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The Majority Shelford II is a budget vintage-style DAB radio with an attractive design and a leather handle. The Shelford II was released in April 2018 as an update to the earlier Shelford radio, which was released in 2017. The main difference between the two versions is that the Shelford II has updated software and extra alarm functions.
The Majority Shelford II is one of the most popular DAB radios in the UK at the time of writing. Find out what it can do and how it performs in this review…
Features
- FM/DAB/DAB+ radio
- Saves 20 preset stations (10 on FM and 10 on DAB/DAB+)
- Powered by mains power or 4 C-type batteries
- Dual alarm clock
- Sleep timer
- Leather handle
- Headphone jack
- Telescopic aerial
Dimensions: 24 cm wide x 15 cm high x 10 cm deep
Performance and use
The Majority Shelford II is generally simple and easy to use. It automatically sets the correct time and date the first time you turn it on, which makes it very quick and easy to set up. The instructions manual (available online here) is clearly written and easy to follow.
Reception on DAB is generally decent, though you might need to extend the telescopic aerial to get the best signal. The Majority Shelford II sounds decent for the price, though it sounds quite thin and doesn’t have much bass. It can go fairly loud for a small radio.
This radio lets you set two separate alarms, and there’s also a sleep function so you can fall asleep without having to worry about turning the radio off.
As on many DAB radios, saving and accessing preset stations is quite fiddly and requires you to press a sequence of buttons. It would be nice if there were dedicated preset buttons as there are on some rival products such as the Roberts Play, which would mean you could quickly access your favourite stations with just a single button press.
This radio is available in either cream or red and has a nice retro design. It looks and feels a bit cheap, though you’d expect that from a radio at this price point.
Several buyers have had problems with their radio stopping working properly after a few weeks or months of use, so this is definitely something to consider before buying this radio.
Pros
- Smart, attractive design
- Easy and quick to set up
- Good reception
- Good value for money
Cons
- Sounds quite thin
- No dedicated preset buttons
- Quality control issues
Verdict
The Majority Shelford II offers good value for money and is a good choice if you want something with a smart retro at a budget price. There are better DAB radios out there in terms of sound quality and ease of use, but the Shelford II generally performs well for the price. However, there seems to be a quality control issue with this radio as several buyers have found that theirs stopped working after just a few weeks or months of use.
Similar radios
Another DAB radio from Majority with a similar price tag and similar list of features is the Little Shelford, which as the name suggest is very similar to the Shelford II but smaller. One good reason to consider the Little Shelford over the Shelford II is that, unlike the Shelford II, it has Bluetooth.
One alternative from a rival brand is the AZATOM Woodlands, which is a bit more expensive than the Shelford II, but has a lot of extra features including a USB port for playing MP3s, Bluetooth and an adjustable EQ. It also has a built-in rechargeable battery, which you might find more convenient than the Shelford II’s use of C batteries.
For some more options to consider see our roundup of the best DAB radios under £50.
I bought this radio from Amazon a few months ago and only just got round to taking it out of its box as bought for our new home. Frustratingly it keeps switching itself off after about 10 minutes, I have checked the sleep setting isn’t activated, which it isn’t, I have no option to return it as it’s been so long, I don’t have the original box either, I should have checked it when it arrived, never had this issue with a digital radio before. Super disappointed. Waste of money.
Great radio tone wise BUT it won’t retain the preset operation. It requires rescanning a lot of the time , and the preset then seems to ‘remember’ it. A real hassle. Sometimes it retains it but not always. It isn’t due to a poor signal as a repeat scan picked up the stations. I would send it back but the dog ate the packaging! Disappointed and now stuck with a half working radio…..
Was initially very pleased with this radio, that was a birthday gift. However after about 3 weeks it just stopped mid play. Tried all the normal off and on again and pressing and holding buttons but still just shows a pre-set date and time.
Have tried contacting Majority but no response – will be contacting trading standards if they do not reply to my latest email. Also the local paper as they are a local company to me so hopefully they may get this sorted!!!!
I would now not recomend any of the products by Majority due to their customer services.
I was bought this radio at Christmas and apart from Christmas Day it has never worked. I’ve tried to get in touch with the company but as of today I have received no reply
The only good thing about this radio is the look other than this don’t even consider buying one. I have had two in 14 months. The first was replaced after four months as it did not work. Had a replacement and this one has stopped working as well. Did not realise that the guarantee was transferred from the old one to the replacement. So who I bought it from Velocity Electronics tell me that this replacement is out of warranty although it is only 8 months old. A not very happy customer who will not be dealing with these again.
I bought this radio 6 month’s ago.I use it every day and never had a problem.
Would buy again.