Description
Roberts Play 10 DAB+/FM Portable Radio - Black
A pocketable DAB, DAB+ and FM RDS radio, 180 mm across, running from the supplied mains adaptor at home or four AA cells anywhere else.
The Play 10 is a small digital radio for people who want DAB and FM without a menu system to negotiate. It measures 180 x 100 x 55 mm, has a rubberised carry strip moulded into the case, and covers DAB, DAB+ and FM with RDS. Six presets hold the stations you return to.
Finding stations takes one press. Auto-scan builds the DAB station list for you, and FM can be tuned manually if you already know where a station sits. RDS names the FM station on the backlit starburst dot-matrix display, which stays readable in a bright kitchen or a dim shed. The 3.5 mm headphone socket is on board for private listening.
Ideal For
Light enough to carry from kitchen to bedroom to spare room, and small enough that it does not claim a worktop. The carry strip gives you something to hold.
Four AA cells free it from the mains, and the moulded case with its rubberised strip is built to be picked up with working hands rather than admired on a shelf.
For a listener moving from analogue, the Play 10 keeps the change small: a scan, a station list and six presets, with FM still there if a station is not on DAB.
Key Features
Digital multiplexes and analogue FM in one tuner, with RDS supplying station names and text on the FM band, so you are not left reading a frequency.
Enough for the handful of stations most people actually use. Each is recalled directly, without scrolling back through a list every time you switch the radio on.
Small in the hand at 180 x 100 x 55 mm, with a rubberised carry strip in the moulded case so it can be lifted one-handed.
A high-contrast starburst dot-matrix LCD with a backlight, so station names and scrolling text stay legible in low light as well as bright daylight.
The AC adaptor comes in the box, so the Play 10 can live plugged in on a shelf and only take batteries when you move it.
Four AA cells make it portable for a walk, a garden or a workshop with no socket nearby. The cells themselves are not supplied in the box.
What six presets are actually for
Presets are only useful if you can reach them quickly. Six is a small number, and deliberately so: the Play 10 assumes you have a few stations you listen to and the rest you can find by scan. Store them once and each one comes back with a single action, rather than being buried in a list that grows every time the radio rescans the band.
DAB and FM, both worth having
DAB and DAB+ carry the digital multiplexes, with station names on the display rather than a frequency. FM with RDS remains useful where digital coverage is patchy, in a valley, on the coast or inside a thick-walled building, and it names the station too. Tuning covers both approaches: auto-scan builds the DAB list, while FM can be tuned manually if you know the frequency you want.
A radio that goes where you go
At 180 x 100 x 55 mm the Play 10 travels in a bag easily, and the rubberised strip moulded into the case gives your hand something to grip when it is carried across a garden or set down on a workbench. Power works both ways. The AC adaptor is supplied for a fixed spot at home, and four AA cells take over anywhere without a socket, though you will need to buy those separately. Headphones plug into the 3.5 mm socket when the room needs quiet.
How It Compares
| Listening Need | Play 10 Technology | Practical Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Digital stations | DAB and DAB+ | Auto-scan builds the station list, and names appear on the display instead of frequencies |
| Patchy DAB areas | FM with RDS | Analogue FM stays available where digital coverage thins out, with the station name still shown |
| Regular listening | 6 presets | The stations you use most come back with one action rather than another trip through the list |
| No socket nearby | 4 x AA batteries | Runs on four AA cells away from the mains, though the cells are not in the box |
| A fixed spot | Mains adaptor included | The AC adaptor is supplied, so it can stay plugged in on a shelf indefinitely |
| Quiet listening | 3.5 mm headphone socket | Headphones keep late radio to yourself without disturbing anyone else in the room |
The Verdict
Strengths
- DAB, DAB+ and FM RDS in one tuner
- Six presets, each recalled directly
- Backlit high-contrast dot-matrix display, readable in low light
- Mains adaptor included in the box
- Runs on 4 x AA cells for portability
- 180 x 100 x 55 mm, genuinely pocketable
- Rubberised carry strip in a moulded case
Considerations
- There is no Bluetooth, so music held on a phone cannot be played through the Play 10. It is a radio only.
- There is no 3.5 mm aux input either, so wired sources such as a CD player cannot be connected to it.
- The four AA batteries needed for portable use are not included, although the mains adaptor is supplied in the box.
What's in the Box
- Play 10 radio x1
- AC adaptor x1
- User guide x1