Dualit DAB Lite radio
Howdy doodley dooo...
Review This latest offering from Dualit is based on the iconic toaster products the company is better known for. Bored of knocking out breakfast, Dualit is now knocking out music to accompany your muesli.
Now before we go any further, a few words on DAB itself. There has been a lot of knife chucking of late, so let's just take stock for a minute. According to the latest Q1 RAJAR figures, nearly 11 per cent of everyone who listens to radio does so using a DAB radio. This compares to the 2.1 per cent who listen over the internet and 3.2 per cent through digital TV.
Dualit's Lite: DAB hand
According to market number-cruncher GfK, cumulative sales of DAB products stand at 7.05m at the end of Q1 following a record Christmas and growth of 28 per cent year-on-year. DAB radios are currently selling at more than 2m a year and can be found in more than a quarter of UK homes.
No one is saying it hasn't been a challenging time for DAB, but the current situation is most accurately seen as a sharp learning curve as broadcasters learn how to promote and get the most out of the new format. The continued commitment from the BBC - and, next year, Channel 4 - also ensures DAB will be around for a little while yet.
Now, back to the Dualit: measuring 225 x 155 x 90mm and weighing in at 1.15kg it certainly looks the part, with an ever-so-slight hint of art deco influence in its minimalist design. Its silver buttons and dials are quite attractive and have a decent click action to them. However, we did find that the main volume knob on the side of the review unit was a little loose fitting and could easily become detached.
COMMENTS
I'll stick with...
...my FM alarmclock and my FM stereo in the kitchen. I can turn them both on in the morning and move between rooms listening to the one station.
Lets see someone do that with two different brands of DAB radio.
Not that I can get a signal on DAB for either of the two areas.
The George !
I'm currently on my 4th Foreman Grill. This time with the removable plates. They are great for bacon and sausages. You can do an egg on it as well if you put the front feet into the grease tray so the cooking surface is level. Fried tomatoes and mushrooms.
I'm hungry....
EU plug?
Does it come with a map of the regions where there is a DAB signal too? Handy that is has a receiver for real radio built in, there won't be any problems finding FM stations.
If it were satellite based you could even listen to your favourite UK station. But it isn't and you can't, and never will be able to. Looks like the content creeps got their way, no pan European transmission system because they can't/won't license content for pan-European distribution.
Stereo? Why?
There isn't a lot of point having a stereo amp and speakers on a DAB radio, unless it also has an analogue FM tuner. Most of the DAB streams are mono.
And while charging rechargeables in situ looks like a nice idea, it's still just a teeny weeny bit pointless. Either there's a power point nearby where you're going to be listening (in which case you can just use the mains) or there isn't (in which case you have to move the whole radio rather than just swapping out the batteries).
But worst of all, it's styled after a machine for making absolutely lousy toast! Even if you do manage successfully to find the few fractions of a degree between "raw" and "burnt" on the dial, an electric toaster still makes electric-tasting toast.
Ugly
I agree with the comments about DAB radios being rather ugly. I bought a Roberts radio a few years ago and my father tut-tutted, wondering what the hell had happened to radios these days. Say what you like about the Evoke radios, but they're simple and effective. As for stereo, as long as it had a stereo headphone and/or outputs to a stereo amplifier, that would be just fine.
