Digital Radio
Digital Radio

You might recall I recently bought one of the new eeepc’s – 1008ha seashell – which means I can now surf the web (and blog) from my bed.

Well tonight I bought some more technology: a digital radio specifically for my bedroom.

I’ve been holding off on buying a digital radio, believing all of those on the market so far have been over-priced. With an entry level price of around $129, and most priced in the $200-300 range, I’ve been holding off on making a purchase. It’s my personal view, they’ve been unnecessarilly overpriced. I mean, how much do the chips inside actually cost?

I’ve been holding off on a proper purchase for the lounge-room. And I’ve been looking at a nice radio tuner (which combines a wifi service) in the price range of about $500 which would integrate nicely with my home hi-fi. For my purposes, the wifi integration and home hifi is pretty important.

So I’ve been holding off on buying something cheaper because I’ve been waiting for something really cheap for the bedroom or bathroom, as well as the more upper-level receiver.

But then last weekend I spotted something at Dick Smith at Rhodes which I thought would offer me something “entry level” for the bedroom.

It’s a Kaiser Baas DAB+

DAB+ Band III with FM (87.5 – 108MHz)
Auto and manual Scan
10 presets for favourite FM and DAB+ stations
Two line backlit LCD Display
Dynamic Range Control

In my bedroom, I don’t need a high level sound-system. And I don’t need anything with big speakers that are only going to annoy the neighbours. I need something small and clear.

And at $84 this is about as good as it gets (at the moment at least). I still think they’re over-priced, by the way.

But tonight, I’ve been lying in bed tuning around the dial.

And now, with an eee and a digital radio (and a lovely breeze coming through the window), I feel as though I may never have to leave my bed ever again. :)

Except of course to go into the lounge-room to watch The Walkleys. I need a better television in my bedroom :)

8 responses to “Never Leaving My Bed”

  1. Mike Avatar

    Still not getting the utility of one of those over streamed internet radio. I can control access to thousands of stations around the world via an iphone app into any room in my house.I may have made this comparison on an earlier post of yours, but I still haven’t heard anything compelling yet. It just feels like a technology that got pipped by the internet.

    1. James Avatar

      Hi Mike, I agree with you on one level. I love the iphone functionality in this regard, and the fact that you can listen to thousands of stations now. I’m a nerd who wants to listen to Swedish radio and thus listen online a fair bit. And that’s why I’m looking for a combined wifi/DAB+ radio for the loungeroom so that I can go between the two. But most people listen to just one, two, or sometimes three radio stations. Most people just want a little radio next to their bed or in the kitchen or bathroom to let them know what’s happening in their own bit of the world. James

  2. mscherrylane Avatar

    haha, welcome to my world :) congrats on your nifty purchases…it’s funny how cheap technology has become- I still remember when computers were black and green, cost a BOMB and took up a good part of a room!

  3. M-H Avatar

    But can you get all the ABC AM stations on this? That is what we are looking for – 702, newsradio and radio national on digital.

    1. James Avatar

      Hi M-H, yes they’re all there, including the three new ABC digital music stations. The initial scan picked up 39 stations. James

      1. M-H Avatar

        Thanks James. That pushes us along the path a bit further! We sometimes get a lot of crackle on AM stations at the moment.

  4. Murray Avatar

    Glad you liked your purchase James.

    We agree with you that digital radios should be affordable. Our range makes it so much easier for the average punter to experience the benefits of digital radio without forking out a few hundred dollars. I notice they are $79 with free delivery on the DSE website at the moment too.

    To answer Mike’s question, streaming digital radio over the Internet can consume a lot of bandwidth. If you don’t have a large plan it can be costly.

    M-H, my radio picked up 41 stations today in Melbourne, including 774 ABC, ABC Clas, ABC Dig, ABC Jazz, ABC News, ABCCntry, ABCExtra, ABCGstnd, and ABCRNat. I should add that there is a new station called ElfRadio at the moment for those who want to listen to some Christmas tunes.

    If anybody has further questions on the KB radio then please email me directly: murray@kaiserbaas.com

    Cheers

    1. James Avatar

      Hi Murray, although your post is kinda spam-like I’ve let it through because it was a real person posting, not a computer. James

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