Internet Radio - Recommendations

[Guest]

Mrs yyy would like an internet radio and I would be most grateful if any members could provide recommendations. She mostly listens to Radio 4 via the iPlayer and would like one that could be easily moved about.

[mangerton]

I find that my smart phone and/or iPad are useful as portable internet radios, or indeed for listening again via the iPlayer.

[Dave2002]

Bit of a tricky one this, as it depends on cost and other factors. I have a Logitech Squeezebox Boom, which isn't really too portable - and could do with a handle. Also, I note the price has gone up quite a bit since I bought mine. It does have some good features though - sound quality is reasonable, and it also works with ALAC lossless recordings. If you and mrs yyy are not intending to use this to listen to music from your own server, then that doesn't matter very much.

Another issue is which internet radio stations to listen to. There are many free ones, but some have better audio quality channels which require payment. Some so-called internet radios come with subscriptions to some of the more common services, and it might be useful to know what's coming with the kit. For example, I discovered RadioIO a few years ago, when I bought a cheapish Philips streamer (nla) - the quality isn't great, but the music selection is generally good. Also the device quality does make a difference. This afternoon I listened to some tracks from Napster via the Squeezebox Boom - and they really didn't sound bad at all. Tracks from Napster may not sound brilliant when played through really good kit, but they can be very acceptable with some equipment.

The reviews on some of the Pure units, e.g http://www.amazon.co.uk/PURE-EVOKE-P...4249534&sr=1-1 - seem variable.

I'd hesitate to recommend anything under £100. I have had similar thoughts myself, but I couldn't see much that was really good for less. As a result I wonder whether in fact to do something like these instead -
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-SRSGU10...4249093&sr=8-6 or http://www.amazon.co.uk/Logitech-Pur...249148&sr=8-18 or http://www.amazon.co.uk/Logitech-Rec...249179&sr=8-33 - just as an affordable Christmas present which could be used by the recipient while working - as she already has iPods/iPads etc.

Incidentally, a similar, but more more expensive device is the Bose iPod dock - it's not at all portable, and costs a small fortune, but I was really surprised at a friend who has one which he takes around with him, and the sound quality is really good considering what it is. A hefty and expensive thing to buy as a Christmas present though - http://www.amazon.co.uk/SoundDock%C2...4249414&sr=1-4

[tony yyy]

Thanks for the reply, dave2002. I settled for one from Pure in the end. Not all the reviews are positive but it claims to do most of the things Mrs yyy is likely to want - mainly listen to the iPlayer. It also has FM and DAB and can stream from a PC (I think - I haven't opened it yet). The Roberts ones are popular but the reviews suggest they lack any facility for fast-forward/rewind of the iplayer, which would be quite an inconvenience. I considered the Logitech units but I was put off by the seeming reliance on their own servers, although I'm not sure I completely understood quite what that involves.

[Dave2002]

Tony

Will be interested to hear more about the Pure Internet Radio when it and the excitement have settled down. Might be useful for our birthday season which follows not long after Christmas.

Enjoy the holidays.

[tony yyy]

In case it's of any interest, I thought I'd relate our experience so far. Our model has DAB and FM as well as internet radio, so I've experienced the delights of "bubbling mud" for the first time. In fact, DAB reception isn't too bad in our kitchen, so we've been using that for 'live' radio.

The internet radio bit seems to work quite well. It doesn't work quite how I'd expected: I'd assumed that you'd just enter the URL of whatever you wanted to listen to, perhaps in conjunction with some sort of browser. Instead, you connect through Pure's web portal which recognises your device once you've registered it. Navigating through the possible sources from the device itself is rather tedious as it only has a small screen and the names don't generally fit so you can only read them as the text scrolls across. However, you can log in to the portal from a standard browser and organise your own folders. These can then be accessed from the device much more easily and if you have, e.g., Composer of the Week in one of your folders, all available episodes can be seen. "Listen Again" programmes seem to work without any glitches and it's possible to pause, fast-forward, etc., although it's more difficult to do than it is from a PC. Unfortunately, it doesn't remember where you've got to if you switch it off and if there's one thing I'd like to see improved, this is it.

It can also stream files from a media server. Pure have their own media server, which I haven't tried, but Windows Media Player seems to work adequately.

The sound quality is quite good for a device of its size and Mrs yyy is pleased with it.

[amateur51]

In case it's of any interest, I thought I'd relate our experience so far. Our model has DAB and FM as well as internet radio, so I've experienced the delights of "bubbling mud" for the first time. In fact, DAB reception isn't too bad in our kitchen, so we've been using that for 'live' radio.

The internet radio bit seems to work quite well. It doesn't work quite how I'd expected: I'd assumed that you'd just enter the URL of whatever you wanted to listen to, perhaps in conjunction with some sort of browser. Instead, you connect through Pure's web portal which recognises your device once you've registered it. Navigating through the possible sources from the device itself is rather tedious as it only has a small screen and the names don't generally fit so you can only read them as the text scrolls across. However, you can log in to the portal from a standard browser and organise your own folders. These can then be accessed from the device much more easily and if you have, e.g., Composer of the Week in one of your folders, all available episodes can be seen. "Listen Again" programmes seem to work without any glitches and it's possible to pause, fast-forward, etc., although it's more difficult to do than it is from a PC. Unfortunately, it doesn't remember where you've got to if you switch it off and if there's one thing I'd like to see improved, this is it.

It can also stream files from a media server. Pure have their own media server, which I haven't tried, but Windows Media Player seems to work adequately.

The sound quality is quite good for a device of its size and Mrs yyy is pleased with it.

Many thanks for this review, tony yyy. Very interesting

[Nick Armstrong]

Here's one for early music fans, by reference to my earlier post there: http://www.for3.org/forums/showthrea...518#post122518

[joeyrussell37]

I've been using the LookeeTV for a while now, and it works wonderfully! The device produces amazing sound, and provides many radio stations from across the world. It conveniently sorts the stations based on language, genre and country of origin, so I can find what I like. I can also hook up my iPod into the device to play the music on it.
The LookeeTV is small enough to place beside my bed, and it can act as an alarm clock. I can also watch Internet TV on it, and watch channels not normally found from my TV provider. The video quality is amazing, 720p, and I can even hook it onto my HDTV and watch the shows on the big screen.
All in all, I highly recommend it to you! Hope I helped you.

Joey Russell

[french frank]

Hello, Joey

It looks as if the Lookee isn't available from retailers in the UK yet which may be a drawback for those who want to see how it works and give it a try. But it could be coming .... Another point might be that it would be better to put the same money into a dedicated radio - if it's the internet radio stations you really want.

[Resurrection Man]

I smell SPAM.

[mangerton]

I smell SPAM.

Yes, I think you could very well be right.

[french frank]

I posted an alternative weblink (and now deleted the original one) which will allow anyone interested to explore

[kernelbogey]

Cali - don't you have a bit of kit which does all this and you can record to card? And does that mean you can store the file on your computer? I seem to remember this from another thread along the same lines.