What Hi-Fi? Verdict
A neat and genuinely useful little accessory for your iPod – and at a friendly price
Pros
- +
Decent design
- +
impressive radio sound
- +
remote control of iPod
Cons
- -
Radio breakup when on the move
- -
sound can be a tad thin with FM
Why you can trust What Hi-Fi? Our expert team reviews products in dedicated test rooms, to help you make the best choice for your budget. Find out more about how we test.
If we have one criticism of Apple's iPods, it's that none of them have built-in radios – unlike some other portable players. However, this compact and handy little device from Roberts plugs into the USB socket on your iPod and – abracadabra! – offers you the choice of both FM and DAB broadcasts.
It works well, too. The robi picked up all the digital stations we tried – and more easily than some of the portable DAB devices we've tested – while FM reception was also refreshingly reliable by the standards of most portables.
An iPod remote, too
It's a neat little gadget, not least because as well as turning your iPod into a portable radio, it also functions as a handy remote for the iPod itself. The display is pretty small, but it's decently lit and well laid out, making the robi a useful and functional unit to carry around when you're on the move. It's also powered by the iPod, so no need for extra batteries.
The DAB and FM tuners sound reasonable enough through the supplied headphones, with a commendably solid and punchy performance in both modes. Due to the inherent drawbacks in trying to hold a radio signal on the move, frequent signal break-up is a problem, but overall this is an impressive iPod accessory for the money.
