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Gerry1, West Kent on June 21st, 2006
The Sony XDR-S1 is one of the surprisingly few radios that offer DAB coverage as well as FM/MW/LW. It appears to have been discontinued (although still shown on sony.co.uk), but some retailers still claim to have them in stock, typically around £120 - £130 plus postage. However, at June 06 Argos are advertising them at £64.99 (but their availability is close to zero and they have to be collected from the store). This quirky, idiosyncratic radio appears to have been designed by a committee. It’s not quite sure whether it wants to be a kitchen radio, a bedside radio or an enthusiasts’ radio; it achieves many things quite well, but it also has some infuriating omissions and limitations. The specification offers plenty of useful features, including · Band III and L-band DAB · Stereo DAB and FM, with RDS · Optical output, line input · Sleep timer and clock wake up · Digital noise reduction to reduce hiss on AM and FM stereo · Multi-function remote control · Good sound quality, solid build quality However, its drawbacks can equally comprehensive. · Mains only; its size and weight make it transportable rather than portable · No memory backup: all presets and clock settings are lost if disconnected from the mains for more than just a few minutes · DAB stations listed by multiplex rather than alphabetical order, so finding a DAB station that’s not on a preset can involve scrolling through 50 or 60 names that seem to be in a random order · No external aerial connections for DAB / FM · No rotary controls, e.g. only switchable on-off settings for treble and bass · Insensitive on MW and LW; unless strong, stations are hissy even if top cut, mega bass and noise reduction are all used · No stereo indicator on DAB and FM · Band scanning can be fiddly: the auto tune only works in one direction and it misses all but the strongest stations. Manual tuning is possible but is very slow. · Remote control can be unreliable if the radio is high up; the recessed IR receiver can be shadowed by the front of the radio · Amazingly, the remote control has no Mute button; an inelegant workaround is to press the ‘Line’ button (assuming nothing is connected) and subsequently to press ‘Band’ to unmute. · RDS is decoded only on strong stations · Some bugs with Radio Text; last character is often missing, flashing characters from ‘Waiting’ can remain visible after the station is recognised and displayed · Some spurious responses on FM, although unlikely to obliterate weak stations Overall Verdict This radio could have been a show stopper, but it’s ended up somewhere between a curate’s egg and a lemon. A rechargeable battery would certainly have helped, even if good for only a couple of hours, and if an unplugged Pure Evoke 1 can retain its settings indefinitely, why can’t the XDR-S1? As an early prototype it would be passable, but it’s not fully up to the standards you might expect from a Sony. If you’re looking for a kitchen / bedside radio, know and accept its limitations and can find it close to the Argos price, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by an upmarket radio that has ideas above its station, especially if you can receive many DAB multiplexes. You’ll get a lot for your money, if you can still find one in stock. If you paid over £100 in the expectation of getting a faultless thoroughbred, you may end up rather disappointed wondering how so many obvious shortcomings could have been completely overlooked.
Martin, Herts on August 6th, 2006
Excellent review, totally agree with everything you have said. One further addition - as someone who owns two of these heavy beasts, there is often a problem where you can be listening to a dab station and the audio will start skipping, in a similar way that a CD can. Particularly noticable on BBC7 for some reason. Only cured by tuning to another station and then going back to the station originally tuned to. A real pity that there is no external aerial connection! As you mentioned, the original asking price of £150 was far too excessive, but if you were lucky enough to wait and obtain one (or even two!) for £70 each, then the XDR-S1 is worth it, despite the shortfalls. An opportunity missed by Sony in my opinion and the replacement model isn't up to much - no L band for a start! .....Strange that thing on the XDR-S1 with the missing last letter on the scrolling text!!
Mike Dunn, Northwich, Cheshire on September 8th, 2006
I was fortunate enough to get one of Argos's last remaining examples of this radio for £64.99, and I'm delighted with it. While I agree that it's a bit inconvenient that stations are listed by multiplex rather than alphabetically, and the lack of memory backup is a bit of a nuisance, I think these are minor quibbles. And I really don't understand how insensitivity on LW and MW can possibly be an issue- if I'd wanted to listen to LW and MW I wouldn't have bought a DAB radio. The sound quality of this radio is superb, and I've found it to be excellent at picking up slightly weaker stations which previous(and more expensive) sets I've owned have not been able to do. Reception of the North west regional station The Arrow has sometimes been a bit iffy in this part of Cheshire, but the Sony picks it up superbly. It also picks up all the stations on both the Manchester and Stoke multiplexes. As it's 20 miles to Manchester and 30 to Stoke, this is indeed a powerful machine. A generous 40 presets (10 per band) are unusual even on the most expensive sets, and the (almost)comprehensive remote control is a real bonus. But above all it's the sheer qality of the sound from a relatively small portable radio which impresses me most. I've heard much tinnier noises coming from far pricier units. This Sony is a real steal at the Argos price, but I'd have been happy with it even at its original £130+ price. If you can still find any around, rob a bank, sell your mother, mug your granny, do whatever you have to do to get one. You won't be disappointed.
