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The Woodlands WD1 is a stylish and inexpensive digital radio from British audio brand AZATOM. It’s one of the newest additions to AZATOM’s product range, having been released in October 2018. The Woodlands offers an impressive list of features for the price, which is one of the reasons why it has become one of the most popular DAB radios on the market.
What can the AZATOM Woodlands do, what does it sound like and how good is its build quality? Find out in this review…
Features
- FM/DAB/DAB+ radio
- Bluetooth
- Alarm clock with up to 4 alarms
- Sleep timer
- Built-in rechargeable battery (can also use mains)
- Remote control
- Built-in subwoofer
- Carrying handle
- USB playback and charging
- Micro SD playback
- Aux input
Dimensions: 17.5 cm high x 12 cm wide x 9 cm deep
Weight: 720 g
Performance and use
The AZATOM Woodlands packs a lot of features into a small and compact unit. There aren’t many other small budget radios on the market that offer so many features, including USB playback for playing MP3s and a handy remote control.
The sound quality is good for the price; it sounds clear and has a good amount of bass.
This product could work well as a bedside radio since it has a small footprint and features an alarm clock and sleep timer. You can set four separate alarms so you can choose to wake up at different times on different days. It’s also nice that you can operate the sleep timer using the remote control.
This radio can be plugged into the mains or used with the built-in rechargeable battery. It’s quite light at 720 g, and there’s a carrying handle so it’s easy to carry around the house. You can also charge it via a USB cable, which makes it a good choice for taking with you on caravan holidays.
The Woodlands has a wood effect finish which is quite realistic and comes in either Golden Oak or Grey Ash. Despite being cheap, the Woodlands feels quite sturdy and well built.
One disappointing thing about the Woodlands WD1 is that it doesn’t have a headphone jack. You can’t use it with Bluetooth headphones either as it only has a Bluetooth receiver, not a Bluetooth transmitter.
Pros
- Good value for money
- Easy to set up Bluetooth
- Clear sound with decent amount of bass
- Can be charged via USB—good for caravans and travelling
Cons
- No headphone jack
- Display can be too bright for some at night
Verdict
The AZATOM Woodlands WD1 is one of the best DAB radios on the market in its price range. It offers an impressive list of features, has an attractive design and good sound quality. The only real downside to this product is that it doesn’t have a headphone jack, but if you aren’t planning to listen through headphones this won’t be an issue.
Similar radios
The AZATOM Woodlands WD1 was designed using feedback about two of AZATOM’s earlier models, the Blackfriars and Spitalfields. These two radios are quite similar, but don’t offer quite the same range of features as the Woodlands. We’d recommend picking the newer Woodlands rather than these older models.
One similar product from a rival brand is the Majority Little Shelford. Like the AZATOM Woodlands, the Little Shelford offers a great list of features for a very low price. The Little Shelford uses AA batteries rather than a built-in battery and has a headphone jack.
A more expensive alternative is the Pure Evoke H3, which has a similar vertical wood-effect design to the Woodlands. It doesn’t have as many features as the Woodlands, but is made by a more established digital radio brand and is backed by a 3-year warranty.
For some more options, check out our roundups of the best DAB radios under £50 and the best DAB radios overall.