Recommend a wired kitchen radio

Gorteen

I've recently retired and want to replace the hours of car radio I've enjoyed over the past decades while at work with a radio for the kitchen in my house. There is far too much choice for me (not to mention the different types and makes of radio) and I'm feeling overwhelmed.

I don't want to break the bank but neither do I want to buy rubbish. My priority is good sound quality, reliability and easy to use.

Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Citizen Six

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058334119/recommend-a-wired-kitchen-radio

Get an Amazon Echo Dot, it'll do what you want, and you can turn it on and off without touching it.

ford fiesta

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121703104#Comment_121703104

he said he wants a wired radio, i assume not wireless / smart speaker

Gorteen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121703104#Comment_121703104

I've just googled it. Isn't that just a speaker?

L1011

If you just want a normal FM radio, Roberts kit is sort of the default choice. Irish owned brand also.

Most kitchen radios as mono (as is the smart speaker recommended above) though, decent stereo radios are a rarity now - not that there's significant stereo separation on a small radio to begin with.

Gorteen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121703138#Comment_121703138

Do you have a link or know where I can buy one? I've googled Roberts kit but can't find it

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121703155#Comment_121703155

Powercity will have a wall of them.

If you don't live on/near the East coast, Currys seem to have them too as will any and every independent electronics retailer - they are really just the default better-than-junk brand these days. Used to be a high end UK brand, now owned by Glen Dimplex and made in China but a bit better than the normal cheap Chinese stuff.

They do a mix of modern stuff, retro looking stuff, and coloured stuff to match kitchen colours. Kitchen radios are about the last type of radio that gets any regular sales, outside of cars that is.

ednwireland

here's a few

https://www.harveynorman.ie/tvs-headphones/audio/internet-radio/

ford fiesta

Roberts are and never were an Irish brand? They are UK.

They are only distributed by Glen Dimplex in Ireland.

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121703193#Comment_121703193

Owned entirely by Glen Dimplex for thirty years, not just distributed.

plodder

Aren't Roberts internet radios? I assumed the OP is looking for plain old FM. I got one of these for a relative at Christmas. The sound is pretty decent. I'd go with a Google Nest mini if they want to dabble with smart speakers

https://www.did.ie/products/trevi-hcx-10f6-20w-bluetooth-hi-fi-stereo-digital-fm-radio-black-40158

zilog_jones

Any Roberts internet radio I've seen also has an FM tuner

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121704199#Comment_121704199

Citizen Six

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121703120#Comment_121703120

No, it's a 'home assistant'. For the radio, you just tell it to play whatever station you want, and it plays it.

Citizen Six

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121703115#Comment_121703115

What's a wired radio? I assume a radio that plugs into a wall socket. FM radios are a bit limited these days, when you have other options. But I understand some people might want the simplicity of it.

crl84

I got a Roberts Stream 93i a few years ago - FM radio, DAB, internet radio (1000s of stations), Spotify Connect, and can be used as a wireless speaker using bluetooth too.

They've discontinued it now, and the replacement is the Stream 94i, although it's €200.

I bought this for my parents a few months back, £60 on amazon, and it's essentially the exact same as the Roberts, the interface/software is exactly the same, and has all the same features (FM, DAB, Internet stations, Spotify, Bluetooth...), so I'm pretty sure they're the same under the hood, and the Roberts is just a fancier looking case for an extra 130 quid....It can also take batteries instead of mains powered, so can be brought outside if needed.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B089GJ9F24/

Gorteen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121710393#Comment_121710393

Is the sound quality good on the Lemega?

byte

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121704237#Comment_121704237

I'm quite fond of my Roberts internet radios - I have the older Stream83i and a newer Stream94i and both sound decent. The latter is showing its age now with its blue screen but still works.

The newer Stream94L is similar to the 94i except it has a faster processor and now supports Amazon Prime Music and Deezer.

All can also be controlled with your phone using the UNDOK app, though the 94 series can also use a newer, fancier, app called Oktiv.

A lot of internet radios seem to use the Frontier Silicon chipset which is why I guess many seem similar.

WHL

I am also a fan of the 93i so would have also recommended its Roberts 94i replacement if within budget. Only if you are interested in internet radio though. If you were close to the border you might pick up DAB also. I wasn’t aware of that Lemega radio and it might well be worth a punt. It seems to be cheaper than the more basic Roberts radios even

NIMAN

As someone who bought various fm radios over the years to try to get one with good reception on difficult to receive stations, I don't know why the op wouldn't just buy an Echo or Google speaker?

No issue with dodgy reception.

Just ask it to play whatever station you want.

Good sound quality.

tphase

The missus bought a Roberts classic a while back to replace an ancient Sony which worked but had to be manually tuned to change the station - she had to have presets.

What an absolute piece of shyte. The preset controls are tiny, at the back, awkward to set and require frequent adjustment, so much so that it's easier to use the manual adjustment knob on the top.

Premium brand? I think not.....

Hyperbollix

Bought this in Powercity a few years ago. Liked the retro look. Good quality sound and can connect to phone via bluetooth to play podcasts.

ULMarc

I got one of these because I wanted a stupid little radio to doze along in my kitchen. Maybe this is the kind of thing OP is after. I love how straightforward it is to just flick on the power and it starts radio-ing.

https://www.sony.ie/electronics/radios/icf-506

ITV2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121712785#Comment_121712785

It's ok a little bit thinny for my ears but worth the €68 i paid.

clashoftheash1

I would love to know why Robert’s radios are so expensive. They never seem to drop in price no matter how long they are out.

I’m looking to move on from my Roberts stream that has been acting up on us for years but is finally unusable. Any alternatives for the kitchen with FM, internet and Spotify?

Glaceon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121718882#Comment_121718882

They used to be a premium brand but are now owned by Glen Dimplex, who also own Walker. Make of that what you will.

chinwag

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121718882#Comment_121718882

I have one of these radios but the presets never held the station in tune, drove me nuts. So I just use the manual now. I have it a good while now but I've always had this problem with the presets.

In the past few months the sound/volume fades away and then comes back eventually, despite constantly re-tuning bands. So, I'll dig out my old Sony which is manual but works okay.

RINO87

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121710393#Comment_121710393

Forgive my ignorance here, but how does internet radio on one of these things with a tiny screen work? Are stations listed geographically or by genre etc. I've never used one as I always thought it would be a hassle. If I want internet radio I stream from my phone or tv to the Stereo. Proper Technics 90's job, cannot stand single bluetooth speakers etc.

crl84

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121997186#Comment_121997186

Yes, you can choose both geographical (Continent→Country) or by Genre. There's also lists of most popular stations, or newly added ones.

You can kind of see it here at 1:30ish:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHKGn6liaLA

RINO87

Cool thanks