DAB/Internet Radio with Media Player

PhilRyan · 13-10-2009, 11:21 AM

Hi all,

I appreciate this question has kind of been asked not too long ago; but I'm looking to expand on what was already said.

Basically, I'm looking for a DAB radio for the kitchen... internet radio would be great, but my main aims are:

Getting access to BBC 6Music (Hello to any fellow Black Squadron members out there!!!)
Listening to music stored on my NAS
Listening to music from my iPod

I'm aiming to keep this around £150...

I've been looking at the Pure Flow products, the Avanti looks incredible (although the name is tragic... I think Durex have already claimed that one Pure!!) but its just too expensive for something for the kitchen!

I've also been looking at Roberts radios, but I have no idea about the quality of their stuff... is it any good?

Is there anything else I could consider rather than a 'traditional' radio?
I'm instantly drawn to everything Squeezebox shaped - especially as I am a massive user of last.fm. Squeezebox radio looks good; any thoughts on that?!

I'll carry on researching, but any advice would be good... thanks all!

**amcluesent** · 13-10-2009, 11:47 AM

iBlik RadioStation ?

PhilRyan · 13-10-2009, 2:11 PM

It certainly ticks all the boxes... but it does look ugly as sin!!
Think I need to see it in the flesh.

I did hear that the sound on these wasn't too great - does anyone have a different experience?
(the user comment here isn't great: Revo iblik Radio Station review review | T3.com)

The Roberts Stream 202 is interesting... I'm just concerned that the sound quality might not be up to much...

I don't seem to be able to find many people talking about the Squeezebox Radio as yet - any decent links anyone?!

chriswyatt · 13-10-2009, 7:50 PM

I thought the iBlik was quite ugly from the photos I saw; but it does look nicer in the flesh.

PhilRyan · 16-10-2009, 10:25 AM

Bought a Pure Evoke Flow in the end... was tempted by the Squeezbox Radio, but no DAB = not for me.

I decided the iPod docking was not so important, as I can access my NAS... and I have a spare docking station so I can always plug that in if I need to.

So far I'm very impressed with it... I got the extra speaker and the sounds fills my kitchen beautifully. The music from the lounge is good and it picks up music from the NAS without any issue and sounds great.

Cheers!

Autopilot · 16-10-2009, 10:40 AM

What do you need DAB for if you have internet radio?

I don't know of any DAB stations that are not available via internet radio, and usually it's better quality too.

PhilRyan · 17-10-2009, 8:56 AM

DAB radio means the radio can be taken wherever you like... in a park in summer or whatever; also you don't need the router switched on to use it - I hear what you're saying, but we have so many issues in my house that DAB just makes things a whole lot easier!!

Crocodile · 17-10-2009, 8:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Autopilot

What do you need DAB for if you have internet radio?

Many people are on a capped ISP, typically with a 2GB/month limit. At 128kbs that equates to only around 35 hours a month with no surfing, e-mail or downloads.

Autopilot · 19-10-2009, 7:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crocodile

Many people are on a capped ISP, typically with a 2GB/month limit. At 128kbs that equates to only around 35 hours a month with no surfing, e-mail or downloads.

Good point

stendec341 · 05-12-2009, 12:28 AM

I've got an Evoke Flow and (recently) a Roberts WM 202. Why did I buy the 202? The Flow only has a basic one alarm setting (you can't set it for weekdays only) and in BBC "Listen Again" mode, it has often happened that the stream has cut out several minutes in - irretrievable error - this is a well known phenomenon and is well documented in other forums. It's very frustrating. I was put off buying the Roberts WM202 only because the backlight was (allegedly) too bright for use in a bedroom.... I would hate a horrid bright blue light in my bedroom. Recently Roberts issued a firmware upgrade for the 202 that fixed this - it allows three brightness settings + a standby setting which switches the screen backlight off altogether.....

So I bought the WM202 - the Evoke Flow does look good - much better than the Roberts, but it suffers from a clunky interface - quite horrid to use- needs the optional remote control and even then I get baffled navigating the menus. Oh- and the Lounge interface isn't so good either - you could spend ages wondering why no stations show following a search - you have to "reset" the search after every try. Aaargh!

The Roberts is fantastic for navigation and UI - now they've fixed the backlight brightness, there are two independent alarms (settable for weekdays only too) and the sound is higher quality than the Evoke Flow (not as much bass but a heck of a lot more detailed. I would like a tone control though). The display isn't so good after the Flow - low res, painful after the Flow - but having said that the navigation controls have been thought out really well and it's a pleasure to use. Oh and it buffers faster.... and the web portal is much nicer to use - this is a well thought out Internet Radio System - the Flow may have better build quality ( from the outside at least) - I love its looks. But the Roberts works much better for me.

From my experiences I would give the Evoke Flow a 3.5/5 and the Roberts WM202 a 4.0/5. Subjective for sure, but my experiences.....

PURE have just released a firmware update for the Flow - it might have fixed the "listen again" drop outs - can't be certain yet as I only updated my radio yesterday and have only listened to one "listen again" programme through it. Disappointingly, alarm hasn't been updated though - the 202 is streets ahead there.