Sharp Osaka: Two-minute review

If you’re the person that loves to have tech to match your personal aesthetic, the Sharp Osaka isn’t really the one for you. What it is, though, is a great value solution for anyone who simply wants to listen to the radio from seemingly any location.

Smaller than my desk calendar, the Sharp Osaka is easily grabbed with one small hand and slips into my coat pocket well enough, too.

As with all DAB radios, the only bulky part is its extendable aerial arm which you can easily hide away when not in use. The Sharp Osaka's battery life comes in at about 15 hours which isn’t above average for such radios but will serve you well for most of your active day. Charging via USB-C means you’re unlikely to need to pack an extra cable any time you go away, too.

Costing £70 – that's about $90 in the US or AU$143 in Australia, where available – when first released in September 2024, the Sharp Osaka is already discounted at time of writing, bringing it down to an even more affordable £50 ($65 in the US and AU$102). That’s a good price for a DAB radio of this standard and it also doubles up as a basic Bluetooth speaker.

Its controls are more intuitive than its convoluted manual suggests, leading you to mostly enjoying the Sharp Osaka without much hassle. One of the best DAB radios? Maybe not, but still a simple solution to your radio listening needs.

Sharp Osaka review: Price and release date

• Released September 2024
• Cost £70 / €90 (currently only available in the UK and Europe)

The Sharp Osaka DAB radio was released in the UK and Europe in September 2024. It costs £70 / €90 depending on your region (unfortunately, it's not available in the US or Australia as it stands) so it’s affordable for a DAB radio.

We’ve already spotted some discounts emerging in the UK with the price more around the £50 mark.

That makes it one of the more affordable portable DAB radios around. It’s much cheaper than the stylish but premium Roberts Revival Petite 2 and also the ageing Sony XDR-P1 DAB radio. It’s slightly more expensive than the Groov-e Boston but that’s far from the right size for putting in your pocket.

Sharp Osaka review: Specs

Sharp Osaka review: Features

• DAB and FM radio, plus Bluetooth speaker
• 12-hour battery life
• 3.5mm headphone jack

The Sharp Osaka DAB radio has all the features you could need without offering up much in the way of surprises. At first glance, it looks like it’s only a DAB radio but it uses a technology it calls BestTune which combines FM, DAB, and DAB+ into a single station list to help you find the best option based on signal strength. I really liked this as it saved me switching between different modes while still gaining the best signal.

In all, the Sharp Osaka has a 120-station memory spread equally across BestTune, DAB and FM and, honestly, you probably won’t have to overthink this either. I simply turned it on and it figured things out for itself, quickly allowing me to find the station I wanted to listen to.

A tap of the source button also takes you to the Bluetooth side of things. Bluetooth 5.3 is in charge here so you won’t need to fret about any drop-out issues when pairing with your phone or tablet. I certainly didn’t have any issues switching between the two.

Sharp's website in various regions differs between 15 and 12 hours of promised battery life, however I found the latter to be the rough sweet spot during use. As is often the way, volume can affect a lot here. The USB-C cable is perfect because on my travels I didn’t have to worry about packing an extra cable to recharge it.

On the side and next to the USB port is a 3.5mm headphone jack if you want to connect the Sharp Osaka DAB radio to the best wired headphones for some added privacy.

Other neat extras include an alarm function and a SlideShow tool which displays images from the radio station where available. In reality, I never found a station that offered this but I’m continuing my search in my own time as it sounds fun.

Features score: 4 / 5

Sharp Osaka review: Sound quality

• Mono speaker
• A little tinny
• Loud volume but some distortion

The Sharp Osaka is impressively loud, especially given its relative size. Though 10 is the average volume you’re likely to use, it goes all the way to a Spinal Tap-trouncing 30. It travels far, too. I cranked it up then walked a few rooms away and could still hear it.

That comes at a price with the audio quality not the best and offering some distortion but it’s fine for casual listening. I checked out Absolute 90s and found suitably old and nostalgic while listening to Blur’s Tender and The Rhythm of the Night by Corona. The latter lacks some excitement with the Sharp Osaka lacking crispness and spark, but the former translated reasonably well, never once leaving me waiting for that feeling to come.

This is the radio you’ll listen to while doing other things rather than indulging in your audiophile urges.

Sound quality: 3 / 5

Sharp Osaka review: Design

• Functional, lightweight design
• Simple-to-use buttons...
• ... but not especially tactile

The Sharp Osaka gets right to the point with its design – it isn’t spectacular looking but nor will it confuse you. On the front left sits the mono speaker, with its controls and screen to the right. The 2-inch color display is simple but clear, other than when looking at it in bright light conditions.

Controls are also similarly easy to figure out although there’s no tactile quality to it which will be an issue for anyone with sight issues. That’s not uncommon with many popular DAB radios but it does mean my search for a more accessible DAB radio will have to continue.

When listening to the radio, you’ll need to pull out the antenna which is quite tightly clicked in at other times. On the side are ports for charging and headphones. There’s also a neat little key lock button which means no one can accidentally tap a button by mistake.

The Sharp Osaka is only available in a black/gray mix but it looks reasonably sleek.

Design score: 3 / 5

Sharp Osaka review: Value

• Inexpensive
• Ideal for a quick fix
• Cheaper than most

The Sharp Osaka was pretty cheap compared to the competition even before it went on sale (which seems to be commonplace now). Its primary competition for portability is something like the aforementioned Roberts Revival Petite 2 but it’s far cheaper than that. A closer rival could be the Pure Woodland but that’s less portable.

It might not be as adorable as that Roberts but the Sharp Osaka is far more affordable, which makes it tempting.

Value score: 5 / 5

Should you buy the Sharp Osaka?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if... 

Sharp Osaka review: Also consider

How I tested the Sharp Osaka

• Used the Sharp Osaka over two weeks
• Listened to DAB radio, and music via iPhone 14 Pro and Bluetooth
• Over 10 years' experience testing audio equipment

The Sharp Osaka followed me around the house and the garden. I mostly used it in my home office but I also moved it to the kitchen while I cleaned and the living room while relaxing. On the rare days of good weather, it followed me outdoors for a little bit.

I used it exclusively via the rechargeable battery as it saved me finding a USB port to connect it to. I mostly listened to the radio but once in a while, I listened to some podcasts through my phone. This was typically via Spotify.

Otherwise, there was a lot of Absolute 90s, ranting at LBC, and relaxing with BBC Radio 5 Live.

• Read TechRadar's review guarantee
• First reviewed in March 2025

Groov-e Boston: Two-minute review

If you had a checklist of everything you wanted from a DAB radio, the Groov-e Boston would mark off almost every point. It lacks good looks and its sound quality could be better but for only £39.99 – it's currently only available in the UK, but that would make it approximately $52 or AU$82 where available in the US and Australia – it’s hard to criticize it too much.

Also, I can see it fitting in nicely in any room of your home, or you can always take it with you to a holiday let, a caravan: you get the idea. It’s lightweight for the size so it’s easy to move around.

A wooden frame isn’t the priciest or most exclusive look but it does make the Groov-e Boston appear a little classier than if it stuck with the speaker grilles' metal styling, or went for plastic casework. This isn’t the radio to show off to friends and family (that’s the Roberts Revival Petite 2) but it has, nevertheless an old-school charm about it.

Audio quality could be better but for a basic DAB radio, the Groov-e Boston is fine. Don’t count on using the Bluetooth connectivity too often to listen to your own music, though, unless you’re really stuck for options.

So, the Groov-e Boston isn’t one of the best Bluetooth speakers but who really cares about that? You’re buying something like this to compete with the best DAB radios. The Groov-e Boston may not have stolen my heart, but my head (and bank balance) do certainly love the price tag.

Groov-e Boston review: Price and release date

• Released February 2023
• Cost £39.99 (currently only available in the UK)

The Groov-e Boston was released in the UK in February 2023. Availability hasn’t stretched elsewhere – though if you happen to find it in the US or Australia it'll set you back approximately $52 or AU$82 – but if you’re in the UK, this is a cheap DAB radio while still being from a reputable brand.

It’s far cheaper than my beloved aforementioned Roberts Revival Petite 2, as well as the bulky Pure Woodland. There are some obscure brands with DAB radios around the same price point but none from a reputable brand to compete with the budget delights of Groov-e.

Groov-e Boston review: Specs

Groov-e Boston review: Features

• DAB & FM radio
• Bluetooth streaming
• Built-in alarm clock

Pretty much all the features you could need from the Groov-e Boston are here. It has DAB and FM radio connectivity along with Bluetooth 5.0 for pairing with your phone or other devices. All are easily tapped around thanks to the clearly laid out buttons. It takes seconds to get started with the Groov-e Boston and it never really gets any more complicated.

You can set up 40 presets if you really plan on browsing that many stations regularly and the Groov-e Boston also has an alarm clock function. The latter is a little awkward to set up, though, compared with the simplicity of everything else.

I’d consider the Groov-e Boston primarily as a radio to use at home but it does take batteries if you want to use it out and about. You need four size C batteries to stick in the back – though probably not something you’ll ever actually do, the option is there.

Features score: 4 / 5

Groov-e Boston review: Sound quality

• A little tinny
• Best for spoken word over music
• Some distortion at high volumes

The Groov-e Boston’s sound quality instantly reminds me of almost every car garage I’ve ever been to. That may be too a specific an anecdote but what I’m getting at is the Groov-e Boston is pretty basic-sounding, with that low-level quality you’d get from a small radio trying to expand to much larger surroundings. The Groov-e Boston transfers that tinny sound to a smaller room.

Mileage will vary depending on the strength of the DAB signal, of course. I found it sometimes improved but there was never any punch such as when listening to Beyonce’s Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) while browsing through some music stations. Spoken word is far better with some time spent with rant-filled LBC sounding reasonably strong, if still a little tinny for want of a better word.

There’s a reasonable stereo effect here but little heft. Crank up the volume and the Groov-e Boston ends up sounding more distorted but it works well enough in a small environment.

Sound quality: 3 / 5

Groov-e Boston review: Design

• Useful carry handle
• Lightweight
• Retro stylings

Reminiscent of electronics' stylings a few decades old, the Groov-e Boston is functional if not exactly the device you’ll be posting across all your favorite social media platforms. It has a great metal carrying handle so you can move it from room to room without any bother, while the antenna pulls out easily enough.

In the center is a simple LED display showing the time, date, and whatever you’re listening to. Underneath that are your control buttons which are well laid out and explained, as well as a volume knob, which feels so much more satisfying repeated button bashing. The buttons on this radio are a tad on the noisy-clunky side but at least there’s never any doubt you’re tapping them. As is increasingly the way, there are no tactile bobbles to help those with sight impairments figure things out but the buttons are spaced out well so you can’t mistap anything.

On the back is simply the place for the batteries. No additional ports or anything like that. Also, if you’re keen to pick the right colorway for your decor, this isn’t the device for you. The Groov-e Boston is solely available in its part-gray/metal, part-wooden build.

Design score: 3 / 5

Groov-e Boston review: Value

• Very affordable
• Reputable name for the price
• Fine for short- or long-term plans

Check out any retailer and you’ll be lucky to find a DAB radio for this price that is also from a brand you’ve heard of. The competition is simply more expensive. The likes of the Sony XDR-P1 are in the same ballpark, but still pricier and also nowhere near as pleasant to place on your shelf.

You’ll be unlikely to find much for cheaper but if you want style or better features, you may wish to look elsewhere.

Value score: 5 / 5

Should you buy the Groov-e Boston?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if... 

Groov-e Boston review: Also consider

How I tested the Groov-e Boston

• Used the Groov-e Boston over 14 days
• Listened to DAB radio, FM radio, and music via iPhone 14 Pro and Bluetooth
• Over 10 years' experience testing audio equipment

I’ve spent a lot of time with a lot of different DAB radios over the years. I opened up the box and got started with the Groov-e Boston the moment it arrived. It spent much of its time between my home office, bedroom, and living room. The carrying handle came in useful there. I mostly used it connected to mains power.

I listened to a lot of talk radio (LBC and BBC Radio 5 Live) to keep up with current affairs, while switching over to Heart 90s and 00s along with a local music station to calm my nerves after too much news.

When using the Bluetooth functionality, I connected my iPhone 14 Pro, and listened to Spotify and Apple Music.

• Read TechRadar's review guarantee
• First reviewed in March 2025

There's something deeply lovely about the design of a Roberts radio: my family had one in the kitchen when I was growing up, and I remember it as much for its gorgeously retro looks – it wasn't that different from the very distinctive Roberts R66 of the 1950s, even though ours was decades more recent – as for its sound quality, which made other radios sound embarrassingly bad. So I'm delighted to see that the latest Roberts radios have packed their distinctly modern tech in designs that Harry Roberts himself could have created.

Roberts has unveiled three new additions to its Rambler family: the Rambler Uno, the Rambler Midi and the Rambler Max. And while they wouldn't have looked out of place in my childhood kitchen they're packed with today's tech.

Roberts Rambler Uno, Rambler Midi and Rambler Max: key features and specifications

The Rambler Uno is the most affordable of the new radios, and it's a replacement for the Rambler Mini. It's a DAB, DAB+ and FM radio and alarm radio with a full-range speaker and passive bass radiator, a clear OLED panel and Bluetooth, and it runs on four AA batteries. It's really pretty and pretty affordable for a Roberts, with a price tag of £129.99 (which is around $171 or AU$254, give or take a dollar). You can choose between duck egg, navy blue or pastel cream.

Next up there's the Rambler Midi at £179.99 (so, around $237 or AU$350). This is a new design that's much more compact, although it shares the same design DNA as the rest of the Rambler range. Once again it's a radio and alarm radio with DAB, DAB+ and FM with Bluetooth, and this time the single full-range driver is ported for better bass. There's a front-facing LCD display and once again it runs off four AA batteries and comes in duck egg, navy blue or pastel cream. 

The Rambler Max is the smartest of the bunch, supplementing its radio features with Spotify, Deezer and SmartRadio integration. a TFT display and an optional Lithium battery pack. There's no cream option for this one so far; the choice is between navy blue and duck egg. The Roberts Rambler Max has an RRP of £199.99 – around $263 or AU$390.

The Roberts Revival Petite 2 is the company's most recent success – yes, it's proudly among the best DAB radios we've ever tested, along with two older Roberts options. Will a product from Roberts' new Rambler trio soon join it? We're working on that…

All three new Rambler radios are available now from RobertsRadio.com and from the usual retailers.

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I live in a home full of speakers, but there are some places they just can't go: the steam from my shower would kill them, and the mess I make when I'm cooking curries has created some pretty horrible patterns on my light-coloured HomePods mini. So it's nice to see Majority come to the rescue with a portable audio player that you can splash with the fluids of your choice.

The new Majority Eversden is a cute and very affordable DAB+ radio (one ripe for our best DAB radios buying guide, if the sound is good), a Bluetooth speaker (so it would be a novel inclusion in our best Bluetooth speakers roundup) and FM radio with IPX5 water resistance. 

That means it's capable of withstanding not just the odd splash but actual jets of water, so you can hang it in the shower for your morning sing-a-long. And there's no fabric grille to get grubby so it's a good option for the kitchen too. 

Majority Eversden DAB+ radio: price, specifications and availability

Specs-wise, you're looking at Bluetooth 5.0 with up to 15 hours of battery life, DAB/DAB+ reception from 174-240 MHz and FM reception from 87.5 to 108MHz. There's a dual alarm and a sleep timer as well as a headphone jack for nighttime listening. The dimensions are 5.3L x 13.8W x 15.9Hcm; that small size means there's only room for a mono speaker. 

As with other Majority products (see our recent Majority MP3 Player review for a big hit there) there's a generous warranty period of three years instead of the more common one year, and Majority contributes to its Majority Forest tree planting programme with each unit purchased. 

The Majority Eversden is available now in the UK and in Europe with a price tag of £59.95 / €54.95. At the time of writing Amazon UK is also offering a 10% money off voucher. Unfortunately the Eversden is not currently available in the US or Australia, but that pricing, if it ever does land in these regions, would make it around $76 or AU$116, give or take a few dollars. 

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Pure Classic C-D6: Two-minute review

The Pure Classic C-D6, and devices like them, are enjoying quite the comeback. Once in seemingly terminal decline, radio is back on the up and if you’re anything like me, you’re quietly impressed by the myriad DAB channel options out there. Heart 90s to propel you out of bed in the morning, Classic FM to crawl back there a few hours later.

Tapping into the retro joy that comes from a music system that includes a DAB/FM radio, CD player and Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity, the Pure Classic C-D6's old-school stylings look the part but won’t suit everyone. It’s squarely designed (literally) for sitting somewhere in a corner of your living room, destined to live out its days there. This isn’t portable and it’s sizeable enough that you won’t even want to move it between rooms unless you have absolutely to. 

However, it has charm. Like other Pure radios, it has all the essentials you could need wrapped up in an easy to use shell. Setup is a matter of plugging it in and leaving the radio to pick out dozens of DAB radio channels before you highlight your presets. 

A remote control simplifies matters further, though I was baffled at not finding any batteries in the (huge) box. A couple of dials on the front also help matters. You’re honestly not going to get lost here.

At £179.99 or €199.99 (and currently only available in the UK and in Europe), cheap the Pure Classic C-D6 is not. But it is a Bluetooth speaker, DAB/FM radio and CD player rolled into one, which makes it a bit better value. 

Once unboxed, it’ll live happily in your living room or on your bedside cabinet and fulfil seemingly all your audio needs at a steady, if not always exciting, pace.

Is it one of the best DAB radios we've had the pleasure of testing? Let's see.

Pure Classic C-D6 review: Price and release date

• Released April 2024
• Cost £179.99 / €199.99 (currently only available in the UK and Europe)

The Pure Classic C-D6 was released in the UK and Europe in April 2024. It costs £179.99 or €199.99 depending on your region, making it a relatively mid-range option compared to the competition.

It’s cheaper than something like the Pure Evoke Home (at £399.99) or on a par with the Roberts Revival RD70, but with the addition of CD playing support. 

The non-portable DAB music system market is a fairly niche one if you want all these features, so the Pure Classic C-D6 feels fairly well priced for what it offers.

Pure Classic C-D6 review: Specs

Pure Classic C-D6 review: Features

• Remote control
• Extensive connectivity options
• Alarm feature

The Pure Classic C-D6 is huge, more on which later. Fortunately, such abundant heft means there’s a lot going on here. The all-in-one unit is packed with options which are easily found by scrolling through the various dials.

At its heart, the Pure Classic C-D6 is a DAB/FM radio but it’s also possible to use it as a CD player, plug in a USB stick or pair a device with it via Bluetooth. In theory, you don’t actually need another speaker or music system in your living space as the Pure Classic C-D6 covers all the bases – it's also got an aux-in.

Its Bluetooth 5.3 is supremely stable and robust – no risk of drop outs here. Switching between the modes takes a mere moment, with no noticeable lag while you go through your options. It’s a relatively minor thing but one that’s immediately noticeable. 

The Pure Classic C-D6 is purely wired so there’s no point worrying about battery life – it needs to be plugged in. Again, due to the not insignificant weight of the Pure Classic C-D6, you won’t be moving it around anyhow. 

Features score: 5 / 5 

Pure Classic C-D6 review: Sound quality

• 2 x 15W speakers
• Crisp sound
• Limited bass

No one is buying the Pure Classic C-D6 and expecting energetic audio that captivates you in every way – reliability and convenience rule all here. That’s not to say that the Pure is poor quality aurally, but it lacks some oomph in the bass department. For instance, you may not notice the precise details of Under Pressure by Queen and David Bowie.  

Instead, it does the job just fine while you listen to the radio. Heading over to a 90s-themed channel, I enjoyed being reminded of my youth with the kind of audio quality I expect from my car’s reasonable-but-unremarkable DAB radio. It’s the perfect line in fine. 

That trend continues regardless of how you listen. Bluetooth and even CD playing are available here and it all sounds just... fine. No complaints, but no wow moment either. 

Sound quality: 3.5 / 5 

Pure Classic C-D6 review: Design

• It’s huge
• Clearly laid-out buttons
• Appealing display

The Pure Classic C-D6 is huge, even for what it offers. It’s designed to be fitted sturdily on a shelf or in a unit in your living room so that it can stay there forever more. Potentially, you don’t need any other basic audio equipment in that room so that’s fine but it’s good to plan ahead. 

The 15W speakers sit comfortably either side of a middle section devoted to the controls, screen and CD player. The TFT LCD display is fairly sharp and straightforward, with the buttons and dials around it making intuitive sense. Such a design means it’s easy to figure out everything you need to do and I didn’t really need to go anywhere near the manual to become a pro at navigating my way between all the Pure's various functions. There’s also a remote control for when you don’t fancy walking over to the machine. 

Turn the Pure Classic C-D6 around and there’s the aux-in port and USB port, neatly hidden away but also easily accessible when the time comes. 

It comes in either coffee black or cotton white with a faux wood exterior adding to the suitably retro vibe. I wasn’t a fan at first but the design did grow on me. It also looks and feels reasonably sturdy.

Design score: 4 / 5

Pure Classic C-D6 review: Value

• Mid-range pricing
• A strong investment

The Pure Classic C-D6 is designed to be a long-term commitment. Place it in your home and you’re all set for the long haul thanks to its extensive connectivity options. 

If you want a nice and simple solution for all your audio needs, it’s fairly well priced. There’s always something like the Roberts Revival RD70 but, though it looks nicer, that lacks features like CD-playing functionality.

Spend more and you could get the Pure Evoke Home, but that’s only really necessary if you want built-in Spotify Connect and podcasts rather than simply casting across from your phone. 

Value score: 4 / 5

Should you buy the Pure Classic C-D6?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if... 

Pure Classic C-D6 review: Also consider

How I tested the Pure Classic C-D6

• Tested for 10 days
• Used at home exclusively
• Over 10 years of audio reviewing experience

The Pure Classic C-D6 lived happily in my home office for most of the 10 days I spent reviewing it, with a brief sojourn to my living room. Throughout the working day, it played in the background. 

That meant talk radio with a mixture of LBC, BBC Radio 5 Live, and BBC Radio 4. It also meant listening to music via the DAB stations as well as through Bluetooth and my iPhone 14 Pro playing Apple Music and Spotify. 

For the CD player, I dug out a few old CDs to see how things worked there. The Pure Classic C-D6 was my main source of audio-based entertainment while I worked.

Over the past 10 years or so, I’ve reviewed dozens of speakers, headphones and earbuds as well as more than a few DAB radios, too. These all covered a wide variety of price ranges. 

• Read TechRadar's review guarantee
• First reviewed in June 2024

As anyone who read our Pure Woodland Radio review will know, Pure's got a keen talent for fashioning portable, forward-thinking IP67-rated DAB and FM radios. You'll find the name featuring several times in our best DAB radios roundup. 

But what if you want something in a slightly more heritage style? Pure's got an answer for that too – in fact, it's got three. So let's meet them! The new Classic Series includes the "kitchen helper" affordable Classic H4, the mid-range Classic C-D6, and the flagship Classic Stereo.

All promise "timeless style, enhanced connectivity and improved sound quality" within relatively accessible prices – and I'd agree; aside from the top-tier model, prices here are refreshingly palatable. Also, every product within the trio is available in your choice of 'Coffee Black/Walnut' or 'Cotton White/Oak' finish.

Let's start small, with the Classic H4 (pictured above). It's a DAB+/FM radio with Bluetooth. This model has a 10W power output and the ability to store 40 presets – which is a lot for the money – plus a kitchen timer to stay on top of things when making dinner.  

The bigger Classic C-D6 (below) builds on the FM/DAB+ radio idea by adding a CD player, advanced Bluetooth, USB-A and AUX connectivity, 2x15W stereo speakers and a sleep timer. 

The Classic Stereo is billed by Pure as "the gateway to refined HiFi sound wrapped in a comforting, familiar setup" and we see what they mean – it's a set of stereo speakers and a receiver. Power output is a much beefier 100W thanks to the standalone speakers (which should make it a viable option for parties as well as chilled listening at home) and here, you get DAB+/FM radio, Internet radio, Bluetooth, CD playback, Spotify Connect and extra connectivity perks including USB-A, Optical (meaning you could hook it up to your TV), Phono (for a turntable) and 3.5mm AUX ports (for headphone listening, say). 

Prices? Of course. Pure's Classic range is available from today (April 11). The Classic H4 is priced £89.99 (so around $114, AU$174); the Classic C-D6  is priced £179.99 (approximately $227, AU$349). 

The Classic Stereo will set you back a more substantial £449.99 (so around $567 or AU$869) but when you consider the features and connectivity options it's not an unreasonable fee. For instance, it's a DAB+ radio and CD player that can also be used as stereo speakers for your TV, in the same way as the similarly-priced Audio Pro C20 could be your soundbar (although the Audio Pro isn't a DAB+ radio as such, has the speakers inbuilt, and swaps the CD player for HDMI eARC connectivity). 

Still, this flagship Classic Stereo offering is a tempting proposition, if you ask us. 

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Ever experienced cute aggression? The kind of rising urge to squeeze a particularly cute Pomeranian puppy sitting in its tiny puppy bed, wearing the cutest sweater you've ever seen – probably a bit too hard for its personal wellbeing? OK, but have you experienced that with tech? My first time was with the original Roberts Revival Petite, which I reviewed for TechRadar's sister publication, What Hi-Fi? – and awarded five sweet stars to. 

So ridiculously enjoyable, fun, and tiny was this FM/DAB radio and portable Bluetooth speaker (how did they get all of that in there?) that I found myself engrossed in it even in slumber, switching stations while making Chicken à la King in my also-tiny pastel-colored 1960s kitchen, in several retro-fabulous fever dreams.

Now, Roberts has launched the next generation of this palm-sized audio companion, the Revival Petite 2 – and it fixes my only real issue with what is emphatically one of the best DAB radios around. 

While Revival Petite 2 has the same bijou size and retro aesthetic, it now includes an all-new telescopic antenna (the original encouraged you to attach a black rubberised wire antenna to the external antenna socket on the back if experiencing poor signal), plus USB-C charging (the original sported a microUSB port), enhanced Bluetooth, and even a new alarm function.

The USB-C rechargeable battery offers the same 20 hours of uninterrupted playtime as the original (but come on, it's tiny – I've eaten bigger burritos) and an aux-in for listening to good old-fashioned FM radio on your headphones, if you'd like.  

The Roberts Revival Petite 2 is available now in six delicious colors for £99.99 (approximately $127 or AU$195) and will be available in 'Pastel Cream' from April. 

If you've yet to experience the classic wireless, with all its audio imperfections, do

One of the joys of listening to FM radio is that you need to work a little bit to get a good signal. You may need to briefly stick your arm out of the window when holding it, or angle that new antenna in ever-creative ways for the audio floor to drop, thereby freeing itself of background interference. For some, this will be a nostalgia trip, for others it'll be a fun novel new challenge. However, I maintain that there are times when listening to the original wireless – and not knowing what's coming up next – simply can't be beaten.

And a Roberts radio is without a doubt an ideal vehicle with which to experience this. The company was founded by good friends Harry Roberts and Leslie Bidmead, who began making portable radios from a small shop in London, UK, in 1932. Initially, the duo produced just three products per week, under the simple philosophy: never compromise on quality and keep pushing the boundaries.

The company remains the UK market leader in portable radios – just see our Roberts Radio Pillow Talk Speaker review, our Roberts Rambler BT Stereo DAB radio review or our Roberts Revival RD70 DAB radio review for more examples of what it can do. 

If you need me, I'll be repainting my apartment, digging out my Gran's heavily annotated Mrs. Beeton recipe book, and clearing a spot on the G-Plan coffee table for my new Roberts Revival Petite 2. 

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Pure Woodland: Two-minute review

The Pure Woodland Bluetooth speaker and DAB radio isn’t the cutting edge of modern technology but it knows how to be good at what it does. It has the right name, looking eco-friendly right down to its cardboard and paper only box (besides a couple of cable ties). In a fetching green, it’s just asking for you to hook it up to a tree on a hot summer’s day. 

None of this would matter if it was awful to use but some thought has been put into it. Its carry handle is soft and easy to grip onto while its 14 hours of battery life is about right for a busy day out full of music and relaxation.

This isn’t just about music though as the Pure Woodland also has a reliable DAB and FM radio component. Pull up that antenna and you’re good to go with the DAB radio automatically tuning in and the FM radio only a few steps away. It works well giving you plenty of suitable options with the LCD screen highlighting what station is playing. 

At £139.99 / €149.99, it’s not the most competitively priced radio/speaker combo but it’s reasonable. It’s going to last a while too with IP67 waterproofing and some reinforced bumpers to help it handle a few blows while you take it out and about with you.

Simple to use with its stylish yet easy to distinguish buttons, the Pure Woodland is that device that everyone will figure out making it an easy radio to provide the whole family with. Outdoors, it blends in well while on the living room bookshelf, it’s going to be just as capable with a long USB cable proving useful. 

As its closest rival, the Robert Revival RD70 might be better looking but if you need something that can travel with you, the Pure Woodland is a tempting proposition among a busy world of the best DAB radios and best Bluetooth speakers. 

Pure Woodland review: Price and release date

• Released in July 2023
• Costs £139.99 / €149.99
• Only available in the UK and Europe

The Pure Woodland was released in the UK and Europe in July 2023. It costs £139.99 and €149.99 in respective markets, which places it squarely in the mid-range market. 

It’s a little cheaper than some popular favorites like the non-portable but stylish Robert Revival RD70, although pricier than the Sony XDR-P1, which has proved a hit among those looking for something portable.

It’s bulkier than the latter too although the Pure Woodland would certainly look better in your living room than the dated stylings of the Sony XDR-P1. You also get a rechargeable battery here rather than needing to dig out AA batteries all the time. 

Pure Woodland review: Features

• IP67 waterproofing
• Carry handle
• DAB and FM radio as well as speaker

It’s perhaps weird to think immediately of the carry handle of the Pure Woodland but it feels like a genuine feature rather than a design component. So many portable speakers omit a useful way of carrying them  and are rarely light enough to throw in a bag. 

While at the time of this review, it’s the wrong time of year to be spending long days outside – the Pure Woodland feels like something you could take on a picnic with you alongside your bag of food. The handle is soft to hold too which is so important compared to it biting through your hand. 

Besides the handle, the Pure Woodland is also pretty robust with IP67 waterproofing and a build that’s light to carry yet feels like it could handle a few knocks. Its 14 hour battery life also means you have a day’s worth of picnicking without needing a power source. 

The Bluetooth 5.1 that's onboard is reliable and means no dropouts to speak of. You can also switch to DAB radio mode or a FM radio if you choose. The former is pretty much automatic while the latter requires some adjustments but odds are you’ll be focusing on DAB anyhow. 

Don’t count on any extra physical connections like an aux-in socket but otherwise, the Pure Woodland has it covered.

Features score: 4 / 5 

Pure Woodland review: Sound quality

• 10W speaker
• Crisp audio 
• Lacking a little oomph at times 

I’m not really counting on the Pure Woodland to be an audiophile’s dream. Instead, it’s a balanced mix of offering everything the average person needs. Listening to a talk-focused station like LBC brings out how crisp voices sound while switching over to music demonstrates that this isn’t a bass-heavy party speaker but it still does the job well for adding ambience to your picnic, working day, or general chill out moment.

When my random playlist switched to Corner Shop’s Brimful of Asha (yes, really), I was pleasantly surprised at how enthusiastic it sounded. It broke through the background noise of my dehumidifier and my mechanical keyboard well. Elsewhere, more vocal heavy tracks like Harry Styles’s Sign of the Times feels tamer and not quite as powerful as one might like. Similarly, Black Eyed Peas’ I Gotta Feeling doesn’t quite get you in the party mood. 

However, it’s all likeable and pleasant enough. As cliched as it might sound, the Pure Woodland is a reliable all-rounder. Nothing sounds poor or over processed and the soundstage is reasonable for this speaker, at least indoors. 

Sound quality: 4 / 5 

Pure Woodland review: Design

• Pleasantly tactile
• Clear preset buttons 
• Reinforced bumpers

The Pure Woodland looks a little dated but on the other hand, it’s also really practical. It has the aforementioned carry handle which has been designed to be soft to hold onto yet sturdy. It’ll easily hook onto something too. It also has a string of tactile buttons laid out well so none of them are too close to each other. Unlike other devices, there are no long presses or double taps necessary so it’s simple enough for anyone to figure out.

Six presets are available in all with three DAB and three FM giving you some options. Pairing to Bluetooth takes mere moments. Next to the buttons is a thin LCD screen so you can see what station you’ve picked. 

On the back, there’s nothing to speak of. A USB-C port for charging. For a change, a long USB cable is included so you’ve got a fair bit of stretch if you need to keep it plugged in. 14 hours of battery life means this won’t be too commonplace, fortunately. Reinforced bumpers at the top and bottom of the device adds to the robustness of the Pure Woodland. 

Design score: 4 / 5

Pure Woodland review: Value

• About average for what it offers
• A little cheaper than more stylish options
• Built to last

The Pure Woodland feels like something that will last a long time. It’s going to handle a muddy picnic in a British summer as well as it’ll handle living comfortably on your bookcase too. 

It’s not as good looking as the Robert Revival RD70 but it’s portable which is vital for some people. On the other hand, it’s far better looking than the cheaper Sony XDR-P1 and will look nice in your home during the winter months. A jack of all trades? Maybe, but it works. 

Should you buy the Pure Woodland?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if... 

Pure Woodland review: Also consider

How I tested the Pure Woodland

• Tested for one week 
• Used around the home and briefly outside (winter!)
• 10 years of audio reviewing experience

I lived with the Pure Woodland by plonking it in the same room as I work while also moving it around the home including my living room. For a brief time, I took it outside but the weather has been awful and I feel less waterproof than the Pure Woodland. 

Around the house, it was used while I worked as background noise as well as while I cooked and cleaned. It was all very domesticated and pleasant -- just like how most people are likely to use the Pure Woodland. 

I listened to a wide variety of music. This included my faithful (and somewhat embarrassing) 1990s playlist along with more recent releases such as those of Taylor Swift and Harry Styles. I also listened to the radio a lot -- mostly a mixture of LBC, BBC Radio 5 Live, and BBC Radio 4. 

Music was streamed through Apple Music and Spotify, while I used the DAB side of things predominantly for the radio with some FM testing too.

Over the past decade, I’ve reviewed dozens of speakers, headphones, and earbuds. Covering a wide range of price ranges, these go from super cheap ‘how could they make it for so little?’ level to much more expensive options.

• Read TechRadar's review guarantee
• First reviewed in January 2024

If you're someone who likes to start your day listening to Wham!'s Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go, then Majority has launched a new digital alarm clock made just for you. It may look like something straight out of the 80s (minus the telescopic antenna and turn dial) but it has a lot of the features that you'll find in the best DAB radios and Bluetooth speakers, which we'll cover in more detail below. 

With two full-range drivers, the aptly named Knapwell is built for playing audio first and displaying the time second. It can take you from listening to your favorite jazz station and talkshow to streaming albums and podcasts with the best music streaming services without leaving you hanging (like a yo-yo). 

As one of the few Cambridge audio brands still specialising in radios – last year it launched a DAB radio, Bluetooth speaker and CD player unit called the Oakington – Majority has taken those fuzzy sounding, hard to set, battery operated radio alarm clocks and modernized them for today's world, making the Knapwell a great choice for anyone that wants to give their eyes a break from their phone's harsh blue light. 

Majority Knapwell: key specs

I'll admit, the Majority Knapwell isn't going to appeal to everyone. But I'm sure there are plenty of people out there that miss their digital alarm clock that finally stopped working a little while ago. Whatever the reason, if you're after a new alarm clock that can also play music, then this could be it. 

In terms of connectivity, Majority has given you a lot choice. It's a DAB radio, with FM and DAB+, as well as a Bluetooth speaker (although one thing to note is that we don't yet know which generation of Bluetooth) that also has a headphone jack if you'd prefer to play audio directly via a device like a phone or MP3 player. 

Although the Knapwell is small – it's only 11cm long, 9cm wide and ~3cm tall – it can also charge your phone, which will look about the same size as the device itself, thanks to a USB-C port. The display measures 14cm wide and is a full glass screen.  

Last but certainly not least, there's the digital clock. It uses a seven-segment display, which is probably the biggest design touch that makes it look so nostalgic – these LED figures are synonymous with vintage tech and are still regularly used today in microwaves and ovens. It also has some thoughtful features like a dual alarm and dimmer in case the display light is too bright. 

Can't wait to get your hands on one? The Majority Knapwell will be available to order from January 29 and will cost just £39.95, which is cheaper than some of the best value DAB radios we've reviewed.    

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JBL Tuner 2: two-minute review

JBL offers a plethora of useful speakers and earphones. We're not just talking options that sound good either, but robust party speakers that can sit by the pool (or be flung into it) without a problem. These are the kinds of devices that marketing spin would call 'kit for keeping up with your active lifestyle', (omitting the fact that sometimes you want to slob out next to your speaker. It's OK, us too). 

That trend continues with the JBL Tuner 2, which is vying for a place in our best DAB radio roundup. It's incredibly practical. It's robust, it has rubber feet on the bottom to stay secure, it works as two types of radio, and it can easily be paired up with your phone to listen to your choice of music. 

The catch? It's not exactly powerful. Whatever you listen to will sound acceptable, but nothing more. This is far from one of the best Bluetooth speakers you can currently buy. 

When listening to talk radio, the leanness and flatness isn't a problem, but the moment you switch over to your favorite songs, you'll wonder just why Foo Fighters' All My Life sounds so tame. 

Priced at £79.99/AU$169.95 (which is around $95), the JBL Tuner 2 is well and truly aimed at the go-getter market; people who want plenty of options while they hike, swim, or head outside. Up to 12 hours of battery life means you won't need to worry about power so often, and that's where the JBL Tuner 2 feels a decent deal. 

It's a little heavy, but that gives it the sense of robustness you need when heading outdoors. There's no strap or carabiner, which would have been convenient, but it's still easy enough to grip in one hand, even with small palms. 

The JBL Tuner 2 looks fairly unremarkable, but it doesn't take up too much room. Only the aerial will get in your way, but no more so than a regular radio would. 

For anyone looking for a simple-to-use DAB/FM radio that also doubles up as a Bluetooth speaker, the JBL Tuner 2 does exactly what's needed. However, with weak bass and a whole lot of other issues sonically, it won't suit audiophiles keen to get the most from their lossless music collection, but we're not convinced something with a DAB radio built-in is designed for those people. 

Take it with you on vacation, place it in the hotel room, by the pool, or by your holiday home and you'll appreciate how the JBL Tuner 2 saved you packing a few devices, even if it could sound richer. 

JBL Tuner 2: price and release date

• Available in the UK and Australia 
• Priced at £79.99/AU$169.95
• Launched in 2020

The JBL Tuner 2 isn't the newest device out there, having launched back in 2020, but then listening to the radio – even DAB radio – isn't the newest concept on the market, and there are times when sticking the original 'wireless' on still cannot be beaten. 

Since its release, the JBL Tuner 2 has seen a modest price drop, bringing it down to £79.99/AU$169.95.

It's available in two color schemes – white or black.

JBL Tuner 2: design and features

• Up to 12 hours of battery life
• IPX7 waterproof
• DAB and FM radio

The JBL Tuner 2 feels nice and sleek in your hands. While its core purpose means you'll be placing it down either horizontally or vertically, carrying it around feels smooth, even if it lacks a strap to hold. 

On its bottom are two chunky rubber grips that keep the speaker level when you place it pretty much anywhere. You can place it vertically too if you prefer. 

At the top is the aerial that needs pulling out if you want to listen to the radio, while the back offers a USB-C port along with a 3.5mm audio port. 

The front is the most interesting part of the JBL Tuner 2 because it offers up a small display that says hello when you start it up, then tells you which mode it's in and the radio station you're listening to. 

It's also home of the battery indicator, which is fairly woeful. It's just a single bar that goes down in a vague fashion where a series of bars would have been so much more helpful. Still, the battery lasts about 10 hours so at least you won't have to worry too often.

Up top are the controls. There are two big buttons for volume along with a series of numbers for radio presets, as well as a scan button for finding everything that's out there. Scanning is pretty quick, although we did have to delve into the manual to figure out how to find even more stations. 

Mostly though, the JBL Tuner 2 takes only a few minutes to set up to your preference. Also, it's waterproof so you're fine to use it in almost any scenario. 

• Design and features score: 4/5

JBL Tuner 2: sound quality

• Bluetooth 4.2
• Weak bass
• Tinny sound at times

Let's not mince words: the JBL Tuner 2 doesn't sound great. It doesn't sound awful, but you shouldn't go anywhere near it if you want great-sounding audio. 

When listening to FM or DAB radio, it does a job. Voices sound clear if not quite super crisp, and you don't have to turn up the volume too high to hear this. 

Switch over to Bluetooth mode and it's a weaker performance. We tried out one of our favorites, Foo Fighters' All My Life, and we were soon dismayed at how weak and soulless it sounded. Switching over to David Bowie's Under Pressure in the hope of some detailed mids and sparkly trebles also did not yield the performance we had hoped for.

The music is there, of course, but it all lacks the wow factor we know these recordings are capable of, by quite a substantial margin. It's not even that the bass sounds muddy, it's just too weak to be noticeable. There's a bit of grain to the trebles once we listened to Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon but still, we were not fans of the audio chops here. 

Cranking up the volume creates some distortion, too, so this is far from one of the best party speakers. When considering the sound quality, the JBL Tune 2 is a relaxing by the pool kind of speaker at best, nothing more. 

• Sound quality score: 2/5

JBL Tuner 2: value

• DAB/FM radio and Blueooth speaker
• Highly portable

The JBL Tuner 2 is fairly well priced for what you get. Saving one the need for a Bluetooth speaker and a DAB radio, it's certainly useful if you're not too fussed about great audio quality but you want plenty of options at your disposal.

Whether that's you ultimately depends on how you plan on using your new purchase. 

• Value score: 3.5/5

JBL Tuner 2: should you buy it?

Buy it if…

Don't buy it if…

Also consider…

Think the JBL Tuner 2 might not be the DAB/FM radio with built-in Bluetooth for you? That's OK, here are three alternatives that could offer just the design, feature-set and sound quality you're looking for. 

• First reviewed: August 2022
• How we test: explore TechRadar's review guarantee

The best DAB radios can deliver impressively roomy sound and outperform traditional FM/AM radios by eliminating interference and providing access to a much wider variety of stations. With most broadcasts now primarily digital, a DAB radio is arguably a must-have for enjoying music, news, sports coverage, and talk shows.

Many of the best DAB radios offer many of the same features as the best Bluetooth speakers, including mono and stereo sound, internet radio access, and Bluetooth streaming. Some even rival the best waterproof speakers thanks to their IP ratings, meaning they can weather muggier conditions or unexpected rainfall.

We’ve thoroughly tested all of the leading DAB radios featured in our guide below to ensure they meet the highest standards, so you can rely on our recommendations for an exceptional listening experience. Whether you’re looking for a sleek addition to your kitchen, a multi-functional alarm clock radio, or a portable device for on-the-go use, our expert picks combine intuitive controls, stylish looks, and superb sound quality to suit a range of budgets.

Plus, with the 2026 FIFA World Cup coming up in June, there's rarely a better time than now to invest in a DAB radio, so you can keep tabs on the action even if you can't watch the games on the TV.

The best DAB radios of 2026

The best DAB radio for most people

There are few better sounding or looking DAB radios for a kitchen than the RD70. A retro-styled DAB/FM radio with a museum-like 1950s look, it brings the wireless bang up to date by adding a large colour LCD display and Bluetooth streaming from smartphones.

Its bulky size is a little too much for the average bedside table – and the colour LCD display is positioned on the top of the cabinet – so it makes for a less than perfect clock radio. However, its faux leather-covered wooden speaker cabinet produces easily enough mid-range and bass for warm-sounding sonics ideal for a kitchen or bookshelf.

In fact, the only downsides are its bulky size, lack of internal rechargeable battery (it’s portable only if you feed it four AA batteries) and underwhelming Bluetooth streaming.

Read our full Roberts Revival RD70 review

• Back to the top^

The best petite DAB radio

The first thing when we noticed when we were testing the Roberts Revival Petite 2 was its cute looks and teeny-tiny size. In our review, we wrote that this is "a truly portable radio that can be easily tossed into your bag ready to emerge looking adorable." That's why it's our top choice if you're looking for the smallest DAB radio that also performs well.

With 20 hours of playtime it's great for listening on the move, whether you want to take it on holiday, camping, to the park or just use it around the house. As well as being easy to carry around, it's incredibly simple to set-up, too.

Expect crisp, clear sound that we called "surprisingly lively" in our Roberts Revival Petite 2 review. But don't expect powerful bass or high volumes at this size. This device isn't going to work for parties, in that case it probably makes sense to get one of the best portable Bluetooth speakers instead.

Read our full Roberts Revival Petite 2 review

• Back to the top^

The best DAB radio for bedside tables

What makes the Pure Siesta Charge stand out is – you guessed it – its charging capabilities. If your smartphone or phablet is compatible with Qi wireless charging, you’ll be able to leave it on top of this DAB radio as it fills up your battery.

It has a lovely sound, with simple customization options and presets, while all the practical alarm, timer and radio functions of Pure's popular Siesta range position it as a hugely practical bedside gadget. Not to mention an auto-dimming LED display and dashing glass screen.

Not everyone will make use of the wireless charging feature: but either way you're getting a sleek, well-designed DAB radio and speaker that's well worth a look.

Read our full Pure Siesta Charge Review

• Back to the top^

The best DAB radio for high-end buyers

An exceptional build quality, convincing retro design and good all-round sound quality rule on this excellent, if expensive, DAB radio that also deals in decent Bluetooth streaming. Available in cream, green and blue, the Roberts Rambler BT Stereo features a faux leather (vinyl)-covered carry handle and panels that stretch right across its back, with clean oak panels either side of a chrome and black speaker grille. It’s based upon the original ‘Rambler’ of the 1970s.

It’s primarily designed to look great in a kitchen or bedroom and have wide appeal; it sounds absolutely fine for both voice and music, but there are no EQ settings. We’re also slightly disappointed that a built-in battery is replaced by the need to insert four AA batteries, but there’s no doubting the quality of this DAB radio’s aesthetics and audio.

Read our full Roberts Rambler BT Stereo review

• Back to the top^

The best DAB radio value pick

Digital radio is great, but don’t underestimate internet radio. Accessing international web-based radio stations, but crucially also their catalogues of podcasts, the utilitarian stone grey or charcoal Pure Elan Connect+ gets on your home's Wi-Fi and also offers DAB/DAB+/FM and Bluetooth streaming from a phone.

It does look somewhat plasticky and audio-wise it’s best suited to voice radio and background music, but it’s easy to use and has a large color display. It’s also just 82mm deep so can slide onto any kitchen worktop or bookshelf without looking too dominating. Its slimness is also helped by it’s being charged not by a big power pack, but by a micro USB cable. Either way, the Pure Elan Connect+ is a great value all-in-one for kitchens, bathrooms and patios.

Read our full Pure Elan Connect+ review

• Back to the top^

The best DAB radio for the pool-side

The JBL Tuner 2 is a very portable and rugged DAB/FM radio that also doubles as a Bluetooth speaker. The radio itself is excellent, but the pocketability of it means it has to have a relatively small speaker. It's perfectly fine for music and speech but it's not a radio you're going to use for a party. It's also worth noting that the Bluetooth here is 4.2, which doesn't have the range or bandwidth capabilities of more recent versions of the Bluetooth standard.

Despite those niggles, though, this is a typically well-built JBL speaker that's very easy to use and you can get up to 12 hours of radio playback between charges. The charger here is USB-C but you'll need to provide your own power adapter.

The USP here is IPX7 waterproofing, which makes it a particularly good option for travelling or for poolside listening: where many portable speakers are splash-proof, the Tuner 2 is much more protected against accidental drops and deluges. Perfect by the sink, by a pool, at the beach, or if it's in danger of getting hosed while you're watering the garden.

Read our full JBL Tuner 2 review

• Back to the top^

The best DAB radio for the garden

The Pure Woodland DAB radio is our top pick for the garden, because it's portable, boasts a good 14 hours of battery life and has some solid waterproofing – in short, it won't let you down. As we wrote in our Pure Woodland review: "it’s just asking for you to hook it up to a tree on a hot summer’s day."

During our testing we found the DAB radio element incredibly easy to set-up. All you need to do is pull up the antenna and you’re ready to go with the DAB radio, which automatically tunes in and the FM radio only a few steps away. It worked well for us, giving us plenty of suitable options with the LCD screen highlighting what station is playing.

In our review we wrote that the Pure Woodland isn't going to be an audiophile's dream. However, it has everything most people would need, including a reasonable soundstage, some power and performance and clear vocals – ideal for radio shows.

If you want a reliable portable speaker/radio combo, the Pure Woodland is a top choice. It's not the smallest in our guide, but it is easy to carry around.

Read our full Pure Woodland review

• Back to the top^

The best all-in-one DAB radio system

If you like the idea of a DAB radio but also want other ways to play music, consider an all-in-one solution, like the Pure Classic C-D6. It includes a DAB/FM radio, CD player and Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity, enabling you to stream your music from any other device.

Despite the fact this is a comprehensive system, it's very easy to get started with the DAB radio. Just plug it in and leave it to pick out dozens of DAB radio channels before you highlight your presets.

The sound is good and powerful, but not sonically brilliant. In our review, we wrote: "No one is buying the Pure Classic C-D6 and expecting energetic audio that captivates you in every way – reliability and convenience rule all here." That doesn't mean the audio is poor quality, it's bound to appeal to most people.

Like a lot of the options on this list, it has retro styling with a premium look. It's big and designed to sit in the corner of a room or on a sturdy shelf. If you want portability, look elsewhere in this guide. The Pure Classic C-D6 isn't cheap, but it does have everything you need wrapped into one great-looking device – you don't need anything else in your set-up unless you're an audiophile.

Read our full Pure Classic C-D6 DAB radio review

• Back to the top^

Other DAB radios to consider

Groov-e Boston: This radio is aggressively priced. In fact, we doubt you'll find a much cheaper DAB radio. But sadly, that's not necessarily a good thing as the tinny sound really reflects the price tag. Have a read of our full Groov-e Boston review to find out more.

Sharp Osaka: Read our Sharp Osaka review and you'll see we enjoyed this nice and compact choice that's easy to use and relatively inexpensive. But unfortunately the sound struggles and gets distorted fairly easily.

Meet the team

How we test the best DAB radios

We test a lot of audio gear every year at TechRadar, and that means we know exactly which features and specs to look out for. There are times when sticking the radio on simply can't be beaten and we want you to experience that at its best. To make this guide, we consider the size of the screen (if there is one), features, number of presets and, of course, sound quality.

Features: It's important for us to compare the performance of each product against the specs claimed by its manufacturers, which is why we take the time to ensure the battery life (in portable models), connectivity, screen size (when there is one), number of presets, feature set and sound quality is as good as the brands say it is.

Performance: We make sure to test each model in a range of environments and against its chief competitors too, so you can be sure that the product will work just as well in your home, in whichever spot you've chosen to put it. We live with these radios in our homes to make sure that the performances are consistent, and we don't finalise our testing until we are certain of how the devices sound.

Sound quality: On this, we test the audio performance using a range of musical genres and across FM, DAB and Bluetooth streaming if the product supports it, to ensure that the radio can handle everything from death metal tracks to softly-spoken poetry jams.

Having spent more years in this game than we'd care to admit, we are truly confident that our star-rated reviews are the best indication of the quality of the DAB radios in this list. There are no sales teams involved in our verdicts, which means if we don't like it for sound, design, usability and features, we simply won't recommend it.

• Back to the top^

Best DAB radios: FAQs

Latest updates to the best DAB radios guide

May 5, 2026
Refreshed the introduction and ensured all copy is up to date. The previous quick list has been replaced with a slimmer 'tabletop' widget that makes it easier to view products and prices at a glance. We've also adjusted the intro copy to reflect next month's airing of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

April 25, 2025
Refreshed the introduction. Added a new gallery photo section to each entry so readers can get a better idea of how each model looks. Wrote a new 'Other DAB radios to consider' section at the bottom of the guide with several other recommendations that might suit readers but aren't quite up to the standard of our top picks.

January 3, 2025
Rewrote the introduction. Added 'buy it if/don't buy it if' box-outs to each DAB radio we recommend so readers can see which best suit them at a glance. Added a 'meet the team' section to introduce TechRadar's audio testing experts. Checked all of the copy to ensure it's up to date.

September 27, 2024
Updated the introduction with additional information. Added a new 'What's the difference between DAB and internet radio?' section to our FAQs to make it easier for readers to figure out the best device for them. Restructured our 'how we test' section to focus on the key things to consider when looking for the best DAB radio for you.

One-minute review

The best DAB radios are all about the simple things in life. Classic tunes while you create in the kitchen, football commentary in the bath and Test Match Special in the garden. 

Cue the Roberts Revival RD70, a retro-styled DAB/FM radio that attempts to bring the ‘wireless’ bang up to date by adding a large colour LCD display and Bluetooth streaming from smartphones. 

Since it can also run on battery power, the RD70 is also a well-disguised portable Bluetooth speaker. Is this the go-anywhere all-in-one of your dreams? Well, perhaps not. The RD70 is great as a DAB and FM radio. It’s faux leather-covered wooden speaker cabinet gives plenty of mid-range and bass (a tad too much, even) and it looks good on a kitchen counter or in a bathroom. 

However, it’s not as portable as you might think, thanks to its use of four AA batteries – no easily rechargeable battery here. It’s also not waterproof and its Bluetooth streaming is also quiet and underwhelming. 

So what should we make of the RD70? Well, don’t buy it for its portability or for its basic Bluetooth features – both of which are the wrong side of retro – and focus on its core skill as a DAB radio for a kitchen or bathroom. Yes, it’s expensive and misfires on a couple of features, but the vintage-styled RD70 is one of the best-looking, easiest to use DAB radios for the home. 

Roberts Revival RD70 DAB Radio price and release date

• Out now
• Costs £199.99

The original Revival had been around for years and was one of the UK’s best-selling portable radios. 

This new version originally launched in 2018 updates the tech inside, but barely touches the retro design. It’s available in red, black, dove grey, duck egg blue, leaf green and pastel cream. 

Design

• Retro 1950s styling
• Portable with handle
• Weighs 1.7kg

If there is an iconic design in the world of DAB radios, it’s Roberts’ Revival. Styled as a 1950s ‘wireless’ in the old sense of the word, the RD70 now tackles the modern meaning of that phrase to add Bluetooth streaming from smartphones. 

Do you remember what radios were like in the 1950s? Nope. Nor us. In fact, you could argue the vintage styling is a tad overdone, and the RD70 more museum piece than truly retro – but either way there are few more design-led DAB radios out there, save for the Ruark R1 Mk4. 

It’s mostly aimed at kitchen sides, window sills, bathrooms and bedside tables. The latter is obvious from its provision of a sleep timer (for up to 90 minutes), two alarms and a snooze function (you just hit the right-hand knob), though we think its bulky size is a little too much for the average bedside table. 

There is another reason to keep it away from the bedroom; its 36 x 48mm colour LCD display is ranged on the top of the device so it makes for a less than perfect clock radio.

Measuring 106 x 250 x 160mm and weighing 1.7kg, the RD70 looks like it’s covered in leather. It’s not – it’s merely a synthetic faux-leather – and on older incarnations of the Revival this layer hasn’t aged well. Cracks and tears have appeared in the covering after a few years. We’re hoping that has been addressed on the RD70, though only time will tell. 

It’s an eye-catching look and the designers have gone all-in on the 1950s look, right down to a soft faux-leather carry handle, bronze-coloured speaker grille and knobs that turn and click to navigate menus. It will probably appeal more to older users than younger. 

However, there are plenty of contemporary touches on its top-mounted control panel, from that great-looking colour LCD display to playback buttons that let you control your music when streaming from a smartphone. Also on that panel is a headphones jack and a 3.5mm line-in for attaching other audio devices. 

Setup

• 10 DAB and 10 FM presets
• Six display themes
• Portable with AA batteries

The RD70 has a telescopic aerial extending to a maximum of 60cm, but it only feeds upwards. While that adds a little stability (side-ranging aerials tend to droop after a while), it’s not great news for anyone wanting to put the product on a kitchen surface underneath cupboards. That goes doubly so because in our tests the aerial was mostly required to get a stable signal. 

We managed to tune-in myriad DAB radio stations using the auto-tune function and found the combination of clicks and turns of the left-hand knob fairly intuitive. We were then able to set specific stations as presets and easily navigate between stations, though the RD70 lacks dedicated preset buttons that take you straight to a specific radio station. 

A colour display is pretty advanced for retro products like this and it comes with some interesting options. It offers six display themes to choose from, including ruby, emerald and sapphire-coloured backlights. It makes use of the sheer size of its color display to show a digital version of a clock face. In theory you get album artwork on the display from DAB and via Bluetooth, but this didn’t work in our tests. It’s hardly a necessary feature, anyway. 

Bluetooth streaming is easy enough. You just toggle to Bluetooth on the source button and find the RD70 in your phone’s settings. Does the RD70 work well as a portable Bluetooth radio? It can, but it comes with a catch. In place of a built-in lithium-ion battery that’s easy to recharge, the RD70’s undercarriage includes a slip-off hatch for four AA batteries.

They’ll add up to 25 hours of portability. If you only plan to use them irregularly that’s fine, but think twice before you buy the RD70 intending to take it everywhere, since you’ll need a stash of rechargeable AA batteries and the patience to frequently replenish them. We would expect the next version of the RD70 to be a rechargeable unit. The RD70 is also not waterproof, so be careful taking it outside. 

Audio performance

• Warm and detailed DAB / FM sound
• A touch bassy for some
• Lack of volume via Bluetooth

FM and DAB broadcasts sound excellent on the RD70, but it won’t be for everyone. A result of its wooden cabinet housing a mid-size driver, the sound quality is warm, detailed and has plenty of bass, but isn’t designed for high volumes. 

As its styling suggests, you’ll hear warm, round tones perfect for voice, and for music radio, too. However, it will be a little bassy for some; in our test a DJs with a low voice did sound rather boomy. 

You can dive into the RD70’s EQ settings if it’s too much; here you’ll find classic / jazz / pop / rock / news sound presets (though none are standout) alongside basic tweaks to treble and bass. 

We found that for DAB radio – music and voice – the bass needs to be at -4. For Bluetooth streaming we settled on -2 for bass and +3 for treble, though the major issue we had with this mode was volume.

It’s just so quiet when you swap to playing podcasts or music from a smartphone, even with the smartphone on full volume. As well as lacking volume, the sound appears slightly muffled, too. This unfortunately isn’t rare on DAB radios, which roundly fail to treat Bluetooth streaming with any kind of skill. 

If you want a ‘new’ wireless speaker, go elsewhere, but if you want a good ‘old’ wireless, the RD70 impresses. 

Should I buy the Roberts Revival RD70 DAB radio?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if …

• Need a battery built in? Check out our guide to the best Bluetooth speakers you can buy today

Truly wireless earbuds are undoubtedly the future of portable audio but they still present compromises in battery life and wireless reliability. Plus, they’re easy to lose if you’re not careful. 

Neckbuds, or earbuds that are worn around the neck, are a great alternative to true wireless earbuds as they offer longer battery life for continuous listening and stronger wireless performance. Case in point: the OnePlus Bullets Wireless, which we gave the Best in Class award to. 

We loved the Bullets Wireless for their balanced sound, strong wireless connection, and unique magnetic on/off switch. However, OnePlus should be worried about the RHA MA390 Wireless, which we’ll be reviewing today. 

For the same price as the Bullets Wireless, the MA390 Wireless trumps it in build quality, slightly more dynamic sound, and understated design. It’s a tough choice between the two but here’s what you need to know about the RHA MA390 Wireless to help you make a purchasing decision.

Design

RHA is known for its excellent build quality and the MA390 Wireless is no exception. Its earbuds are milled out of a solid piece of aluminum. Even the in-line microphone is made of aluminum, making it feel much more premium than its $70 (£60, about AU$106) price tag suggests. 

Thankfully, RHA ditched the aluminum for the neckband, which is made of silicone, making it IPX4 sweat and water resistant. There’s also a rubber door that hides the USB-C charging connector and we’re glad RHA jumped to USB-C, unlike other headphone makers who are sticking with microUSB. 

While the neckband terminates with plastic at each end, it doesn’t feel cheap and keeps the headphone lightweight appeal. The lightweight design is great for long listening sessions and working out, though the MA390 Wireless don’t feature the wing tips like the OnePlus Bullets Wireless which help to keep the earbuds in when exercising. 

In terms of fit, we found the RHA MA390 Wireless extremely comfortable thanks to its smaller earbuds. They’re so small that we felt comfortable sleeping with them, can’t be said about many wireless earbuds. 

RHA packs in small, medium, and large ear tips to help you find a good fit and the company also includes a pouch ... which would've been nice if it wasn't much too small for the MA390 Wireless. We hope RHA will include a bigger pouch in the future.  

Performance

While we loved the OnePlus Bullets Wireless for its neutral tonality, there are times we wished for more bass. If you like your sound slightly on the warm side of the spectrum, you’ll love the RHA MA390 Wireless. Bass is full and punchy, mids let vocalists shine and the highs are energetic and feature a good amount of resolution thanks to aptX support. 

Compared to the Bullets Wireless, the MA390 Wireless feature a slight “V” shaped frequency response, though we hesitate to call the mids recessed. Instead, it sounds like there’s more bass and treble energy.

Wireless performance is excellent and we never had audio dropouts that are common with truly wireless earbuds. We could move around the house in a few rooms before the connection stuttered. If you have your phone close by, you’ll likely never experience an audio dropout. 

For battery life, The RHA MA390 Wireless are rated for 8 hours and we saw slightly below that. At moderate listening levels, we saw 7 hours of listening consistently. Thankfully, the USB-C connect means these earbuds charge up fast, but not as fast as the OnePlus Bullets Wireless when paired with OnePlus’ proprietary fast charger, which only ships with its phones. 

Verdict

After spending several weeks with the RHA MA390 Wireless, we came away extremely impressed with the package RHA has come up with. The headphones are built extremely well, have a fun sound signature, and can take a beating. And all at an affordable price. 

It’s main rival, the OnePlus Bullets Wireless, are also excellent, however we give the nod to the RHA MA390 for its more dynamic sound and better build quality. 

Popular neckbuds like the Beats X and the Jaybird X3 are more expensive and sound worse, making the RHA MA390 Wireless a no brainer if you want fun sound, better build quality, and an understated design.  

• These are the best wireless earbuds in 2018

The Roberts Revival iStream is now six years old, but thankfully its retro design has kept it from looking too dated. It lacks Bluetooth, which is undoubtedly a feature that it would feature if it came out today, but is still a very capable (and good looking) speaker.

Best known for its classically styled desktop radios, Roberts has launched a feature packed contemporary radio, that retains the iconic 'Revival' look that keeps them selling by the truckload.

What makes this black-only beauty so special is its connectvity: FM; DAB; Wi-Fi internet radio; media streaming; USB-A and a traditional line-in.

So, not only are you spoilt for choice in terms of receiving broadcasts, you can also playback lossless audio files from your home computer, with all the portability that comes with a small 1kg box. The 100-page manual explains all, but ours was ready in just five minutes.

A wireless, wireless

Calling this a 'radio' distinctly undersells it, but it's true, not least because its most impressive functions rely on wireless connection to a computer network and, hence, to the internet.

This at once means that you have access to not only your local quota of DAB and FM stations, but also the 17,000 or so internet radio stations. Foreign radio, special interest stuff, or even your usual fare which may very well be available in better quality via the internet than on DAB.

The bitrate may be the same, but the coding systems used for internet radio are generally more efficient than DAB's MPEG 2.

Personalised radio

Since you're connected to your home network, it makes sense that the Revival iStream can also play audio files on your home computer, as long as they are the right format. Obviously that includes the usual MP3 and also MP4/AAC and, we were delighted to discover, FLAC as well.

WAV doesn't seem to be, though, nor are other lossless formats. It's not that it matters so much for a little portable, just that true audiophiles are likely to have their digital music library in an uncompressed or lossless format anyway.

There's also the option of tuning to the subscription 'personalised radio' service at last.fm, and a USB socket on the top of the unit allows you to plug in suitable music players or memory sticks.

Modern traditional values

The retro look of the Revival iStream conceals the inevitable hi-tech innards, though the loudspeaker is nothing fancy – a single drive unit, bass reflex-loaded by the case. The back side of the case hinges open to give access to the battery compartment.

On the top, the layout manages to be nearly as retro as the rest of the case, with a pair of knobs and some push-buttons. The knobs are twist-and-push controls, which look after tuning, input selection and also a selection of options in menus, while the push-buttons bring up the main menu, give information choices and so on.

Shock verdict

When we reviewed the non-iStream Revival a few issues ago we were rather disappointed by its dull sound. Either the iStream was always different or Roberts agreed with us, as this radio seems very well balanced on the whole.

It's not the cleanest, or least coloured, or loudest table radio we've ever heard, but it does have a nice general quality that makes the most of lively music, does a fair job of quieter, more subtle stuff, and reproduces voices very well with excellent intelligibility.

Bass is obviously limited, while treble consistency is good off axis. Maximum loudness is fine in a room of about 20 square metres and we didn't detect any obvious rattles or whistles from the cabinet.

There are quite a few competing products around, but as internet-compatible table radios go this is good value in terms of both features and sound.

The Roberts Revival DAB RD60 is now a few years old, but thanks to the fact that it was designed to look old-fashioned it's aged remarkably well. It doesn't contain Bluetooth, so if you're looking for a retro speaker to play tunes from your phone, and your phone doesn't have a headphone jack, this one isn't for you. 

That said, if you're looking for a DAB/FM radio that isn't black and chrome, it's a very good looking option. 

The writer of this review is certainly not the only person to have walked into a shop and asked, in all innocence, "How much is that second-hand Roberts in the window?" only to be put right with the answer, "It's new."

Roberts has always been the king of the retro, making radios that were straight out of its 1950s catalogue, generations after that decade had ended. Or at least, radios that bore a strong external resemblance to those trusty old models.

100 hours

Long gone are the 10-transistor circuits of yesteryear. The current FM models are powered by integrated circuits and this DAB model probably includes about as many transistors in its construction than Roberts used in an entire year in the early days of the 'tranny'.

The case is made of MDF and there's a text display on the top: tuning of both channels is digital (the usual twist'n'push control) and the push-buttons are momentary action types, rather than the latching ones used on the originals. But the overall effect is well done, complete with carrying handle and the use of four large 'D cell' batteries, which gives the RD60 a playing time potentially in the region of 100 hours.

Creature comforts

Other modern creature comforts include a couple of mini-jack sockets for headphones and line output, another for line input, a USB socket for firmware upgrades and full text information on both DAB and FM. There are presets and a useful one-touch 'Favourite' button to bring up your main station in a single press.

Casual duty

One doesn't expect a small, mono radio to sound amazing. Nevertheless, the use of headphones does allow the electronics to give their best (in stereo) and frankly the DAB performance of this model is more than acceptable. FM's not bad, either if you can arrange the antenna for good reception. (You could in principle attach an external antenna, but who on earth is going to go to that trouble?)

Compared with a dedicated, hi-fi, FM tuner, clarity is lacking, but it's perfectly listenable for speech and casual music duty. But that's not the most likely mode of operation and the internal loudspeaker is far more to the point.

Its success varies considerably from station to station, for the simple reason that it sounds extremely dull. That's easy to verify by moving from headphones to speaker and it's true even when listening on axis, even more so when off to the side.

One can mitigate this somewhat, bizarrely, by opening the back of the radio (it's hinged with a simple catch, to allow for access to the battery compartment) and listening from behind, but then the bass goes all to pot because the case is designed as a simple reflex-loaded speaker enclosure.

Ear-splitting

Bass and midrange are not bad tonally with the radio conventionally closed up and we were quite impressed at how loud it will go without any obvious rattles. The dull treble is most obvious on stations such as Radios 3 and 4, but works much better on highly-compressed pop stations which tend to be ear-splittingly bright.

Detail is fair for the breed and it's reasonably easy to hear everything that's going on, but things do tend to sound a bit flat dynamically. Of course, on the stations with the best subjective tonal balance, they are a bit flat.

We're torn between admiration for the looks and general build quality of this radio and reservations about its sound. On the whole, we prefer the sound of the fine models from Vita Audio, but there's a certain charm inherent in a Roberts and we could probably get used to it...

With most music listening now taking place on the go on mobile apps, it’s easy to forget that, for many of a certain age, falling in love with your favorite tunes and bands first took place on the radio or stereo. Settling down with the Pure Evoke C-F6, which marries modern connectivity options with old-school CD playback, offers the best of both worlds, and is just about the best stereo system you can buy today.

The list of audio sources you can tap into with the Pure Evoke C-F6 is almost overwhelming at first. Top of the feature list for many will be the inclusion of Spotify Connect, letting you control Spotify playback from your device of choice and effortlessly beam the sound direct to the Evoke C-F6. With Bluetooth streaming also supported, the only notable wireless audio omission is Google Cast, which the other two options easily pick up the slack from.

DAB, DAB+ and FM radio options are joined by thousands of Internet Radio stations, with the Evoke C-F6 allowing for a generous 36 saved station presets to save you having to trawl through the wealth of shows available. 

If you prefer the more direct approach, you can plug a device in through the Evoke C-F6’s Aux-in port (perfect if you’ve got an Amazon Echo Dot you’d like to hook up, for example), or use the so-often-so-sorely-missed front loading CD slot drive that sits just below the device’s screen. If you’re looking for some privacy, there’s a headphone jack that's somewhat confusingly located on the rear too.

A set-up wizard makes hooking up these myriad options a breeze, right down to programming wake up and sleep timers, meaning you’ll have a world of sound at your fingertips minutes after taking the stereo out of its box.

Design

The Pure Evoke C-F6 has a lot going on (those CDs have to fit in somewhere), so you shouldn’t be surprised to hear it’s got some size to it, measuring in at 380 mm wide x 145 mm high x 223 mm deep and weighing just over 4kg. 

It’s very much designed to take pride of place on a living room or bedside table, and with its Alder-style wood finish and white front, it should fit comfortably among most decors.

The stereo has a range of control options, but if you’re not opting to use its mobile app, you’re going to spend time looking at its 2.8” color screen. It’s a TFT display type, which pales in comparison to what you’d get from a modern mobile device. But in a device that’s ostensibly to be listened to rather than looked at we thought the screen didn't negatively impact the overall experience. 

Indeed, the TFT display is more than large and clear enough to easily navigate menus, using a combination of a chrome control dial and clicky face buttons.

Sound

The most important point of course, is whether or not the thing sounds any good – all the connectivity options in the world are meaningless in a speaker if the resultant playback sounds like a can of nails rattling around in a washing machine.

Thankfully, the Pure Evoke C-F6 sounds incredibly pleasant. With 3-inch stereo speakers and a 20W output, it can crank up to party levels without distorting untowardly.

“Pleasant” shouldn’t be read as faint praise here, either – its digital amplifier provides warm and rich bass levels without overpowering the sound, with an overall clarity to the default mix that feels close to how you’d imagine a studio monitor mix intended it to sound. Either way, if the default sound isn’t to your liking, there are tailored EQ mixes for different genres of music in the settings menu, as well as the option to fine tune your own personalised levels.

Be aware however that, with app-controlled volume levels, you’ll have to keep an eye on the individual volume levels set for each source, or you could get a surprisingly loud shock.

Remote control and Pure Select app

As well as the onboard controls, the Pure Evoke C-F6 ships with a white IR remote control that matches the front plate of the stereo. It (slightly frustratingly) runs off watch batteries, but gives you control over the system when out of arm’s reach.

However, with so many options onboard, you’re really going to still need to see the screen on the radio to do much more than turn it on and control volume levels, making the included remote a little moot. 

That’s where the Pure Select App comes in. Available for both iOS and Android devices, it lets you control every function of the speaker from within the app on your mobile screen. And, unlike so many connected speaker apps the wrong side of Sonos, this one actually works. So much so that, on the rare occasion that its connection times out, you’ll very much miss its instant remote control options. It’s easily the most intuitive way to browse the thousands of internet radio stations on offer, and is a must download if you grab the stereo.

Final verdict

It’s hard to find fault with the Pure Evoke C-F6. It’s a fully-equipped all-in-one music machine with practically every bell and whistle you could need from a single-room audio device. 

A premium price tag is expected then, and the $425 (£349.99 / AU$ 565) asking price certainly isn’t pocket money. But it’s also very competitively priced against its competition – the comparable Ruark Audio R2 MK3 weighs in at least at $485  (£400 / AU$ 645), depending on retailer, and that hasn’t even got a CD player.

The Pure Evoke C-F6 is a delight then, and comes highly recommended for anyone looking for a complete one-stop audio box.

• For some other options, check out our guide to the best connected speakers.

Hot on the heels of the GoPro Karma drone is the DJI Mavic Pro, a portable drone featuring a built-in 4K video camera.

The Mavic Pro sports a unique folding design that allows it to collapse down to an incredibly compact size, with the four rotor blades tucking into the body when folded away. DJI claims it's small enough to chuck in a bag or backpack (though we're not sure what size bag as DJI haven't shared the dimensions with us just yet), with the whole system taking less than a minute to set-up and be airborne.

Range and time

The completely new air frame when paired with DJI's propulsion and battery system allows the Mavic Pro to fly for up to 27 minutes, while it can zip along at speeds up to 40mph.

To help capture smooth video footage, the Mavic Pro should remain stable in winds up to 24mph, while DJI's geofencing system can identify restricted areas to avoid you encroaching on areas that will cause safety or security concerns.

Just like other DJI drones, the Mavic Pro will automatically return to its launch location should it ever lose contact with the controller or runs low on power. To avoid embarrassing crash landings, the Mavic Pro records the take off with two cameras, then uses this information along with GPS data to ensure it lands within an inch from where it left.

Camera system

The Mavic Pro features DJI's smallest-ever three-axis gimbal that DJI believes will deliver shake-free videos and photos. The autofocus camera at the end of the gimbal offers a minimum focusing distance of 19-inches (0.5m) and can also be flipped 90 degrees for portrait format capture, though we'd avoid shooting video in this way unless you want annoying black bars either side of your video when you play it back.

Capable of shooting 4K footage at 30fps, it can also capture 1080p full HD video at 96fps, meaning it should be possible to record some relatively slow-motion footage. For stills, there's a 12MP camera that can output raw files in Adobe's DNG format, allowing you to draw out the most detail possible from the files. DJI also believe that thanks to the high precision of the gimbal, users should be able to shoot 2-second long exposures that has the potential to produce some really striking results.

Taking control

The Mavic Pro also comes with a new remote controller that can accommodate a smartphone or be used to control the drone on its own, with a host of dedicated buttons.

There's a built-in LCD screen that displays a range of data, while the Mavic Pro's video link system, OcuSync, supports a range of 4.3 miles with Live View resolutions being fed back from the drone of up to 1080p.

Alternatively, the Mavic Pro can also be controlled via your phone's touchscreen using the TapFly app, with the advanced hardware and software in the Mavic Pro making it possible to take control of it with gestures.

There's an updated version of DJI's ActiveTrack that recognizes common subjects such as people, bicyclists, cars, boats and animals, which you can then use to set the Mavic Pro to follow behind, lead in front, circle above or track alongside the subject. This sees the Mavic Pro keeping the camera focused on your chosen subject while you cover the rest of the controls and navigation.

Pricing for the DJI Mavic Pro starts at $749 for just the drone by itself, meanwhile, getting the drone with the remote control is priced at 1,199 or $999, which roughly works out to £1,033 or AU$1,750. Lastly, DJI is also offering a bundle that includes the drone, remote control and two space batteries for $1,299.

Shipping is expected to start on October 15 and it will arrive to Apple Stores starting November 2.

DJI Goggles

In a last surprise announcement, DJI introduced a pair of Googles that allow the users to see everything the drone does as if they were sitting on its front lip. The built-in 1080p screen display an 85-degree view directly from the drone rather than through the controller thanks to OcuSync.

As of this writing, DJI has not announced pricing and release date information.

• How to safely and legally fly a drone

Before Bluetooth came along, most speakers lived a sedentary life in an entertainment center. Connected directly to the media source, these cabinets were massive by today's standards because you simply never needed to move them. But now that it's possible to listen to music wirelessly, bigger speakers don't get the same love they used to, as people prefer little ones instead that can come along for the ride.

The Fluance Fi30 wants to bring back that classic style to the Bluetooth market, offering a solid wood construct packed with power for the stunning low price of $149 (about £137, AU$192).

It has no problem with visual presence and fortunately, this large Bluetooth speaker hits most of the key notes in sound performance.

Design

Harking back to the time when beehive updos were common, the Fluance Fi30 sports a mod appearance. It checks all the boxes required for a speaker to be timeless and delightfully retro by today's standards: it's wooden, curvy and monochromatic.

Yep, the 8.3-pound (about 3.7 kg) Fi30 is comprised mostly of wood, an unpopular material among many cheaper Bluetooth speakers today. This choice to go with wood could have backfired with cheap implementation, but the detailing on the whole offers a satisfying and dense heftiness, not to mention a polished look.

Glossing over the build, the frame is made up of two pieces of wood. The first is a hollowed-out shell that offers a smooth, rounded appearance from top to bottom. Around the back, a rectangular-shape section is punched out for the power components of the cabinet.

Taking a closer look at the selection of ports on the back reveals that there isn't much to see here. A single 2.1-amp USB port is nice for charging a device quickly that would otherwise be draining battery over a Bluetooth connection. Next to it is a 3.5mm input for alternative wired listening. As it states on the label, the Bluetooth capability powers down while connected via 3.5mm.

Attached to the front is the second piece of wood, making up the body where you'll find more smooth edges. Similar to the back of the Fi30, two front-facing sections are punched out to make room for the speaker grilles. These black grilles, rimmed with a metallic band, offer a peek inside to the dual 3-inch drivers.

Unlike most modern Bluetooth speakers, the Fluance Fi30 is only powered through a power outlet and packs no internal battery. This alone will turn away people with portability at top of mind, but the Fi30 offers oomph that battery-sipping speakers can't offer.

Performance

The Fluance Fi30 makes a bold claim to, at the very least, fill the mod-themed void missing in your entertainment setup, but it also rocks the house with raw performance.

Getting the Fi30 connected is simple. Flip the power switch "on", wait a few seconds for the speaker to get picked up by your phone's Bluetooth antenna and connect. The process mirrors pairing with other Bluetooth speakers in simplicity, but I noticed that the Fi30 lagged behind a bit in its tethering speed, but not to the point of being a deal breaker.

Set up in my studio apartment, the Fi30 is wholly capable of filling the space with sound at a low volume. For a bit of fun, I maxxed out the volume to annoy the neighbors, but also to see if the sound performance translated well to loud volume. Checking specifically for the bass to drop out and the highs to get grainy, I was pleased that the Fi30 scaled well no matter the volume level.

The profile of the sound is full-bodied, but not as warm as I was hoping for with the deluxe wooden frame, like a coffee sitting at room temperature for just a little too long. In all seriousness, the listening experience won't wash you over in detail, but for the low price of $149, good luck finding another speaker that can put out good sound at an incredible volume.

It sizes up to 16.5 inches (419 mm) in length and 5.5 inches (139 mm) deep, which is about the size of a standard boombox. Get the idea out of your head that this is portable. If you're still having trouble with that, the fact that this is a battery-less speaker should do the trick.

We liked

Just because the Fi30 is big doesn't mean that it can't be beautiful. The wooden construct adds an appealing visual element to this speaker.

For the money, it's hard to get a better value elsewhere. The sound performance is there and powerful. The functionality, while limited, works flawlessly and the build quality is on point.

We disliked

The battery-free design narrows the reach strictly to those looking for a wireless home audio solution. This means that, if your power goes out, you can forget about listening to it.

Sound performance lacks the warm qualities of most wood-bodied speaker cabinets. That said, it's tough to expect comparable quality from something so small and affordable in comparison.

Final verdict

The Fluance Fi30 is the reigning king in a lonely subcategory of sedentary Bluetooth speakers. On the downside, it's big, heavy and requires a constant power source. That said, if you're looking for a product made with care and able to serve loud and full-bodied audio, the Fluance Fi30 is precisely what the doctor ordered.

The Edifier e10 Exclaim is one of life's nice surprises: a 2.0 speaker system that not only looks a lot more expensive than it is, but sounds it too.

The key to the Exclaim's success appears to lie in its unusual design. The base at the bottom of each one contains a 76.2mm woofer and a matching bass radiator, while the silver column that rises from the front contains two 38mm high-frequency/mid-range tweeters and another 38mm radiator.

Because the silver columns are angled backwards, the sound is more or less aimed directly at your ears, enabling them to make the most of the two 8W and two 10W of power they have on tap, the amplifier for which is built into the left "active" speaker, with the right "passive" speaker connecting to it using the cable supplied.

As should be obvious by now, sound quality is where the Exclaim excels. It won't be the loudest or most audiophile-friendly system you've heard, but it sounds better than you'd expect given its price. Movie dialogue, vocals and instruments are all rewarded with decent fidelity, while the bass is weighty without being thunderous or overbearing. Not bad for £70 / $99US / $120AU.

Apple's moving to the Lightning Connector for the iPhone 5 and new iPods, and then dragging its heels when it came to licensing the technology, has led to a spate of audio docks offering wireless streaming.

Docks like the Logitech UE Boombox, Libratone Zipp AirPlay speaker and Creative's Sound Blaster Axx SBX10 were all quick to take advantage. Revo's AXIS XS is another such device.

An update of 2010's award-winning AXIS multifunction digital radio, the new XS adds Bluetooth audio, a side-mounted USB port for charging and an in-the-box remote controller.

Just like its predecessor, the new AXIS offers DAB/DAB+ and FM radio. Connect it to your network through Wi-Fi and you can also stream audio from your Mac or UPnP-compatible NAS drive, putting your digital record collection at your fingertips.

You can tune in to internet radio stations and podcasts too, giving you a huge range of streaming broadcasts from all over the world.

If you want to use it as a bedside radio it has two alarms, and the 30-pin dock on top of the unit is retained. Around the back, an AUX port lets you play audio from anything with a headphone socket, and stereo RCA ports mean you can connect the radio to your existing stereo setup. There's also a composite video out port.

Excellent Interface

As you'd expect from a Revo radio, the interface is a pleasure to use. Instinctive menus make it easy to navigate. You can select local UK stations, BBC services or podcasts, or choose from the full range of over 16,000 internet radio stations from all over the world, logically grouped and sub-grouped according to genre and location.

You can also select from your self-chosen favourites, popular internet stations or streaming services you've added yourself. As a result, finding your way through the huge range of streaming broadcasts is a simple affair, and not the chore it can prove on some internet radios.

The 3.5-inch colour touchscreen is attractive and responsive, though the buttons are a little small and some are too close to the edge of the screen, making them slightly awkward to press due to the bezel getting in the way. It's only a trivial irritation, though.

The AXIS XS supports Colour DAB Slideshow and RadioVis, so images and textual messages provided by DAB and FM stations are displayed. These can include station logos and information about the programme or song currently being broadcast.

Minimalistic Appearance

Its lightly redesigned appearance is minimalistic and modern. The front of the AXIS XS is dominated by the screen, which shows the time and date when the radio is in standby mode, and its rather large volume knob. The only other physical control is the power button. Sleek and stylish, you could put a Revo AXIS XS just about anywhere without it looking out of place.

It also comes supplied with a remote controller, unlike the previous version where this was an optional extra. Unfortunately it's very limited in function, with volume and track controls but nothing to help navigate through menus or select a pre-stored favourite radio station at the touch of a button. This is annoying as most Revo radios have a more comprehensive controller, and with touchscreen controls still a necessity, you can't put your AXiS XS on a shelf out of easy reach and rely on the remote for general operation.

The new XS adds Bluetooth connectivity for streaming your sounds from an iPhone 5 or other Bluetooth-enabled device. It isn't apt-X compatible, though, so you can't benefit from the superior codec when streaming from your Mac.

A USB port on the side lets you charge your mobile gadgets while streaming, and it's 2000mA, so it can charge an iPad. There's still a 30-pin dock connector atop the device, with Universal Dock Adapters for a wide range of pre-Lightning iPhones and iPods supplied.

Quality Sound

Revo has a reputation for getting quality sound from relatively small devices, and the AXIS XS is no exception. Despite its single driver, its sound stage is broad and well defined. Lively treble sits atop a crisp, clear mid-range, and a bass port at the rear makes sure the lower end of the sound spectrum isn't neglected. It has enough volume to fill a reasonable sized room without distorting, and if you need more, you can connect it to an external speaker set-up.

Unfortunately, audio streamed through Bluetooth is noticeably weaker than the sound you get from a mobile device connected directly to the radio. It's far from poor, but it's a little less lively, losing some of its definition. To an extent this is what you'd expect, but we've heard better from other Bluetooth streaming audio devices.

Verdict

AXIS XS is another fine product from Revo. It looks good, has a great build quality and packs in a huge range of features without ever becoming unwieldy. We'd have liked apt-X and a better remote, but we're very happy with everything else.

The latest GfK sales figures for digital radio have been revealed and it seems that the format is finally taking off, with just under 95,000 units sold in the third quarter.

The bumper season also helped the technology achieve the one million units sold milestone.

According to the GfK Marketscope report, 94,655 digital radios were sold in the third quarter, largely off the back of Father's Day in September.

More time on digital

The latest survey report also indicated that owners of digital radios are spending more time listening to the devices as well, with 1.336 million people reportedly listening to DAB+ every week, for about 12 hours a week.

That figure is roughly double the time spent listening to internet radio stations.

The big boost in digital radio consumption is largely thanks to an abundance of product on the market, with over 140 different units on offer around the country.

Via: TechGuide

How stylish is your radio? How stylish do you want it to be?

Radios, including the slightly more recent DAB+ radios, have transcended purely functional designs, and given that the electronics needed to make them tick have shrunk in size, this means you can make a radio almost any size and shape you like; which is pretty much what Sonoro has done with this, the Cubo GoLondon.

The Cubo GoLondon is a portable FM/DAB/DAB+ radio that resembles a drinks cup - the likes of which you can buy from certain fast-food outlets.

Thanks to a healthy rechargeable battery, it can be used indoors and outdoors and boasts a drip-proof casing and offers an AUX-in should you want to hook it up to your MP3 player or mobile phone.

A Bluetooth version is promised as well, although here you'll have to make do with using the included cable to enjoy your favourite music.

The Cubo GoLondon impresses in the sound department, offering excellent clarity and a good balance between the bass and treble.

The speaker itself is surprisingly loud too, and even when you're outside you won't have to go much beyond half way to enjoy your music. If you're sat next to it, then getting much beyond a quarter turn of the top-mounted volume knob is probably pushing things.

You'll find the telescopic antenna also on top of the unit, at the opposite corner to the aforementioned volume control (which also acts as the on/off switch).

Peer round the back and there's a small cut-out section in the bright-red sleeve that holds the FM/DAB selector, the power connector and the AUX IN jack.

The more eager-eyed may have noticed the lack of a way of changing channel at this point. Could it possibly be the two large black buttons on either side of the Cubo GoLondon? Actually no, these are merely to enable you to easily slide off the red cover so that you can replace it with something that is more in-keeping with your environment.

Separate sleeves are available at £16 a pop in either coloured 'soft-touch' sleeves, or as fuzzy, textile covers. There should be something for everyone.

The actual controls can be found underneath the Cubo GoLondon.

Heavily recessed into the base of the unit you'll find an LCD screen and three buttons – left, right and menu. These enable you to change your channel easily, while the display shows channel text, battery life, the current time and the radio signal strength.

This dims when you're not looking for channels, but given its location that's not much of a problem.

In use we were impressed with the sound quality of the Cubo GoLondon, the excellent battery life – 14 hours from a single charge should be good for any practical use – and the signal strength.

We're slightly less convinced about the replaceable coloured sleeves – surely you just buy the one that you like the look of and leave it at that.

Even so, the rubberised cover, combined with the weight of the unit, gives it a sturdy feel.

We do think that £130 is a bit steep too, especially as prices of DAB radios have dropped so much recently.

Pure's latest DAB radio comes with a little something extra: Pure Stream, so you can wirelessly play music from your smartphone.

Launching alongside Pure Stream is the Pure Sensia 200D Connect, a touchscreen DAB radio with wireless pretensions.

The bright 5.7-inch touchscreen should make controlling the egg-shaped radio super simple, displaying album artwork, relevant radio station information and even things like weather reports, Twitter feeds and photos via Wi-Fi or Picasa.

More than just a radio

You can stream music in a couple of ways: either using Pure Music, Pure's Spotify-like music service that will set you back £5 a month, or with the new Pure Stream service that allows you to send music from your iOS or Android handset (including iPod Touch, iPad and Android tablets).

Pure Stream works over DLNA and is free to use – you'll just need to download the Pure Lounge iOS or Android app.

Pure says the device also offers better audio performance than its predecessor, the original Sensia, with 30 watts of digitally-processed sound (DSP) coupled with high efficiency class-D amplifiers and custom-designed speakers.

If you like the sound of this one-stop-listening-shop, you can pick up the Pure Sensia 200D Connect from today, with UK pricing set at £249.99.

The design of the Roberts Stream 83i Wi-Fi streamer/internet radio/DAB radio has proved to be particularly divisive within the office.

The phrases 'ugly' and the slightly more diplomatic 'lacking in style' have been bandied about, but so too has 'retro' and 'I like it'.

Looks aside, it has the solid build quality we've come to expect from Roberts, and it's easy to connect the Stream 83i to a wireless network and browse the huge range of internet radio stations and podcasts.

Plugging in a USB stick containing MP3s brings up an easy-to-navigate file system. Whilst the dials and buttons work pretty well when editing and tweaking settings, if you sign up for an account you can tweak via a web browser.

Connecting to PCs on the network via a UPnP (such as Windows Media Player) also works well and adds an extra layer of functionality, letting you play all your music from your computers.

The fact that it doesn't need extra software installed on your PC to work, unlike the Logitech Squeezebox, is an added bonus.

Whilst the aesthetics might not be your thing, the sheer amount of features makes the Roberts Stream 83i an excellent device - and it sounds great too.

You might never have heard of Pure, especially if you live in America, but it's a British brand that has built a tremendous reputation for solid, well-engineered DAB radios - and DAB doesn't exist in the US.

'Solid' might give the impression that Pure's stuff might be a little staid, and it's true that the radios it's best known for have a certain boxy, wooden, let's-call-it-classic feel, so this new Contour range is something of a departure.

It still feels like a Pure product, though. The build quality is good, the design well thought-through, and in general we'd feel good about owning one.

The DAB system is clean and easy to use, and there's FM as well if you live in an area where DAB is either non-existent or too weak to tune into.

The reason we're reviewing it, though, is that it also has a dock connector so you can charge and play music from your iPhone or iPod - and even from the iPad. Rather than putting the dock connector on the top where the device would be unsupported and would spoil the line of the Contour 100Di, you press the corner of the panel next to 'Pure', and the dock rotates out smoothly. It's commendably robust too, and feels like it would last for years.

The little rubber nub you can see halfway up the speaker in the picture above acts as a rest for the iPhone or iPod to lean against so it feels secure, and even when you put an iPad into the dock, the whole setup is really stable.

There are other good design touches as well; the remote control, for example, latches magnetically into a recess on the back. Ironically, though, the remote itself is a bad design; the grid of buttons is undifferentiated, making it impossible to identify functions by touch alone.

It all sounds good

We've been listening to Pure radios for years, and this new model sounds just like its older siblings. And that's actually a compliment - though one with caveats.

The audio from the 100Di is clean and clear. It sounds great for almost everything at low volumes - when used as a bedside radio, for example - and its great to find a speaker with small enough volume increments that it's easy to find a comfortable listening level even in a silent room.

Start cranking it up, however, and it starts to feel a little light, a little thin, when playing music. Note that it never sounds like it's struggling - rather, it's almost like the radio has decided to be very good at calmly and clearly reproducing the speech of Radio 4, say, and finds Radio 1 just a trifle brash. Imagine Jeeves singing Rihanna, if you will.

Regardless, nobody would call the audio from this as anything other than good. It doesn't match our Tap! Top 50-listed Logitech S715i for pure music fidelity and richness, but it is overall a great speaker dock for the bedroom, kitchen or small lounge - and remember that it also works well with an iPad.

Yes, you could add digital radio stations to just about any dock with an app such as TuneIn Radio, but we like just being able quickly to switch on the radio rather than tapping through an app. We like this. It's well designed, well specced and well built.

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Radio manufacturer Pure has announced Pure Music.

It's a new subscription-based service available in the UK through the company's Wi-Fi capable DAB radios, smartphones using the Pure Lounge app and via its website.

Taking a leaf out of Spotify's book, the service is all-you-can-eat, with a monthly subscription of just £4.99 giving you access to millions of songs.

Given this is half the price of Spotify Premium – the top version of Spotify which allows music streaming to phones – it's certainly enticing price-wise, but how does it compare when it comes to usability?

TechRadar has been playing with the service for a good few weeks now and, on the whole, we're impressed with it.

We've been trying it out using the iOS app - an Android version is also available - the website and through a Pure One Flow. And, while the experience on each platform do differ quite significantly, the service is easy to use as long as you can forgive the rather fiddly set-up process.

Before you can use Pure Music on your DAB radio you need to make sure it is registered to your Lounge Account. This does take a few minutes but once it was done we never had any problems with the service not recognising our devices.

We had to do the same thing with our iPod touch – once the app was downloaded, our device then had to be registered to our Lounge Account.

It's easy to keep track of the devices you have registered as they all appear on the favourites section of the Lounge website.

Playing a song on our devices was a cinch – on both the app and the website, the service is fairly easy to get around.

There's a search bar in the top right of the site and this feature is also situated on the top of the app.

One other way to drill into the content when using the app is to use the A-Z quick jump feature. Unfortunately, the presentation of this leaves a lot to be desired. When we searched, we got plain old folder icons instead of album art. Hopefully this will be something that is ironed out when the service officially comes to market.

When we did find the song we were looking for, we found that buffering took quite a while. In the iOS app, it seemed that song choices lingered on 'now tuning' for quite some time. When tracks did eventually play though, the quality was decent.

Buffering is a lot quicker through both the Pure ONE and the website.

One of the great things we found with Pure Music is that we could use multiple devices streaming off of the same account.

We had the Pure OneFlow radio going, while a song was also streaming through our iPod touch. It's a nice addition, given the amount of devices you can have tethered to the service.

As for the content available, the majority of chart hits were at our fingertips and when we delved a little deeper, the archive content seemed plentiful – everything from Rihanna to the Wu-Tang Clan seemed to be catered for.

At the moment, there are a few things missing from the service that need to be added if it is to have any longevity.

For example, there's currently no offline access to tracks. Pure is promising this in the future. There also seems to be a lack of collaboration and social features with Pure Music.

Spotify thrives on its playlists and this doesn't feel like a service that will garner the same sort of collaborative community.

If you have a Pure radio with Wi-Fi connectivity then signing up to Pure Music is definitely a logical step. It may be a touch fiddly to search for content through your radio but once mastered it's great to know that pretty much anything you want to listen to is a knob twiddle away.

Pure Music UK release date is out now and the first month is free. Go to TheLounge.com for more information.

Pure launched two new radios at CES 2012, with the most eye-catching being the Pure Sensio 200D Connect.

This is a radio which has its fingers in all the audio pies. The music player allows you to listen to DAB radio, stream music over the internet and also surf the web if you so feel like it.

It also has the usual ports for connecting up an iPod plus a USB port so you can nab whatever you have recorded and listen to it on your laptop or anywhere with USB connectivity.

On board is a decent 5.7-inch colour touchscreen and this acts as a portal to all your menu options. It is also here where you can hook up to Pure's latest music offering Pure Music.

Looking to take on Spotify and set to launch very soon – originally it was back in December and this was when we did our hands on: Pure Music review – this subscription-based music service will set you back £4.99 a month.

While there were a number of audio options on show at CES 2012, the Pure Sensio 200D Connect was one of the smartest we have seen.

It offers decent audio output for its size, too, with the device piping out 30W RMS of digital sound via DSP tuned class-D amplifiers and twin speakers.

It has Wi-Fi connectivity, allows you to hook up to Twitter and Facebook, and you can also record any music that you listen to from the radio – which is bound to bring back memories for any '80s child which sat listening to the Top 40 with their finger poised on the tape record button.

When it comes to a Pure Sensio 200D Connect UK release date, you don't have to wait long – it will be out in Q1 and is priced at £249.99.

Designing an audio product presents manufacturers with a dilemma. Do they forego convenience and build a great sounding but bulky system, or sacrifice audio quality in favour of a smaller footprint?

Thankfully, Revo's new K2 iOS dock, radio and audio streamer makes no such compromises.

The K2's square-shaped base with sides of just 10.6cm and two alarm settings make it ideal for your bedside table. But its brushed aluminium bodywork, black rubber details and invisible-until-lit OLED means it looks good just about anywhere.

Its 30-pin connector can be retracted when not in use, and can hold any iPod or iOS device, including an iPad. DAB/DAB+ and FM with RDS radio formats are covered, as is internet radio, Last.FM (a month's free trial supplied) and streaming audio from your Mac or any DNLA-compliant source.

You can join it to a home network through Ethernet or Wi-Fi, and connect it to an existing stereo setup through RCA or digital optical out. There's also AUX-in, a headphone socket and a composite video-out port for watching iPod videos or slideshows on your TV. A handheld remote augments the neat on-board buttons.

Sound quality is excellent. Its stereo effects are surprisingly good given the narrow form factor, and thanks to the rear-mounted bass port, the low end of the sound spectrum is clear and crisp. The audio as a whole is complete and lively, with a detailed top end, bouncy midtones and a near 360-degree dispersion.

The user interface deserves a mention too. Revo products are famed for their accessibility, and the K2 is no exception – steady improvements make it the best yet. If you have a sound system you're not using to its fullest because you can't be bothered to keep dipping into the instructions, you should have bought a Revo.

Revo's K2 delivers a sound that belies its small form factor. It's possible to get more out of bigger, more expensive systems, but for a compact £300 device, it's among the best we've heard.

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Roberts has unveiled a new DAB radio that allows you to record broadcasts to an SD or SDHD card, in the form of the Roberts RecordЯ.

Although we admire any company brave enough to take a leaf out of Toys'Я'Us's branding handbook, we're going to call it the RecordR from now on.

The company claims that using the SD recording functionality is easy as pie; inserting an SD or SDHD card and long-presing the record button ought to do the trick.

Ordr a Recordr

This way you can record up to 24 hours of radio, or pop the station on pause for an hour. Presumably, recorded radio can be transferred to another device by removing the SD card and moving the files via a computer - although we're waiting to hear back from Roberts on that.

Technically you could 'tape' music off the radio just like the olden days - albeit in better quality and with a growing sense of pointlessness.

Sadly the radio is as ugly as the ones we used in our last batch of mixtape-making - always disappointing when we know Roberts is capable of better.

As well as recording as you go, you can set the Roberts RecordR to record up to four different radio programmes, listen to DAB or FM radio, set 10 station presets and play MP3s via the line-in socket.

Yours for £99.99, the Roberts RecordR is available now.

TechRadar has once again joined forces with UK DAB radio colossus, Pure, to give away some ultra cool digital radios.

The Pure EVOKE-1S Marshall DAB radio combines the award-winning quality of Pure's EVOKE-1S radio with the legendary style of Marshall Amplification to deliver a DAB radio that really rocks.

EVOKE-1S Marshall is wrapped in black vinyl, just like a Marshall amp, with solid wood construction, brass-effect control panel and a black metallic speaker grille. The fierce yellow-on-black display features adjustable brightness and just like its predecessor, the volume dial goes up to 11!

Other features include ChargePAK compatibility for rocking out on the go for up to 24 hours between charges; an OLED display; a light sensor which automatically adjusts display brightness; 30 station presets (30 digital radio or FM); an auxiliary input to connect an iPod or MP3 player; and FM with RDS for maximum station choice.

TextSCAN and Intellitext are also included so that scrolling text can be paused and controlled as well as stored for browsing at a later date.

We have five of these Pure digital radios to give away to UK readers, so to have a chance of winning, click the link below.

This competition is now closed. The winners are Mr R Lane, Ms G Husband-Major, Mr S Geer, Mrs M Dodd and Mrs K Harrison.

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Please note that this competition is only open to UK residents over 18 years of age.

The Q2 brings the content-rich world of internet radio into your home with style. And because this button-free 10cm cube incorporates a rechargeable Li-ion battery you can take it outside, too – as long as your Wi-Fi coverage matches your territorial ambitions.

It's easy to use, thanks to an accelerometer similar to that built into the Wii controller. Placing the cube onto one of four sides selects a different station. Tilting the radio up or down adjusts volume, while the face-down position shuts it up.

And from a single charge, you can expect to get over 10 hours of moderate-level listening.

There are no physical buttons to trap dust or malfunction. The only switch, on the rear panel, turns the thing off altogether.

Alongside this are a small bass-reflex port and an earphone socket. Behind the speaker grille lurk LEDs showing power and connection.

Sound quality is great for the size. The Q2 goes far louder than expected, without unacceptable levels of distortion. Its speaker's range is unexpectedly wide, too.

If you don't like the swirly floral motif decorating our review sample, there's a choice of other patterns and styles available including plain white, black, or green, and a floral pink. Lovely.

However, you only get an immediate choice of four stations or podcasts from a choice of thousands. To change them, you have to plug the Q2 into a computer via its USB port, and use downloadable software to assign new stations to these 'presets'.

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The Pure One Classic Series II has had a lick of paint and a bit of an upgrade with new 'Listen Later' functionality added to the DAB radio.

The play/pause button can be used to pause live radio as well as having the ability to schedule a recording – be it a one-off or a recurring show – using the clock programming function.

There isn't much memory on the radio, so you can only store one recording at a time and the length of the programme you can record depends on the bit rate of the station broadcasting it (but it's generally somewhere between 30 and 180 minutes).

EPG-less

Safe to say, if you're looking for something that uses an electronic programme guide (EPG) to schedule multiple recordings, this isn't the radio for you.

But it's not a bad little DAB for what it is; you can use batteries or the mains to power it (or an optional rechargeable pack from Pure that will set you back £30), and its LCD screen offers all the usual information.

There's also an MP3 input jack, clock-timer, space for 30 station presets and comes in black and white finishes.

If this tickles your fancy, the Pure One Classic Series II hits the shops this month, with a UK price tag of £64.99.

Pure has revealed a new personal DAB radio, the Move 2500, which offers 14 hours of digital radio life from the confines of your pocket.

The new gizmo builds on the successful PocketDAB 1500, which we reviewed way back in 2007, and Pure reckons it has upped the audio quality on the new model, with equaliser settings so you can tweak the levels.

It may look a lot like a chunky iPod classic, but the Move 2500 is much lighter than its style icon, and svelter than the PocketDAB 1500.

Tune in

The other new feature on the Move 2500 is that it offers DAB+; this means you can tune in to digital stations in countries where they transmit DAB+, but is no great shakes to UK dwellers who won't be taking their radio on holiday with them.

The Move 2500 has an FM tuner as well, with the silicon-tipped noise isolating earphones acting as the radio antenna, so you can try plugging speakers into the 3.5mm headphone jack for communal listening, but Pure points out that it hasn't tested this and therefore can't recommend it.

That's a bit of a pain for anyone rushing out to buy the Move 2500 imminently, but Pure says it has a range of dedicated accessories, including speakers, on the way.

The Move 2500 also offers 14 hours of listening per charge and its UK release date is set for 3 August, with UK pricing coming in at £89.99.

A question frequently submitted to our Troubleshooter section is 'can I get by with an indoor aerial for Freeview reception?'

With all the variables involved (proximity to local transmitter, risk of interference from surrounding technologies and structural materials) we recommend using an externalised feed if possible to maximise your reception chances.

Yet manufacturers continue to produce set-top aerials aimed at those for whom externalised reception may be out of question. This latest One For All SV 9390 portable antenna isn't short of impressive-sounding tech pressed into the service of locating SD and HD terrestrial TV and DAB radio transmissions too.

Omnidirectional reception

A little bigger than the average picture frame, it's not small but its flat plate design means it can be positioned pretty much anywhere including a wall (two 'feet' are included for table-top mounting).

Contained inside are six patches, which apparently allow for 360-degree 'omnidirectional' reception. This arrangement is claimed to bring in 40 per cent more bandwidth than previous models by having a greater carrier-to-noise ratio and (it says here) reducing incidences of echo and reflection.

Add to this active noise reduction filtering which is further diminished by having amplification handled externally via a small digital amplifier unit (thus reducing component noise within the antenna).

This off ers four levels of gain (the maximum is 43dB) triggered by touch pads accompanied by four blue LEDs, and sits between the antenna and your TV daisy-chained by UHF leads (2.7m of co-ax is supplied) powered by a 6V adapter.

One For All says the 9390 is at its best within 18 miles of the nearest transmitter. Initial results in the fourth-floor test room at our Marylebone offices (well away from nearby windows) using a Humax HD-Fox T2 receiver were positive; it drew in 54 per cent signal strength at the lowest setting and peaked at 70 at the highest – bringing in all Freeview channels including HD.

However, in a south-facing room of an Edwardian house in north-east London we failed to get signals from Crystal Palace with our Panasonic IDTV and the Humax box, even with the antenna on the windowsill (we suspect that interference from building materials was the cause).

As with all such devices it's a case of trial and error, but clearly success is not impossible with the SV 9390 if a rooftop aerial really isn't an option.

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Sony has unveiled two new DAB radios, claiming that they blend "subtly retro looks with outstandingly crisp stereo sound".

Sony's well-received DAB radios have always been popular, and the arrival of the XDR-S16DBP portable radio and XDR‑C706DBP clock radio look set to continue that.

However, with the UK yet to get DAB+, the addition of that compatibility may be a little frustrating for Brits who snap up the products.

Compatible, but no UK service

"The XDR-S16DBP and XDR‑C706DBP are the first micro radios from Sony that offer compatibility with the enhanced DAB+ digital broadcasting standard that's now rolling out across several European countries," says Sony.

"Thanks to a more efficient coding scheme, DAB+ lets listeners enjoy an even wider range of radio stations, plus crystal clear, interference free digital sound.

"Both models offer a generous choice of 10 DAB/DAB+ presets for storing your favourite digital radio stations, plus a further 10 FM presets.

"Two new DAB/DAB+/FM digital radios from Sony add more style to enjoying your favourite broadcasts. "

Sony's XDR-S16DBP DAB/DAB+/FM portable digital radio and XDR-C706DBP DAB/DAB+/FM digital clock radio are available now.

Tivoli, you may recall, made a big splash by pretty much re-inventing the high-quality table radio about a decade ago. Its Model One combined high-quality RF engineering in its FM tuner section, with an unusually decent speaker to make sounds that rivals would aspire to live up to and even try to replicate.

Now, the new Model 10+ aims to do something similar for DAB. The + in the name actually refers to DAB as in the USA and in some other territories they don't have DAB: FM and AM reception are common to all versions of the Model 10.

DAB, FM and AM

The Model One was all-analogue, but this one is mostly digital – digital tuning, digital user interface.

The critical FM and AM signal path is still analogue, though, to preserve Tivoli's reputation for quality and the auxiliary input at the rear of the unit is analogue too; you can connect an iPod with a normal audio cable but there's no dock as such.

Digital operation has brought the added function of RDS and also the convenience of a credit-card sized remote control.

Auto-tune in a good way

Operation is effected via a push-and-twist control on the top of the unit. Its default mode is as a volume control, but with a single brief push it becomes a tuning control and after a double push, it selects between sources. One gets used to this quickly enough, though it's not the most obvious thing at first.

The remote control adds easy access to a menu with various functions including basic tone controls, stereo/mono switching and a setting we found most useful, which adjusts the way the tuner scans when auto-tuning on FM. It can be set up to stop only at strong stations, which saves a lot of time in a more urban location, where most tuners would stop for lots of almost unlistenable stations.

Clearly better?

We loved the Model One and are delighted to report that the Model 10+ is very much in the same mould, with sound that has delightful clarity and naturalness, on both speech and music.

The Tivoli hallmark of well-above-average FM reception is certainly present and indeed, if one listens on headphones the FM sound is comparable with that of a decent hi-fi tuner.

The sound from the speaker(s) is a fine example of what can be achieved from small enclosures on a tight budget. As you'd expect, deep bass is mostly notable by its absence, but upper bass is well handled and after the first few seconds one doesn't really miss the lower stuff. This works particularly well with speech, of course – all the better because the critical band where bass merges into midrange is handled very well indeed, nicely even and non-resonant.

Music also benefits from this, no less than from the open and detailed treble, which retains most of its quality a surprising way off the axis of the speakers.

Musically convincing

As a result, any style of music plays with real conviction and a degree of realism that defies one's expectations of such a product, equally convincing in energetic, smoochy or intellectual moods.

Maximum loudness is limited, but the clarity makes the sound satisfying at a modest level and, unlike some less accomplished radios, the Model 10+ doesn't make one want to keep turning the level up in a (usually fruitless) search for some kind of satisfaction. DAB sounds decent, FM very impressive, even AM is not half bad. 10 out of 10+!

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Pure has revamped its online internet radio service, with The Pure Lounge receiving a major makeover and a new digital music store set to appeal and internet radio users.

Pure's Lounge will now connect to 7Digital's music store allowing listeners to buy tracks that they are listening to via their internet radio.

Facebook and Twitter killed the radio star

As is to be expected with any self-respecting new digital music service, Facebook and Twitter integration is there, to let users share info on tracks that they like and new tunes that they are buying.

The new platform looks a lot fresher than the original, and there are also now social network options - Facebook and Twitter connectivity is now on board - and there will also be editorial content from the Pure team, including track and station recommendations.

Pure's Lounge 2.0, according to the company's news release just in, "now makes it even easier for users to discover new radio and music content via innovative new search facilities and the latest web technology, while the store allows users to buy tracks and manage playlists. All content can be easily listened to and also managed through Pure's internet-connected radio range."

The Google of online radio?

Of course, while the company is clearly using this new online radio and music-buying portal as a marketing tool for its radios, you don't necessarily need a Pure internet radio to make use of The Lounge, as you can also access it via your browser at www.thelounge.com

Colin Crawford, Pure's director of marketing, explains further about the latest additions to its online radio portal: "This totally transformed version of the Lounge offers users the easiest, quickest and most powerful way of finding the audio content that they want as well as discovering new content and accessing ground-breaking services like FlowSongs and the new music store.

"With this make-over, the Lounge will quickly become the portal of choice for internet media hunters – effectively it is becoming the 'Google' of internet radio portals."

Pure hopes that its new search tech will make it easier and quicker to locate content via the Lounge, "which contains almost 200,000 different pieces of audio content including thousands of internet radio stations and the widest available selection of on-demand audio."

Whether or not it can realistically be described as 'the Google' of internet radio portals remains to be seen.

Pure has launched the world's most affordable 'connected' radio this week, a single portable that will let you access internet radio, in addition to all of your usual FM and DAB favourites.

The Pure One Flow is the fifth member of Pure's One family and will cost £99.99 – a decent price for those who want to dive into the thousands of internet radio stations on offer.

"One Flow achieves a new price in premium digital and internet radio, but it does so without compromise," says Colin Crawford, Pure's director of marketing.

"So you get all the benefits of broadcast digital radio, plus new on-line content and you even get access to our revolutionary FlowSongs service to buy music direct from your radio. ONE Flow really will deliver internet-connected digital radio for everyone."

New era for internet radio

Pure's One Flow will automatically hook up to your local home Wi-Fi connection to access thousands of internet radio stations and podcasts, as well as loads of BBC Listen Again content.

You can also use Pure's Lounge service, which helps you save your favourite internet stations and podcasts.

To go alongside this Pure recently launched a Lounge app for iPhone.

Describing the look of the latest connected radio, Pure says: "With its luxurious, black satin-touch finish, satin-chrome dials and considerably enhanced audio performance, One Flow looks and sounds fantastic – and its intuitive interface including a new home button for easy navigation to the source menu makes it extremely easy to use.

"One Flow is also an ideal travelling companion, providing up to 25 hours of portable listening per charge when fitted with the optional rechargeable fit-and-forget ChargePAK E1 (£34.99)."

For more check out www.pure.com.

Radio maker Pure has announced that it has come up with a world's first with its Pure Twilight device – a radio that comes equipped with a dawn simulator lamp.

Now, we know what you're thinking: why would you want to simulate dawn?

But the reason is for a little bit of light therapy. Simulating dawn is meant to enhance your night's sleep and the radio allows users to "wake up naturally from light on a timer that increases gradually to mimic the rising sun".

We must admit that it sounds better than having your partner turn on the lights and scream at you because your iPhone made you oversleep.

Light fantastic

Pure Twilight isn't just for adults, either – it has a number of features fit for kids. These include built-in lullabies ('Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star' and 'Rock-a-bye Baby' are name-checked) and thanks to the LED lights inside there's also some mood lighting.

Ever wanted to pretend you are in wheat field? Of course you have and now you can thanks to the colours gold and green.

Want to pretend you are drowning in an ocean of despair – well, the colour blue will help you with this.

Apart from fancy lighting, Pure Twilight also comes with a digital and FM radio, auxiliary input and an LCD screen.

The Pure Twilight costs £129.99 and is available now.

Standalone 'real hi-fi ' tuners (as opposed to table radios and so on) are getting distinctly thin on the ground these days. No doubt one significant reason for that is continuing uncertainty over whether and when FM will be switched off, so if you're about to spring for a tuner it certainly makes sense to get one that's compatible with both analogue and digital broadcasts.

This new model, the T-R650DAB from TEAC is just such a beast. It's actually a full three-band tuner, with good old AM included. And in a further link with the old ways, it has separate FM and DAB tuner sections. This is significant.

Many current tuners (especially table radios) have a single tuner which pulls in both kinds of radio signal, doing quite a lot of the FM decoding digitally. That looks good on paper, but we've yet to hear a unit of that type that has really good FM performance.

Typically, there's more background 'hash' than an all-analogue tuner provides and performance in the face of the insidious multi-path distortion is compromised. Audio buffering Instead, TEAC uses a typical modern tuner head from KSE, which includes basically the complete RF-to-audio circuit in one little module.

The main circuit board carries little more than power supply components, some control functions and the most basic audio buffering. As you'd expect, FM implements RDS and, of course, DAB includes various bits of text information as standard, so there's plenty to look at on the display.

DAB's Dynamic Range Control is available and there's a numeric signal strength meter which doesn't tell one much in absolute terms, but is useful for optimising the position of an antenna.

Operation isn't quite the same as most other DAB radios as the 'Enter' button is separate from the tuning knob and there's a DAB feature we haven't seen before, manual tuning by frequency. Most users, however, will do as we did and activate the scan and station list functions.

No ifs or buts

DAB tuners don't tend to sound much different from one another, and this one seems to follow that rule of thumb. Actually, we felt it was perhaps just a touch clearer and more open than available comparisons, but really there's very little in it.

Its radio-side performance on DAB is also par for the course and we had no trouble at all getting breakup-free reception from a casually draped wire antenna. In other words, this is a good DAB tuner with no ifs or buts.

Roof-top antenna

FM is much harder to optimise and here we felt the budget nature of the T-R650 does show a bit. For a start, it's quite fussy about signal strength and wouldn't give us an enjoyable stereo output, however hard we tried with an indoor antenna. We wouldn't expect truly noise-free reception under such conditions but some tuners can at least eliminate the roughest background noises.

Fed from our roof-top antenna, the sound improved considerably and background noise decreased to just a little above the minimum one can expect. However, even in this case, the sound remained a little coarse and edgy.

At this sort of price it seems rude to be too picky, but we recall better results from cheaper tuners of not very long ago.

Energetic

In terms of actual audio performance, the T-R650 is well-balanced tonally, with good, strong bass and decent treble too. It is at its best with energetic music, where its good rhythmic qualities are best appreciated.

For many listeners, DAB may well be the preferred option, all else being equal, with music which majors in subtlety and detail. At the very least, it's good to have the choice!

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Fans of FM radio are suggesting that the proposed switchover to digital radio, currently slated for 2015, is never likely to happen.

The latest Rajar (Radio Joint Audience Research) figures show that DAB's share of UK radio listening fell from 15.8 per cent in the second quarter of this year to 15.3 per cent in the third quarter.

At the same time the share of listening via AM and FM radios actually increased over the same period, from 67.0 per cent to 67.6 per cent.

If you look at Rajar's own figures on the growth of DAB radio ownership in the UK between the second quarter of 2010 and the third quarter of the year then you will see that it has been a paltry 0.1 per cent increase. Why?

Digital radio blip or crisis?

These latest radio listening figures come at a difficult time for the digital radio industry, as culture minister Ed Vaizey is keen to push the Digital Radio Action Plan.

Ford Ennals, the chief executive of Digital Radio UK, still claims that digital radio listening as a whole – via radio, computers or digital TV - is up at the end of 2010, despite the DAB buying blip.

"We've achieved a step change in digital listening growth in 2010 and we see that sustained in Q3, with 17.5 per cent year on year growth," said Mr Ennals.

"The Digital Radio Action Plan aims to create a further step change in digital listening in 2011, when we should begin to see the benefits of investment in coverage, content, communications and cars."

DAB detractors say public uninterested

Yet the plan has a number of detractors in the radio industry. William Rogers, chief executive of local radio operator UKRD told The Telegraph this week: "What these figures show is just how sluggish the growth - or lack of it - in DAB listenership is.

"It doesn't come as a surprise to me because, as we all know, this whole DAB project is fraught with difficulties and simply does not have the overwhelming support of the listening public in the country. At this rate, there is never likely to be a DAB switchover and with all the problems that exist, I don't think there should be."

Whichever side you might choose to believe, there has clearly been a slight dip in consumer confidence in DAB over the last year. The real question is why?

Digital Radio UK responds

A Digital Radio UK spokesperson, responding to the comments made by the UKRD chief exec, told TechRadar:

"Although DAB share of platform is marginally down this quarter, it has sustained its growth year on year, and digital reach and listening has increased overall. 44 per cent of radio listeners listen to digital radio each week.

"We expect a step change to take place next year as a result of the work currently being undertaken and planned on coverage, content, communication, and cars."

Via The Telegraph and drdb.org

It's been over two years since Leema Acoustics introduced its entry level Stream CD player and Pulse amplifier, so it's not surprising that such a technologically savvy company would consider the time right for a revision.

What was unexpected is the degree to which they have changed in appearance. Not only do they come in a range of colours, but the Leema Stream III CD player now has a slot in place of a drawer, digital in and outputs (including USB) and a brand new DAC.

The Leema Pulse III amp has sprouted an array of digital inputs and an MM/MC phono stage alongside its analogue inputs and is ready for virtually any source you'd care to throw at it.

And in true Leema style, both components can be run as one using its LIPS comms bus. The controls have changed, too, instead of regular keys we now have the Navimech, a long name for a circle of five buttons. But why has Leema moved to a III suffix?

Slots a fun

Apparently there was a Stream II in between this model and the original, so logically this should be Stream III and Pulse II but that makes for confusing marketing, so they are now both III.

So what's changed apart from the casework? Well the slot will give you a clue that the disc drive is new and has a new servo to match, this being controlled by custom firmware. It feeds Leema's new Quad DAC which comprises a Wolfson receiver designed to minimise jitter and the company's favoured Crystal CS434x converters.

Leema's Mal Nicholls is particularly pleased with this DAC, because its de-jittering skills are applied to all the digital inputs. He reckons that this factor brings the quality available from optical connections in line with those from coaxial ones which are traditionally the best-sounding.

The minimalist button array on the player's Navimech is not the most conventional, nor the easiest to use because there are none of the usual symbols to denote functions due to each button being multipurpose. The supplied remote also eschews symbols, but is easier to read.

The array of digital connections on the back of the Stream player includes three S/PDIF outputs and one input in coaxial form. It also has a USB output which is something of a rare beast. It's included so that you can make high-quality rips from CD to a PC. Leema recommends Audacity software for this purpose.

The Pulse amp also incorporates a DAC, but the USB connection here is the more conventional bi-directional variety that accepts signals from a computer. According to Mal this is not the usual and fashionable asynchronous variety of USB, but the Wolfson receiver does brings jitter down to levels associated with conventional digital connections. It's only limitation is that the Burr-Brown USB receiver only offers a sample rate up to 48kHz.

The Pulse III amplifier also has a revised power supply, which is said to offer improved transient current capability. It's still specified as 80 watts (into eight ohms) and nearly double that into four, which is a healthy rating and about par for the price.

What is above par is the range of inputs on offer – not only are there the four digital inputs, but there are five analogue inputs as well. Of these, AV direct is a unity gain input for an external AV processor and AUX/MP3 is an either/or shared input between the front and rear sockets which effectively gives you a sixth input.

The phono stage, which accepts both MM and MC cartridges, has benefited from refinements trickled down from Leema's Element phono stage.

Finally, there are the previously mentioned comms link LIPS connectors, which allows one component to control others in the system. This system allows the Stream to control volume, input selection and on/off in the Pulse.

For example, if you are using another input, say tuner, and want to play a CD, simply pressing play will select the CD input on Pulse, set the volume to the default minimum and place the player in play. If you then select another input, the CD will stop automatically. LIPS naturally gets more useful the more Leema components you use.

Cool casework

The paint finish was chosen to keep costs down but it makes for a very smart-looking chassis, the sculpted lines and coherence of the controls bringing the two units into strong aesthetic union.

The tiny display is not the easiest to interpret, however, because Leema has had to use some unusual abbreviations to fit certain messages in, but the every day ones are pretty clear. What's less useful is that the Stream display will only show elapsed track time and not track number whilst in play. On a long disc especially, the latter would be more useful and we're surprised that there isn't the option to display it.

The sheer array of inputs in both number and type is spectacular and should keep the most technophilic enthusiast happy for years to come.

Two-way street

The presence of the same DAC in both components means that you can compare the analogue with the digital input from the Stream via the Pulse and this was duly tried. Once we had got used to the way the amp drops volume when changing inputs (a rather irritating 'safety' feature) it became apparent that the two approaches are very close, but that a digital connection made with a good quality Chord Signature cable has the upper hand when it comes to fine detail and bass power.

In theory, the analogue connection should be better as the CD player has the better DAC, so cabling could be the key here. Both routes deliver a superbly timed and precisely focused sound that can easily distract from the important business of reviewing.

The Stream is a very engaging player, its ergonomics may not be that fabulous, but such foibles are soon forgotten once it has a good disc in its slot. It produces palpable depth and body in the context of an open, transparent presentation that makes the most of fine recordings.

Josephine Cronholme's Your Wild Garden is one such piece and the way that her crystalline voice is placed solidly between the speakers is entrancing. The player is precise without being edgy, in fact it's relaxed and natural-sounding and while it doesn't have the dynamic thrills of our more expensive reference its refinement is unusually high.

The Pulse has a little more character, inasmuch as its presentation is slightly restrained and a little over-smoothed compared to dearer alternatives. This gives imaging more focus than usual, but also holds back the full scale of the recording's acoustic.

On the flipside it means that less refined discs sound just that little bit cleaner, which can be a bonus if your musical tastes are catholic.

There's plenty of detail, too, it's presented in a coherent and timely fashion so that the music comes first, but if you want to listen into the mix there's plenty to find.

In order to get an idea of how well Leema has executed the USB input, we hooked up a laptop using both USB and TOSLINK optical cables and persuaded the PC to swap between the two. The difference was negligible, whereas the last time we tried this the result was night and day in favour of the TOSLINK connection.

The phono stage was also put through its paces with a low-output moving coil cartridge. The gain had to be turned up pretty high, but it delivers a fine, low noise result, nonetheless.

We had the opportunity to listen to the Stream in a completely different system and indulged in some of the more challenging selections from Frank Zappa's back catalogue. This further enhanced the impression of musicality that the player gave with its partnering amp, by delivering a well-articulated, invigorating and musically engaging version of events.

Polished performers

This pairing looks good, is clearly well made and offers great flexibility in terms of integration with other sources of both hi-fi and computer persuasions. But most importantly it lets the music transport you.

Its timing skills, in particular, are very strong and this combined with a polished presentation makes for highly engaging home entertainment.

Of the pair the Stream III seems slightly the stronger, but they work extremely well together and this, combined with their range of inputs, helps them raise the bar in this sector.

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2015 is 'achievable' for an analogue-to-digital switchover, according to industry body Digital Radio UK, with chief exec Ford Ennals outlining the plans for the future of radio in the UK at this week's Radio Festival.

Ennals told the industry crowd at the Radio Festival this week that there had been "significant progress towards building momentum for digital radio," and added that the analogue-to-digital switchover was a "matter of when not if".

David Baker, from digital radio manufacturer Revo, told TechRadar, on hearing the news: "As a digital radio manufacturer, we welcome todays positive comments from Ford Ennals regarding the 2015 switchover target. DAB radios are already in 35% of UK homes, and the news that DAB receivers will be a standard fit in all new cars from 2013 should make a world of difference."

A 'mixed ecology' for FM/digital/internet radio

To be clear, this is not the date at which FM radio will somehow be 'switched off' or disappear, merely that the industry plans what it refers to as a 'mixed ecology' – offering radio listeners the best options across FM, DAB (and DAB+) and internet radio.

Ennals stressed that a target date of 2015 was "challenging but achievable" welcoming the strong support of Ed Vaizey, Minister for Communication, Culture and the Creative Industries, for the radio industry's vision for the future.

The Digital Radio UK exec also confimed the launch of the Digital Radio Action Plan, "a three year programme of activity designed to address the complex challenges that lie between us and switchover."

Noting how the TV switchover has been a massive success, Ennals said that the switchover to digital radio would do the same for the radio industry.

"We have set a course to double listening and expand coverage by 2013, and to switchover by the end of 2015."

In-car DAB needs work

The real work to establish DAB as the radio of choice for over half of the population needs to be done in the car industry, with Ennals announcing a new in-car digital radio fully-fitted service from Halfords, with prices from under £90.

"The lack of any significant in-car DAB listening has always been the missing link to mass DAB acceptance," said Revo's David Baker.

"One note of caution however... the DAB transmitter infrastructure needs to continue to improve. Currently, reception in many areas of the UK is just too patchy for trouble-free in-car listening, and that needs to be addressed."

Paul Gyles, Sony UK's Category Head for Essentials told TechRadar, on hearing today's Digital Radio UK news:

"Digital Radio is growing but for it to go stratospheric, consumers need products that are DAB+ ready out-of-the-box and DAB+ in-car products to hit the market as this is where the vast majority of radio listening takes place.

"Fundamental to future growth is for the car and CE industries to work together to hit the Government's Digital Britain targets by 2013."

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) confirmed at this week's event that all new cars will have digital radio fitted as standard by 2013.

Roberts has been teasing digital radio fans with its first hi-res touchscreen DAB radio, the Roberts ColourStream, for some time now, with a UK launch officially announced this week.

Roberts clearly hopes that its latest (and first) sound system with a colour touch display should launch just in time to maximise Christmas sales opportunities, with new digital radios and iPod docks being a popular present choice this coming Yule.

Hi-Fi quality brand

The new ColourStream is set to cost £200, so it doesn't come cheap, but it does come with the hi-fi quality associated with the long-standing Roberts brand.

Roberts ColourStream: A decent hi-fi quality DAB and iPod dock

"The colourSTREAM has an acoustically-tuned cabinet with high gloss piano black finish," reads the Roberts' release just in. "The large colour touchscreen gives easy control over all functions of the sound system, including DAB/FM and Wi-Fi radio, and there is an iPod dock."

Roberts' chief exec Leslie Burrage, adds: "We have incorporated our attractive and intuitive new system into a strongly contemporary design to meet the demands of a technically demanding and performance-driven consumer."

Internet radio is also covered off, with instant access to over 10,000 radio stations around the world, along with the option to stream your music directly from your PC, so you no longer have to put up with those awful tinny-sounding speakers on your laptop.

ColourStream comes with 30 station presets and the option of a service from Last.fm. Stay tuned for a full review as soon as we get hold of a sample.

For now, head to robertsradio.co.uk for more.

We felt positively sentimental unwrapping this little goody – an analogue-only tuner! It's been a while since we saw a new one of those round these parts.

The reason for that, of course, is that most tuners these days include DAB as well. Come to that, with DAB threatening to oust FM from the airwaves, is there any point to an analogue-only one?

Commercially, NAD no doubt justifies its investment in this new model via sales in countries where DAB has yet to make a mark (there are still plenty), but even in a UK context it still has plenty going for it.

DAB vs FM

First, despite the proliferation of digital-only stations, most of the stuff that anyone actually wants to listen to seems to be on analogue radio and most of the remainder is available online, often via play-on-demand (podcasts).

The argument over DAB versus FM sound quality is an old and static one, but suffice to say that many audiophiles still find FM the preferable option. In fact, FM's got a good few years left in it even by the most pessimistic estimates.

So if your old tuner has packed up, or you're looking to add low-cost FM to your system, then £220 seems perfectly sensible.

Blend function

As for the business of FM-only versus FM plus DAB, we're not alone in believing that if you really want the best performance from a bit of kit, you don't really want too much functionality shoehorned into it.

There will be compromises and cost-savings, not to mention the vexed issue of electrical interference, so keeping it simple is seldom bad news.

And simple is how the C426 goes. It has RDS, a remote control, RS-232 (the standard in electrical characteristics and timing of signals) and presets, but in basic terms it just receives AM and FM radio. A tiny front-end module feeds circuits based on recent dedicated integrated circuits on NAD's own board, all fed from a traditional all-analogue power supply.

The display does the basics very well and includes the usual rather optimistic signal-strength display. There's also a 'Blend' function which can be useful where stereo reception is marginal for noise performance.

Good signals

Our first impression of this tuner is distinctly positive. Intending to do no more than ensure it was basically functional, we hooked it up with literally a random piece of wire as the aerial and were astonished to hear pretty much acceptable sound – usually a tuner would be hideously noisy under such conditions.

Further testing confirms that this is a very sensitive design, ideally suited to troublesome locations. That's obviously a plus, but there's no direct link between RF-sensitivity and audio performance under conditions of a good signal. Happily, it seems that the latter is just as good as the former in this case.

Not only is the tonal balance unusually well judged, there is distinctly more detail than one often hears from FM radio. The major reason for that is that NAD has managed to reduce the low-level 'grain' that affects reception in all too many tuners, even when they are fed from a good antenna.

As a result, all those little details that live down near the noise floor become that much more obvious and music suddenly snaps and sparkles into life in a most gratifying way.

Pace and timing

Deep bass is another common weakness of FM, yet the C426 does very well, with clearly defined low notes from all manner of instruments.

Pace and timing are good, too, certainly among the best we've heard from a budget tuner. The very highest treble lacks some of the insight that the finest tuners can achieve, but at a fifth or less of what they cost we aren't really criticising, especially as images have well defined and stable width and depth.

This isn't just a very good budget tuner: it's a very good tuner, period.

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Like Monitor Audio's Airstream 10, the Vita Audio radios originate from a loudspeaker manufacturer, though in this case Ruark set up a whole new brand for the purpose.

It's not been around many years but has rapidly built up a fine reputation and we've certainly enjoyed testing the various Vita products that have come our way.

This new version of the original R1 radio has more power, the option of adding a battery pack for portability, a larger display and DAB+ compatibility, so that when DAB+ broadcasts start it will be ready. It also has tone and loudness controls, which we found a mixed blessing.

What it doesn't have is internet access of any kind, which doubtless explains (in part, at least) its lower price compared with the others here. It is available in high-gloss black or white, as well as the wood finish we received.

Overall, we found this the most sonically successful of the bunch. The FM reception is not quite as good as that of the Tivoli, but it's not bad (and the aerial is detachable, meaning that one could pretty easily fit a better one), and via DAB or the line input the sound seems to us to have just the right combination of punch, extension and midrange neutrality.

There's enough gain and power on tap to play satisfyingly loud in a medium-size room, but the crucial thing in the R1's favour is that at any level the sound has detail and a really plausible wholesomeness that just seems to escape many such products. Engaging and very enjoyable.

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UK Culture Minister Ed Vaizey is set to make a speech this week backing the digital radio industry's aims to turn AM and FM radio signals off and transition to digital radio.

Vaizey is set to declare the government's support for Britain's digital radio industry, and to reiterate that 2015 – the date suggested by the previous government for the analogue radio signal to be switched off – will remain a target.

Tentative move

However, this is still very much a tentative move on behalf of the government. Vaizey is also set to stress that new technology cannot be imposed "on an unwilling public, no matter how persuasive the business case.

"Listeners need to be persuaded that the content on offer is compelling, that the quality is high and that digital radios, at home or in the car, are affordable and have listening quality that is at least as good as FM."

Vaizey sees digital radio as "a huge opportunity" and wants to back the industry's plans to push towards an analogue-to-digital switchover. However the government will not be drawn on making a firm decision on the matter until at least half of British radio listeners have moved to using digital radios.

Industry body Rajar shows that, in March 2010, 24 per cent of all radio listening was digital (up slightly from 20 per cent in 2009), compared with 66 per cent on AM or FM radio. So there is still some way to go for digital radio to hit that 50 per cent 'trigger' point.

British success stories

Mr Vaizey will praise British industry in his speech, noting: "At a time when we are looking for manufacturing success stories, British companies like Pure, Roberts and Bush are world leaders. And the technology offers radio lovers the same explosion of choice that TV viewers have embraced so wholeheartedly."

Ford Ennals, Chief Executive of industry lobbying group Digital Radio UK, welcomes the latest moves by the government and the publication of the Joint Industry and Government Action Plan, saying: "It gives us the certainty we need that radio has a digital future. The focus on consumers, coverage and cars is vital."

The BBC's Director of Audio and Music, Tim Davie, BBC, says of the plans: "We welcome the Government's commitment to radio's digital future and the importance they have placed on the listener in any future switchover. The BBC will, along with Digital Radio UK, work closely with Government and the rest of the radio sector to deliver the Action Plan."

Culture minister Ed Vaizey has announced that plans for the UK's digital radio switchover will be unveiled this week.

Speaking in London at a progress report for the digital switchover, Vaizey was questioned over whether there will be more news on what is happening with digital radio and he noted that there will be details released "this Thursday".

Broadband trials

The digital radio switchover is something which is set to be completed by 2015, but it will be an uphill battle to convert those who still use analogue – which includes the majority of all cars in the country.

Just this week, the importance of digital radio in the UK was highlighted with the news that digital-only station 6Music was saved from being axed by the BBC Trust.

In the switchover update, Vaizey also announced that the government has so far underspent the money put aside for the switchover and he is hoping that £55 million of the £200 million pot will be used to boost the country's broadband infrastructure and supplement a trial of superfast broadband in the country.

He could not guarantee that all the money would be spent on this – or who the superfast trial would be with – but it's good news that the government has finally come under budget for something.

Via Wotsat

When is a radio not a radio? First, when it's an internet radio (which strictly uses wires, not radio waves), and second, when it does so many other things that the term 'radio' only touches the surface.

But in two ways this is a 'real' radio, as it receives both DAB and FM and it also connects to your internet router wirelessly, ie. by radio.

Among various other features, by far the most striking is its ability to play music off your home computer, again wirelessly. Close behind that must surely be the user interface, which is a very natty touch-sensitive screen, just like the ones on many current mobile phones, complete with swipe-sensing.

Pure has been at the forefront of digital radio developments since it got in on the DAB act very near the start, but this is by some way the most advanced product we've seen from the company. Its real beauty is that it does so many internet-and computer connected things, but it isn't a computer.

A computer is a wonderful device, but it's essentially a general-purpose device and, as such, invariably compromised in terms of single-purpose use, such as audio.

You have to do tiresome stuff like launching applications and fiddling with settings and although with experience this soon enough becomes second nature, there's just something a lot more satisfying about a designed-for-purpose, audio-only box.

So this funky-looking unit does some clever things. It even features 'apps', just like a mobile phone (actually a lot of its functionality resembles that of a smartphone): currently you can access Facebook and Twitter and I dare say more is to come.

Sound quality

If you've heard any of the really upmarket table radios such as those from Meridian, you won't be blown away by the Sensia. It does OK with everyday radio fare including compressed pop and speech, but with more subtle stuff it lacks both precision and gain.

There seems to be quite a lot of raw power on tap, but with classical music the maximum volume setting just doesn't seem to be quite high enough. The sound is a little coloured, especially in the treble which is on the dull side overall but has some distinctly audible resonances in it.

Of course, you can always use headphones, or take an output from the headphone socket and use it to drive an external amp and speakers. This is actually quite an impressive experience and it's most gratifying to hear how good the quality is on many internet radio stations. Maybe not quite as good as well-done FM but perfectly listenable.

It's also encouraging that high-rate MP3 files can be satisfactorily streamed wirelessly from the computer. Uncompressed WAV files stutter a bit, suggesting there's not quite enough bandwidth, but 320kbps MP3 seems fine.

The Sensia doesn't seem to recognise any losslessly compressed formats – I couldn't check with the instructions as they are online only and lack rather a lot of detail.

Operating the Sensia is a very pleasant experience, while the 'Flowserver' software that runs on the PC, which is acting as the media server was easy to install and set up. It's certainly a very impressive piece of kit and certain to be a talking point.

If the sound is a little disappointing, it's only fair to bear in mind that £250 is not a lot of money and Pure doesn't claim this as a super-audiophile product. However, as a superbly-featured radio it has a lot to offer.

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The rumours that the BBC is set to close alternative music station 6 Music and the Asian Network, which TechRadar reported on earlier today, have sent shockwaves through the radio industry and among listeners.

Two of the major DAB Radio manufacturers, Pure and Roberts, have been quick to comment on the rumours, with Leslie Burrage, Chief Executive at Roberts telling TechRadar:

"It's obviously disappointing to hear that BBC 6 Music is not a sustainable business in its own right. However, the ceasing of this station highlights how the running of a station on the DAB multiplex is expensive and, therefore, it should be heeded that switching most stations from FM to DAB is not as simple as some may perceive.

"In these recessionary times, while regrettable, it is inevitable that some stations will be unable to remain profitable, particularly in the commercial radio sector and as also demonstrated in the BBC."

Passion for digital radio

Meanwhile, over at Pure, Marketing Director Colin Crawford remains confident about the longer term future of digital radio in the UK, telling TechRadar:

"The reaction to the Times article shows the real passion that exists in the UK for digital radio. Over the past few months, a number of new stations have launched on the national digital radio network and there are now over 10 stations on the national commercial multiplex, including really great stations such as NME Radio and Planet Rock.

"We are more confident than ever about the robust health of the future of digital radio in the UK."

Robert Shepherd, a spokesperson for the government sponsored group Digital Radio UK, added that they were, "aware that the BBC are conducting a Strategy Review," and that they were awaiting the outcome, "but the BBC have confirmed that they have a continued commitment to the development of digital radio and to investing in high quality digital only content."

But the increasingly vocal campaign online, on Twitter and on music and radio industry blogs to save 6 Music only wants to know one thing – that this 'continued commitment' to 'high quality digital only content' means that the 620,000 regular 6 Music listeners in the UK won't lose the station they treasure at some point in the near future.

How to find new music

Dave Haynes, head of business development at digital music specialists SoundCloud told TechRadar that, "6Music plays an important role in championing music that often doesn't find an outlet elsewhere. We know this firsthand since Tom Robinson uses SoundCloud to find new music for his Introducing show.

"It's important that these opportunities exist for up-and-coming musicians to get their music heard on a BBC radio station, and for that avenue to be shut down would be a tragedy for musicians and music fans alike."

Stay tuned for further updates as we get them on the news of the BBC's plans to make cuts to its digital radio and online divisions.