Best DAB Radios with a Remote Control 2023

A remote control is a very useful feature for a digital radio to have, as it means you can control the radio from wherever you are in the room.

If having a remote control is important to you, it can be difficult to sift through all the options and identify which have a remote and which don’t. That’s why we’ve put together this list of 5 of the best DAB radios with a remote control available in the UK.

In general, the bigger a DAB radio is, the more likely it is to have a remote control, though some large tabletop radios don’t have remote controls and some smaller portable radios do have one.

The list below should have something to suit everyone. It includes radio CD players, alarm clock radios and radios that can connect to the internet to stream online radio.

In general, radios don’t come with a battery for the remote control included.

Best DAB Radios with a Remote Control

1. John Lewis Cello

The John Lewis Cello is a DAB/internet radio with stereo sound and a CD player.

It has an elegant, minimalistic design with a wood-effect finish and also features Bluetooth and a dual alarm clock. The remote control is light and feels quite cheaply made, but it works well.

The Cello is one of the more high-end models in John Lewis’s line-up of own-brand digital radios, all of which offer good value for money and are backed by a 2-year warranty.

This radio could work well as a bedside radio since it has two alarms with a snooze function and a sleep timer.  It has a decent amount of volume, so it would also be a good choice for the living room.

As well as listening to FM, DAB/DAB+ and internet radio, you can also listen to MP3s using the USB port or connect another audio source using the aux-in port. There’s also a headphone jack for private listening.

Features

Dimensions: 35 cm wide x 21.5 cm deep x 12.4 cm high
Weight: 4.8 kg (unpackaged)

 

2. Roberts Stream 94i

The Roberts Stream 94i isn’t just a DAB radio—it also has an internet tuner so you can pick up thousands of radio stations from around the world that broadcast online.

This includes all the major UK stations as well as foreign stations, so it could be a good choice if you’re learning a foreign language or live in an area with poor FM and DAB radio reception.

The Stream 94i is one of the most popular and highly rated internet radios on the market and is made by a respected and reliable brand. As well as internet radio, it also picks up regular FM, DAB and DAB+ stations.

This radio comes with a small but very useful remote control which takes one CR2025 battery (not included). This is the same type of small, round battery you find in many calculators.

You can also use your phone as a remote control by downloading the UNDOK app, which is easier to use than the remote as you don’t need to point your phone directly at the radio.

Other features include a USB port, five dedicated preset buttons for accessing your favourite stations quickly, an alarm clock with snooze and a sleep timer. You can also buy an optional battery pack to make it portable.

This radio is easy to set up and has great sound quality, as you’d expect from Roberts. Read our full review of the Roberts Stream94i here.

Features

Dimensions: 25 cm wide x 16.3 cm high x 16.2 cm deep
Weight: 1.6 kg

 

3. Majority Oakington

The Majority Oakington is budget DAB radio that offers a lot of features for the price..

This product is more of a complete sound system than just a radio; it features FM/DAB/DAB+ radio, a CD player, Bluetooth and a USB port you can use to play MP3 files.

You can use this radio as an alarm clock, and it also has a sleep timer so you can fall asleep while listening to the radio. Other features include a headphone jack and adjustable bass and treble controls.

The remote control supplied with this radio feels quite cheap, and there’s a small delay between pressing a button and the radio responding. While it may not be perfect, it’s still a useful thing to have and is something many radios in this price range lack.

This radio has a decent sound quality for the price and looks very classy, with a nice wood-effect finish. Reception is generally good on DAB, but it can be poor on FM, so it’s not such a good choice if you prefer to listen on FM than DAB.

Read our full review of the Majority Oakington here.

Features

Dimensions: 40 cm wide x 20 cm deep x 13 cm high
Weight: 1.2 kg

 

4. AZATOM Blackfriars

This affordable digital radio from budget audio brand AZATOM is one of the cheapest DAB radios with a remote control.

It would make a good clock radio as it has a compact, space-saving design and offers the ability to set four separate alarm clocks.

There’s also a sleep timer, and you can dim the display very low so it won’t keep you awake at night.

The AZATOM Blackfriars picks up FM, DAB and DAB+ stations, and offers 6 preset EQ settings to choose from as well as independent bass and treble controls. The sound quality isn’t amazing, but it’s good for the price.

The Blackfriars is one of the few portable DAB radios with a remote control on the market. The remote control is small but fully functional, so you can use it control all of the radio’s features.

This radio has a rechargeable built-in battery that can last for up to 10 hours. You can plug it into the mains too, so it’s quite flexible.

This radio doesn’t offer any advanced features such as Bluetooth or internet streaming, and also doesn’t feature a headphone jack.

However, it’s attractively designed and offers great value for money. Read our full review of the AZATOM Blackfriars here.

Features

Dimensions: 18.2 cm high x 13 cm wide x 8.7 cm deep
Weight: 780 g

 

5. Pure Evoke C-D6

This radio CD player from Pure packs a lot of features into a compact unit with stereo sound.

It offers FM, DAB and DAB+ radio, a CD player, Bluetooth and a dual alarm clock.

Like all the radios in Pure’s Evoke range, the Evoke C-D6 has a stylish design which is available in either a wood-effect or black finish. It also comes with a generous 3-year manufacturer’s warranty when you buy it new.

The remote control that comes with this radio is useful but not perfect as it only seems to work when you’re quite close to the radio. The remote is also quite small and fiddly.

This radio’s sound quality with its dual alarm, snooze function and sleep timer make it one of the best alarm clock radio CD players. Read our full review of the Pure Evoke C-D6 here.

Features

Dimensions: 37 cm wide x 22.3 cm deep x 13.5 cm high
Weight: 2.8 kg

 

Using Your Phone as a Remote Control

Some radios allow you to use your phone as a remote control via an app that connects your phone to the radio.

This can be easier than using a small fiddly remote, as you can instead use the screen on your phone and search for stations rather than having to scroll through them.

These apps often allow you to connect to streaming services such as Spotify to play music through the radio’s speakers.

They require both the radio and your phone to be connected to WiFi. As far as we’re aware, there isn’t an app that can work as a remote control just using Bluetooth and not WiFi.

One of the most popular apps for turning your phone into a remote is UNDOK, which is compatible with the Roberts Stream94i, Roberts Revival iStream 3, Revo SuperSystem and Revo SuperConnect, among others.

Another is the Pure Select, which is compatible with the Evoke C-F6 and F3 internet radios.

These apps can be very useful, but they have quite low average ratings on Google Play and Apple’s App Store due to a range of problems including connectivity issues and limited functions such as the inability to use the app to set alarms etc.

These apps usually aren’t updated as often as they could be, and users often face frustrating compatibility issues.

 

Conclusion

The radios reviewed here are all quite different, so it’s hard to pick just one to recommend.

If you’re looking for an all-round music system, the John Lewis Cello is a good choice. It has stereo sound and offers not just DAB radio but also a CD player and Bluetooth.

If you want something cheap, small and portable, the AZATOM Blackfriars is a good choice.

 

Related posts

• Best DAB Radios with Tone Control
• Best Portable DAB Radios
• Best Rechargeable DAB Radios