Review of Boston Horizon Solo XT digital radio

GH Institute

Digital radios

Features

DAB and FM tuners; mains powered; headphone socket; 20 station presets; rotatable high contrast display adjusts automatically to ambient light; 134 x 210 x 159mm (HxWxD); available in onyx or mist with chili pepper, Spanish moss, caramel, olive, glacier, rose bud, chocolat (sic), pearl gray or onyx grilles

Comments

Good points: This radio sounds great: the speaker is loud and clear, and there's good control over treble and bass. The controls and display rotate so you can use it in portrait or landscape mode, and the trim is a snooze control for the two alarms. The display is bright, clear and easy to read, and the menu well structured and easy to navigate. The front grille is interchangeable, so you can tailor it to match your décor.

Drawbacks: The looks are somewhat industrial.

Rating: 91/100

Price Range: £79 - 148

Stockist: 02890 279830 - http://www.bostona.eu

GHI Test Report - November 2009

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Other products in Digital radios

Review of Sony XDR S10DAB digital radio

Features
DAB and FM tuners; output: 8 Watts per channel; mains powered; headphone socket; 10 DAB and 10 FM presets; 140 x 270 x 112mm (HxWxD); available in light or dark brown
Comments
Good points: With a good-looking facade and a chunky case, this radio will look smart on a bookshelf - particularly as the power cord's kinked jack means you can push it right back. Better than average FM reception in our test area.
Drawbacks: The output lacks bass and sounds a little thin, and with no equaliser there's no opportunity to improve it. It had some trouble tuning to national DAB stations in our test area where others did not, including Smooth, Absolute 80s and Traffic.

Rating: 63/100

Price Range: £67 - 79

Stockist: 08705 111999 - http://www.sony.co.uk

GHI Test Report - November 2010
Review of Revo Heritage digital radio

Features
DAB, DAB+, FM and Internet tuners; wireless streaming from home computers; iPod dock; output: 7 Watts; mains power; headphone, external speaker, video (for iPod), line in and digital line out sockets; wireless and wired Internet connectivity; 10 presets each for digital and FM; remote control; 175 x 260 x 98mm (HxWxD); constructed of walnut and aluminium
Comments
Good points: The Heritage sports a clear, high-resolution display that makes set-up a breeze. A built-in 11,000-station directory makes short work of tuning in to stations around the world over a wired or wireless Internet connection. DAB+ features offer a degree of future-proofing, so this is a radio with a long life. Sound quality is excellent, and it has looks to die for.
Drawbacks: FM performance was slightly disappointing.

Rating: 90/100

Price Range: £220 - 230

Stockist: 01555 66 6161 - http://www.revo.co.uk

GHI Test Report - November 2010
Review of Pure Evoke-1S Marshall digital radio

Features
DAB, DAB+ and FM radio; output: 7 Watts; mains power and optional ‘ChargePAK' battery; headphone, line out, line in and external speaker sockets; 30 presets shared between digital and FM; 175 x 210 x 110mm (HxWxD); black casing
Comments
Good points: Excellent FM and DAB tuners deliver a rock-solid signal, while the bright, lively speaker does justice to both music and speech in equal measure. Space for 30 presets and although the screen has only two lines, it is bright and, thanks to well-structured menus, easy to use. An eco-conscious choice, it draws just 0.9W in standby and 2.48W in use (industry averages are 2.64W and 5.49W respectively).
Drawbacks: Very individual styling may not appeal to all.

Rating: 87/100

Price: £119

Stockist: 0845 148 9001 - http://www.pure.com

GHI Test Report - November 2010
Review of Vita Audio R1 MkII digital radio

Features
DAB, DAB+ and FM tuners; output: 9 Watts; mains power plus optional rear-mountable ‘BackPack' battery; headphone, line out and line in sockets; 5 station presets each for digital and FM; 170 x 130 x 135mm (HxWxD); available in rich walnut veneer, dream white and high gloss midnight black
Comments
Good points: The R1 MkII's speaker is more powerful than you'd expect from such a compact device. Its rich tones are reminiscent of a traditional valve radio set. A top-mounted rotary dial controls power and volume, surrounded by the station selection and preset buttons.
Drawbacks: Unusually long aerial spoils its clean lines. FM performance could have been better.

Rating: 76/100

Price Range: £159 - 180

Stockist: 01702 601410 - http://www.vitaaudio.com

GHI Test Report - November 2010
Review of Dualit DAB Kitchen Radio

Features
DAB and FM tuners; output: 8 Watts; mains power and built-in rechargeable battery; headphone, external speaker, digital out and line in sockets; 5 presets each for digital and FM wavebands; 180 x 275 x 135mm (HxWxD); chrome and rubber finish
Comments
Good points: The retro 50s chrome case is a perfect match for Dualit's industrial-chic toasters. It has excellent sound quality to match. Reception is strong on both digital and FM wavebands.
Drawbacks: The case is prone to attract fingerprints, and Dualit warns that the battery will run down when unplugged and on standby if you don't switch it off fully using a switch at the back.

Rating: 74/100

Price Range: £149 - 150

Stockist: 01293 652 500 - http://www.dualit.co.uk

GHI Test Report - November 2010
Review of Roberts Sound 66 digital radio

Features
DAB and FM tuners; iPod dock; output: 2.5 Watts per speaker; mains powered; headphone, line in and line out sockets; 10 presets each for digital and FM tuners; remote control; 91 x 277 x 213mm (HxWxD); dark wood casing
Comments
Good points: Excellent sound quality. The iPod dock is more useful than a built-in CD player as it puts a library of up to 40,000 tracks on your desktop depending on your iPod model.
Drawbacks: The dated, unattractive screen spoils this radio's otherwise good looks.

Rating: 72/100

Price Range: £135 - 149

Stockist: 01709 571722 - http://www.robertsradio.co.uk

GHI Test Report - November 2010
Review of Roberts SolarDAB 2 digital radio

Features
DAB and FM tuners; output: 1 Watt; mains, solar and battery powered; headphone and line in socket; unlimited station presets; 130 x 202 x 64mm (HxWxD); available in black, green, red or white
Comments
Good points: This tiny radio is a true eco champion with a wide solar panel on top that keeps the bundled rechargeable batteries topped up. Keep it on a sunny windowsill and you'll never be short of power.
Drawbacks: Output is thin because it only has a single watt speaker, although fine for garden listening and perfectly good enough for speech radio.

Rating: 69/100

Price Range: £72 - 79

Stockist: 01709 571722 - http://www.robertsradio.co.uk

GHI Test Report - November 2010
Review of Pure Oasis Flow digital radio

Features
DAB, DAB+, FM and Internet tuners; wireless streaming from home computers; output: 10 Watts; mains and battery powered; headphone, line out and secondary speaker sockets; 30 digital, 10 FM and unlimited Internet station presets; 230 x 155 x 140mm (HxWxD); white plastic and aluminium casing
Comments
Good points: Internet connectivity lets you listen to radio from around the world, and if you have more than one compatible Pure radio they will each synchronise your presets through Pure's Lounge site. The Oasis is designed for use in the bathroom, so sockets and controls on its rugged case are rubber-coated to keep out the damp.
Drawbacks: Large case may be difficult to accommodate. FM reception disappointing which isn't helped by the fact that the aerial can't be tilted or repositioned.

Rating: 65/100

Price Range: £170 - 179

Stockist: 0845 148 9001 - http://www.pure.com

GHI Test Report - November 2010
Review of Philips AE5200/05 digital radio

Features
DAB and FM tuners; output: 300 mWatts; mains or battery powered; headphone socket; 20 station presets; 16-character, 2-line display; 104 x 200 x 45mm (HxWxD)
Comments

Good points: The smallest radio on test, this is the best choice for listening on the move. Build quality is faultless, and it feels like it could withstand being thrown into a suitcase for a holiday flight. Innovative design means the corners of the LCD display double up as buttons for tuning and changing the volume, further saving space without adding complication. A pull-out stand at the back keeps it upright.
Drawbacks: The only downside is the rather ‘thin' sounding speaker. The Roberts solarDAB sounds better.

Rating: 68/100

Price Range: £57 - 59

Stockist: 0906 1010016 - http://www.philips.co.uk

GHI Test Report - November 2009