is also a CD and Bluetooth unit, the complaints here are far heavier.