Roberts Rambler Midi DAB+/FM Bluetooth Radio

A compact DAB+, DAB and FM RDS portable with Bluetooth 5.2, the Rambler Midi puts a bass-reflex speaker and bamboo trim into a 1.25 kg package.

At a Glance

• Digital and analogue: DAB+ / FM RDS
• Station presets: 20
• Battery life (4 x AA): 8-10 hrs
• With AAC support: Bluetooth 5.2

The Rambler Midi is a straightforward portable radio: DAB, DAB+ and FM RDS from a telescopic aerial, with Bluetooth 5.2 when you want to play something from a phone. There is no WiFi and no internet radio here, which keeps setup to a scan and a couple of presets. It suits people who want broadcast radio and little else.

Sound comes from a full-range loudspeaker in a tuned bass-reflex enclosure, and six equaliser profiles plus separate bass and treble let you shape it for the room. Twenty presets, ten for DAB and ten for FM, hold the stations you actually listen to, and the LCD brightness can be turned down at night.

There is a real case for a radio that only does radio, and the Midi makes it with a bass-reflex cabinet and twenty presets.

Ideal For

• Workshop and shed: Four AA cells give eight to ten hours away from the mains, and at 1.25 kg with a carry handle the Midi moves easily between the house and the shed.
• Simple listening: No network to join and no account to sign into. Extend the aerial, run a scan and the DAB and FM stations are there, with ten presets on each band.
• Small spaces: A footprint of 130 x 123 mm suits a narrow worktop, a bedside table or a bookshelf, and the display brightness drops for evening use.

Key Features

• 20 station presets: Ten presets for DAB and DAB+ and ten for FM, enough to cover the national services and a local station or two without scrolling.
• Bluetooth 5.2 with AAC: Streams from a phone or tablet using SBC or AAC, so music from an iPhone is passed across in the codec it already uses.
• Bass-reflex enclosure: A full-range loudspeaker sits in a tuned bass-reflex cabinet, which is how a radio this size manages weight at the bottom end rather than thinness.
• 8 to 10 hours: Four AA cells, alkaline or NiMH, run the Midi for eight to ten hours. Rechargeables charge in the radio, so there is no separate charger to find.
• Two alarms: Wake to DAB, FM or a buzzer on either of two alarm timers, with a nine-minute snooze and a sleep timer for the end of the day.
• Bamboo and aluminium: Bamboo panels, a brushed aluminium grille and a leather-cloth cabinet make this a radio worth leaving on the counter, with a handle for when it moves.

• Digital and analogue, nothing else: The Midi tunes DAB, DAB+ and FM with RDS, and that is the whole tuner. No WiFi, no internet radio, no app and no account. For a lot of listeners that is the point: the radio works the moment it is switched on, it does not stop working when the broadband does, and there is nothing to update. Twenty presets and a scan are the extent of the setup.
• Bluetooth fills the gaps: When you do want something the broadcasters are not playing, Bluetooth 5.2 handles it. Pair a phone or tablet and podcasts, playlists and catch-up all come through the Midi's speaker, with SBC and AAC codecs supported and track controls passed back over AVRCP. It is worth knowing there is no aux input and the USB port is for charging only, so Bluetooth or the headphone socket are the ways in and out.
• Sound, size and where it goes: At 130 x 183 x 123 mm and 1.25 kg, the Midi is small enough for a kitchen worktop but tall enough to hold a proper enclosure. The full-range driver fires through a brushed aluminium grille into a tuned bass-reflex cabinet, and six equaliser profiles with separate bass and treble adjust the balance for a hard-surfaced kitchen or a carpeted bedroom. The LCD dims for the evening, and two alarms cover it ending up beside the bed. A mains adaptor is supplied; four AA cells are not.

How It Compares

The Verdict

Strengths

• DAB, DAB+ and FM RDS with 20 presets
• Bluetooth 5.2 with SBC and AAC codecs
• Full-range speaker in a tuned bass-reflex enclosure
• Six equaliser profiles plus bass and treble
• Eight to ten hours from four AA cells
• Bamboo, aluminium and leather-cloth build with carry handle
• Dimmable LCD with two alarms and sleep timer

Considerations

• There is no WiFi and no internet radio: the Midi tunes DAB, DAB+ and FM, with Bluetooth for anything else.
• No 3.5 mm aux input, so a wired source cannot be connected; the USB port charges devices but will not play music files.
• The four AA cells are not supplied, and mains use requires the included adaptor rather than a standard USB lead.

What's in the Box

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