Milton DAB Bedside Radio Review

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Summary:
A straightforward and good value DAB clock radio, though the screen is small and can’t be dimmed.

Buy it online:
No longer available

The Milton DAB is a small DAB clock radio that should fit easily on your bedside table. It’s made by Majority, a British firm who are quickly gaining a reputation for quality low-cost digital radios.

Find out what the Milton DAB radio can do and how it performs in this review…

Features

FM/DAB radio
Automatically sets the correct time when you plug it in
Alarm with two alarms and a snooze button
Sleep feature
Save up to 20 preset stations (10 for FM and 10 for DAB)
Uses mains power or 4 AA batteries
Rubberised finish
Headphone socket

Dimensions: 14 cm wide x 14 cm deep x 4 cm high

Performance and use

The Milton DAB is very straightforward to set up. As soon as you plug it in and switch it on, it will set the correct time and date automatically and find all the DAB stations available in your area.

The sound quality isn’t very impressive, but it’s decent for a bedside radio, especially at this price point. It sounds quite thin and doesn’t have much bass, but the sound is clear and is fine for listening to Radio 4 or other speech stations.

Setting and accessing preset stations is quite fiddly as it requires a few button presses. It would be easier if the radio had some dedicated preset buttons so you could access presets just by pressing one button.

Using the alarm is easier, which is good as the Milton DAB is designed as an alarm clock radio. You can set two separate alarms so you could have one for weekdays and another for weekends, for example.

When the radio isn’t on the screen shows a 24-hour clock. The numbers are quite small so you might find them hard to read at night.

Unfortunately the display can’t be turned off without turning the radio off altogether. It’s not very bright, but might disturb you if you have it on your bedside table.

Besides the radio and the alarm the Milton DAB doesn’t have many extra features. It doesn’t have USB charging points or Bluetooth like the Majority Fulbourn. However, there is a headphone socket on the back of the radio so you can listen to the radio without disturbing anyone.

Pros

Quick and easy to set up
Two alarms, so you could set one for weekdays and another for the weekends
Very good value for money
Alarm can be set to use either a buzzer sound or the radio
Good reception on DAB

Cons

Speaker lacks bass
Display can’t be dimmed, though it’s not especially bright
LCD display is quite hard to read

Verdict

If you’re looking for a straightforward, low-priced bedside DAB alarm clock radio, the Milton DAB is a good choice. Don’t expect to be blown away by its sound quality, but for the price it does its job well.

The biggest drawback with this radio is that the display can’t be dimmed, so it might keep you awake at night if you have it in your bedroom.

Similar radios

A newer DAB clock radio from Majority is the Fulbourn, which was released in 2017. Like the Milton, it’s very affordable, but offers some extra features including Bluetooth and two USB ports for charging phones and other devices. The Fulbourn’s screen can also be dimmed, unlike the screen on the Milton DAB.

If you’re willing to spend a bit more for something from a more established brand you should consider the Pure Siesta Rise. This radio is a fair bit more expensive than the Milton, but it looks great and comes backed by a 3-year warranty.

For some more options, see our roundup of the best clock radios in the UK.