Roberts Rambler Max DAB+/FM Internet Smart Radio

The Rambler Max covers DAB+, FM and WiFi internet radio in one bamboo-trimmed portable, with Spotify Connect and Deezer built in and 60 station presets.

At a Glance

• Three ways to listen: DAB+ / FM / WiFi
• Station presets: 60
• Battery life (optional BP3 pack): 8-10 hrs
• Wireless streaming: Bluetooth 5.2

A full-size portable that works as a home radio and a garden one, the Rambler Max tunes DAB, DAB+ and FM RDS, then adds internet radio over WiFi when you want stations from further afield. It suits anyone who listens all day and wants one set that moves from kitchen counter to patio table.

Connect it to your home WiFi and the colour display opens up internet radio and podcasts alongside the broadcast bands, with Spotify Connect and Deezer built in. Sixty presets are split twenty apiece across internet, DAB and FM, and five of them sit on direct buttons, so your regular stations are one press away.

Few portables ask so little of you: three ways to tune, five direct preset buttons, and a colour screen that explains itself.

Ideal For

• Kitchen to garden: At 1.73 kg with a leather-look carry handle, the Max lifts off the worktop and out to the patio, then plugs back in when the optional battery pack runs down.
• Wider listening: If your favourites include stations that never reach an Irish DAB multiplex, the WiFi tuner brings them in, along with podcasts, without needing a phone in the room.
• Shared households: Two alarm timers can wake different people to different stations, with snooze on hand, and a sleep timer that switches the radio off for whoever nods off first.

Key Features

• 60 station presets: Twenty presets each for internet radio and podcasts, DAB and FM, with five direct buttons on the front for the stations you return to most.
• Dual-band WiFi: 802.11 b/g/n/a on both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, so the Max can sit on the less crowded band and hold a steady stream across the house.
• Bluetooth 5.2: Pair a phone or tablet and play anything the radio does not carry, from a podcast app to your own library, using A2DP with track controls over AVRCP.
• 6 EQ profiles: Six equaliser presets plus separate bass, treble and loudness adjustment let you tune for a tiled kitchen or a soft-furnished sitting room.
• USB playback and charging: The USB port plays MP3 files from a memory stick and delivers 5 V / 1 A, enough to keep a phone topped up while you listen.
• Oktiv app control: Roberts' Oktiv app for Apple iOS and Android adds phone control, which is useful when the Max is across the room or up on a shelf.

• Three ways to find a station: The telescopic aerial handles DAB, DAB+ and FM RDS, which covers the national and local multiplexes most Irish homes rely on. Where reception is awkward or a station simply is not broadcast nearby, the WiFi tuner picks up internet radio and podcasts instead. Both live behind the same controls and the same colour display, so switching source is a matter of pressing a button rather than learning a new system.
• Streaming without a phone: Spotify Connect and Deezer are built into the Max, so a playlist can be handed to the radio and left there. Your phone can then go flat, leave the house or take a call without the music stopping. Bluetooth 5.2 remains for everything else, and the aux and headphone sockets are both 3.5 mm, so older sources and late-night listening are covered too.
• Built to be carried and heard: Bamboo side panels, a brushed aluminium grille and a leather-cloth cabinet give the Max the look of something that will sit out on display rather than be tidied away, and the leather-look handle makes the 1.73 kg easy to shift. It measures 270 x 177 x 94 mm, so it takes up little more depth than a hardback. Mains power comes from the supplied adaptor; add the optional Roberts BP3 lithium-ion pack and it charges in the radio, giving eight to ten hours away from a socket.

How It Compares

The Verdict

Strengths

• DAB, DAB+, FM RDS and WiFi internet radio in one set
• Spotify Connect and Deezer built in over WiFi
• 60 presets with five direct buttons
• Dual-band 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz WiFi
• USB plays MP3 and charges a phone
• Aux input and headphone socket, both 3.5 mm
• Bamboo, aluminium and leather-cloth cabinet with carry handle

Considerations

• The BP3 lithium-ion battery pack is an optional extra: as supplied, the Rambler Max runs from the mains adaptor only.
• Network connection is WiFi only. There is no Ethernet socket, so the radio needs wireless coverage where you plan to use it.
• At 1.73 kg and 270 mm wide, this is a full-size portable rather than something to slip into a bag.

What's in the Box

• Rambler Max smart radio x1
• Mains adaptor x1
• Quick start guide x1
• Safety and warranty leaflet x1