Home > Consumer Reviews > Alba TRDAB2820 - Portable DAB Radio with FM - White/Blue

The first thing you notice is that the build quality is excellent. I've looked at other DAB radios in this price range and I would say that this is as good as you'll get.

Setting up is easy - just turn it on and it scans for available stations. After that it's just a matter of allocating your favourite stations to one of the 10 presets if you want. It remembers all your settings after being disconnected from the mains.

AC power is via one of the figure-eight cables, so the transformer is contained within the radio - as opposed to having one of external plug/transformers hanging from your wall socket.

All the controls are on the front panel and are push buttons in a 3 x 5 square layout. This could be better with shaped or bigger buttons for the more frequently used functions like volume and station selection.

The display is clear and has all the usual DAB features but an indication of the volume level would be nice.

Sound via the internal speaker is a bit lightweight but the sound is well balanced from the headphone socket - I listen via stereo speakers on either side on my monitor and this set up works very well.

Throw in FM tuning, phono line-out and I don't think that you could do better for fifty quid.

Pros

Excellent reception and easy of use. Plenty of features, and good sound through headphone socket.

Cons

Minor quibbles really, but there's no indication of the volume setting and the control panel could be laid out a bit better.

I brought one of these radios in Tescos just before christmas and fell in love with it!! It has excellent sound quality for a portable radio (infact much better than my friends very expensive DAB portable)I found it very easy to use and so did my 80 year old technophobic Grandmother. I would highly reccommend it. But the reason for the tile "Sadly missed" is becauseI must of had a faulty one as while listening intently to Dad's Army the other morning there was a pop/bang and smoke came out of the back and it died. Horrified I raced to Tesco for a exchange but alas it was a seasonal item, so I only got a refund not a replacement. So I am now on the prowl for a good deal to replace it. If you are looking for a easy, no fuss, no frills decent DAB/FM radio this is the one to go for without a doubt. But an important fact to remember never leave any electrical item on while you are not there!

There is a constant low hum interference on the digital tuner. Since digital radio is suppose to be all about interference free reception, this constant background hum sought of defeats the purpose of having a digital radio. It's okay for listening to around the house on a high sound volume (to drown out that background interference) but if you want to enjoy your listening experience on headphones or on a low volume, forget it.

What a buy this was,cheap price,stylish look and superb quality digital sound.Lacks a bit of bass,but nearly 30 stations to choose from.No more hissing,drifting off station poor quality fm radio for me!

I have now had this radio for about 16 months, and must say it is excellent value for money. The only drawback is that is only mono so the sound quality could be better.

Worth buying for budget users