BEST FOR: USABILITY
PURE EVOKE FLOW
£150
This compact radio - the best-built and easiest to use on test – fits in DAB, wi-fi and FM to superb effect. A lustrous dot matrix display, precise touch controls and twin rotary knobs make navigation through features and stations a breeze, as do the backlit buttons. The gloss black finish looks swish but shows up every fingerprint. DAB reception is good, wi-fi is always robust and the deep, rich sound suits both talk radio and music alike, although there’s only one speaker. The option to run on rechargeable batteries (Pure’s ChargePAK is £30 extra) completes the package. The Flow excels for flexibility and value and is available from the end of September.

Verdict: Stylish, great sound and supremely easy to use
www.pure.com

BEST FOR: VALUE
MAGICBOX CLARUS PLUS
£100
This no-frills DAB/wi-fi/FM radio is larger than all but the Roberts and has stereo speakers, sizeable volume and station-selection knobs (much easier to use than up/down buttons) and a big, central button for switching between signal sources. It also plays streamed music from your PC (if you have the relevant software), and gives access to podcasts from its main menu. With clear reception on DAB, and clean wi-fi, it sounds great with music. It’s no style statement, feels a bit cheap and lacks a stereo line output and remote control, but it’s keenly priced and packs a lot of features into a big, well laid-out box.

Verdict: No oil painting, but works well and is great value
www.magicboxproducts.co.uk

BEST FOR: CONNECTIVITY
TERRATEC NOXON iRADIO
£202
With its gloss black front and smooth rubber casing, this wi-fi/FM design is almost as classy as the Pure. It’s well served with connectors too - digital and line outputs at the back and a handy front headphone socket, plus an iPod dock on top. The six-line white-on-black LC display is second only to the Pure’s fine display, and easily readable from a distance. The remote control feels cheap, but has a wide range of functions. The 10 front-panel presets are welcome shortcuts to thehuge variety of online stations, and there’s a handyfavourites feature accessible via the main menu, plus easy podcast access. Sadly, the Noxon is slow to respond to button pushes and has a particularly fussy menu. No prizes for the thin sound, either.

Verdict: High price and fiddly user experience
www.terratec.net

BEST FOR: LOOKS
REVO iBLIK RADIOSTATION
£180
The smallest unit on test, the iBlik nonetheless features DAB, wi-fi and FM. Despite its flexibility, it is straightforward to use, thanks to top-mounted controls and simple navigation by up/down/left/right buttons, with the mode button allowing you to move between its different signal sources. The supplied remote control is a welcome bonus and works well. The single speaker sounded better than expected, but audiophiles will crave more bass. There are rear-panel analogue stereo line outputs, but it’s a shame the casing is of such thin plastic: the unit feels so flimsy that just pressing its control buttons can unbalance it. Another drawback is poor display legibility in bright light.

Verdict: Great-looking, versatile design compromised by flimsy construction
www.revo.co.uk

BEST FOR: PORTABILITY
ROBERTS STREAM 202
£140
It’s the biggest, heaviest radio on test, but the only one that accepts batteries out of the box (six D-cells, giving around 35 hours’ life). At its heart is the same chip as in the MagicBox, so it works identically (including direct podcast access), although its four-line white-on-blue backlit display is superior. It’s also - by a whisker - the best-sounding set here, great for both classical and rock music. But the casing is plasticky and the mode selector (for switching between DAB, wi-fi and FM) is small, fiddly and poorly positioned at the rear of the fascia. However, with excellent performance and ease of use, plus true portability, this is actually a good all-rounder.

Verdict: Great stereo sound plus portability make this a fine package
www.robertsradio.co.uk

JARGON BUSTER

DAB The standards for Digital Audio Broadcasting date as far back as 1981 and have been criticised for poor sound compared with FM. But DAB quality is still easily superior to analogue AM, making it a good choice for speech radio .

Internet radio There are more than 11,000 radio stations “broadcasting” over the web. Sets such as these can receive them via a wireless home network, eliminating the need to boot up your computer.

Wi-fi These radios all use the most popular 802.11g wireless networking standard, so there should be no connection problems. However, if your network is password-protected you’ll need to enter the password for the radio to work, which can be fiddly. Signal range is 80ft, so the wi-fi will work in most homes.

Prices quoted are the best found online

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