Dab radio clock alarm4/20/2023 ![]() ![]() The DR-P420 Tokyo is a good, cheap-and-cheerful portable radio. Sharp DR-P420 Tokyo: The best budget portable DAB radio Some DAB radios work better as Bluetooth speakers than others, but it’s definitely a handy option if you’d rather drop the DJ and listen to your own playlists for a change. Better still, a growing number include Bluetooth connectivity, while a few cram in Wi-Fi to function as an internet radio, too. Headphone sockets are standard, but some DAB radios have an analogue line-in for connecting a smartphone or Amazon Echo as a source. Otherwise, the best bonus feature is extra connectivity. Some also have features that allow you to pause, and even rewind, live radio so that if you’ve missed the start of a programme or have to answer the door in the middle of a song, you don’t lose out. What other features should I look for?ĭAB radios usually have buttons or a dial to quickly scroll through and select a station, but nearly all will also allow you to assign your favourite stations to a preset button. Weirdly, the BBC doesn’t, though as the BBC hasn’t resorted to the same compression levels and mono output tricks as some commercial stations, its programmes have always sounded pretty good, anyway. However, the situation has changed over the last year or so, and now roughly half of the UK’s commercial national stations broadcast in DAB+. The problem, until fairly recently, was that the UK authorities weren’t making DAB+ mandatory for stations, and only a handful broadcast in the format. Don’t get us wrong: a good DAB radio makes the most of every station, bringing talk shows and music to life, but if you’re expecting hi-fi quality audio, you may feel mildly disappointed.īest Bluetooth speaker 2023: Portable, waterproof and rugged options for every occasionĭAB+ is now supported by even the cheapest new digital radios – it’s a requirement for the green digital tick mark – and allows broadcasters to use the more efficient HE-AAC v2 audio codec, providing space for more stations without the same compromises on sound quality. The result? DAB doesn’t necessarily sound that amazing and can even be inferior to old-fashioned FM. In a bid to cram more stations on a single multiplex and keep costs down, they also tend to use low bit rates in their broadcasts. Some UK stations still broadcast over the older DAB standard, which uses the dated MP2 codec. One of the most confusing things about DAB is that there are actually two standards in play: vanilla DAB and the newer DAB+. DAB, in case you’re wondering, uses a broadcast DAB signal so it’ll work in places where Wi-Fi isn’t available. This is great, but it might restrict where you can listen. This streams radio stations from the internet by connecting via your household Wi-Fi network. In the event that you’re not covered, or your station selection is poor, you could opt for an internet radio station instead. READ NEXT: Best internet radios Is DAB available in my area?ĭAB reception now stretches across most of the UK, covering 97% of the UK population. A higher spend will get you more luxurious materials, a larger speaker, a more powerful amplifier, stereo and more features, but you don’t have to spend more than £200 unless you’re looking for something that’s less a radio than an all-in music system with DAB built-in.
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