Roberts Zen Plus

Verdict

Cute seems to be, wellness options and clear audio efficiency make the Robert Zen Plus a DAB radio value contemplating in your bedside desk, although it’s on the costly facet.

Introduction

Roberts is in style for its enticing and retro-styled radios and the Zen Plus is one other one in all its quirky-looking efforts.

This digital radio helps Bluetooth and options wellness options equivalent to ‘Sleep Sounds’ to assist put you to sleep.

Is the Zen Plus a relaxing affect, or is that this DAB radio a nightmare to make use of?

Design

• Cute design
• Compact dimension
• Massive clock face

The Zen Plus seems to be not too dissimilar to Amazon’s Echo audio system, and maybe its look is supposed to intentionally invoke these trendy good audio system regardless that it bears no precise ‘smarts’.

It additionally seems to be a bit like a tooth in the event you stand it upright, and every time I maintain it in my hand, my thoughts gravitates in the direction of Magic 8-balls. It’s a trendy effort with a neat textured material masking wrapped across the prime half of its physique, its compact dimension ensures it takes up much less area on a bedside desk. The Roberts Zen Plus is available in three colors: white, black and duck egg. It’s a easy however modern-looking radio.

The front-facing facet includes a contact display screen with a big clock/timer face. It glows within the night time in its standby mode which makes it straightforward to know the time in the event you’ve discovered getting 40 winks troublesome. The backlight could be altered between Auto, Excessive, Medium, and Low – and left on the primary choice, after a couple of minutes the display screen will auto dim, handy if the sunshine spilling from the Roberts distracts.

The LCD display screen options two rows of icons on the prime that relate to alarm/sound modes and quantity/tuner/choose choices. On the facet of the clock/timer are smaller icons referring to alarm, snoozing, sleep timer on the proper, whereas the left reveals the Zen Plus’ present mode. On prime is the ‘Choose’ button to place the Zen Plus into standby.

Across the again is a USB enter for charging units equivalent to a smartphone, with a Sleep Sounds Reminiscence Card area (extra on that later) and a Backup Battery for time/alarm/setting backup, the life expectancy of which is claimed to be a number of years.

Options

• 20 presets
• Two alarm settings
• ‘Wellness’ function in Sleep Sounds

As this radio is named the Roberts Zen Plus, you’d be proper in assuming there’s a typical Zen mannequin. The principle variations between them are that the Zen Plus carries a DAB tuner, Bluetooth streaming, extra presets, and Sleep Sounds.

When it comes to presets, 10 are afforded to DAB and 10 to FM for a complete of 20. There are cheaper radios such because the Groov-e Zeus which have thrice as a lot, however then 60 presets seem to be overkill. Enter settings and choose ‘Save preset’ so as to add a station, or rifle by those already created with the ‘Recall preset’.

There’s the capability for setting two alarms by holding the ‘Alarm’ button (prime left). Right here you possibly can select the frequency of the alarm (‘day by day’, ‘workdays’, ‘weekends’ and many others); what mode/sounds to affiliate with it (DAB, FM, Sleep Sounds) and quantity. Hit the snooze button and also you get 9 minutes earlier than it beckons your enter once more.

A faucet exhibits what’s already been set with repeated faucets biking by to switching the alarms off utterly.

Sleep Sounds are noises that will help you sleep, set for a length of twenty minutes. A number of the 13 picks embody ‘Mild Stream’, ‘Ocean Waves’, ‘Rainfall’, ‘Pink Noise’, ‘Document Finish’ (for the vinyl lovers on the market) and ‘Kitten Purring’, though the final one sounded pretty aggressive to my drained ears.

The Zen Plus’ interface can look sophisticated at first however spend a while and it turns into comparatively acquainted fairly shortly. Oftentimes it really works superb, however on just a few events it lacks responsiveness, leaving me prodding on the display screen, and at different occasions it flashes repeatedly for causes I’m undecided of.

When working because it ought to, the menu settings and navigation are comparatively straightforward sufficient to grapple with. Faucet the icon that appears a little bit like a lemon with three dots to cycle by the Zen Plus’ modes (Sleep Sounds, Alarms, DAB, FM, and Bluetooth).

Maintain the identical button to enter the menus after which use the arrows for navigation, with the ‘Choose’ button to click on by and enterprise deeper. To come back out it’s a maintain on the menu icon. All-in-all it’s a reasonably easy technique of traversing the menus.

Sound High quality

• Clear, crisp audio
• Common Bluetooth efficiency

For a speaker of its dimension, the Roberts Zen Plus sounds significantly better than anticipated. It’s clearer and detailed than the larger Groov-e Zeus and strikes a extra pure tone throughout DAB and FM stations.

Push the amount to its loudest and it doesn’t sound strained, although your mileage might fluctuate relying on the station and what’s taking part in. A rummage by DAB and FM stations and there was just one the place I felt that the Zen Plus began to hit the ceiling with its quantity (Biggest Hits Surrey). At round 50% quantity it’s clear and crisp with the spoken phrase, with no sibilance famous listening to Bloomberg, Absolute Radio, or any of the BBC Radio channels.

Although vocals take up a lot of the main target, there are considerable ranges of element and definition to devices in Mr. Mister’s Damaged Wings. The midrange is evident, and the highest finish of the frequency vary is decently brilliant sufficient to face out with out sounding fuzzy or boring. A extra energetic monitor like John Parr’s St. Elmo’s Fireplace will get respectable thrust, and although the Zen Plus’ passive radiator is in need of outright bass depth, there’s sufficient current to supply a way of low frequencies which are free from distortion.

You might discover some FM stations sound higher than DAB (BBC Radio 2 was one instance). Additionally, no matter the place I sit in relation to the Zen Plus, the full-range driver inside delivers a constant efficiency from all angles. Reception has additionally been robust each upstairs and downstairs, and although FM has confirmed to be a little bit crackly, a slight reposition may help usually.

Its Bluetooth efficiency is one I discover barely anaemic with a flat sense of vitality and dynamism. Quantity have to be turned all the best way to max on each the Zen Plus and supply gadget for the radio to present a strong account of itself.

It’s okay nevertheless it gained’t substitute a Bluetooth speaker just like the equally priced Final Ears Wonderboom 3. That transportable speaker gives higher, extra rounded bass and clearer vocals with Jay-Z’s Arduous Knock Life. With Dove’s Black and White City, the Zen Plus is in need of element and definition within the midrange, the monitor’s extra energetic and percussive components come throughout as simply noise. The Zen Plus is definitely a greater radio than it’s a wi-fi speaker.

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As a part of this mission, every time we evaluation a product we ship the corporate a sequence of questions to assist us gauge and make clear the impression the gadget has on the atmosphere.

We presently haven’t acquired solutions to the questions on this product, however will replace this web page the second we do. You possibly can see an in depth breakdown of the questions we ask and why in our sustainability information web page.