Most radios will have a built-in alarm, either offering a selection of tones or letting you wake up to your favourite station. Phone charging As some radios won’t be able to receive DAB+ stations it’s unlikely that many services would switch to the newer DAB+ soon. Our round-up includes budget and premium options, with standard DAB digital radio to various music streaming goodies. Perhaps you want something tiny and ridiculously cute; perhaps it needs to fill a larger room –we have the best digital radio options across all shapes and sizes here. How we test DAB radios With a Bluetooth DAB radio, you can stream music from YouTube, Spotify and other sources via your phone or tablet. This means the radio doubles as a Bluetooth speaker.

Here’s a list of DAB radios that feature both Bluetooth and a USB port for charging devices or playing MP3s:While all of radios on this list give you access to hundreds of digital radio stations, some models include a number of useful features to boot, such as Bluetooth streaming and integration of your favourite music streaming service. DAB+ has been used in the UK for a few years and some of the UK’s national digital and local radio stations use this new technology. Although there are benefits to DAB+ some older radios don’t understand the new standard and you may not be able to receive DAB+ stations.

The USP here is IPX7 waterproofing, which makes this a particularly good option for travelling or for poolside listening: where many portable speakers are splash-proof, the Tuner 2 is much more protected against accidental drops and deluges.Perfect by the sink, by a pool, at the beach, or if it's in danger of getting hosed while you're watering the garden. The short answer to this question is “no”. Unfortunately, Bluetooth radios only have Bluetooth receivers, not transmitters. This means they can’t be used with Bluetooth headphones. In ten areas of the UK trials of small scale DAB are taking place. Around 70 radio stations are participating in the trials to see how smaller radio stations can broadcast digitally. This means listeners in the trial areas can currently tune into brand new stations on DAB. What you hear is what you get on the Roberts Rambler BT Stereo. Having no EQ settings accessible in the onscreen menus is an oversight; being able to tweak just treble and bass settings can make such a big difference. We make sure to test each model in a range of environments and against its chief competitors too, so you can be sure that the product will work just as well in your home, in whichever spot you've chosen to put it. We live with these radios in our homes to make sure that the performances are consistent, and we don't finalize our testing until we are certain of the sound quality.

DAB Radio Brands

As we’ve said, DAB audio quality can far exceed that of FM. Sometimes radios also offer ways to control the music through dials or an equaliser menu (so you can tweak the bass and treble). Wattage It's important for us to compare the performance of each product against the specs claimed by its manufacturers, which is why we take the time to ensure the battery life (in portable models), connectivity, feature set and sound quality is as good as the brands say it is. These radios often allow you to listen to both DAB and FM. Some models have built-in wifi to access your favourite internet stations and music from your smartphone and streaming services. Most newer devices will have Bluetooth connectivity as well. Other things to consider include: Sound quality

Most importantly, when deciding what digital radio is right for you, you need to figure out whether you want something small and portable or larger and mains-powered, or if maybe you want a radio you can install in your car. Then, you'll have to decide if you just want to listen to the radio or if you're interested in wi-fi and Bluetooth connectivity, DAB+ and streaming support, or even CD player functionality. Unfortunately for many radio owners their sets cannot be updated and it will be necessary to buy a new radio to receive DAB+ stations. As of early 2017 there are no plans to migrate existing digital radio stations to DAB+, so you will be able to enjoy your existing DAB stations for a few years yet. DAB+ Compatible Radios Pure – Pure were one of the pioneers of digital radio in the UK. They are a British brand most famous for their stylish Evoke range of DAB radios. One of the best things about Pure products is that they are all available with a generous 3-year warranty. Pure’s products are relatively expensive, but tend to be high quality and reliable. If you’re not playing at high volume, you can get away with less. Not all brands provide this information because it can easily be confused with sound quality. Preset stations When you first use Bluetooth on your radio, you have to ‘pair’ the radio with the device you’re streaming audio from (your phone or laptop etc.) For example, you will turn on Bluetooth on your phone and it will search for Bluetooth devices.Some models have ports so you can connect a cable and charge your smartphone. Some may have a built-in wireless charging pad too. Battery power

Most Bluetooth radios will remember the last device that was connected to them, so you won’t need to pair your device each time.

The iStream 3, Stream 67 and Stream 94i’s Internet radio functionality will work abroad, as all they need is a working internet connection. FM/DAB/DAB+ radio stations can be received so long as the local broadcaster is using the same standards as the UK & Europe and you are in their transmission range. The higher the wattage, the louder the volume can be without suffering from distortion. Wattage can range from 1W to over 20W. Want your radio to double up as a wireless speaker? Go for a higher wattage.