Like it or not, we’re slowly moving away from all things retro and stepping into the digital age. Soon, the humble FM radio will go the way of the analogue TV and dial-up broadband. Yet according to studies, around 90% of people still listen to the radio weekly, and the amount of time they listen is on the up, too. We think a lot of the credit for this can be given to DAB (Digital Audio Broadcasting) radio, otherwise known as digital radio.
With a wider range of stations, less interference, and stronger signals, listening to the radio has never been easier. However, as with most modern gadgets, there are many quality options out there, making it difficult to find exactly what you want. Do you need a radio with an alarm or a portable Bluetooth radio for poor reception areas? We’ll look at products from the likes of Pure and Roberts, all available on Amazon, John Lewis, or Argos.
Quick List - Top DAB Radios
Roberts
A Reliable Bedside Companion With Wireless Phone Charging
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Table of Contents
As the name would suggest, these are the biggest in the DAB radio family, often capable of filling a room with sweet melodies or talk show chatter without any of that cool-but-sort-of-annoying crackle of days gone by. Table-tops tend to offer Bluetooth, so you can connect your phone and play your own tunes when Fearne Cotton just isn’t hitting the right notes, alongside DAB+ and FM airwaves as well.
Alarm clock radios are best used in the bedroom. They often have big, easy-to-read displays with large LED screens, the option of setting alarms, and user-friendly buttons that are simple and straightforward to use first thing in the morning. Though they also typically offer a Bluetooth function for linking up your phone, this particular style usually works out a little cheaper than their tabletop brothers. However, you do have to compromise on some sound quality.
Obviously, the USP of this type of radio is the ability to take it anywhere with you. Perfect for the garden when the sun finally puts its hat on or for taking on your family jollies, they're often smaller and lighter, and can be powered either via a charging cable or by batteries.
We'll get into this more later, but both of these choices have their setbacks – one will continually cost you money, while the other risks losing power just as the groove hits. Neither are particularly great situations to be in, but are easily avoided with a bit of preparation. Plus, once again, you'll also have to sacrifice another step-down in sound quality.
Pocket-sized and often used with a pair of wired earphones which provide the antennae, personal radios are ideal for those who use public transport frequently, those who want to listen to their music in the office, and all the dog-walkers out there.
The sound quality on these babies isn't that bad, but they are usually let down by the headphones that are provided. In this case, it'd be best to pick up another set, and preferably one with button controls for volume changes and flicking stations. Another potential downside is that you may struggle for a signal in places.
We think the quintessential extra feature for your new radio should be its ability to support DAB, DAB+ and FM at once. Keeping hold of your beloved FM stations while you still can may be important to you, so by having a machine that can do both you’ll never feel like you’re missing out.
The latest DAB+ feature may be worth including too – this broadcasting option uses a better codec that will deliver higher quality audio, so if you’re a stickler for good sound quality, it's a no brainer. At the moment not many stations in the UK use this - it’s mainly in Europe - but more are slowly jumping on the bandwagon. However, it may well be the way DAB is heading, making it a good pick regardless.
If you’re in the market for a DAB radio for your bedside table, you of course must go for one with an alarm function, but there are some additional settings that you also might want to include. There's usually a range of customisable settings to wake up to, such as your favourite radio station, or even the ability to play stored songs. If you and your partner wake up at separate times, picking up a product with 2 alarms is perfect!
Finally, and possibly our favourite: Bluetooth. If, from the ridiculous amount of radio stations available, you still can’t find the perfect track to fit your mood (and it happens!), then having Bluetooth allows you to sync up to your phone or any other devices and put on exactly what you want to groove to. Just use your preferred streaming service and the radio will function much like a large speaker!
Products | Image | Click to purchase | Key features | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Inscabin P200 Portable DAB | ![]() | An Excellent Value DAB Radio That's Got the Lot | |
2 | Roberts Blutune T2 | ![]() | A Stylish Radio You Can Take Everywhere | |
3 | Roberts ORTUSCHARGED-BLK DAB Alarm Clock Radio with Wireless Smartphone Charging | ![]() | A Reliable Bedside Companion With Wireless Phone Charging | |
4 | Roberts Sports DAB 5 | ![]() | Easy One-Handed Control With the Perfect DAB for Jogging | |
5 | Roberts iStream 3 | ![]() | A Premium DAB+ Radio Fit for a Royal | |
6 | Bush DAB+ Clock Radio | ![]() | The Iconic Alarm Clock Brought Into the Future | |
7 | JBL Tuner 5W Radio | ![]() | A Portable DAB Radio and Bluetooth Speaker All-In-One | |
8 | Pure Move R3 Personal | ![]() | Top Pick If You're Serious About Good Portable Sound | |
9 | Pure Evoke F3 Internet DAB Radio | ![]() | A Minimalist's Dream With a Rich and Warm Sound | |
10 | Bush Wooden Radio | ![]() | Retro Wood That Does More Than Just Look Pretty |
With an advanced FM technology provider, it's clear to see that this radio provides quality on the inside as well as the outside. Its sleek, modern exterior features an LCD screen display and fits perfectly in any bedroom, living room, or kitchen, depending on where you want to blast your tunes.
That said, it's portable so you're not tied down to one room. In fact, you can take this radio anywhere as it has a rechargeable battery and a headphone jack for personal listening so you can sit back and listen to your guilty pleasure playlist.
This smart Bluetooth DAB radio by Roberts comes with a cotton-stitch carrier strap and is powered by batteries. Not to mention the top-quality wooden casing on either side of the speaker which adds to a whole other level of sophisticated listening.
A whopping 60 presets will allow you to listen to any station and you can set up your top five favourite stations with the one-button accessibility feature. Great for listening to your best songs on the go.
An ideal bedside companion, the ORTUSCHARGED-BLK DAB Alarm Clock Radio has a sleek and stylish finish. The alarm clock features dual alarms and a snooze function while extra handy features such as bluetooth and wireless phone charging are thrown in for good measure.
Our second Roberts radio on the list and for good reason, these radio/alarm clocks are reliable and offer the functions required. With 20 station DAB/DAB+/FM radio presets you can enjoy all your favourite sounds from your bed.
Roberts have done it again, only this time with a radio for when you're riding solo. This handy gadget is meant to be heard and not seen – it uses the earphones as the aerial and has perfectly-placed buttons for easy one-handed control on the go. It also boasts an impressive 10 presets, which is ideal when you're mid-jog.
Alongside all these technical aspects, this remarkable radio also has fine sound quality – though it'd be better suited to some more powerful earphones than the ones supplied! Plus, this little guy is powered by two AA batteries (that aren't supplied), to provide a big 20 hours of charge.
Roberts are so good that the Queen has given them her warrant, and she's been rocking them since 1955 – although we imagine she has updated since then. Firstly, the aesthetics. This is dripping with retro charm, and while we have chosen the 'duck egg' colourway, there are plenty of other tasteful options.
As you'd expect, this radio possesses crisp, clean tones that are adept at making the best out of any genre of music or talk show, and a hoard of excellent features. The only potential issue is the price - you can fly to Europe and back for less - but that's more just a matter of priorities and affordability.
Take control of your morning and dance your way into the day with this classic digital alarm clock radio. You can rise and shine to your go-to radio station or snooze the alarm, depending on how productive you're feeling.
Use the 5-inch display to easily see the time and volume control, and don't worry if you wake up with tired eyes as there's a handy backlight dimmer to make your user experience as comfortable as possible.
Coming in at only slightly larger than a can of Lynx Africa, this is a wonderful little gadget that allows access to hundreds of DAB radio stations, as well as giving you the power to be the DJ whenever you feel like it. It also has an easy-to-read display that shows the station you're listening to, and intuitive buttons, too.
On top of this, it's powered with a rechargeable battery, so there'll be no disappointment when it arrives to find out you have to go and buy a pack of AA's. However, you do only get around 8 hours of power between charges, which may not be enough for regular listeners.
Lightweight and convenient, you can carry this radio with you anywhere. It has a rechargeable battery and easily accessible buttons so that you can navigate between the presets on the tempered glass display screen. And you can listen through the noise-cancelling headphones that are included in the box..
We're disappointed that it lacks Bluetooth connectivity. That said, if you're looking for the radio equivalent to the Spotify app on your phone, this handy device could be exactly what you need and it is a great price to boot.
With its sleek, black-box design, this radio will suit any modernist home. Along with its not-too-shabby looks, it boasts an rich and warm sound, and is surprisingly powerful, too! It has an easy-to-use interface and a good set of controls that feel like they're going to stick around no matter how much use they get.
Some customers have found this radio difficult to set up, while others would expect a better sound quality for the price. However, with an impressive 30 presets you can be guaranteed some easy listening.
A very affordable DAB radio with an attractive wooden finish that's likely to fit in with, and even complement, most homes. However, this material doesn't just look the part, it also improves the sound quality due to its natural acoustic properties.
While we're on the subject of sound, it is a rather 'basic' radio that lacks any real depth. Another possible problem is that this product is missing Bluetooth, although this won't be of concern to everyone. All in all, it's hard to complain as this is about as good as it gets at this price range.
Written and researched by Lewis Clark
No. 1: Inscabin|P200 Portable DAB
No. 2: Roberts|Blutune T2
No. 3: Roberts|ORTUSCHARGED-BLK DAB Alarm Clock Radio with Wireless Smartphone Charging
No. 4: Roberts|Sports DAB 5
No. 5: Roberts|iStream 3
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