Rating: - Power Guzzler
I wanted a personal DAB radio & spotted this item. Its very functional & simple to use. Headphones a bit too big so try others as they seem to work as the aerial equally well. Only drawback is the power consumption. I get less than 4 hours out of AA batteries (even when I resist fiddling about with the controls) Would have been nice to have an AC adaptor supplied - otherwise an excellent little radio - crystal clear sound & I only get the digital "burble" when I lie down with the headphone lead curled up on my chest!
Rating: - Better than Expected...
I was a little unsure about this radio before I bought it - the reviews made it sound a bit pants. So I bought it from a retailer with a good returns policy if it turned out that it was. So far, I've used it for a week, and am nothing but impressed with it.
The Setup:-
Well, I bought this product and got it working whilst waiting for the bus home - it comes with everything you need, including batteries! Simply a case of installing the batteries, connecting the headphones, turning it on and tuning it in.
Usage:-
The controls are fairly simple to use, up/down to change the volume, left right and click to select the channels, and some further options selectable via the menu's. It can sometimes be awkward selecting channels with the joystick, as sometimes when you click, you accidentally move the joystick and it selects the wrong channel. Or if you're out of range, the channel will revert to what your listening to, rather than just taking you back to the selection manually, annoying if you're listening to a 'BBC' channel, then want to listen to a 'Smooth' channel. I have been very impressed with the sound quality and reception though. Channels with higher bandwidths work very well, the low bandwidth ones (traffic/birdsong) less so (unsurprisingly). I use this daily on the train and bus to and from work, and only when in a dip on the train does it drop out. It does seem to depend which type of train I travel on, the newer ones seem to cause more interference trouble than the older ones.
The battery life is rubbish when compared to an FM radio, or even many of the newer MP3 players. I would say that battery life is 4-5 hours, however I've switched to high power rechargables, and power adapter at work, to keep the costs down.
General:-
When you first take the unit out the box, you might be surprised at how 'cheap' it feels. The main case is in shiny white plastic, and the front is of a more soft touch rubber which is much nicer. Unfortunatly the dimple on the joystick has already turned yellow after just a weeks use, and I would say that I keep fairly clean hands.
The Blue lit screen is reasonable to use, except in really bright light, but thats just a case of moving slightly.
The volume is a bit all or nothing - the first level of volume above silent is surprisingly loud; not deafening or anything, but it is a large step. Then the maximum volume isn't really massively high, maybe its because of the headphones, but you can still hear some external noise. But the headphones are comfortable for my ears even for a few hours use. I've tried some other 'phones that I have, and all work fine with the radio (given that it uses the headphones as an aerial) so as I have a habit of destroying headphones in quite a short time, I'll have no trouble changing them at a later date.
All in all, if you're after a cheap personal radio, with DAB features, I would highly recommend it, but be aware of the 'features' so that you're not disappointed.
Rating: - Barely acceptable
I bought this as a replacement for a Ministry of Sound DAB radio that was a daily companion for several years until I dropped it on to a concrete floor and broke its on/off switch. You would think that in those years personal DAB radios would have evolved ... not a bit of it.
This one wouldn't have looked good in the Eighties - it's nasty, cheap-looking and plasticky. The screen is too small and lacks contrast, making it very hard to read, and the buttons are too tiny even for my dainty digits. When you turn it on it takes ages to tune in (ok about ten seconds, but the MoS radio was near instant). Worst of all, despite the tiny, dim screen, it's really battery-hungry.
I'm giving it three stars because the sound - once it gets going - is excellent. There's no tone control like on the MoS, but you don't really need it. The headphones are ok too.
Rating: - Not what I'd hoped for
I got this as an affordable option based on Amazon reviews. I work in London and in the great wide open there it's great. But it hates buildings, trains, and apparently Maidenhead where I live.
Basically, surely you would only be interested in this if you're a commuter and this radio isn't up to the job in my opinion. I regret getting it.
Rating: - This may be a one off but...
This may be a one off but, on the basis of all the other reviews I bought this portable dab radio to relieve the tedium of my half-an-hour walk to work. unfortunately, even though I can pick up excellent digital reception all around my house in Dorking, I cannot obtain a signal anwhere else throughout the town. This may be a one off dud radio, but it does not pick up any signal at all. I will try it over Christmas up t'north and see if I have better luck. If it works up there, I may flog it on ebay or something.
Buy Bush PSDAB2004 Personal DAB Radio from the online Electronics, Bush PSDAB2004 Personal DAB Radio and view best new and used Bush PSDAB2004 Personal DAB Radio Electronics in the uk prices shown.