Internet Radio Player- Advice Needed

[mightykaboosh]

I'm in the market for a Internet Radio Player having just returned a Rivo Pico that I bought last week. (I bought an early one with a tungsten battery by mistake).

Thing is I don't want to spend too much, and I can't bare paying over the odds for some flimsy plastic ten a penny brand.

At the moment I'm looking at the Roberts WM201 or getting a version 2 Revo Pico with the lithium battery (I like the Revo because it's portable you can have it in the bathroom, it's splashproof and the sound is good).

Has anyone here used an Internet Radio Player for a sustained amount of time? Looking for recommendations for one which isn't too slow to connect, and doesn't have streaming problems? :thumbs-up: Preferably Reciva based.

[dimonió]

Hi. I've had a Pure Evoke Flow since June 2009 and am very happy with it. You can programme favourite channels through its Lounge feature and organise them in groups.

It's worth laying out the extra money for the battery pack as you can move it round the house and / or garden. You do get a bit of cut out depending on strength of the signal (RTVE Radio 5 was a bit patchy today, however Cadena Ser was excellent) but generally it's been fine.

Hope that helps.

[Jules]

Has anyone tried an USB internet-radio/TV dongle? They are pretty cheap & am awaiting delivery of one.

[mightykaboosh]

Has anyone tried an USB internet-radio/TV dongle? They are pretty cheap & am awaiting delivery of one.

I just can't see what tangible benefit they provide?

If you want internet radio you can access it and play it from either your pc or laptop via the reciva network. www.reciva.com (http://www.reciva.com) has over 18,000 stations which you can listen to for free. You can store all your favourite stations on there and play it through either your pc, laptop or internet radio media player.

Buying a usb dongle to stick into your pc or laptop seems pointless. You still have to plug it into your pc and the pc still has to be switched on. This is not the case with a wifi internet radio player which you can get from as little as £60.

What is the benefit of the tv dongle addition, the stations are only available when connected to the internet, and all of the stations are available for free when connected to the internet anyway without the usb dongle.

It seems the equivilent of me selling you a radio times for £15.

(Please correct me if I'm missing something)

[Jules]

I just can't see what tangible benefit they provide?

Buying a usb dongle to stick into your pc or laptop seems pointless. You still have to plug it into your pc and the pc still has to be switched on. This is not the case with a wifi internet radio player which you can get from as little as £60.

What is the benefit of the tv dongle addition, the stations are only available when connected to the internet, and all of the stations are available for free when connected to the internet anyway without the usb dongle.

It seems the equivilent of me selling you a radio times for £15.

(Please correct me if I'm missing something)

Your probably are right, but curiosity got the better of me: there must be some advantage and if there isn't I'll be the first to complain. One claimed advantage for TV's is that they circumvent the need to pre-register (which apparently some require) before viewing.

a radio times for £15? Surely equivalent to at least a year's worth? :)

I'll post an update after I've tried it out

[mightykaboosh]

Thanks Jules,

I bought a Revo Pico and the sound was excellent (has a class d amp) but sadly ended up returning it as it was faulty (wouldn't store wep code). There just so expensive. In 2007 you could pick a cheap internet radio for anywhere between £30-£60. Somehow now even the cheapest ones are double that, with terrible output.

This is the cheapest one I can find but it's mono speaker.... :'( There are a few cheap ones still listed on amazon but they don't support n-routers..

http://www.play.com/Electronics/Electronics/4-/5889739/OXX-Digital-Alto-Wireless-Internet-Radio/Product.html?ptsl=1&ob=Price&fb=0

[Jules]

Going back to the original question:
If I were to buy a proper internet radio I'd go for either the Roberts or the Pure Evoke Flow simply on my own experience with both brands. I've used Roberts FM radios and always been impressed. I have a Pure Evoke-2 DAB and that has performed well - though its FM reception is poor, with lots of back-ground hiss, almost as if they threw in an OEM FM as a make-weight.

[mightykaboosh]

Cheers Jules, I'm swaying towards the Roberts WM202 it's portable and it's stereo. ;D