Bush BR10DAB digital radio

Bush’s BR10DAB DAB+ digital radio receiver incorporates a single speaker and a tuner in a simple body. It offers acceptable sound quality and has an easy-to-use interface.

If you don’t want or need advanced features or extra connectivity — and just want a no-frills upgrade to your old transistor radio for the kitchen or work cubicle — Bush’s BR10DAB digital radio fits the bill well. The Bush BR10DAB has DAB+ and FM reception (with 10 presets for each), an option for battery or AC power, a headphone jack, a two-line, non-backlit LCD screen, and an antenna.

The Bush BR10DAB may be light on features but it’s light on price as well, with an RRP of just $169 when we tested it. That’s a significant saving over the $249 it costs to pick up the Pure ONE Classic, which is also positioned as an entry-level digital radio. Digital radios like the Sangean DPR-99 cost even more.

The speaker has a single Watt of output, which is enough for near-field listening on a desk or in a small space like a kitchen or bathroom. We’d be reluctant to take it to a picnic and it certainly won’t be fulfilling any party duties, but the Bush BR10DAB’s speaker is nonetheless free of distortion at its maximum volume.

Sound from the Bush BR10DAB is crisp and treble-focused, with not much mid-range and no bass to speak of. There are no sound adjustment options. The headphone jack provides adequate sound quality for listening to radio, and the volume is more than loud enough for everyday use.

The tuner was no less sensitive than the more expensive models we pitted it against, with the radio able to pick up the full gamut of digital radio stations currently broadcasting in the Sydney metropolitan area. The screen is small, but with scrolling text it is eventually able to show all the necessary information. There are no advanced DAB+ features, such as a recording buffer for time-shifted audio, but at this price we weren’t expecting anything more than the basics. The Bush BR10DAB was quick to switch between DAB+ and FM radio modes, and switching between stations was equally speedy.

If all you want to do is listen to the new range of stations available on the digital spectrum, Bush’s BR10DAB is a great choice. It may not have the advanced features of other models, but it’s one of the cheapest ways to jump into the world of digital radio.