'Listen to DAB/FM on your iPod' and control everything with a convenient wired remote

If I can play music without referring to the manual then a system has passed the first test, and these days most do. The next test is more important. What does it initially sound like, does it make me sit up and take notice, am I listening to music rather than just hearing a pleasant noise? To my surprise given its £99 price this Ministry of Sound system passed the second test. It made me want to listen more. Quite a bit more actually.

Firstly the sound is detailed, you hear individual instruments rather than a mass of noise. Stereo is also good, with width and depth to the soundstage; musicians don’t sound as though they are all playing in the middle. Bass doesn’t go low, but what there is is punchy. Mid-range is a little dry and this does lead to a slightly lean character, but overall it sounds excellent for its price, punching well above its weight. I could certainly live with it, particularly as I use headphones a lot and through these the sound is even better.

Guide Price: £100
Suppliers: Argos £100

The R9994 is a reincarnated Roberts R984. This model has a small loudspeaker, whereas the R984 was earphones-only. Like its predecessor, the R9994 offers FM, MW and LW reception. With the plugs for the BBC Test Match Special and Radio Live on the radio’s front, this model is obviously targeted at listeners to sprorts programming on AM bands. The radio comes with earphones and a detachable belt clip.

The radio has analogue tuning, so finding a station can be a bit hit and miss, but it generally worked well for strong stations. Useful Tuning and Stereo LEDs show when you are tuned to a strong station. There are no presets with this radio.

Guide Price: £30
Suppliers: Simply Radios £30, O'Gormans £30

Intempo’s PP01 offers a unique mix of features for a DAB radio. Not only is it rechargeable, but it has flat-panel speakers with the option to personalize the speaker cloth cover with a photograph or image of your choice. The radio offers DAB and FM reception in an unusually slim design. A metal lie-back stand improves stability to some degree, but when leaning back on its stand, the radio’s display can be rather difficult to read.

The control buttons and the six individual preset buttons (6 presets on DAB and 6 on FM) were easy to use. DAB sensitivity performance was average, the radio failing to pick up one multiplex in my weak signal area. The telescopic aerial can not be replaced with an external aerial. The usual DAB display options are available.

Guide Price: £70
Suppliers: Nevada £70, Simply Radios £70

Pure’s One is a compact DAB/FM tuner that comes black, pink and white. As well as excellent DAB sensitivity and 20 easy-to-use presets, the radio offers two new DAB features; Intellitext and textSCAN. All the controls are on the radio’s front, grouped round the combined tuning/volume knob. This operates volume by default, but switches to a tuning role if the Stations button is pressed. Scrolling through the available DAB stations is straightforward, with a generous 7 seconds to choose a station before the display reverts to the tuned station.

In DAB mode the Menu button gives access to Intellitext, backlight control, DRC settings, station order and autotune options. When using FM, Menu controls access to manual and seek tuning.

The 20 presets are easy to set and recall, and I liked that they are all mixed in one list, making it easy to switch between DAB and FM. FM sensitivity was very good, although manual tuning was slow. RDS display options include station name, scrolling text, or time and date.

Sound quality and volume were surprisingly good, but there are no tone controls or EQ settings. Additional features include a Sleep function, and a kitchen or countdown timer that triggers a beeper alarm. The radio can also be run on Pure’s optional ChargePAK rechargeable battery pack (£30). A USB port gives access to future software upgrades or enhancements.

Pros: DAB sensitivity, Charge PAK compatible, Excellent presets, textSCAN and Intellitext  backlight controls

Cons: Some of the text on the LCD display is very small. No tone control. The light plastic design may not appeal to some people

Guide Price: £50
Suppliers: J Lewis £49.50, O'Gormans £45, Simply R £50, Argos £50

Sony’s ICF-C115L is a 3 band; FM, MW and LW clock radio with a dual alarm. The radio uses a PP9 battery for time and alarm settings, but this will not trigger the alarms if there is a mains power failure.

The green LED display is easy to read, but there is no intensity control. LED’s clearly show which alarms are set. The tuning scale on the radio’s front is clearly marked although the MW and LW scale can be a little difficult to read due to the radio’s curved front.