It's So Dab Good (Goodmans GPS285DAB Cassette Recorder)

Member Name: Zmugzy

Product:	Goodmans GPS285DAB Cassette Recorder
Date:	10/04/07 (1136 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lots of Features

Disadvantages: No Clock

Although I was aware of their reasonable reputation and long standing, this was my first purchase of a Goodman's device and I have to say that with just over 3 months of use I am quite pleased with the results so far. The GOODMANS GPS285DAB packs in a lot of features for the price. The radio looks neat and funky enough but upon first sight you might be overwhelmed by the 24 dials and buttons on the top of the unit. There are also twenty eight buttons to contend with on the remote control. The instruction manual is a bit of a pain though; it has 28 sides that actually form a single sheet that folds out like a very large map, a seemingly contemporary style. A simple booklet would have been easier to follow. However, leaving this aside, it really doesn't take you that long to get the gist of things.

You can run it on batteries but as it takes 8 big ones so it would be a bit expensive to run. I only use it via the plug and socket. There is both an internal rod aerial and external wire aerial. I found the rod aerial worked fine, but a lot depends on whether you live in a good DAB reception area.

The radio includes FM and AM tuning capabilities to fall back on. I found the reception on all three bands to be more than satisfactory but while you can store up to 10 of your favourite stations in DAB there is only manual tuning. The unit features the customary easy to read display which shows scrolling track information news and sports results - the kind of thing you find on many DAB radios nowadays.

I still have a large collection of cassettes and sometimes prefer the sound quality in comparison to CDs so I am always on the look out for cassette playing devices. At the moment I'm in search of a good tape deck. The cassette on this radio works well enough for basic portable use around the house. You can of course record from other sources. Radio programs for example can be time shifted to suit when you are available. There is however no clock so all recordings need to be manual. There is also a built in microphone which come is handy now and again.

The CD works smoothly and it has the added feature whereby tracks can be be programmed to play in a certain sequence or a repeat mode can be used to play your favourite track over and over again. The sound is of a quality you'd expect from such a unit; not outstanding but it'll do while you're doing the ironing.

Possibly the major drawback is the lack of a timing mechanism which prevents the unit from being used as a radio/CD alarm clock. The unit is rather bulky at 34 x 22 x 12cm snd ways about 4kg - this might be a bit much for my Granny to carry around frequently.

I've seen this radio for around £70 on a few online web sites although I paid slightly me more in the high street a few months before last Christmas.

Main Features:
Stereo speakers.
Programmable CD player.
Battery or mains powered - includes mains adapter. (batteries not included)
CD-R/RW Playback
Preset equalizer.
Headphone socket.
Remote control requires 2 x AAA batteries
Single Cassette Player
Digital Audio Broadcast (DAB)
Digital Tuner

Summary: A radio cassette player with DAB

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