As a portable radio, its sleek and compact design lets me place it anywhere because it is only about the size of a paperback book. The additional sleep function feature is a plus factor for me while listening to it and enjoying a good book at the same time. Naturally, I get so relaxed and fall asleep, but automatic shut-off helps conserve its low capacity for energy life.

Actually, I really have issues about the batteries. Due to its short battery life, either I use the AC adaptor or replace its battery at least every eight hours for continuous usage. I should also mention that when replacing batteries, it is best not to leave it without batteries for more than a minute; because your custom settings will be lost. What’s more, its design has flaws because it cannot stand being plugged into the AC outlet while there are still batteries inside. Doing so will damage your unit. Unlike other devices with battery usage options, this unit does not have a logic gate that automatically disconnects the batteries when it is plugged in to an AC outlet.

All in all, this Sony XDRS55DABB radio does what it is expected of it. It delivers the quality sound you would expect from a Sony device.

The amber backlit LCD is also a nice touch to this device. There is an option for the LCD to animate the text into scrolling. While the text scroll is activated, it is quite a bit of a blur. It may be a slight blur but some people with poor eyesight may find it hard to read. Anyway, this function can always be switched off at will. Quite a shame though that the LCD amber light only switches on when you press a button. Maybe it is why this device does not consume a lot of power.

The flywheel makes navigating the menus a whole lot easier. You can also feel secure that the flywheel will not move while inside your pocket. A built in scroll lock acts like the hold button in other electronic devices. The battery consumption is good considering I use it almost everyday. It only uses two AA batteries unlike other DAB radios that consume four.

The earphones are quite a good inclusion to the package too. I find them rather comfortable, although the volume is a bit flimsy to adjust especially when choosing stations. I only think that it would be better if it has built in speakers. It only has a provision for headphones. The package does not include a case but a useful adaptor comes along.

To sum it up, a great interface, a good sound quality, great functionality, good signal reception, low power consumption and a large LCD screen makes this radio another great addition to products made by Roberts. In fact, after owning several DAB radios I feel like I’m already an authority on Dab Radio for deciding wisely on this one.

The built-in speakers considering that it’s a stereo, can be a let down. I would rather opt to using headphones to get the stereo effect, I want. Some stations sound muffled just because of the speakers. In addition to other cool features, it has a class-leading battery life, which can last really long, although the 30 hours for DAB and 80 hours for FM, is not something I’d keep track on.

Some functions like the sixteen preset stations are a plus factor for me. From there, I can set eight FM stations and eight DAB stations. This way searching your favorite station will not be a hassle. The nice LCD screen provides a readable scrolling information about track and artists, news and sports updates.

This Pure Élan Portable Stereo also has a clock synchronized with DAB stations so you won’t have to worry if your time setting is right. It also has this neat sleep function so you can variably set the time for it to shut off automatically. It would have been better if it had an alarm function along with the sleep function.

Pure Élan Portable Stereo DAB/FM Digital Radio is convenient and quite easy to use. The speakers are merely for aesthetic effects and really don’t affect the capability of the Stereo DAB/FM Digital Radio unit as a stand alone radio; I think they only threw in the speakers so the radio set could be quoted at a higher price. If not for the mediocre speaker, Pure Élan Portable Stereo DAB radio is worth its price.

Although I’m a DAB skeptic I’m starting to like my PocketDAB 1500 because it does everything it should as mentioned in its packaging. Surprisingly, this radio is very easy to use. The sound quality is quite good, although occasionally there are hissing sounds. I tried using headphones hoping for a better sound, but the problem remained. I tried contacting the customer support and all they said was that this hissing sound was normal.

The setback of this radio is that it has the annoying downsides of a DAB. The broadcast delay is still there, as well as the choppy connection. Since DAB is not that popular, there are a lot of dead spots. There are places that can render your unit useless; in fact, I heard that there are countries that do not have DAB broadcasts available.

What I like about it most is the power pack of the device. You don’t have to worry about purchasing expensive batteries everytime because the whole unit can be charged like a mobile phone. I also like the battery gauge that alerts me if I’m running low on power. For me a full charge lasts for a week of average usage.

Its greatest convenient feature is the easy to manage navigation controls. I can even use it in bed without having to worry that I’ll press the wrong button in the dark. A toggle button provides most access to its controls simplifying the menu navigation process

Overall, I think PURE PocketDAB 1500 is a good device considering it is a DAB radio. Therefore, if you are just looking for a DAB radio then, I highly recommend this product.

Sporting a sleek, brushed metallic look, and a rubber back, its back stand, makes it possible for me to set in on my desk at an upright position. The speakers are good, it can deliver good quality sound for both FM and DAB broadcasts. Where other high-tech DAB radio fails, this palm-sized DAB is capable of stereo quality sound, headphones on or not.

Although I would not recommend on kicking it up to full volume, the speaker sound deteriorates as the volume goes up. You’ll hear a rattling sound coming off to surface once it reaches peak volume. It has an aux input so you can make use of it as a mini amplifier; in fact, I sometimes connect it to my iPod for that purpose.

What’s highly pleasing about it is its battery life, since I use it for at least two hours a day and I would only need to charge it once every month. Finding energy efficiency in these, kinds of devices are rare.

The PURE Move can store up to ten preset stations on FM and DAB. I like this function because it takes away the hassle of tuning it in each time you turn it on.

PURE Move Portable Rechargeable palm-sized DAB/FM Radio, it’s high-tech in the real sense of the word.

EPG stands for Electronic Program Guide. It can help remind you about radio programs and their schedules. With this function, you can set your DAB radio to record the program at the time of the broadcast. It can automatically do that with the help of DAB. This way you will never have to miss another episode of your radio programs.

With the DAB, you can get more stations, less interference (this means less buzzing and crackling sound from your radio), and other additional features like automatic time synchronization and EPG. EPG or Electronic Program Guide helps you remember that you have certain stations or programs you don’t want to miss.

DAB radios are different because these radios use digital signals rather than analog signals. Think of it this way, the DAB uses fixed values of ones and zeros to transmit data. This way there is little or no chance of getting the signals damaged by electronic interference.

This is because the digital signals received are temporarily stored in a DAB unit cache. The cache is somewhat like a temporary storage for digital data. With this, you can go back to the previous data from as back as the DAB radio can remember.

The reason is that they use different methods of transmission. The analog radio gets its signals from the analog signals made to bounce in the upper atmosphere. While DAB radios send or broadcast directly from the transmission points in the same ways in which cell phones get their signals.