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The Steepletone 2 Band Dorset is one of the few digital radios to offer the MW (AM) band in addition to FM and DAB radio. The vast majority of DAB radios just come with DAB and FM, so this radio could be a good choice if you want both AM radio and DAB.
The Steepletone Dorset has a retro 1950’s-style design and can be powered using batteries or the mains. Find out more about what it can do and how it performs in this review…
Features
- MW, FM and DAB radio
- Can be powered by 6 x C batteries or the mains
- 3.5 mm headphone jack
- Aux-in socket
- Carrying handle
- Save preset stations
Dimensions: 30 cm wide x 21 cm high x 8 cm deep
Weight: 2 kg (boxed)
Performance and use
The Steepletone Dorset sounds good for a small radio, and has a nice tone quality and a surprising amount of volume. It generally has strong DAB reception, though sometimes other electrical equipment can interfere with the signal.
Besides the radio itself, the Steepletone Dorset doesn’t have many extra features. There’s a headphone jack and an aux-in socket, but there isn’t an alarm clock or more advanced features like Bluetooth.
There are 5 dedicated preset station buttons so you can access your favourite stations without having to scroll through a menu. The buttons let you access 10 stations (the first 5 just by pressing the buttons, and the second 5 by combining the preset buttons with the SHIFT button).
Unlike with some rival products, the Dorset’s instructions manual (available online here) is clearly written and helpful, though you probably won’t need it much as this radio is very straightforward and easy to use.
One of the best things about this radio is its retro 1950’s style design. The radio looks great in the kitchen but can be used anywhere. It also feels well made compared to most other portable DAB radios. However, it’s quite heavy, especially when used with batteries, and is fairly large for a portable radio (30 cm wide).
Pros
- Nice retro design
- Lots of volume for its size
- Crisp, clear sound
- Plastic used feels high-quality
- Offers MW (AM), which few DAB radios do
- Good value for money
Cons
- Uses lots of batteries (6), which makes the radio quite heavy
Verdict
The Steepletone Dorset has an authentic retro design and offers impressive sound quality and volume for the price. A lot of radios have nice retro designs, but their sound quality is often disappointing. Not so with the Dorset—Steepletone have managed to combine form and function while keeping the price quite low (see on Amazon). It’s also one of the few digital radios to offer AM radio in addition to FM and DAB.
You should be warned that this radio is bigger than you might expect from looking at pictures: it’s 30 cm wide and 21 cm high.
Similar radios
One similar radio to the Steepletone Dorset is the Goodmans Oxford, which is an FM/DAB/DAB+ radio with an attractive 1960’s-style design.
If you’re looking for a portable DAB radio and aren’t bothered about it having a retro design, you should consider the Roberts Play10. It’s one of the most popular DAB radios in the UK and offers good value for money.
If you’re looking for a kitchen radio, you should check out our roundup of the best radios for the kitchen. You can find more retro DAB radios in our review of the top retro radios.