Roberts Radio M3 DAB/DAB+/FM Radio - White

The Roberts PLAY M3 is a good value small DAB radio from this famous British-based radio manufacturer, and it is currently well under thirty pounds from Amazon. The radio is supplied with a mains power adaptor for use at home and it can also be powered by batteries when you are out-and-about – I use rechargeable ones and the radio works fine when using them. The M3 features an LCD digital display that is clear to read during the day but has no backlight which saves power but makes viewing at night more difficult. There are the regular DAB and FM bands plus DAB+ which makes the M3 fairly future-proof; there are three preset buttons allowing you to save your three favourite DAB and three favourite FM stations, but not six of either. The Roberts PLAY M3 is well designed and nicely made and finished in white plastic – the similarly specified PLAY M2 is available in black if you would prefer that colour. Not much to dislike about this little DAB portable from Roberts but the sound quality is adequate rather than good as the built-in speaker is quite small, so speech sounds better than music, which lacks any real bass – headphones sound better but are only in mono. For what it is at the price the Roberts PLAY M3 gets an easy five stars for ease of use, features and value.

Neat, compact radio with good tone. It’s easy to set up and get started. My husband is using it in our shower room. The only thing would be more saved stations in addition to what it has already.This was a gift for my husband’s Christmas. The address label was attached to the Roberts box. There was no wrapping whatsoever so whoever saw the box knew what was in it. A big disappointment!

The radio is very easy to use with good sensitivity in both FM and DABThe sound is adequate but the small size of the radio means that the music sound is lacks any depthSize is a feature: so the radio is very small and portable . The AA batteries last well, I am using rechargeableOnly 3 preset buttons on each of the 2 bands . However they are so simple to use by a single press.A good small portable

Whilst well built and producing decent sound, it lacks modern features.It needs Bluetooth to permit use of cordless ear buds.It does not show the time when switched off. Why not?The screen is a tad small and not well illuminated.

This small Roberts Radio is very convenient to carry.

Bought this as I sent back the newnham Majority dab radio, which compared to this was rubbish. This is very compact, and well built. Nice thick arieal compared to other cheaper radios. Nice sound. Easy to use controls. A well thought out, well designed, nicely made radio, that has a good quality look about itUpdate. It’s had little use and now changes stations all by itself for no reason. Pretty annoying

I have had a Roberts radio before, but not having been unduly impressed with it, I was sceptical that this radio would satisfy my hopes.But I am absolutely delighted with it. It arrived quickly and sits happily on a surface with a long, sturdy aerial without giving the impression that it is about to tip over if you so much as look at it; and if you do accidentally swipe it so that the radio should tip over, the radio and aerial seem strong enough not to be damaged easily. The quality of the sturdy casing is very satisfying to the touch.The radio is basic and (for me) has exactly the right amount of options – an off/on switch, 3 buttons for presetting desired stations, +- buttons for volume, two buttons to tune to easy-to-find stations (including the new station, Scala) in either direction, and a select button. All the buttons are well enough defined to be easy to press. You don't have to read an encyclopaedia to use the radio, although there are very good instructions to enable you to make more of this radio if you are not satisfied with basic programming (ie to use a reduced capacity and merely preset only three of the stations and the volume for every day use). The instructions are however straightforward.There is NO display light when you turn the radio on. You can read the identification of each facility in dark grey/black in outline in the viewing panel in the dark, only if you an independent light on; in daylight of course, there is no need for such lighting. The radio is absolutely ideal in a bedroom; you can leave it switched on at the socket in the wall, and turned off at the radio. At this point the radio of course remains switched off. If, in the dark, you are familiar with the buttons and where they are on the radio, it is a simple matter of pressing the on/off switch and the station you last used comes into play. It is easy to change the preset station, if you know where the respective buttons are, so that you do not then have to have independent lighting on. Reception is excellent, and I could not find any blind spot indoors. Also available is an outlet for headphones.I would not use this radio to listen to music, although, if you are not too fussy (which I am), in the absence of anything better, you might be content with the quality of sound for music. I have not used the radio on batteries, but it is handy to know that ordinary commonly available batteries will suffice.The exit point of the power cable out of the transformer/plug is sited at the SIDE of the plug instead of pointing upwards, unlike all the previous ones I have had. This suggests to me that the strain on one of the two weak points of the cable is reduced, thus increasing the chances of a longer life of the cable. At the other end of the cable, where the other weak point of the cable enters the radio, the cable is reinforced quite sturdily.A brilliant radio!! And a reasonable price for the apparent good quality of the product.Unfortunately, just inside a year of use, the radio has packed up - it will not produce any sound, although it appears to have found the correct radio station successfully. Amazon does not appear to have a function for returning defective items, so I am not best pleased with a radio which can only be used for 11 months. I have therefore deducted 4 stars for this updated review.

Bought this for an 88 year old lady who loves listening to the radio. It is perfect. Light and easy for her to use. Great sound. Can easily be carried from place to place.