Home > Consumer Reviews > Roberts RD21B(ECO4) Ecologic 4 DAB/FM RDS Digital Stereo Radio wth up to 150 Hours Battery Life - Black
Roberts RD21B(ECO4) Ecologic 4 DAB/FM RDS Digital Stereo Radio wth up to 150 Hours Battery Life - Black
See it at Amazon.co.uk for £69.00Average Customer Rating
(4.5 out of 5)
Amazon Customer Reviews
Most Helpful First | Newest First | + Share98 of 98 people found the following review helpful:
A great DAB Radio
(5 out of 5) by Charley Farley on Aug 28, 2008 (Staffordshire, England)I bought this radio for my wife for a Christmas present and I was so impressed with it that I bought one for myself to use in my garden shed whilst pottering about.
When you first switch it on it searches for all the digital radio stations that can be found in your area. You can then assign these stations to one of 5 buttons, pressing another button lets you set another 5 presets making 10 in all - plenty for me. The sound is great - clear and sharp. Separate treble and bass buttons alow you to make the adjustments you need for your own personal ear. The 9.5 x 2cm display has various settings including a streamed display of the current programme. Tuning is by pressing the "up" and "down" buttons to go through the programmes stored on the radio or by a tuning knob.
The radio looks classy with a black finish and blue display (there are other colour versions).
I haven't yet used the radio on battery, but Roberts claim 150 hours battery life which seems a long time to me. Sorry that I can't confirm this yet.
Overall you can buy this with confidence that you will be getting a good looking radio that sounds great.
When you first switch it on it searches for all the digital radio stations that can be found in your area. You can then assign these stations to one of 5 buttons, pressing another button lets you set another 5 presets making 10 in all - plenty for me. The sound is great - clear and sharp. Separate treble and bass buttons alow you to make the adjustments you need for your own personal ear. The 9.5 x 2cm display has various settings including a streamed display of the current programme. Tuning is by pressing the "up" and "down" buttons to go through the programmes stored on the radio or by a tuning knob.
The radio looks classy with a black finish and blue display (there are other colour versions).
I haven't yet used the radio on battery, but Roberts claim 150 hours battery life which seems a long time to me. Sorry that I can't confirm this yet.
Overall you can buy this with confidence that you will be getting a good looking radio that sounds great.
72 of 74 people found the following review helpful:
Focus on battery power and comparing this to my first DAB radio.
(5 out of 5) by Mr. S. J. Bowers on Jul 15, 2008 (Cheadle UK)I was after a DAB radio with long battery life, with punchy sound and easy to use. Roberts claim a wopping 150 hours using six D size alkaline batteries. "Which" report found 81 hours when they tested it. So it probably lies somewhere between the two figures, depending on sound volume, and quality of batteries used. This is streets ahead of any other DAB radio presently on the market.
The first DAB radio I bought several years ago was the first edition of the Pure Elan, bought for the same reason as the Roberts ie battery life. At the time, other radios gave 5-10 Hours battery life, whereas Pure claimed 30 Hours with the Elan using 6 of the smaller C type batteries. I found using Duracell + batteries this was correct, however the sound was very, disappointing, muffled, muddy with no treble.
So with the RD-21, Roberts have extended the battery life ( although using the larger D type batteries )by about 3 or 4 times that of the Pure Elan. So is there a catch ?
Absoultely not !!! Obviously technology has moved on. Roberts will be using chips that consume far less power than the earlier Pure Elan. But soundwise, these 2 radios are like chalk and cheese. The 21 has separate Bass and Treble controls which give great tonal adjustment. Speach sounds suberb, great for radio 4 and 7. For music output it obviously can't compete with the bass output from a subwoffer, but in a small room gives excellent presence and balance, and the opportunity to subdue the midrange by wacking up both bass and treble ( the way I like it ! ). Very impressive indeed, for the size of radio.
Simplicity itself to setup and use, with a large display on the top, excellent battery life, fantastic sound, and a radio you can pick up and take into the bathroom, or the garden shed, without having to change the batteries every fortnight.
PS It was not my intention to make a generalised comparison between the sound qualiy of Pure radios and Roberts radios, only the 2 specific models mentioned. I have owned and used the Pure Evoke 3 virtually every day for the past 2 years, and is in my opinion the best DAB radio sofar built.
The first DAB radio I bought several years ago was the first edition of the Pure Elan, bought for the same reason as the Roberts ie battery life. At the time, other radios gave 5-10 Hours battery life, whereas Pure claimed 30 Hours with the Elan using 6 of the smaller C type batteries. I found using Duracell + batteries this was correct, however the sound was very, disappointing, muffled, muddy with no treble.
So with the RD-21, Roberts have extended the battery life ( although using the larger D type batteries )by about 3 or 4 times that of the Pure Elan. So is there a catch ?
Absoultely not !!! Obviously technology has moved on. Roberts will be using chips that consume far less power than the earlier Pure Elan. But soundwise, these 2 radios are like chalk and cheese. The 21 has separate Bass and Treble controls which give great tonal adjustment. Speach sounds suberb, great for radio 4 and 7. For music output it obviously can't compete with the bass output from a subwoffer, but in a small room gives excellent presence and balance, and the opportunity to subdue the midrange by wacking up both bass and treble ( the way I like it ! ). Very impressive indeed, for the size of radio.
Simplicity itself to setup and use, with a large display on the top, excellent battery life, fantastic sound, and a radio you can pick up and take into the bathroom, or the garden shed, without having to change the batteries every fortnight.
PS It was not my intention to make a generalised comparison between the sound qualiy of Pure radios and Roberts radios, only the 2 specific models mentioned. I have owned and used the Pure Evoke 3 virtually every day for the past 2 years, and is in my opinion the best DAB radio sofar built.
22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
ROBERTS RULES
(5 out of 5) by Af Holmes on Jul 5, 2009 (GB UK)This is a superb radio with a very detailed sound.
As a former music teacher I am very aware of tone and this little radio has good bass for the size. I use it for Jazz FM on DAB . The only thing to watch is to move the ariel and rotate the radio to get 0 error in the signal error display.
You can easily disconnect the mains and carry it to any room or the garden.Haven't had it long enough to check battery life but I would believe 150 hrs at four hours a day. Surprisingly loud for its size.
As good as it gets for the money. Why pay double for a Pure Evoke? I bought one for my sister.
As a former music teacher I am very aware of tone and this little radio has good bass for the size. I use it for Jazz FM on DAB . The only thing to watch is to move the ariel and rotate the radio to get 0 error in the signal error display.
You can easily disconnect the mains and carry it to any room or the garden.Haven't had it long enough to check battery life but I would believe 150 hrs at four hours a day. Surprisingly loud for its size.
As good as it gets for the money. Why pay double for a Pure Evoke? I bought one for my sister.
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
Great Radio
(5 out of 5) by John A. R. Hay on Jul 9, 2009 (London)I bought this radio to use in my bathroom so only use it on battery, I've had it for months now & still not changed the batteries the battery life for a digital radio is amazing.
Also great looking in black & great sound. I love it & would reccommend this radio to anyone.
Also great looking in black & great sound. I love it & would reccommend this radio to anyone.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
GREAT QUALITY - GREAT SOUND
(5 out of 5) by Mr. B. P. M. Scott on Jul 30, 2009 (Lancashire)I have recently purchased this radio from Amazon at a competitive price, plus the bonus of free delivery.
As soon as I set up all my favourite radio stations,I was very impressed with the sound quality, and clarity. Additionally, this is quite a heavy product for it's size, which immediately tells you that this is a real quality product. Great,I'm extremely pleased, a first class radio.
As soon as I set up all my favourite radio stations,I was very impressed with the sound quality, and clarity. Additionally, this is quite a heavy product for it's size, which immediately tells you that this is a real quality product. Great,I'm extremely pleased, a first class radio.