Home > Consumer Reviews > Sony XDR-S1 DAB Digital Radio

I initally purchased a Ferguson(crown) DAB from dixons being told that it was a very good radio, well I couldn't receive any channels despite the postcode search telling me I should, about as much use as a chocolate fire guard comes to mind, so I took it back the next day.

I decided to up my budget, and was torn between an evoke 2 and the sony, well all I can say is that the sony is an excellent radio, clear reception, good looks and simple to use. The sound from this portable is quite exceptional and all the stations popped up straight away, the remote is simple and efficient and is a really worth while item if you are a channel hopper like me. If it could be powered by battery it would get 10 out of 10.

The radio is superb in both build quality and sound reproduction, and looks great. The Mega base pumps out an astounding heavy sound considering the speakers are only 2.3 watt, with more than enough volume for any size room. But the main beauty of this radio is the analogue and DAB radio combined. Should your favourite programme not be avaialble on DAB, it's easy to switch to analogue at the press of a button! The unit can store 40 pre-set stations too! Ten on each wave band.
The digital display is very well defined with large letters and numbers, but not too large to be intrusive.
If there's a down side to this unit, it's the lack of battery power for true portability, and there's not even a battery back-up to retain station memory should the mains power fail.
Overall I would not rate this unit as one of the best I've used, but with time Sony should come up with the goods. I just hope they read people's reviews on their products.

I agree with all comments so far as performance is concerned. But I would support Sony's idea of not including battery operation. DAB and batteries do not go together very well. Look at the battery life for most of the current generation of DAB radios and you will see the point.

Certainly better than the 2 Pures that made a hasty return to the point of purchase.

Overall a typical Sony, well built, efficient, functional and steady.

Pros:
Very sleek design
Solid build
Excellent reception (easily picks up all the DAB stations in my area)
Crystal clear sound
Multi-functions: line-in, line-out, optical-out, timer, etc.
Cons:
Mega Bass is a poor apology for real punchy bass
Built-in handle is user-unfriendly
Information and presets will be lost if unplugged or in case of power failure.
Still a bit pricy

Overall: Good product---Recommended!

After a number of my friends purchased dab radio's i decided to upgrade myself. I chose this unit because of Sony's excellent reputation and the reviews i had seen of it. I have now been using the unit for a week and have found it brilliant. It is very easy to use and all the channels self-tune at the touch of a button the first time you turn it on. The sound is spot on and really powerful for a unit so small. Reception in my area is perfect and for non-dab stations the unit has a feature to reduce hiss on the broadcast which works really well. The only feature lacking is no battery power for portability, however i do not really require this feature so am not too fussed.
Overall i think this is a great unit and the perfect introduction to how DAB should be.