Best DAB radio: which digital radio should you buy?

What's the best DAB radio for you? No matter how many years go by – or how many newer, better-sounding audio standards come into vogue – the good ol' digital radio is still going strong.

DAB radios make great gifts for that person who's difficult to buy for, or who doesn't necessarily care about the difference between FLAC and MP3. But the sheer variety of DAB radios available on the market by now can make finding the right one a pain.

To save you the trouble, we've taken the best DAB radios in the country and rounded them up into a single unified list.

So whether you're looking for a good digital radio for the kitchen, something for the bedside table, or a radio you can take on the go, we'll have the best option for you – whatever your budget. Here are the 5 best DAB radios available in the UK today.

The Pure Evoke C-F6 marries modern connectivity options with old-school CD playback, and is just about the best stereo system you can buy today. 

Easy to set up, a delight to listen to, and featuring just about every bell and whistle you could need from a single-room audio device, this is a fantastic choice for anyone looking for a one-stop audio box. With 3-inch stereo speakers and a 20W output, too, it can crank up to party levels while maintaining a rich, balanced sound.

Read: Pure Evoke CF-6 review

It might sound like a small thing, but an easily accessible, dedicated dimmer switch that dulls the LCD screen instantly makes the Blutune 65 suitable for a bedroom. Other real-world touches exist on the Blutune 65, such as a control panel that is gently backlit only when touched, and control dials that snag with each change of station, making it harder to overshoot when choosing a DAB station. Ditto a sleep timer, which can be toggled from 15-90 minutes. 

Ultimately, the optional Apple Lightning connector on the top of this tabletop DAB – along with a USB slot for recharging a phone and excellent sleep timers/alarms – makes the Blutune 65 ultra-convenient on a bedside table.

Read: Roberts Blutune 65 review

With DAB, DAB+, Bluetooth, touch-sensitive buttons, line-in and a hard carry case that both protects and props-up the stereo 2.1 speaker, the Model XS is excessively impressive. Music is refined, well balanced and gets to high volumes without a hint of distortion; for DAB fans who like taking radio around the world, or want a cute desktop option, this is the best compact all-in-one in the business. 

The price might be a tad high for some, but there's no doubting the top tech going on inside this product which is absolutely one of the best DAB radios we've tested.

Read: Geneva Sound System Model XS DAB+ review

The build quality in the Revo is truly excellent, and so is the sound, though it's how Revo has addressed the needs of real people in real rooms that we like most. The touch-snooze feature, the volume dial and Bluetooth are all brilliantly convenient, though we reserve most praise for the use of an OLED screen that keeps the bedroom dark. The OLED screen uses some great-looking typography, too. 

Sound is the most important feature and the quality here is precise, warm and powerful. That said, a mono rather than stereo speaker is always a shame, though it does make sense on a bedside table.

Read: Revo SuperSignal review

Taking your music on the go? Few digital radios have built-in batteries and splash-proof, portable designs, so the PAL+ BT is a bit of a one-off. Its 16 hour battery is simply superb, and makes it a great – though expensive – alternative to a Bluetooth speaker that you might take out into the garden or on a longer jaunt to the beach.

Its headline slot and aux-in are handy, while the sound quality is thoroughly decent. But Bluetooth isn't exactly an expensive technology and the sound quality isn't perfect enough for Tivoli to be charging the kind of money it's asking for the PAL+ BT. 

The design has, however, smartly improved over the past few years, shrinking the remote and ditching the oversized analogue knob for a more capable LCD screen. The Tivoli's PAL+ BT isn't the most cost-effective way of getting a DAB+ radio, but it is still one of the best out there.

In the end, this is a compact, versatile DAB radio that can be taken around the home (and anywhere else) quite easily thanks to a 16-hour battery – while the PAL+BT's inclusion of Bluetooth and a bass-heavy sound goes some way to justifying its high price. Perfect for occasional forays into the bathroom.

Read: Tivoli Audio PAL+ BT review

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