Looking for a device to play radio from the internet as DAB is pretty crummy here.

So, what device would you recommend for in the kitchen use?

Cheers,

Alex

I used to have one of those Creative things which was OK but now I just use my phone and a little bluetooth speaker.

There aren’t so many around now. Logitech were great but seem to have pulled out. Sagem are good but need a decent WiFi connection. I think Roberts are the same as sagem

Depends what your budget is, I’m considering a Revo superconnect or the Pixis but then again i could save money and continue to use my old iPhone 4 and aux line in to my Tivoli desktop radio but it’s a hassle when you want to change stations quickly.

i have one of the Roberts i something. even with all the stations i still end up at the usual ones. a dab might have done to save ££. or even a phone app with speaker. i haven’t used it to near its potential

Old smart phone and tuneinradio app?

We have had one of these in the bathroom for years. Still use it every day for kool fm, and rinse etc. Only mono, but good sound for the size of it

Pure one flow

Phone handset that runs the TuneIn Radio app paired up to a half decent set of portable speakers using a wee aux cable.
Does the job fine, isn’t much hassle, and cost hardly anything to set up.

Be careful that you don’t get BBC rights restrictions, happens with my Logitech radio.

Bose Soundtouch here.

Pricey but it pushes out a fantastic sound.

+1 for tablet for phone with Tuneinradio app. Then Bluetooth speaker, or even old set of computer speakers and cable to headphone jack etc.

I have a Roberts Stream 205 that does what you’re asking, but I’ve just checked and it appears they don’t make it any more.

Another one using a phone and a bluetooth speaker. The bonus being that you can use all sorts of other sources for music with that setup, which is unlikely to be possible with a more specific internet radio.

I have/have had a few. My favourite is the Monitor Audio Airstream 10. Looks different, simple menu, great sound.

Another option is Chromecast Audio, then you can send music from your phone, tablet or PC.

This really should be a what bluetooth/wireless speaker thread. Bit of a no brainer to use your phone.

somafunk – Member
Depends what your budget is, I’m considering a Revo superconnect or the Pixis but then again i could save money and continue to use my old iPhone 4 and aux line in to my Tivoli desktop radio but it’s a hassle when you want to change stations quickly.

pretty unhappy with Revo – bought an Axis a couple of years ago so could listen to BBC playitagain easily but it stopped working asked Revo and got a ranty email saying not their fault BBC sudden change in streaming software – last month got an email saying they’d fixed the problem on newer models but not possible for model I have as too old – so out of date in about 12months? and when i go to look at the newer models they still sell the product they reckon is out of date 👿

Have you considered Sonos?

leffeboy – Member 
Logitech were great but seem to have pulled out.

I hadn’t actually realised that, having not followed the news on them for a while. I’ve got two Squeezebox, the original pre-Logitech hooked up to my hi-fi, and a Squeezebox Radio which is perfect for this requirement. Was highly rated as an alternative to DAB with much superior functionality.

I see Logitech did a trimmed down version (UE Smart Radio) which looks the same but simplified the firmware (why? !), but can apparently be converted back to Squeezebox firmware. It’s still available in some places.

Shame Logitech did this. Squeezebox was an excellent product. The server is open source and can still be used with other products. Looks like there’s a Raspberry Pi player too.

Rights issues with BBC streams over the Internet will exist with any product. It’s the same on a PC. The main annoyance is with live sport.

Phone and Bluetooth speaker again for me – just put it in whatever room I want to be in. A fancy networked house-wide system would be nice, but a lot of effort/money for marginal gains in quality/convenience

Bearing in mind you’re draining the battery on the phone. Depends if you actually need the phone to have some charge once you’re done without having to stick it on charge, and how long you’re blasting music in the kitchen of course 😉 . Or you can plug in a charger in the kitchen. Bit more faff and extra plug on top of those speakers.

Depends on your charging arrangements – I just stick mine on the magnetic charging dock if I’m listening to choons. That’s in the living room, but bluetooth works fine around most of the house from there. Not that radio (or other audio streaming) seems to use much battery.

A Chromecast should be less battery drain for the phone than Bluetooth. As the Chromecast is connected to your wifi, it can stream directly. Your phone just works as a remote control.

Got a Revo SuperConnect last week for internet radio purposes – not massively impressed so far. Build quality isn’t as good as it appears online, also it lost it’s internet connection requiring a complete power off/on again once already – for the money I was hoping this’d be rock solid in all respects.

I guess internet radio is pretty lossy anyway, so would sound quality be noticeably worse using a tablet + Bluetooth speaker? Might send the Revo back as there’s plenty of choice out there and for much less £££ if it’s just Bluetooth audio I’m looking for!

Amazon Echo works well with Tunein and you can play Amazon Prime music or Spotify if you have accounts for them. It also works as a Bluetooth speaker. Would be nice if it had a battery but being tied to the mains was not a deal breaker for me. Was great for £99 launch price. Now £150 so not so compelling