Bush BCR26DABIP DAB+ digital radio

The Bush BCR26DABIP is a tabletop DAB+ digital radio that can also receive FM broadcasts and play music from your Apple iPod or Apple iPhone. It has a programmable alarm clock with a variable schedule that allows it to be set for weekdays only — useful for waking up for work.

Bush BCR26DABIP: First impressions

When you unpack the Bush BCR26DABIP, do yourself a favour and read the operating manual — the set-up process is not particularly user friendly. Unlike digital radios such as the Pure EVOKE Mio, the Bush BCR26DABIP doesn’t automatically set the date and time when you switch it on. This is irritating, especially since the radio has to be in its standby mode to make changes — we wouldn't have realised this without the help of the manual.

At first, we couldn't get the Bush BCR26DABIP to pick up a DAB signal; every time we selected a station we received a 'station unavailable' message. After a few minutes of navigating through menu options we found a 'prune' option, which removes stations that are not active or cannot be received. After we pruned the BCR26DABIP's station list we rescanned and found every digital radio station correctly. While this was a relatively painless process, it was more confusing than we were expecting — the manual came in handy again.

Bush BCR26DABIP: Design

The Bush BCR26DABIP digital radio looks like most other bedside table clock radios: it is capsule shaped, with 12 navigational buttons arranged on its top, plus a large snooze button. On the digital radio's left hand side is a dual-line LCD screen that shows signal strength, time and date, and other information.

We were expecting better build quality given the Bush BCR26DABIP's $179 recommended retail price. The glossy black finish is similar to many other Apple iPod or iPhone docks, but the plastic felt cheap and flimsy and we don't think it would survive an accidental fall from a bedside table. We found this to be a bit of a let-down considering the sturdier build quality of other Bush radios like the Bush BR20DAB.

Bush BCR26DABIP: Performance

Disappointments in design and setup aside, the Bush BCR26DABIP clock radio functions well. The small 1W mono speaker handles audio surprisingly well; even at maximum volume distortion is minimal. Bass notes are slightly muffled and unclear, though.

The Bush BCR26DABIP can easily fill a room with clear and audible music, whether it's from your iPod or a digital radio station. We also found the alarm function worked well. The Bush BCR26DABIP comes with a built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery, — this means the Bush BCR26DABIP will survive a blackout with your alarm settings intact, and also means it is possible to take the radio outdoors to listen to music. An auxiliary port in the back of the unit allows for non-Apple MP3 players to be plugged in.

Bush BCR26DABIP: Conclusion

As an iPod dock, digital radio and alarm clock, the Bush BCR26DABIP does its job well. However, we believe the set-up process could have been easier, and we would have liked a better quality plastic body.

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