Brightness of DAB clock radio displays

[Peter Lanky]

I have been looking for some time for a bedside DAB clock radio, but cannot find details of the one feature that is most important to me. Every DAB radio I have used has a display so bright that it lights up the room when the room light is switched off. Reading reviews on Amazon, it seems that this is a major problem with most models, which seeing as it has been a problem for so long, amazes me that manufacturers have done little about it. Does anyone own a model where this illumination is totally controllable, or is dim enough in its natural state to allow one to sleep?

At the moment I use a (quite a few years old) Sony dream machine non-DAB radio, where the background light is perfect, which shows that the technology is not beyond the manufacturers, and I don't want anything less ideal than this.

[tribewright]

I haven't got any personal experience trying to sleep next to one of these radios, but Roberts do a very similar-looking radio to the Sony Dream Machine which looks like it uses the same type of display - the Sound 40.

SOUND 40 - DAB / CD clock radio from Roberts

In fact, looking around the Roberts site, they have quite a few radios using this type of display.

The Revo radios also use a dimmer display than most, but it is still the blue-white lighted LCD type display.

Revo Blik Radio Station: The World's First Hybrid DAB and Internet Radio

[mjcairney]

I had the same problem as you, and actually got one of the Revo Bliks mentioned in the previous post - although not the one with Internet Radio - however, it was almost impossible to read the display from any distance whatsoever, plus the firmware was full of bugs, so many in fact that I'm not even going to try to list them. I must stress however that that may not be the case with the Internet Radio version.

However, I recently purchased a Pure Chronos II and must say that I am delighted with it. It has a sensor which makes the display brighten and dim according to ambient light, is easy to read, and has some good features on the alarm side of things, e.g. 4 different ones can be set, each alarm can be set to come to a different station and at a different volume setting, very handy for example when you want to listen to a music program at night with volume turned down, but for the alarm to come on quite loud in the morning on say a news channel.

Finally, I have come across no problems with it so far, albeit only a week into my ownership,

Cheers,

Martin.

[Peter Lanky]

Originally Posted by mjcairney

However, I recently purchased a Pure Chronos II and must say that I am delighted with it. It has a sensor which makes the display brighten and dim according to ambient light, is easy to read...

Based on your recommendation, I have scoured the internet for reviews on this product. The issue of the light comes up frequently with mixed opinions, many still saying the display is too bright.

I will keep watching this space and see what else is posted.

[Autopilot]

Originally Posted by mjcairney

However, I recently purchased a Pure Chronos II and must say that I am delighted with it.

That's good to hear. I had the original Chronos and it was a joke, it had the brightest display i have ever seen on anything. Do they bother to test these things sometimes? Even on the lowest of the two settings, I could actually comfortably read a book by it across the room, it was 3 or 4 times as bright as the night light we used in our little boys room. I have had torches that were less bright. At night i had to turn it around and push the screen back against the wall or put some clothing over it. Now have a Squeezebox boom and it's brilliant.

[mjcairney]

Go here and scroll down the page where there are 29 customer reviews - if nothing else, it'll give you plenty to read and keep you out of mischief for a while.

Cheers,

Martin.

[sele01]

With the Pure Evoke 3, you can have the standby brightness to whatever you want, including off. To see the time at night on the off setting, just touch the handle and you get five seconds or so of light. Nice

[mjcairney]

Originally Posted by sele01

With the Pure Evoke 3, you can have the standby brightness to whatever you want, including off. To see the time at night on the off setting, just touch the handle and you get five seconds or so of light. Nice

Yes, but the OP did enquire about a bedside DAB clock radio, and the Evoke 3 doesn't really come into that category plus, in anybody's opinion, it's an expensive option. However, it is something else for him to consider.

Cheers,

Martin.

[Peter Lanky]

Originally Posted by mjcairney

Go here and scroll down the page where there are 29 customer reviews - if nothing else, it'll give you plenty to read and keep you out of mischief for a while.

Cheers,

Martin.

Those are the reviews I had been looking at on Amazon. The more one reads, the more difficult the decision becomes. I have another Pure DAB in the house, and as you have replied to sele01, this unit is not remotely suitable as a bedside radio. It astounds me that such a basic issue has not really been addressed by the manufacturers.

[mjcairney]

Well, my friend, the decision is yours and I wish you the best of luck, whilst adding that I am 100% happy, so far, with my Chronos II.

All the best.

Cheers,

Martin.

[sele01]

I find it's great as a bedside clock radio. Horses for courses I guess.

[mjcairney]

Originally Posted by sele01

I find it's great as a bedside clock radio. Horses for courses I guess.

As you say, horses for courses.

Cheers,

Martin.

[chriswyatt]

I personally didn't mind the Chronos II's display and I thought it was a great little clock radio, albeit not perfect.

[nehalem]

Hi

I have the Sony -
Sony XDRC705DAB Clock Radio: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo

which is DAB and has 3 or 4 different brightness settings. Nice bit of kit.
Hope it helps

Thanks

[mjcairney]

Originally Posted by nehalem

Hi

I have the Sony -
Sony XDRC705DAB Clock Radio: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo

which is DAB and has 3 or 4 different brightness settings. Nice bit of kit.
Hope it helps

Thanks

That's the one I almost bought before reading reviews talking about the alarm randomly going off at midnight, so I decided to give it a body swerve. Has that bug has been ironed out?

Cheers,

Martin.