Roberts Sports DAB 5 DAB/FM Portable Pocket Radio

Although this model is now eight years old, it still provides excellent reception and features. Lots of cheaper models are available, offering more features and longer battery life. The Roberts has a solid, well made, dependable and reliable feel. The build quality is good, the controls are practical and easy to manage. It comes with a set of wired headphones, which are adequate but I chose to use a pair of Panasonics ear buds (on Amazon). No AA batteries are included in the pack, standard batteries last around 12 hours, but have I purchased four rechargeables (on Amazon), which last about the same time, two charged ready to load and two in the radio, so no chance of running out of power. Storing the 10 saved stations, (5 DAB 5 FM), is easy, and easier to recall. The wired headphones attach at the top, and a clear digital display illuminates on the front, giving device and station information. The sound quality is excellent, with option of Crystal-clear DAB or Stereo on FM stations. The number of stations available seems endless, though he aware not all European countries broadcast DAB. It is slim/ lightweight and can fit into a compact camera case, which will help protect it, though a made to measure case is also available.

I bought this to replace a faulty Aves Air that I had to return.This was one of the few pocket DAB radios that had DAB+. Another plus point is that it doesn't take a silly battery pack that costs £10 and means waiting hours for it to recharge. First impressions.Nice and compact. I like the presets and on/off buttons on the top. Volume control on the left side and the 'jog' switch on the right. The jog control takes a little getting used to. To scroll through stations, either rotate up or down. To change screen options (like scrolling text) press inwards until the desired text is displayed. To access menus (including moving to/from FM to DAB), press and hold inwards.I'm not sure how long this control would last out, if you were too heavy handed with it. I had it out of the plastic blister (be careful opening it!) and working in 30 seconds, after inserting 2 AA's in the battery compartment and plugging in my usual earphones.Switch it on and it starts scanning DAB.I find the supplied earphones a bit uncomfortable. 5 presets on each on DAB and FM. Adequate for me, as I only listen to a few stations.To store presets, tune to the station you want, then press and hold down the appropriate preset. Sound is clear and crisp. No equaliser on it, but a DRC control is one of the menu options. It only has an effect on some stations. 2 things would make this perfect for me. 1) I find the display keeps defaulting to the rolling text, which I find annoying. If you change it to text that is 'still', it doesn't seem to 'remember' that choice. Doesn't matter whether this is from DAB to FM or vice-versa and also when you switch it on to start with, it's the same.According to Roberts, this cannot be changed.I did ask them to, pointing out that other radios (including their own), will 'remember' if you change it. 2) A socket for a mains adaptor (optional) to recharge batteries 'in-situ', rather than having to remove and replace them each time. All in all, a nice radio and worthy of consideration.As mentioned above (and by other reviewers), using rechargable batteries is highly recommended.

Radio arrived super quick. Well made and attractive radio but like other reviews it is let down by the poor quality headphones. They do not fit in my ears comfortably and the sound is poor but they do provide a strong signal and pulled in over 100 DAB and DAB+ stations. I plugged in my Sony high quality headphones and the sound was superb and also provided a strong and stable signal. I am now using Apple earbuds as a compromise that give good sound and a strong signal. I have some reservations regarding build reliability because already preset 5 does not now work. I will not return the radio and will continue to use it unless something else more serious develops. Before purchasing this Roberts radio I had considered buying a cheaper radio with an internal rechargeable battery but by using rechargeable AA batteries I think this is a better option.

Probably the best little pocket radio ever sound quality alone 5 stars ⭐ well built sturdy fantastic radio this is my second one unfortunately last one I left on train but I quickly bout another around 90 stations 5 presets for favourite stations not rechargeable but don't let that put you off battery life on AA batts bout 1 week using like 3hrs daily I use rechargeable batteries so no issue shop around Amazon like 45 good offer honestly buy it radio 5live radio5xx talk radio talksport 1 and 2 all stored your headphones are your antenna extend your headphones when scanning go near a window or high point in your house or outside now dab works of a bit rate you my have to move around a little to find best signal but I can’t fault this unit I’ve since scanned again 102 stations long press the jog wheel option to change to fm we’re recieve can be slightly better I’m now reckoning on 30 hrs runtime on good rechargeables option to buy case

These are great radios until they fall apart after not a great deal of use. The inner components are very cheaply put together and the station saving buttons end up not working as the tiny scraps of plastic inside fall off or wear out quickly, or displace. This happens to the volume button too. It's a real shame as if they were more robust inside you would not buy a better portable pocket DAB. I've had 4! All have worn out within a year due to the cheap components yet Roberts say they have never had this problem! I am so careful with them but they still end up being useless to use. You may ask why I keep buying them as they are far from cheap in price. Well, that's because I have never found a small DAB as good as these and as easy to use when they are new. I tend to buy when on special offer as the one I am using at the time tends to start to degrade inside and I know I'll have to replace it. The earphones last a couple of months at most as they are also flimsily put together and the wiring breaks at the very slightest pull. These radios are not good value for money, but they would be if they put more hard-wearing components inside. I love them when they are new and working.

Bought in May 2024 for my Dad and it is still working! He is elderly and has early Dementia and still finds it easy to work by himself because the controls are easy! I have needed to replace the earphones numerous times to find the right ones and settled for headphones as he finds them comfy. Also invested in x4 rechargeable batteries and unit. The unit is still going strong! Had to buy new batteries recently as he uses the radio that much(24/7) He loves LBC and has been listening to it since it first started up and refuses to miss his programs! Have purchased a few of these style radios over the past few years and all of them have died. All but this Roberts radio! It is amazing, the strong build quality of this radio for someone that drops things occasionally and still works and the fact Dad can use it with no problems shows me why this company is still around after all these years! I don't know what people are complaining about!

Customers should know that the components of this item are faulty. I have used this radio several times as I generally like it. However, not again. I have had to repeat purchase, due to the slider on/off lock switch ceasing to function within a few weeks, on a number of occasions. Also the earphone inlet fails easily. The sound quality is excellent; the controls are easy to set; the size is handy for pocket; aesthetically pleasing to handle. Very disappointed in what should have been a better quality build. Poor show, Roberts.

This is my second Roberts sports dab radio. Ist one I seem to have worn out the headphones socket after many years of trouble free service. Radio still works but socket loses connection occasionally ( I wonder if Roberts do a repair job from customer support). I prefer plug in headphones rather than bluetooth buds. Roberts is always my go to for small radios. You get what you pay for. And it's battery, 2 x AA. easier to pop in another two when needed. Can't stand those rechargeable things. Best on the market, fully recommend.

Nachtrag: Ich vergebe einen sechsten Stern für die Batterieleistung mit den 2 AAA-Batterien. Seit dem Kauf 3x ca. 7h in Dauernutzung, von den 3 Balken immer noch 2 vorhanden. Gerät ist top

Bono

La prima impressione, mi è appena arrivata, ha un'ottima ricezione e un buon audio, usando cuffie di qualità. Ma anche quelle in dotazione, non sono male. Devo testare la durata delle batterie e la robustezza della radio. I materiali mi sembrano più che buoni, come, le finiture.

Che dire .... Radio DAB davvero buona .... ma migliorabile ! Piccola analisi TECNICA ; - buona ricezione delle stazioni dab digitali - buone le plastiche , bella sensazione al tatto - cuffie discrete , diciamo sopra la norma ... ma non il top ! - ottima la possibilita' di usare solo 2 pile AA o alkaline o meglio ricaricabili , molto bene ! vediamo i minus : - magari un bel colore NERO o argento no ? - mancanza scheda SD , peccato per gli mp3 ! - mancanza del Bluetooth per collegare cuffie senza fili ... - GRAVE solo 5 preset per stazioni DAB e FM ... davvero poche !!! - Prezzo davvero troppo alto per una radio cosi se senza display a colori , GRAVE ! - NON registra dalla radio , GRAVE ! insomma se costasse meno, avesse un bel display TFT o meglio OLED a colori e scheda SD sarebbe davvero il TOP della radio dab portatili .

La porto sempre con me in bicicletta e la ricezione è fantastica ma vivo in una grande città del nord e non saprei come si comporta in altre zone. Le durate delle due batterie AA che io uso ricaricabili è eccellente. Prezzo warehouse eccellente. Se ci devo trovare un difetto: manca il bluetooth che mi impedisce di usare delle cuffiette più comode.