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View Quest DAB+ Retro Radio
by star2000
A few months ago I was looking for a replacement portable radio mainly to put in my spare bathroom so that I can listen to music while having a bath (as clearly it is not OK to use plugs in there!) My old portable radio/CD player had died and I was looking to upgrade to a radio with an iPhone dock so that I could play all of my current ... music on it. I also wanted a unit that would look really good on my bathroom shelf, fit in with my colour scheme and be easily portable.
I started with a blank page looking at lots of different products online and after a lot of research I came across the View Retro Radio Dab and IPhone Dock. I am really glad that I did as so far I have been very pleased with it, even though it is a brand and product that I had never heard of before.
Product Description
The radio has a retro design with a stylish leather finish around a wooden box making it look like something from the 70's (the picture on the box is of a girl from the 70's wearing very large groovy headphones!) It comes in a variety of colours and I chose the pink version. This might not sound stylish but it looks absolutely gorgeous - a pale pink leather surround with a cream facing that is not at all garish. It is also keeping up with the latest trend of everything being retro!
The radio can be mains or battery powered and works on 4 C size batteries, which last for 15 hours (I've not used mine for this long yet but they are still going strong!) It has a fab carry handle that means you can move it around anywhere easily and is light and compact to carry around.
The product has a both a DAB and FM radio, which can be pre-set with up to 10 stations via an automatic search and an iPhone dock. This is the older version dock so for IPhone 5 upwards you will need a lightening adapter. It also has an automatic clock setting, a backlit LCD screen and two 10 Watt speakers
The sound quality of the unit is great - it really does sound good for the size it is when playing both the radio and iPhone. It can be a bit fiddly to move between the different audio outputs via the buttons but is fine once you have got the hang of it.
The only negative about the product is that the IPhone dock is a bit unstable and you have to hold it with one hand if you are making any changes via the iPhone
The radio can be bought on line from a number of retailers and is also on sale in Argos and some other high street stores. The RRP is about £99 but it can often be found for around £70
Overall I am very pleased with this radio. The sound is great, but for me the design is the real plus and it makes me smile every time I walk past it in my bathroom. I think it is well worth the money!
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Pure Siesta DAB/FM Clock Radio
by star2000
I have had this clock radio for a few months now after wanting to find something that would work effectively but not be too big for my bedside table. I chose the Pure brand as it had a good reputation and I bought the white version which looks quite classy and which I prefer to the black. It retails at about £37
On first ... taking the clock radio out of the box I was impressed with the design, which is quite sleek with silver buttons and an interesting triangle shape. The clock radio was easy to set up - the time sets automatically and the DAB radio stations were easily found after a search. You can store up to 10 different presets which is useful
The radio has both DAB and FM but I only use DAB. The reception is mostly good but there is a small wire antennae underneath the unit that needs to be extended to help with this which can be a bit annoying as it looks messy and gets in the way of other things (it is easy to put a glass down on it without noticing and then everything tips over!)
The sound quality of the unit is reasonable but a bit tinny. This is to be expected with a clock radio that is so small and cheap and does not worry me as I mostly just use the radio to wake myself up in the morning when I am too tired to really worry about having crystal clear sound (I normally just wanting to go back to sleep again)
The alarm has all of the features that you would expect including a snooze feature. There are two separate alarms, which is useful as you can set one for the week and another for the weekend. However turning the alarms on and off can be a bit fiddly as have to turn the whole unit on including the radio. To turn the alarm off only takes a couple of clicks but to turn it back on have to go through all the settings again (although it does automatically come up with your choices from before)
The display is clear and easy to read. It has automatic auto dimming at 2 different levels, which is fun when the lights go out. It is not too bright at night so does not keep you awake. However the worse element of the clock radio is that when the radio is on (either when the alarm has come on or the radio is turned on by itself) the time disappears. This is very annoying, especially in the morning when getting ready for work, and I often have to turn the radio off just to check the time. It seems like this clock radio can either be a clock or a radio but not both at the same time!
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Pure Chronos CD Series II
by sallyseagull
I wanted a simple to operate system with reasonable sound quality for my bedroom. I bought in black but it also comes in white. It looks smart whatever colour you choose, with the triangular shape fitting nicely onto a bedside table.
It has a clear display system which tells you the time and a plethora of other information ... dependent on mode chosen. You can set an alarm to wake you with ipod or your choice of radio station. Also you can set the alarm so it wakes you on at different times on different days if you wish. The light display automatically dims at night, just giving out a gentle glow, which is very pleasant.
DAB radio sounds clear and was very easy to set up: just press stand by and set up begins! Being DAB there is a scrolling tack listing for music stations. I tend to listen mostly to Radio 2 and Radio 4 and I never and both of these sound great. Obviously not top quality as this costs under £80 but more than adequate.
Ipod charges on the base. The unit comes with a, somewhat tiny, remote control.
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