Roberts Splash DAB/FM RDS Digital All Weather Radio

Roberts RadioI have a Roberts CD/radio/Bluetooth player and the sound is superb. I wanted a smaller waterproof radio to use mainly the bathroom or to take outside. Radio reception where I live is poor; I've tried a few cheaper radios but they all have bad background hiss or wander off station. I know the radio reception (both DAB and FM) on the audio system is excellent, so I went for their 'waterproof' radio.I like the simple design; it's got clean straight lines, with softly curved rounded edges and when the retractable handle is pulled out from the back, it has a bit of an Art Deco look. The build quality is superb. Strong plastic but it's weighty and substantial, well balanced with rubber feet to stop it slipping. It's supplied with a wall bracket too if you wish to fix it permanently. If you do that, bear in mind it comes with a wire aerial which needs to be straight up ( or down) and may look unsightly. I've put the radio on the ledge at the end of the bath and the cord hangs down the corner, out of sight.It has DAB and FM with 4 presets available for each channel. The volume, search, menu and select buttons on the front are well laid out, rubberised and robust. It needs 2 size D batteries ( not supplied) and can be powered from the mains with a suitable adapter (also not supplied). Batteries should last for weeks at least and probably months, even with regular use.One thing I like about Roberts is the instruction book. It's very well written, clearly set out and makes set up a doddle. All the functions are explained with supporting line diagrams and there's excellent customer support if help is needed. I had it up and running with my chosen stations stored within minutes. The display ( which also has time) is large, clear and easy to read. Manual or auto tuning is available and there's a timer alarm. It also has a large bright LED torch built into one end and an emergency siren alarm button which could be a useful alert.As for sound, as I expected, it's outstanding. Too loud to play at full volume in the bathroom, but that level of sound may be good when it's used outside. There's absolutely no hiss and once found, the station remains on band. There's no drift or variation in volume. It found numerous DAB stations in an area where DAB reception is dreadful, so I'm really pleased. Sound quality is clear with good voice tone for listening to plays etc and rich bass, clear mid and treble for music stations.An all round great buy; good looks and fabulous sound.

First things first: there is no power source in the box. No batteries (this is clear in the description) and no adapter/transformer. So as you buy this ensure you get a power source – which will add to the cost. You need either a 5V DC 600mA central pin +ve adapter (say £15) and/or two D size batteries. If you want to use it safely in a bathroom you must get batteries. The batteries would cost a bit more than £2 for the two, for disposables. Or if you get NiMH rechargeables I recommend you get the seriously large capacity ones (8000 mAhr or so – try Battery Logic) which would cost about £15 for the two. If you have lots of AA NiMH and you don’t mind changing the batteries much more often, then consider getting a couple of AA to D converters (about £4 for the two, plus you need a good supply of AA NiMH).PROS: Not a bad sound – either quality or quantity for a modest size unit. Intuitively easy to use: single button press for 4 DAB or 4 FM presets. It’s easy to set up the presets as well. Pulls in a signal about as well as any portable. Nice display. Good fixing bracket for the bathroom wall. Signal strength indication allows you to fiddle with aerial to get best reception. Manual was written by someone with good English and is available online as a PDF from the Roberts site so you can have a look before you buy. Roberts helpline is excellent - although I have not had to use it for this item. Towards the top of the quality range. Out of the box it scanned and gets the time – all ready to go. Looks and feels splashproof (NOT tested). Default settings it comes with seem fairly sensible for the average user. You can do manual tune, alter scan sensitivity, or invoke DRC if you want. It has a sleep function and a countdown timer (up to 99 minutes – time to get out of the bath!)CONS (all minor issues): only the rather small thin wire dangling aerial – you can’t use another aerial; so if you’re in a poor reception area (and especially if you’re aiming to use this inside a bathroom with less good reception) this might be a problem - test first with any other radio you have. The little aerial wire doesn’t have much at the top (like a lug and hole) to help hold it up vertically. The soft cap (necessary for splash-proofing) on the DC-in socket does not stay in place on mine. The radio has a ‘poolside alarm button’ which I’m worried about pressing by mistake. Towards the top of the price range. Not a lightweight to carry round - with a spare set of batteries. Not waterproof. Takes a little while to tune (possibly just a tad longer than other similar Roberts or Pure radios). Time does not stay displayed – but perks up again if any button is pressed. No sort of tone adjustment (a speech / classic / rock option for instance).Note sure about: Swivel handle – which does pack away into the body. It includes a torch light. The carrying strap went out of fashion in the mid 1970s. No DAB radio I’ve found (including this one) seems to be able to store Radio 5 Live Sports Extra (for TMS) because it’s a secondary service, so that’s not really a mark against this model.From the foregoing it should be obvious who this is for (or not). Overall the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages and I didn't spot anything else that might be better within this sort of funtionality and price range.So far so good and if that changes I’ll add a comment later (and report back on the battery life)…

only had this a few days but very pleased with it. it is nice & heavy & well built was going to get just the FM version but decided to pay a bit more & try my 1st DAB/FM & initial impressions appear to be promising. this radio gets a good signal & not bad sound throu the single speaker. it does seem to be splashproof & all controls appeared to have sealing it is a wee bit on the large side but i dont think this is an issue unless you have limited space available. the only minus in my own opinion is the aerial lead which needs to be extended for good signal it is just of the loose wire type & can be laid going up or down from the back of the radio but i think this would have been better if it were of the solid extendable type but this i think is only a minor quibble its just that it dangles about. I would highly recommend this radio & it also can be used outdoors so would be ok in the garden as its portable with D batteries (not included with product) nor is the external power adaptor so you need to factor this in as you will need to haveone or both available to power it but ofcourse dont use the extranal power source in the bathroom/shower for obvious reasons!