The shops are already bulging with DAB (digital) radios, ready to enliven your kitchen, bedroom or bathroom this Christmas. Several big retailers have even stopped selling traditional AM/FM radios completely in favour of hybrid models that offer digital reception along with good old analogue.

Digital radios are easier to tune and offer many more stations than dedicated AM/FM models, and they are often more stylish. But be wary: the market is far from settled. Most DAB radios use one of a handful of receiver chips (integrated circuits), so they have many similarities in the way they work and consequently they exhibit similar flaws.

Current DAB chips are rather power-hungry, so even the battery-powered “portables” are really table-top models that should ideally be tethered to a mains socket.

A select few are equipped with a built-in rechargable battery, and that’s a feature worth hunting out if you intend to listen outside the house. Chips also often lack sensitivity, so careful positioning of the set is sometimes needed, particularly if you happen to live in an area of weaker DAB signal. All the models under review here provide above-average reception, but only the Nevada Sinfonie model excels in this regard (although it’s not the best overall).

The significant differences between DAB radios are as much to do with styling and features as quality. Consider the size and legibility of the screen and the calibre of the controls, especially the preset buttons. All DAB radios feature an auto-updating clock, but if you need one for the bedroom you shouldn’t assume it has an alarm.

One useful feature on a few models is “live pause”, which enables you to pause a programme in the event of the doorbell or telephone ringing, for instance, and resume listening where you left off.

Sound quality tends to be fairly “samey” on similarly priced models. Higher-quality DAB radios sometimes have a wooden case rather than a plastic one, and although this in itself doesn’t necessarily equate to better sound, these sets generally offer more power. Don’t worry about stereo speakers on such a small radio: the high-quality mono speaker in, say, the top-rated Vita model sounds a cut above the rest anyway.

In fact you shouldn’t expect truly wonderful sound from any DAB radio. The highly compressed nature of the signals transmitted for digital radio ensures they are better suited to background music while chopping carrots for dinner than to pleasing audiophiles. The reason for this underwhelming sound quality is that Ofcom, the broadcasting regulator, insists that we prefer greater choice to ultimate sound quality, and has sliced the cake extremely thinly. Hence the bitrate (amount of digital data transmitted per second) is risibly low on most DAB stations, and the broadcast system is based on the ageing MP2 audio standard.

Much of Europe is expected to adopt the far more sophisticated AAC+ standard, though, and even Ofcom has indicated that it hopes the UK will too. The next generation of DAB radios is expected to meet this new audio standard, but won’t go on sale for several months. So current DAB radios could be obsolete within a few years.

In truth, the biggest difference between all the models under review is their ease of operation and styling. The latter is of course subjective, but only the Vita feels like a classily made, truly well-engineered item. Then again, feel the price.

Jargon buster

DAB (digital audio broadcasting) Commonly known in the UK as digital radio. System designed in the late 1980s for broadcasting audio in digital form. Offers more stations but uses the old MP2 audio format

AAC+ Higher audio standard being adopted in Europe that the UK may one day ditch the MP2 format for

Bitrate Technical quality of a digital audio file, expressed in Kbps. Higher bitrates mean better sound. Most DAB broadcasts are 128Kbps or less

Hybrid A radio that is able to receive both DAB and analogue (FM/AM) transmissions. Most current DAB receivers sold in the UK are hybrids

Research supplied by Hi-Fi World magazine All prices include Vat and delivery

KITCHEN COMPANION

Roberts RD6R
Typically £180, or £158 from www.go-electrical.co.uk
Competent and feature-packed, but pricey
4/5

This multi-talented table radio performs with cool, if uninspiring, efficiency. Innovative features include PausePlus, which will delay a live broadcast for about 20 minutes should, say, the phone ring. Sound is strong with speech or music and a tone control is a welcome extra, as is a decent remote control. Better still is the large two-line LCD that bristles with information. However, though decently made the fascia and fake wood feel cheap. The RD6R is a fine package, but it’s a bit pedestrian for this money.

BEDROOM SONGBIRD

Vita Audio R1
typically £160,or £152 from www.go-electrical.co.uk
Quality product but priced to match
4/5



This cube-shaped table radio is both compact (170x130x130mm) and suave. It comes in a choice of real wood or glossy lacquer finishes and sports a discreet display that is beautifully back-lit in blue. A large on/off switch doubles as the volume control, around which the station presets and tuning controls are neatly arranged. The R1, which also works as an alarm clock, is the easiest of the radios under review to operate. It sounds much better than its smallish single speaker suggests and the good-quality FM tuner is handy for areas of poor reception. Only the lack of a live-pause feature prevents it from being the most refined DAB portable radio around.

RETRO CHIC

Bush TR82DAB
Typically £70, or £64 from www.tribaluk.com
Style to spare, but not everybody’s bag
3/5





Lovers of 1950s finned Chevrolets and classic Dansettes will get a kick out of this retro-styled DAB radio. Although plasticky, it doesn’t feel cheap. Despite its bulk (335x230x85mm) the buttons for the DAB tuner are small and less easy to operate than the vintage analogue dial, which even shows the great radio stations of yesteryear. That said, the DAB reception is good and the sound is decent, considering the modest price. The styling won’t appeal to everyone but this Bush is a simply swinging budget buy.

OUT AND ABOUT

Nevada Sinfonie
typically £110 or £100 from www.shop-com.co.uk
Simple and rugged, with built-in rechargeable battery
3/5



Digital radios have a notoriously short battery life. This Nevada set will operate for only about six hours when not on mains, but at least the built-in battery is rechargeable. It’s an appealing radio to look at — a compact (164x98x98mm) sky-blue box with a water-resistant rubberised case and a useful line-in socket. Other than that it’s pretty spartan in terms of features, Aand the absence of preset buttons is something of a chore. But channel-hopping woes aside, the Sinfonie’s large volume control is nicely tactile and the set is sensitive enough to tune in to the weaker DAB signals reliably. It also sounds quite decent considering it has such a small speaker, although it’s not that loud compared with the similar Pure Digital Oasis set, which boasts a much longer battery life. The Nevada’s clean, clear sound makes it ideal for talk radio, and it’s well suited to the garden shed, garage or shower room.

STYLE ICON

Pure Elan DX40
Typically £70 www.pure-digital.com
Smart, budget box that does the job without drama
3/5

This slimline (280x165x80mm) radio is smart-looking, though it feels a bit cheap. Recently updated, it works well, the only drawback being the fiddly buttons on top. The smallish backlit display is well laid out with a signal-strength meter. Not that it needs it often, as this Pure is sensitive. The big disappointment is the sound: a medium-sized Adesign with twin speakers shouldn’t sound so muddy. It is outgunned by Pure’s single-speaker models. The DX40 will run off six C-sized batteries that in tests lasted less than 10 hours. So Pure’s rechargeable ChargePAK, for £30 extra, is a wise idea. Overall, though, this is a fine, fuss-free budget choice.

SMART AND SENSIBLE

Sony XDR-S20
typically £80, or £70 from www.amazon.co.uk
Clean, if sombre-looking radio with modest sound
3/5





This Sony’s best feature is the large display set in a clean fascia. The styling may be sober but the XDR-S20 is so well designed that it makes other models — excepting the Vita Audio — look fussy. Despite its reasonable size (260x160x75mm), the Sony can be tricky to operate due to an obstructive tuning knob, and the mono speaker emits a lightweight sound more suited to easy listening than hip hop. The six C-sized batteries provide only six hours of listening, but once mains-connected and used at modest volumes it’s a reliable decent-value companion sensitive enough to cope with weak signals.