Audio News

You are viewing the archives of radio.

Internet radio also known by a number of other names such as web radio, net radio and e-radio, is a new type of radio introduced in the market with FM, DAB and Wi-Fi facilities. Audio broadcasting on the Internet is usually done by a process called web casting where transmission happens through wireless means from internet radio stations. With the help of a streaming medium, the listeners are presented with a continuous stream of audio. Such services are accessible from any corner of the world. Thus, you can listen to an American station sitting in your living room in Japan. Every format that is available on a traditional radio station is also offered by an Internet radio service.

Roberts WM202 Stream 202 is the first portable FM and DAB radio with Wi-Fi facility. With this fully portable, and did we mention actually rather cheap internet radio, you can listen to more than 10,000 radio stations from around the whole world and more than 1000 from UK. Using the “Listen Again” feature, you can listen to the materials that have already been broadcasted by BBC. The Internet radio has 15 preset radio stations and two alarm timers. The Robert WM202 comes with a headphone socket and auxiliary input sockets for MP3 players and Apple iPods.

The Pure Evoke Flow is another brand of Internet radio available in the market nowadays. The total power output of this Internet radio is 7 watt and the playback formats that are compatible with it are AAC, WAV, WMA, MP3 and RealAudio. It has a dimension of 175 X 210 X 110 mm and comes with headphone and line out outputs.

When it is said that history repeats itself, it’s true in a sense if fashion industry or the electronic products are considered. No matter how modern things get, we always depend on the older things as a medium that forms the base. Take for example radios; they are supposed to be lost in the junk on your store-room. People in the modern era prefer using iPods and MP3 players for enjoying music rather than radios because they are portable and small and can be carried along anywhere unlike the radio.

Whatever the perception towards radio is, a new type of radio has been introduced in the market with DAB, FM and Wi-Fi facilities. The Roberts WM202 Stream 202 is the world’s first portable FM and DAB radio with internet facility. This radio allows the user to connect to any station in the world and also provides the user a chance to listen to the previously broadcasted BBC channels with the “listen again” feature. A broadband internet connection is required and the user can browse through numerous radio channels from around the world. The Roberts WM202 Stream 202 has a very intuitive menu system and can be easily navigated to find the right channel. It has 2 alarm timers and 15 preset radio stations. The Roberts WM202 Stream 202 also helps the user to play his/her music collection from the PC. The Roberts WM202 Stream 202 also includes headphone socket and auxiliary input sockets for Apple iPods and MP3 players. The Roberts WM202 Stream 202 is compatible with MP3, Real and WMA file formats. With dimensions of 300 x 174 x 115 mm and weighing 1.47 kg, the Roberts WM202 Stream 202 can be operated by batteries as well as with AC adapters.

Proline is a brand of electronic products made by KESA Electricals. In the modern times were radios are considered out-fashioned Proline DAB401, a DAB radio is introduced to revive the past glory of radio.

The Proline DAB401 is a DAB digital radio with 5 preset FM radio stations. With dimensions of 1.4 x 2.5 x 1.5 cm this DAB radio comes in the colour of Beige and Brown. The DAB digital tuner of the Proline DAB401 offers more choices to the user with improved sound quality. It also provides extra information on broadcasts and no re-tuning is required to listen to these broadcasts.

The preset FM channels of the Proline DAB401 allows the user to listen to their favourite radio channels which can be programmed into the tuner easily and accessed by the touch of a button afterwards. The Proline DAB401 can be operated directly from the main line or by the use of batteries. The Proline DAB401 DAB radio also includes connection for headphones meaning that the user can plug in headphones to listen to music.

The Proline DAB401 can also display time and date. This DAB radio also includes scrolling text display which means that names of radio stations, artist, songs, phone numbers etc can be viewed. The user can tune the radio by scrolling through the list of station names or name of songs and listen to them. The Proline DAB401 has a total power output of 1.5 watts. A menu display is provided in the Proline DAB401 to view the various menu functions of the radio. C 6 batteries are required to play the radio if the main line adapter is not in use. The Proline DAB401 comes with a one year warranty period.

The new Sony CMT-LX40I is a Hi-Fi system that is built to produce high quality sound and utmost musical experience. The Sony CMT-LX40I has a combination of iPod dock, CD player and Dab radio, so you can play whatever you want, and whenever you want. Electronics giant Sony is well known for its high quality and innovative products, and with the launch of Sony CMT-LX40I Sony has made another remarkable product for the electronic market.

Due to its sleek, modern and compact design, the Sony CMT-LX40I can fit into any part of your home very easily. The iPod dock of the Sony CMT-LX40I is designed in such a way that it can play all your favourite songs from iPods, Touch and Apple iPhone, as well as charge the device plugged into it. The Sony CMT-LX40I system also has built-in CD player and FM radio. The CD player of the Sony CMT-LX40I not only plays CD-R and CD-RW but it also plays MP3s. There is also the inclusion of DAB and FM radio in the Sony CMT-LX40I (CMTLX40I). The incredible Sony CMT-LX40I system has the storage ability of 20 DAB radio stations, 20 FM and 10 AM stations. So you can listen to your favourite radio channels with better and supreme quality sound. The Sony CMT-LX40I system has a sound output of 10W which adds a brand new dimension to your music listening experience.

The Sony CMT-LX40I system also has a line-in on the front that helps you play your MP3 player, mobile phones or even the old walkman perfectly. This system also has a remote control which makes it possible to operate it from anywhere in your room. The Sony CMT-LX40I system is an excellent device that will enrich the sound quality of the music being played.

Cowon S9 16 GB is one of the most sophisticated MP3 players. Its marvellous functionality coupled with excellent performance makes it stand tall among its competitors. The amazing picture and sound quality really hook you to this wonderful device. The Cowon player comes with 3.3” AMOLED touchscreen with 480 x 272 display resolutions and 16 million colour display which increases its picture quality manifold. It has 16 GB flash memory which can store up to 4000 songs and a lot many videos and photographs. The player from the Korean manufacturer Cowon supports MP3, WMA, OGG, FLAC, WAV and APE audio formats, JPEG image formats and AVI and WMV for video, which helps the users to get maximum entertainment without hassles.

Cowon S9 16 GB has much greater battery life in comparison to other MP3 players. You can hear 55 hours of audio and 11 hours of video on a single charge and the best part is the battery could be recharged in just 5 hours. It is well known for its sound quality and it could be best operated from 0 to 40 degree temperature. The company offers 1 year warranty on this product which shows the great faith of the company on this product’s quality and make. It also has built in FM radio which allows listener to tune into any FM stations between 87.5 to 108 MHz. The Cowon S9 16GB comes with highly speedy USB 2.0 interface which allows quick downloading. It comes with text file viewing functionality and is highly compatible with operating systems like Windows Vista/XP/2000/ME, MAC OS 10.X and even with Linux v2.4 or higher. Cowon S9 16 GB comes with 500 dual core processor which gives it amazing speed. Although it is 2.2” x 4.17” x 0.5” in dimension and weighs just 2.7 oz, it is packed with unparallel functionalities which makes it the best buy for the customers.

The RCA Infinite RIR 200 is the latest table top internet radio from Acoustic Research. This internet radio is not only capable of pulling in thousands of internet radio stations from across the world, but also has the ability to access the Slacker music services as precisely and neatly as over the air AM/FM radio. Slacker has an API which allows the service to essentially be built-in to internet connected devices.

This RCA Infinite Radio features regular analogue AM/FM, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g, USB host and a weather forecast. This weather forecast feature will even interrupt what you are listening to especially in case of the weather emergency bulletin. Although this internet radio doesn’t really seem to be capable of pulling audio files from the networked PC, it can still play WMA, MP3 and real audio music files from USB enabled flash drive. This RCA infinite radio has this unique capability of recording internet radio or over the air to the device’s built in 512MB memory for future listening however the records cannot be really transported.

The best part about this internet radio is that it is available with its wide range of extensive features for £65 less than other standard internet radios like the Roberts WM201. This counter top radio has earned its name through support for both usual Am and FM broadcasts and is undoubtedly the most affordable Wi-Fi radio till date.

The Sonos Bundle 150, or most commonly known as BU 150, is the latest hi-fi radio which provides you with everything that you will need to play wirelessly in multiple rooms of your house. This device is just a great example of a combination of software, and hardware intersecting perfectly. The BU 150 uses the Wi-Fi network in order to access the music collection from either your PC or Mac and finally streams it to as many zones as you would opt for. This hi-fi radio is much smaller in size and has a better amplifying power and a better Wi-Fi range than its predecessors.

This package includes ZP120 which is the main zone player, ZP90 which is the additional zone player and the excellent remote control that the company is known for. This small and compact unit alone is capable of providing ample of power to the speakers and can also control the switching between the sound sources as well as the track navigation. It is very important that at least one part of the Sonos BU150 is connected to a wireless router via Ethernet so as to pull the music from your PC as well as the content from different services like Pandora and Rhapsody.

The star of the show is the remote control which makes the navigation quite fast and quick with its 3.5 inch screen, scroll wheel and sensibly placed buttons. It is quite intuitive and supports an amazing user interface. It’s quite surprising that this hi-fi radio is easier and simpler to set up on a Mac than PC. All in all it is a perfect solution for all the music lovers with several music tastes and in many rooms in the same house.

If you are looking for a very smart and trendy home cinema system which will not only win your hearts by its sheer looks, but also bring satisfaction to people who want quality A/V products at affordable prices, then look no further than the Sony DAV F-200 home cinema system. The main unit holds a DVD player, an audio processing unit along with a radio tuner and its looks and elegance are unmatched. It also has the option of wall mounting with a bracket (optional) or can be arranged with a vertical stand.

The aesthetic of design can be felt from the fact that the playback controls are underneath on the silver section and get illuminated with a white light and the disc slot is also discreetly located on the right side. The Sony DAV-F200’s speakers are attractively slim, and compliment the main unit and the subwoofer. Further the back side connections are also covered by a panel which can be removed and the HDMI port offers up to 1080p resolutions. There is also a provision of coaxial input / output, optical digital audio input and provision of external audio gear through a pair of analogue phonos, a USB port for audio players for AAC, WMA and MP3 files, mobile phones and memory devices and also the DivX files from CD or DVD.

The set up is simple and once connected, you have option for quick set up or the custom set ups and the operating system of the unit is intuitive and works with great speed. The S-Master amplifier gives real power to Sound. The bass is excellent and the top end frequencies and the midrange perform outstandingly. Similarly the picture quality produced was also impressive with rich colours but still looked natural coupled with sharpness gives life like images.

To sum up a stylish and attractive home cinema packed with features and reproducing quality sound and life like picture at affordable price.

Samsung has always been known for its stylish products and great features. The new YP-S3 MP3 player just lives up to the reputation. It’s a sleek, attractive and light weight model and the design resembles a candy bar. Available in Blue, Black, Pink and white colors the shape and weight have been designed in such a way that its appearance is quite sturdy, the surface is not very shiny to eliminate the problem of always cleaning the fingerprint marks and at the same time it is also very handy and easy to carry, in fact it will fit in your pocket.

The S3 controls are pretty attractive and user friendly as even persons with large fingers/ hands will easily be able to operate through buttons which are touch sensitive and they illuminate only when they are powered. The menu is also intelligently laid out by providing the sorting by artists and albums etc. However one feels that the interface could have been a bit more active, but it is not a limiting factor.

It supports the Playlists offering a lot of shuffle and loop modes and the facility of Music files being copied to the PC just by dragging them. With a 5 band equalizer and Digital Natural Sound engine, the Samsung YP-S3JCB has been ensured that a good sound quality is delivered with emphasis on balancing the natural effect and richness in sound and also special care has been taken on the detailing of the sound reproduction. The ear buds are also attractive and comfortable to use.

You have the facility of Video playback and with a good TFT screen size of 1.8” the clarity and brightness are very good. It also has loads of additional feature like facility of picture viewer, quite a few interesting games, FM radio and PIM functions.

If you own an iPod Touch and are looking for stylish iPod docks, then the Philips DC910 is an ideal choice. It will not only compliment your iPod with its sleek looks and wall mounting ability, but it will also enhance the looks of your modern furniture and latest television cabinets but also deliver 30 watt of power with real depth in its bass to produce quality music.

A lot of detailed attention has been given to give it an attractive look and this slim docking entertainment system is as wide as 50 cm across breath but is just about 20 cm in height. The combination of shiny silver and glossy black with the contrasting matte black colour on the back side of the system further adds to its eye catchy looks. The Philips DC910’s controls are at the bottom and are quite simple to operate with proper labeling and a small LCD screen. The remote control is also very trendy and compact.

The DC910 is compatible with almost every iPod which has a dock port connector excluding iPod shuffle because of the proprietary iPod dock port feature in the system and you can also rotate the dock connector for video playback. The good thing is that while you browse your files with the remote control, it simultaneously charges your iPod. It also has two auxiliary ports for connecting SD/MMC cards or USB flash drive for MP3 and WMA music files playback.

The sound is rich and excellent with depth in the bass provided by the dual woofers and smoothness provided by the mid-range. The volume is impressive and sufficient to fill a reasonable size room with good music.

It also features an FM radio of 20 presets and with the touch of a button activate the automatic programming functions.