Internet radios, worth the extra cash compared to DAB?

[El Presidente]

My current Pure DAB kitchen radio has died on me, and I am contemplating replacing it with another one, or spending an extra £40 on a DAB which also has internet radio.

Has anyone tried the internet ones, and are the extra channels any good, (if I could get Albion Roar LIVE I would get one certainly), or just for geeks?

Ta

EP

x

 

[Dropkick Turnip]

Don't worry about restricting yourself to something that's got internet radio capability built in as that narrows your choice and pushes the price up. As long as whatever you buy has a Line-In socket and you've got an iPhone or android phone just download the TuneIn: Listen to Online Radio, Music and Talk Stations app.

 

[challengechappers]

Mama's got a (logitech) squeezebox.

Logitech Touch: plugs into my hifi, great quality sound (depending on the bitrate). Also can get a cheap subscription to napster/spotify etc for pretty much unlimited access to music. Best advantage for me is being able to listen to 6music shows (guy garvey, maconies freakier zone etc) when i want with pause, forward, rewind etc. Also radio paradise, kcrw, fip.
Love it!

 

[ArcticBlue]

My mum has this one for the kitchen (it's not got DAB though).. Cobra CIR1000 Internet Radio: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics (cheaper elsewhere i think)

I was impressed with it's sound and ease of use. connects to all of the BBC podcasts too. The huge number of stations is impressive IF you are going to make use of them. One thing to bear in mind is that should your internet go down you have to revert to the old school way.

Otherwise go for a Roberts DAB imo (maybe the classic lite which I have for work, kitchen etc). trust me I have researched a lot and they are in the top end for sound quality, reception and reliability.

Happy listening.

 

[ILIKECANDLES]

My current Pure DAB kitchen radio has died on me, and I am contemplating replacing it with another one, or spending an extra £40 on a DAB which also has internet radio.

Has anyone tried the internet ones, and are the extra channels any good, (if I could get Albion Roar LIVE I would get one certainly), or just for geeks?

Ta

EP

x

Yes. I was told that our DAB will be superseded in a few years time as its not compatible with the superior European model....

 

[ArcticBlue]

Yes. I was told that our DAB will be superseded in a few years time as its not compatible with the superior European model....

i haven't heard this and would be surprised if it happens, although I know DAB is a particularly British thing. They may have a superior system but the content is poor from my experiences in france, spain and italy.

 

[ILIKECANDLES]

i haven't heard this and would be surprised if it happens, although I know DAB is a particularly British thing. They may have a superior system but the content is poor from my experiences in france, spain and italy.

which? report


Will UK digital radios soon be obsolete?

DAB+ offers better sound quality
In 2007, the World DMB (Digital Multimedia Broadcasting) organisation (formerly WorldDAB) announced a new broadcast standard - DAB+, which offers better sound quality than the DAB standard used in the UK.
Although minister for culture Ed Vaizey's digital radio action plan - released in July 2010 - made no commitment to the UK adopting the new DAB+ standard, that's not to say that this won't change in future.
What will happen if DAB+ replaces DAB?
If DAB was dropped in favour of DAB+, radios that can’t be upgraded to receive the DAB+ signal would become obsolete. However, many newer DAB radios contain a multi-standard chip, so they are DAB+ compatible. Other models with a USB port or wi-fi connectivity may be upgradable in the future.
If DAB+ was adopted in the UK, it’s likely that there'd be a period when the two digital systems would run alongside one another. This would allow some stations to be broadcast in the new format and some in the old, giving listeners time to switch to the new standard. We look for DAB+ compatibility in our digital radio tests.
Is it worth buying a new digital radio?

Don't be put off buying a DAB radio
If you're planning to buy a new digital radio, don't let the news about DAB+ put you off. UK government seems committed to a DAB, rather than DAB+ future and as a national digital radio switchover from FM to DAB is unlikely before 2015 at the earliest, any potential change to DAB+ looks to be even further off.
A multi-standard chip that's DAB and DAB+ compatible was introduced in 2009. Models fitted with this chip are future proofed for compatibility with DAB+ as well as being compatible with DAB. So DAB+ compatible models, or those that can be upgraded, are already available from many big players in the UK digital radio market, including Pure and Roberts.


Read more: DAB+ explained - Digital radio reviews - Audio - Which? Technology
Consumer Champions Which?
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution Non-Commercial

 

[clapham_gull]

My current Pure DAB kitchen radio has died on me, and I am contemplating replacing it with another one, or spending an extra £40 on a DAB which also has internet radio.

Has anyone tried the internet ones, and are the extra channels any good, (if I could get Albion Roar LIVE I would get one certainly), or just for geeks?

Ta

EP

x

Worst person to ask I suppose because I've got three DABS, one of which is internet enabled. I use it for BBC listen again, never using to listen to live radio.

I've always bought PURE, because when I'm in the shop they always sound the best.

With extra speaker and charge pack.

DAB isn't a great technology but we are stuck with it for the present.

 

[challengechappers]

Using the touch to listen to albion roar on radio reverb now, cheers!

 

[challengechappers]

One thing to note - bbc don't have the rights to stream albion coverage over the internet so you if you listen to bbc sussex stream you'll get woking, eastbourne etc coverage.

 

[El Presidente]

Worst person to ask I suppose because I've got three DABS, one of which is internet enabled. I use it for BBC listen again, never using to listen to live radio.

I've always bought PURE, because when I'm in the shop they always sound the best.

With extra speaker and charge pack.

DAB isn't a great technology but we are stuck with it for the present.

I spent £160 on a Pure Evoke 2S, and when it started failing (intermittent switching on and off) their repairs department were so awkward I have decided to go ROBERTS.

 

[driller]

Get a sonos

Unbelievable. stream any radio station and subscribe (5 gbp per month) to stream any music - millions of songs.

Sound awesome also.

The best bit of kit I have, and I have lots.

 

[beorhthelm]

i'm rather curious in what way your radio has died on you

radios, at least analoge one, normally last decades and they have more moving parts.

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

Dab+ and internet will future proof you for the next 2 or 3 years

 

[El Presidente]

i'm rather curious in what way your radio has died on you

radios, at least analoge one, normally last decades and they have more moving parts.

I had it plugged in and it stopped! Then it returned, then stopped again. I think it is an electrical rather than radio fault.

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

I had it plugged in and it stopped! Then it returned, then stopped again. I think it is an electrical rather than radio fault.

If its electrical and switching the lead over does nothing it maybe a loose contact inside which needs a re-solder.

 

[Westdene Wonder]

I have three DAB radios in the house two of them PURE have heard nothing to beat them.

 

[happypig]

At Christmas I replaced a 4 yo Roberts (volume control was going a bit scratchy) with one of these bad boys :

Sound quality is just as good IMO and it has line-in too

And then on Tuesday I won a Pure DAB (and £500/IoW tickets) on Absloute

 

[clapham_gull]

I spent £160 on a Pure Evoke 2S, and when it started failing (intermittent switching on and off) their repairs department were so awkward I have decided to go ROBERTS.

I think you were unlucky. I've got one of their cheaper clock radios in the bedroom and the sound is amazing from something like that.

 

[The Antikythera Mechanism]

I've got a Pure Sensia DAB / Internet radio. Great sound, stereo imaging - perfect for the kitchen. Currently listening to Reggae 141 from Jamaica and Abstrait Radio from Germany amongst many others.