Finest DAB Radios

The Roberts Stream 94i is the very best radio we’ve reviewed for beneath £200, with our reviewer crowning it as the final word kitchen radio. The design isn’t as brilliant or aesthetically pleasing as Roberts’ splendidly retro Revival vary, from which we’ve examined the Revival RD-60, the Revival RD-70 and the Revival Petite prior to now. Nonetheless, for those who’re searching for a extra unassuming look, the 94i’s wooden, plastic and pretend leather-based building might enchantment extra. 

Together with DAB/FM radio, there’s Wi-Fi for Web radio together with Bluetooth for these seeking to stream music from one other gadget. You’ll be able to set alarms and kitchen timers, There are 5 presets that double as playback controls when listening to music by way of Bluetooth with an extra 40 station shortcuts accessible by way of the Preset button. 

The Stream 94i additionally helps the Undok app, which can be utilized to stream audio over a house community or used on conjunction with a USB keep on with entry information. We discovered this significantly helpful with Web radio, with so many stations to browse it’s a lot simpler to take action on a smartphone. Spotify Join is current for subscribers of that music service.

There may be the choice to make this radio moveable with a battery pack that provides 6-10 hours of playtime. We did discover it reasonably reasonably clunky-looking and a further £40-45 must be budgeted because it doesn’t include the radio itself.

The radio’s speaker set-up options two small drivers on the entrance and a bigger one on the again to behave as a subwoofer. We discovered this supplied a great treble readability for spoken-word stations and strong energy for bass when listening to music. Nonetheless, it’s fairly treble-forward and in comparison with the (now unavailable) Pure Siesta Dwelling, it’s mid-range efficiency isn’t fairly as rounded or as pure. 

Reviewer: Andrew Williams
Full Assessment: Roberts Stream 94i

The Roberts Zen Plus is a compact bedside radio that comes with some “wellness” options to assist ship you off to sleep. For the efficiency and have units it does really feel slightly costly, however contemplating its measurement the audio efficiency is healthier than some greater radios.

It’s a trendy effort with a neat textured material overlaying that wraps across the prime half of its physique, and its compact measurement ensures it takes up much less area on a bedside desk. Accessible in three colors we discovered the Zen Plus to be a easy, modern-looking radio.

The LCD clock display takes up the entrance of the speaker and our reviewer discovered it straightforward to learn even from a distance. After a couple of minutes the display can auto dim, however for those who choose to vary the brightness manually, that may be performed by way of the menus.

The interface of Zen Plus works high-quality for essentially the most half, however it can be barely unresponsive to touches, leaving us prodding on the display occasionally. The display can flash repeatedly as nicely for causes we haven’t found out. Presets quantity 20 in complete with 10 for DAB and 10 for DAB, which is lower than the Groov-e Zeus however to be sincere, twenty appears sufficient for us to cope with.

Two alarms will be set and there’s a good diploma of customisation as to once they can go off, however essentially the most fascinating characteristic is the Sleep Sounds wellness characteristic. There are 13 sounds to select from together with Ocean Waves and Pink Noise that are designed to assist get to sleep with minimal fuss, although we did discover the Kitten Purring sound to be slightly off-putting.

For a speaker of its measurement the Roberts Zen Plus sounds higher than anticipated. It’s clearer and detailed than the larger Groov-e Zeus, hanging a extra pure tone throughout DAB and FM stations we take heed to. It’s clear and crisp with the spoken phrase, inviting no sibilance so far as we will hear, and it sounds balanced throughout the frequency vary. There’s not a lot to talk of by way of bass however what’s offered is sufficient to talk a good sense of punch to the low finish. We’re much less impressed with its efficiency as a Bluetooth speaker, bass isn’t nearly as good as a Bluetooth speaker such because the Final Ears Wonderboom 3 and midrange readability is one thing of a disappointment.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Assessment: Roberts Zen Plus

In the event you’re searching for a compact radio, we’d counsel taking a look on the Roberts Revival Petite. It’s a smaller design than the Stream 94i above, and is almost half the dimensions and weight of the equally moveable Revival Mini, sufficiently small to hold in a single hand. 

In the event you like your radios to make a visible assertion then the Petite six vibrant colors with a fake leather-based end and bronze particulars, the crimson end of our overview pattern appeared stunning. We additionally appreciated the location of the show and controls on the entrance of the radio, which allowed us to see what was enjoying at a fast look.

Together with its DAB/FM assist, there’s Bluetooth for streaming audio and an auxiliary port for wired playback. There isn’t the identical stage of options on greater, costlier radios with no Wi-Fi and subsequently no streaming providers equivalent to Spotify Join. To stream from providers equivalent to Spotify, it’d must be performed by way of the Bluetooth connection. The built-in battery affords as much as 20 hours of playtime, although we had been impressed to seek out it ran nearer to twenty-eight hours.

Relating to the Petite’s audio efficiency, we discovered it packed a stunning quantity of punch for its measurement and it comes geared up with a bass radiator to supply further energy. Music is crisp and dynamic, however the radio is proscribed in quantity. Its compact measurement makes it excellent for listening round the home or taking over a time out to the park.

That mentioned, it doesn’t characteristic an IP score so we’d counsel steering away from swimming pools and seashores. In the event you’re in want of a extra rugged wi-fi speaker for the outside, the the Wonderboom 2 can be a better option.

Reviewer: Hannah Davies
Full Assessment: Roberts Revival Petite

Available in the market for an inexpensive bedside radio? Groov-e specialises in that market and the Zeus strikes a great stability of affordability and worth, in addition to boasting a wi-fi charging assist that helps make it a handy possibility for these glued to their cell phones.

The design is just not essentially the most enticing, the onerous black shell subscribes to perform over aesthetics however we discovered its building to be a step up from that of Groov-e’s cheaper Venice moveable radio. On the entrance is a small LCD show that’s massive and brilliant sufficient to learn, and usefully the backlight will be adjusted for those who don’t need it shining brilliant when sleeping, for instance. Across the again Across the again is the telescopic aerial, 3.5mm enter, USB port for charging a tool and the ability provide.

On prime is the place you’ll discover the radio’s wi-fi charging panel and regardless of Groov-e’s claims, in our assessments it didn’t attain the efficiency anticipated. The Zeus says it has 10W of energy at its disposal however utilizing the Amperes Lite Charging Battery app on an iPhone 13 mini that determine got here out to be 5.41W and dropped even additional with subsequent makes an attempt to cost the telephone. We’d counsel utilizing the USB port until you really need the comfort of the wi-fi charging (or don’t have a appropriate cable at hand).

The audio high quality is a step up from the Zeus, the tone is crisp however we discovered the radio adopted a smoother efficiency and added extra oomph to the low frequencies. Its sense of readability is nice, although we did discover the costlier Roberts Zen Plus to be clearer. The mid-bass area of the frequency isn’t the clearest, the transition between midrange and bass isn’t at all times described with confidence however relating to the spoken phrase the Zeus treats them clearly and presents them foremost within the soundstage. We did notice sibilant tones every so often, however sufficient to trigger any irritating points.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Assessment: Groov-e Zeus