Bush PSDAB2004

...feels well made (unlike some Bush products) and I imagine it could withstand quite a bashing (though I haven't yet tested that out myself!). Importantly, there is absolutely no external aerial, so it can fit fairly well into a larger pocket.

Size-wise, it's slightly larger than the average mobile phone and as I just mentioned, you'll struggle to fit it in a small pocket. Also slightly annoyingly, the headphone jack is located at the ...
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Upon turning the radio on, a quick auto-scan of DAB channels is performed, similar to every other DAB radio in the world. If you're unsure as to why exactly you might want a portable DAB radio, well basically improved signal quality, a better selection of channels and useful text information is put at your fingertips.

This radio's blue LCD screen is perfectly functional, although the text does scroll slightly too slowly and ... more

Contrary to what most reviews of this device have said, I find the design quite appealing and the buttons feel nice to use. It feels well made (unlike some Bush products) and I imagine it could withstand quite a bashing (though I haven't yet tested that out myself!). Importantly, there is absolutely no external aerial, so it can fit fairly well into a larger pocket.

Size-wise, it's slightly larger than the average mobile phone and as I just mentioned, you'll struggle to fit it in a small pocket. Also slightly annoyingly, the headphone jack is located at the side which is impractical for listening on the move.

Upon turning the radio on, a quick auto-scan of DAB channels is performed, similar to every other DAB radio in the world. If you're unsure as to why exactly you might want a portable DAB radio, well basically improved signal quality, a better selection of channels and useful text information is put at your fingertips.

This radio's blue LCD screen is perfectly functional, although the text does scroll slightly too slowly and there's no way of changing the setting. The buttons on the front make it easy to change which information you want displayed and which station you want to listen to. However, the joystick, which is the main controller of the radio, does feel somewhat loose and is often a little unresponsive.

One major irritation with my model is that, for some unknown reason, I can't access the EQ (equaliser) settings which this radio is supposed to have. This means I am stuck with the basic setting which gives the sound a somewhat flat tone, without any real depth. However, this could just be a one-off problem with my radio if you're willing to take the chance, or if you're not too bothered about the tone.

Reception is also an issue. It's fine when you're sitting stationary in a good-reception area, but on the move I've had no luck so far with it whatsoever. On a train from Leicester to London, I tried it at many intervals but couldn't find a signal. Also, as the aerial is built into the headphones, you're not supposed to replace them (although I have found that other headphones work just as well, the instruction manual expressly forbids you from doing this - presumably it can damage the radio).

It's worth noting that this radio gobbles up batteries like there is no tomorrow, so you might want to invest in some rechargeables if you're planning on buying it.

The most important aspect of this radio is the price, and that's the reason it gets a 4-star rating - under £40 for a portable DAB radio is an excellent bargain. You have to start spending much more for a more feature-packed player, and from what I've heard they don't offer many advantages. Apart from the few slight niggles and software-issues (the lack of an EQ on my radio as I mentioned above), and the fact that reception on the move is severely impaired, this radio does its job fine for the price, without making too many compromises.

For me, the most obvious use of this radio is listening away from home (in hotel rooms, etc), and for that purpose, it's an excellent buy.

*For some of the specific criteria I've had to put 'very-poor' because they're not applicable to this radio (recording quality, CD player quality, etc). I think Ciao must have catalogued this incorrectly!* 

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