Does Anyone Bother With Internet Radios?

[David Morrison]

Several years ago, I bought an Aldi Internet radio to listen mainly to the BBC. It is still working fine, although the user interface is excruciating. (Think wake up in the middle of the night, want to turn it on like Snooze on a clock radio so it goes off after a while. To do this requires about 8 clicks and a number of rotations. Makes sure you are wide awake.)

Aldi had trouble selling them at the time, and many were discounted to get rid of them. As far as I am aware, they have never been offered again.

My first question is whether anyone actually listens to Internet radio stations using a dedicated "radio"?

The second is what device do you use?

Edited August 10, 2015 by David Morrison

[I am not a duck]

A couple of years ago I bought 4 of these. One for me, 3 were installed elsewhere. One of the reasons for purchasing this particular model, I could turn the volume up on the sucker, & hear it in the next room, or outside. That was also a consideration for one of my users.

I am not able to address the alarm or snooze function, as I do not use it. The only annoyance I've experienced is having to manually set/reset daylight saving on the unit.

I use mine everyday, I know 2 of the others are also used on a daily basis. They primarily access streams that play niche music without (or at least a very few) advertisements.

Read what other people think here,

The units were purchased at JB HiFi, at the time they were on sale for around $184-00.

One failed during warranty and was replaced by JB most expeditiously, & without any drama. Exactly as it should be.

[David Morrison]

Almost all Internet (and many DAB) radios have a similar look. One big speaker, a display, two knobs and 5 buttons. I wonder if they are all just variations from the same manufacturer? My Aldi radio is like that too. Sound is loud enough to hear throughout the house, but can also be soft enough to have beside the bed without being too loud.

[ron12]

I know several people who bought an internet radio but don't know if they use the internet part.

Personally I use a smartphone hooked up to a speaker dock or just on its own so don't need one myself.

[David Morrison]

That's a good point. Although still has the problem of being difficult to use when you are half awake. Worse in some respects as it does not have push button station selection.

[CaptainObvious]

I considered an actual internet radio but didn't buy one. I have enough traditional computers, a Pi and a mobile phone all of which can do the task well. If I want programmed music at home it's usually played by the Pi.

*cue alanh doing a song and dance about how no one listens to internet radio and how superior in all possible ways that DAB+ OTA broadcasting is

[Digital Penetration]

I considered an actual internet radio but didn't buy one. I have enough traditional computers, a Pi and a mobile phone all of which can do the task well. If I want programmed music at home it's usually played by the Pi.

Me too. I use the pi for internet radio streams, as well (mpd/mpc can play them).

*cue alanh doing a song and dance about how no one listens to internet radio and how superior in all possible ways that DAB+ OTA broadcasting is

The internet streams I listen to are 128 to 320k bps. Will be interesting to learn how DAB+ is better. Not to mention the almost complete lack of commercials, just music.

Edited August 12, 2015 by Digital Penetration

[g12345567]

I picked up a second hand Pure One Flow DAB+/Internet radio recently. Couldn't resist at the price I paid and the convenience. Works very well although only single speaker, Only two clicks to activate/switch to internet radio. Since it always starts internet radio with the last station that was listened to. Very easy to setup favourites and manually add stations through on-line through the Pure web site. Since I live in a n area that has recently had a DAB+ repeater in line of sight of our house installed to we always get perfect full reception in most parts of the house.

Other than that I mainly listen to Internet radio on PC, HTPC or my Marantz AV receiver that uses vTuner internet radio service and is also very good. Since most recent AV receivers these days provide internet radio streaming. Or can be just as easy to listen on a Mobile app thorugh external dock/speakers or wireless speakers. For those in non DAB+ reception areas.

Edited August 13, 2015 by g12345567

[mgaleano]

At the moment I record radio with some software that came with my dabby dab usb radio. Works well can schedule multiple recording on different stations and repeat if necessary. I have been unable to find a good software way to record internet radio. Proper timer etc. Tunein radio is closest thing but still really basic.i guess whilst i am in a good reception area for dab no need to have the software.

[David Morrison]

It depends on what you want to record. I listen to the BBC, and most BBC programs are available for a month afterwards to listen to. If I want to record something, there are a number of Mac utilities that will record the computer's audio output, eg, Audio Hijack, Wiretap. Just set up the playback and record when you are going out.

[GoForMoe]

I tried using one for a while and had pretty much the same problems, a clunky interface that kept forgetting how to connect to my wifi network, combined with the stations increasingly blocking off access to direct streaming urls.

Really for one to be useful it would need to have an open standard and a really good web interface to manage it. It's easier really just to use a PC/Pi than a dedicated device.

Not having a remote control is what loses me on the majority of these devices.

The internet streams I listen to are 128 to 320k bps. Will be interesting to learn how DAB+ is better. Not to mention the almost complete lack of commercials, just music.

Before they started geoblocking, the lossless FLAC stream of Absolute Radio was great to listen to - and the only way to actually live up to 'CD quality' sound.

[Bomagone]

Almost all Internet (and many DAB) radios have a similar look. One big speaker, a display, two knobs and 5 buttons. I wonder if they are all just variations from the same manufacturer? My Aldi radio is like that too. Sound is loud enough to hear throughout the house, but can also be soft enough to have beside the bed without being too loud.

I think you're right. Almost all the ones I've seen use Frontier Silicon's site as one of the options to configure the Internet radio.

http://www.wifiradio-frontier.com

[MotoSEnokiA]

I picked up a second hand Pure One Flow DAB+/Internet radio recently.

I have 2 myself, they are excellent units as are most of the Pure range of digital radios.

In saying that since getting a Sonos setup I use TuneIn for internet radio duties via that now instead of the Pure One Flow although it is still in use for DAB+.

[Guest Malich]

I think you're right. Almost all the ones I've seen use Frontier Silicon's site as one of the options to configure the Internet radio.

http://www.wifiradio-frontier.com

Pretty sure the Frontier Silicon internet radio portal is a window to / licences their database from vTuner, which is one of the Big-2 in the streaming radio index game (the other being Tribune Media/Grace/Gracenote's Reciva).

[CaptainObvious]

The internet streams I listen to are 128 to 320k bps. Will be interesting to learn how DAB+ is better. Not to mention the almost complete lack of commercials, just music.

The 320k MP3 80's mix I'm listening too right now via my PC (with headphones) outclasses anything I've heard on DAB+ by a very wide margin.

Edited August 17, 2015 by CaptainObvious

[wizard2k]

its on of those things that wont be mainstream for another handful of years i think. cars and all are moving towards it in certain brands but still dont see it being that common for a while

[alanh]

Who wants to pay the mobile phone companies to listen to the radio in cars.

Remember that Holden is not promoting that Mylink, and Ford Transit vans, territory, and top falcons as well as the Toyota Aurion Presara all contain DAB+.

Pity they don't promote it. However, I understand why, because DAB+ is not available outside of the state mainland capital cities and small parts of Canberra and Darwin.

The latest figures for new cars fitted with DAB+ radios

Norway 63 %

UK 61 %

Switzerland 45 %

Australia 5 %

Cumulative DAB+ radio sales

Norway 2.044 million, population 5 million

UK 23.9 million, population 64 million

Australia in mainland state capitals 1.9 million population 14 million

Alanh

[David Morrison]

Bear in mind also that DAB (like FM) has limited range compared to AM, and there are long distances between towns in Australia. Compare this to the countries you mention - small country, close-together towns, big population.

Not much market here for a transmitter sitting beside a highway somewhere with only a few people living nearby so that we can listen to radio while driving.

Personally, I see DAB as a gimmick, like 3d and 4K TVs were/are, designed to encourage sales of new devices. I would be surprised if DAB ever got out of big cities here.

Edited August 25, 2015 by David Morrison

[Guest Malich]

[Cue a certain "broadcasting consultant" stating that's exactly why we must adopt Digital Radio Mondiale - a solution looking for a problem*, if ever there were one - to bring digital to rural Australia. And probably claiming** it can cover all of Australia in better-than-FM sound using NVIS at 26MHz...]

(* Actually, at the moment it's more like "a lot of transmitters looking for a receiver"...)

(** Almost wrote "explaining" there - but actual technical explanation is probably beyond the local "technical author"...)

[Bomagone]

Has anyone come across a good internet radio receiver with a hifi (43 cm wide) footprint?

I had one (a Sangean) but it was terrible to use. I sold it.

[El Saif]

DAB+ is available in all of Canberra and Queanbeyan, as well as rural areas close to these centres.

My wife bought a new BMW this year. The same model sold in the UK comes with a DAB+ radio fitted as standard. In Australia, the DAB+ radio is an option.

In most of regional WA, there is no mobile phone reception, thus no mobile data. You cannot use an app to listen to a radio station without mobile phone coverage.

If you gave a resident of regional WA a choice between DAB+ reception or mobile phone reception, they would always choose mobile phone reception.

Edited August 24, 2015 by El Saif

[alanh]

El Saif

In WA the largest coverage areas for radio is from AM radio in the medium frequency in the southern areas and for the Kimberley some MF but also HF (Short Wave) from Katherine, Tennant Creek and Alice Springs. There is also FM transmitters covering isolated towns only. Even so there is much of the area of state with no day time coverage of any radio or phones excluding satellite phones.

The equivalent for this is to use DRM30 including for HF. This will provide stereo sound, text, automatic cyclone/flood warnings.

DAB+ being broadcast at around 200 MHz is limited by the terrain and the curvature of the earth. Reliable coverage using high powered transmitters on tall transmitter towers is around 100 km. This is a drop in the ocean in WA.

Compare the coverage area from 2CA, 2CC, SBS, Radio National with that from digital radio from Black Mountain!

What is the digital radio coverage like in Condor, Tuggeranong, Weston Creek/Woden, Cowra, Tumut, Goulburn, Bungendore, Braidwood, and Yass? This is the coverage area the ABC claims for the 5 kW AM transmitter and the DAB+ transmitter is 3.1 kW.

Alanh

Edited September 18, 2015 by alanh

[Audiofile99]

I had a Kogan Internet radio for many years, they stopped selling them.  I loved it, used it every day, until it broke.  It had DAB+ capability and I routinely found that digital radio was horrible sound quality in comparison to even average Internet stations.

I'm now stuck with a digital radio only device I use for work and I hate it - because of the hopelessly low bit-rates forced on us by broadcasters in the name of cost reductions and 'diversity'.

I'd give my right arm to have a good Internet radio back again.  I really miss it.  I'd dial in the high quality streams from radio.internode.on.net (for TPG / iiNet customers) that provide free high quality radio streams (that normally require payment).  Really miss it.

Any recommendations appreciated. Kogan long stopped selling these little beauties.

Now all we seem to have are these retro-wannabies that cater for the 'upgraded' talkback radio market - with a single tinny speaker that's all the best you can expect out of low bit-rate digital radio.

Digital radio feels like a step back in time.  WiFi enabled Internet radio feels like a blast from the future.  The quality of streaming services keeps improving too - e.g. Spotify @ 320Kbit/s Vorbis.  It's fantastic even on a home theatre system.  I love it.

So yes I have used Internet radio and since my beloved portable Internet radio died I'm devastated as it seems so hard to find such a device with half decent speakers that caters to more than the 'quiet background sound for company' retro market.  And digital radio is becoming increasingly intolerable in the quest for quantity over quality.

I really miss that radio.  It even had an Ethernet port.  Retro I know but it was great for knowing it had a reliable simple connection as an alarm clock on some high quality station.

Edited March 30, 2017 by Audiofile

[Digital Penetration]

So you don't want to go the Raspberry Pi "build you own" route? Or an old smart phone? I've used both these methods for years, I've just about abandoned broadcast radio. Hardly listen to it at all, especially since Radio National shot its last remaining music programmes.

[McDigital]

G'day,

 

Here's a suggestion for those looking - It's single speaker but still, Sangean is a very good brand

 

http://www.sangean.com.au/product/internet-radios/portable-internet-radios