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Best DAB Radios: The best radios we’ve tested
In This Article
This list of the best DAB radios represents the best models that we’ve tested at Trusted Reviews, consisting of more affordable models, to bedside efforts, portable radios, and radios that double up as hi-fi systems.
Like any other product that we test, we put these dAB radios through their paces by listening to the sound quality, seeing how easy they are to use, assessing the build quality to see if they’re the type of radio that could last a while, as well as testing at different volumes to hear how they perform.
If you haven’t found what you’re looking for just yet, be sure to check back as we’re always looking to add more models that past the muster.
If you’re still on the fence about whether to get a DAB radio or another device, you can always check out our round-ups for thebest Bluetooth speakers, and thebest smart speakers.
Best DAB radios at a glance
How we test
We play a lot of music, and we play it loud. But we don’t just listen to the speakers; if there are special features then we make sure we fiddle with them until we’re satisfied.Of course, it always comes back to the music. Radios are tested by reviewers who have a knowledge of sound quality, as well as a context of the market. We’ll listen to radios alongside similarly priced rivals, so when we recommend a particular model, it’s among the best you can buy for the money.
Roberts Revival Petite 2
Pros
Cons
TheRoberts Revival Petite 2is an attractive radio with a compact design and 20-hour battery life that makes it easy to carry from room to room or while travelling.
The Revival Petite 2 looks almost identical to its predecessor, theRevival Petite, sharing the same retro 50s aesthetic and compact, lightweight build. Small adjustments include a telescopic antenna on the rear of the Revival Petite 2 for a more stable reception and USB-C charging instead of micro-USB. There’s still no IP rating, however.
The radio is controlled by a large, clicky rotary dial, which is surrounded by power, volume and mode buttons. The latter is for switching between DAB+, FM and Bluetooth modes. There’s a small OLED screen with ten levels of brightness that displays the mode, battery life, time and track, among other things.
The Revival Petite 2 supports DAB, DAB+ and FM radio, with 10 DAB presets and 10 FM ones. Like with other radios, you can scan for stations, prune them and adjust the DRC. You can also stream directly from a mobile device using Bluetooth. Roberts has dropped the aux mode this time around, but you can listen through a pair of wired headphones.
There’s a new alarm mode with this update with the ability to set the time and mode – either FM radio or a buzzer.
The Revival Petite 2 sounds similar to the original Revival Petite, with the Revival Petite 2 sounding just slightly smoother as opposed to the crisper tone of its predecessor. The Revival Petite 2 also reveals more detail and sharpness at higher frequencies and better clarity in vocals.
There’s very little depth and power to the bass, but the radio does sound lively and energetic at high volumes. Voices are also smooth with no sibilance or harshness, which is important for a radio.
If you’re looking for a portable radio with cute looks and lively sound, this one is ideal – and comes in at under £100 as a bonus.
Reviewer:Kob Monney
Full Review:Roberts Revival Petite 2
Revo SuperConnect Stereo
Pros
Cons
A stereo upgrade over the original SuperConnect, theStereo versionis priced quite high price for a radio at £489 / $599. We’d consider the Revo to be both a radio and hi-fi system rolled into one, which makes more sense once you look at it…
…as the SuperConnect Stereo is a big unit at 370mm wide. It’s also a lovely looking system with its wood panel finish and the black anodised finish of the review sample. Plonked in the middle is a highly visibleOLED screenthat can be read from a distance, and there’s a volume dial on the side to up or lower volume. The front side is littered with buttons that cover playback, menu, and alarm settings; but you can also operate it with the slim remote packaged.
The SuperConnect Stereo supports Wi-Fi and features compatibility with the Undok app. You can streamSpotify Connect, as well asAmazon MusicandDeezerfrom the app itself. The app allows for customisation (which you can also do on through the onboard controls) of audio EQ and a bigger provision of presets, though this is one area we found confusing as the allocation of presets is different with six presets on the remote, seven on the radio and 10 in the app. Like theBoomBocs Studioit becomes confusing when we used up the full allotment in the app, and weren’t able to access some of the stations on the remote or on the unit.
Less muddled in execution is the Revo’s sound. It delivers a big, spacious, and detailed sound from its BMR drivers. We found it outputted an energetic, if not necessarily dynamic sound, that had plenty of thrust and punch to it, especially with the low frequencies. How it handles bass, however, is not always the most consistent in our view. It tends to hog the limelight when listening to radio stations, but there’s a better balance to be found when streaming music, which offers more control over low frequencies.
Reviewer:Kob MonneyFull Review:Revo SuperConnect Stereo
Ruark R1S
Pros
Cons
With competition fromsmart speakersfrom the likes ofAppleandAmazon, modern DAB radios have diversified their feature set to compete and one of those radios isRuark R1S, though at £299 it’s not exactly cheap for a radio.
Like Ruark’s previous radios and wireless speakers, the R1S is a fashionable looking speaker. It makes use of wooden panelling across its front to give it a natural look, with a 2.5-inchOLEDscreen above that’s large enough to comfortably display information.
Available in a mid-grey finish or midnight blue, we feel the R1S is easily one of the most stylish radios currently available on the market right now.
Despite its fairly compact form factor, our reviewer found the radio pumped out impressively loud and confident sound that highlights vocal channels well so that we always heard what was being said.
For those who prefer more bass in their tracks or more attention afforded to the treble, the R1S’ sound can be adjusted via equaliser settings. Plus, with a separate battery pack, the R1S with can be used as a portable speaker, although the battery incurs an extra cost as it is available separately.
The price does limit the Ruark’s appeal. For those used to or more inclined to purchase a smart speaker, the lack of voice control or the ability to use your streaming service of choice as an alarm may be a deciding factor. Nevertheless, the Ruark R1S is first and foremost a radio, and if you have the money to spend and are content with a DAB radio that looks and sounds great, you’ll enjoy what’s on offer here.
Reviewer:Thomas DeehanFull Review:Ruark R1S
Pure Woodland
Pros
Cons
A radio that’s a wireless speaker or a wireless speaker that supports radio stations? Whatever the case maybe, thePure Woodlandis a good example of the type of audio device we don’t see too often.
It’s built like an outdoor speaker with a water resistance rating ofIP67, which makes the Woodland water- and dust-proof. The top and bottom are made from hard, rubberised plastic so this speaker should survive some tumbles outdoors. Aesthetically it’s not the most colourful looking speaker, but this isn’t intended to the type of party speaker you get fromJBLorUltimate Ears. The screen is not our favourite though: small and not easily seen unless you’re hovering over it.
The radio can tune into FM and DAB+ stations, and with Bluetooth 5.1 support, you can stream music to this speaker. There are six presets available to save your favourite stations, though the way they’re integrated can cause some confusion, but there are three presets for DAB+ and three presets for FM, and one of each is assigned to a button.
The sound quality is a lot better than we expected from a radio/outdoor speaker. At lower volumes the Pure Woodland has a warm, rich tone that works for indoor listening, and when we raised the volume we found that it sounded crisper and more energetic, which suits outdoor listening more. The midrange is clear, the treble is sharp, and the bass is punchy. It can sound too crisp and energetic at times, but the Woodland is one of the better-sounding “radios” we’ve heard, and at its price, it’s also one of the better-sounding outdoor speakers too.
Reviewer:Kob MonneyFull Review:Pure Woodland
Roberts Zen Plus
Pros
Cons
TheRoberts Zen Plusis a compact bedside radio that comes with “wellness” features to help send you off to sleep. For the performance and feature set it does feel expensive, but considering its size the audio performance is better than some bigger radios.
It’s a stylish effort with a neat textured fabric covering that wraps around the top half of its body, and its compact size ensures it takes up less space on a bedside table. Available in three colours we found the Zen Plus to be a simple, modern-looking radio.
The LCD clock screen takes up the front of the speaker and our reviewer found it easy to read even from a distance. After a few minutes the screen can auto dim, but if you prefer to change the brightness manually, that can be done through the menus.
The interface of Zen Plus works fine for the most part, but it can also be slightly unresponsive to touches, leaving us prodding at the screen on occasion. The screen can flash repeatedly as well for reasons we haven’t figured out. Presets number 20 in total with 10 for DAB and 10 for DAB, which is less than theGroov-e Zeusbut to be honest, twenty seems enough for us to deal with.
Two alarms can be set and there’s a fair degree of customisation as to when they can go off, but the most interesting feature is the Sleep Sounds wellness feature. There are 13 sounds to choose from including Ocean Waves and Pink Noise which are designed to help get to sleep with minimum fuss, though we did find the Kitten Purring sound to be a little off-putting.
For a speaker of its size the Roberts Zen Plus sounds better than expected. It’s clearer and detailed than the bigger Groov-e Zeus, striking a more natural tone across DAB and FM stations we listen to. It’s clear and crisp with the spoken word, inviting no sibilance as far as we can hear, and it sounds balanced across the frequency range.
There’s not much to speak of in terms of bass but what’s provided is enough to communicate a decent sense of punch to the low end. We were less impressed with its performance as aBluetooth speaker, bass isn’t as good as a Bluetooth speaker such as theUltimate Ears Wonderboom 3and midrange clarity is something of a disappointment.
Reviewer:Kob MonneyFull Review:Roberts Zen Plus
Groov-e Boston
Pros
Cons
Like theZeus, theGroov-e Bostonis a radio pitched at the affordable end of the spectrum. It doesn’t boast as many convenient features as the Zeus, but the Boston is a more stylish and portable unit for moving around the house.
We very much liked its looks with its wood cabinet and silver fascia giving the radio both a slightly retro styled but also modern appearance. It has a handle for carrying it around, and although it weighs 871g, we didn’t find it to be particularly heavy to shuffle about. If you like your stylish radios and find theRuark R1Sis too expensive, the Boston is a more affordable alternative.
It has a battery compartment that accepts four C-sized batteries (not included), a telescopic antenna to find a better radio signal, and a range of buttons and dials on its front that we found made using the Boston an extremely easy process. A downside is the LCD screen which we found to be a) too small, b) hard to read from across a room and c) the light spill from backlit screen becomes distracting at night even at its low setting.
There are 20 presets for FM stations and another 20 for DAB. Other features includeBluetooth connectivityand Dynamic Range Control that controls the loudness of the highs and lows. This is a feature we reckon you can live without enabling as it didn’t have much of a difference when we were using it.
The sound quality from the Boston is not the most detailed and the clearest, but we did enjoy its smoothness. There’s a fun sense of energy about the Boston’s delivery that gets our head bopping to songs like The Foo Fighters’ Walk. Vocals are always delivered in a clear manner wherever it’s a presenters’ voice or that of a singer. Bass is modestly described, and we do wish that the stereo effect of left and right channels was more pronounced, but on the whole, for casual radio listeners the Boston is a simple and effective unit at an affordable price.
Reviewer:Kob MonneyFull Review:Groov-e Boston
Lenco PDR-046GY
Pros
Cons
If you’re looking for a bedside radio, theLenco PDR-046GYis a solid choice with a large number of presets and dual-alarm functionality.
This portable DAB+ radio has a natural aesthetic to it with its smooth wood panel and grilled fascia. The radio is built from recycled plastic, wheat fibre and natural bamboo materials and comes in black or white.
There are a large number of buttons on the top surface, including presets, alarm, snooze, menu, modes, channel selection and volume controls. There’s a 2.4-inch display on the front of the radio, with a USB-C charging port and aux input around the back. There’s also a telescopic antenna for radio reception.
The battery life is quite short at just seven hours. For comparison, theRoberts Revival Petite 2has a 20-hour battery life, allowing you to go a lot longer between charges. That said, charging is relatively fast so it shouldn’t take long to get the radio up and running again.
When it comes to listening, you can choose between DAB, DAB+ and FM radio, as well as Bluetooth 5 for streaming from a mobile device. The radio signal reception isn’t the strongest we’ve tested, but there are a generous 60 total presents (30 DAB and 30 FM), with the ability to allocate your five favourites to physical buttons and the rest listed under the Preset Memory button.
Plug the radio in, and you can access the alarm function. This includes dial alarm functionality, with the choice to wake up to the radio or a buzzer.
The 6W stereo speaker delivers a solid performance with good clarity and detail in radio programmes. The sound is crisper than the Roberts Revival Petite 2 and voices don’t sound quite as natural. However, the larger build of the Lenco enables a bigger and louder sound and allows the radio to push to higher volumes without distortion.
Bluetooth streaming causes the bass to sound flat and the performance to lose detail, though the treble and vocals remain clear. There are also a range of EQ settings to explore, with the Normal, Classic, Jazz, Pop, Speech and Rock presents allowing you to adjust the tone and loudness of the sound.
Reviewer:Kob Monney
Full Review:Lenco PDR-046GY
We also considered…
A radio that’s a gift from the gods
A radio for the home and outside
Big sound in a small, retro package
We’ve reviewed
FAQs
If you’re wondering whether radios support the likes Alexa and Google Assistant, then no, we’ve not reviewed a radio that can do that. Some do have ‘smarts’ in their Wi-Fi connectivity, such as Spotify Connect integration.
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Comparison specs
Kob began his career at What Hi-Fi?, starting in the dusty stockroom before rising up the ranks to join the editorial and production team as the Buyer’s Guide editor. Experienced in both magazine and …
Founded in 2003, Trusted Reviews exists to give our readers thorough, unbiased and independent advice on what to buy.
Today, we have millions of users a month from around the world, and assess more than 1,000 products a year.
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Why trust our journalism?
Founded in 2003, Trusted Reviews exists to give our readers thorough, unbiased and independent advice on what to buy.
Today, we have millions of users a month from around the world, and assess more than 1,000 products a year.
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
