Radios

Why Buy a Radio Nowadays?

Listening to the radio is perfect for discovering new music and finding out what's going on in the world.

How to Choose a Radio?

When choosing a radio, it is important to be clear about where and how you will use it. Will you listen to the cricket while gardening or are you after a radio with a CD player? We classify radios into different groups according to key parameters.

The Type of Radio Tuner is Crucial for the Radio Receiver

These days, radio is not just about AM and FM bands. Digital radio receivers with DAB+ support are far more commonplace. Digital radio broadcasting has much better sound quality and will soon replace analogue broadcasting completely.

• Classic AM and FM radios receive conventional analogue broadcasts on long or short wave signals.
• DAB radios have a much better sound. You can use them off the beaten track, where ordinary waves do not reach.
• Internet radios need to connect to the network but do allow you to listen to stations from all over the world.

Some Radios Are Adapted for Specific Purposes

You can also choose radios based on how and where you will use them. Their design often varies depending on the application.

• Portable radios are lightweight and battery-operated. They have smaller dimensions or a holder for convenient carrying.
• Kitchen radios are small but loud. They often come with a remote to give you easy control while you cook.
• Bathroom and shower radios should be waterproof, battery-operated and happy to listen to your singing.
• Jobsite radios feature an extra-durable design, decent performance and convenient battery-pack power.

Radios—Not Only for Listening to Radio Broadcasts

Radios can also provide other useful functions and serve as a design accessory in your home. Some allow you to play digital media from CDs, USBs and SD cards, while others support analogue cassettes.

• Radio alarm clocks combine two devices and provide a pleasant way to wake up each day.
• Boomboxes play music from CDs and cassettes.
• Retro radios add a touch of old-fashioned style to your interior. However, you'll probably find a digital radio lurking inside.

Design and Size Are Also Important for Home Radios

If you are thinking about buying a radio for your home, you should pay attention to the design and dimensions. You can filter our selection of radios by colour, or look for special features. Some devices have a display, extendable antenna or carry handle (but beware of the weight). Children's radios often have designs with popular cartoon characters. If you're struggling for space at home, you can choose a radio by width, height and depth down to the last millimetre.

Make Sure You Have Batteries for the Journey

If you want to take your radio on trips or off the beaten track where there is no electricity, you'll need to know about its power supply. You can power radios directly from the mains or by using batteries. Today's radios usually support both power options. A backup battery in the radio keeps accurate time during a power outage. If you travel by train a lot or need to listen without disturbing others, the option to connect headphones via a 3.5mm Jack comes in handy.

Other Useful Radio Functions

Radios offer plenty of other features to extend their use.

• Radios with USB play your favourite playlists from a flash drive. It's a good idea to check that your preferred format is supported.
• MP3 radios support MP3 digital playback, often including WMA and FLAC formats.
• Radios with microphones are perfect for karaoke fans to sing along to their favourite tunes.
• Automatic tuning searches for all available radio stations in your area and saves them.
• A Remote Control makes listening to the radio more comfortable—you don't even have to get up from the sofa to switch stations or play your favourite song at full volume.
• Projection radios can project the time or various patterns onto walls. These are often children's radios.
• The Weather forecast is a simple but handy feature that you'll often find on higher quality radios.

Formats are divided into lossy (MP3, AAC, WMA) and lossless (WAV, FLAC, ALAC). As lossless files are uncompressed, they have far better sound quality, but they take up a lot of disk space.

Some Radios Can Connect to a Wide Range of Devices

A modern radio receiver usually offers several connectivity options that allow you to use it with a range of devices.

• Bluetooth radios allow the listener to connect and listen from a phone or other smart device.
• Wi-Fi radios can connect to the network and play music from internet radio stations and streaming services.
• Radios with DLNA can play media from other DLNA devices (computers, laptops, mobile phones, etc.)
• Radios with UPnP allow you to stream music from devices on the same network, such as your PC.
• You can connect a radio with NFC to your mobile phone via Bluetooth a little faster. Just bring them together, and they will automatically pair.

What FM Radio Stations Can You Listen to in the United Kingdom?

There are currently around 300 FM radio stations in the UK, including BBC Radio 1 through to BBC Radio 5 live, Capital FM, Heart Radio and Classic FM.

Are you looking for a cheap radio? Try sorting our selection by price or check out our Bazaar.
You may find the best radio by sorting according to customer reviews.