Remember pocket radios? Smartphones, app-based internet radio and wireless speakers may have killed this once-popular accessory, but small, pocketable DAB/FM radios (like this old Pure) still have their place in today’s connected world.
There are plenty of people who favour local radio, and want to be able to listen to talk radio or keep up with football scores when on the move (or at work). Many might not have access to internet and connected devices as easily, either, so access to radio can be a lifeline for news headlines, music and sports.
Majority Petersfield Go is one such pocket radio, featuring FM and DAB/DAB+ tuners and comes bundled with a pair of earphones. It costs just £30.
Build & features
Yes, it’s only £30 (about $38 / AU$58), and for that super-affordable price tag, you get a neat little portable radio that does what it says on the tin. It is made of plastic, but what else do you expect at this price? The little Petersfield Go is well put together for the price, though, and doesn’t feel like cheap tat. It’s about the size of a pack of cards, the compact build is robust enough, the rounded corners mean you can slip it into pockets and bags without any snagging, and the buttons all work responsively. There is a sturdy clip at the back for clipping the radio to your pocket or belt, and it stays on securely.
Radio FM, DAB/DAB+
Network features? No
Bluetooth? No
Connections 3.5mm headphone port
Dimensions (hwd) 7.9cm x 5.4cm x 2.2cm
Weight 61g
Finishes x 1 (black)
You also get a pair of wired in-ear headphones bundled in, which is a nice bonus. They’re not the best pair of earphones, mind you; they don’t come with extra earbud tips, nor do they have left/right markers on them. They’re about as good as the cheap buds you get on an aeroplane – which is to say, not very good – but there is an essential reason they are included: the FM/DAB radio uses its cable as the antennae, so you always need to plug in a pair of buds to get a sound. The bundled in-ears can be swapped out for any other pair of wired headphones you have; we used the excellent SoundMagic E11C in-ears (about £40) for the majority of our testing.
We found the Majority pocket radio easy to use straight from the box. There are large buttons for accessing and saving presets and scanning available stations, which also do double duty for scrolling through the settings and selecting various options. Small but easy-to-press buttons on one side let you switch between FM and DAB/DAB+ modes, bring up the menu and cycle through additional station information; while on the other side, you have dedicated up/down volume buttons and the power button. The radio can scan for stations automatically, or you can use the buttons to fine-tune the station frequency yourself. We’d highly recommend saving your favourite stations as presets for ease: you get 10 presets for FM and 10 for DAB. The included instructions are clear and easy to follow, too.
We found that the quoted 10-12 battery life runs largely true, even with the LCD screen set to its highest brightness setting. That screen is tiny but jam-packed with information including the time, radio mode, station name, what’s playing, and icons for battery life, radio signal strength and volume. The only niggles from us are the juddering we see when text scrolls past and we can see the imprint of other text behind the main text, like ancient Tamagotchi screens. Regardless, the screen is still legible, so these are small complaints.
The Petersfield Go uses the older micro USB port for charging, which means it will take a bit longer to charge up compared with current USB-C-toting models. The charging cable is included, which is another nice bonus at this price level.
Sound
Radio, earphones, charging cable – all that bundled in for £30 sounds like a pretty good deal to us. But does the Majority Petersfield Go actually sound any good? The answer is a surprisingly effusive yes. Again, we have to temper our expectations here, not just for that low price tag but also for what this little radio is and what it offers, but our time with the radio is positive.
There’s no Bluetooth or other streaming options here; you only have FM and DAB radio tuners, and the stations you do get access to depends on your region and proximity to a transmitter. We lucked out with strong signals for local Reading/Berkshire and national BBC stations during testing, although a train trip to London shows how any patchy or non-existent signal can stutter playback.
With all that considered, the Majority Petersfield Go does two essential jobs very well for a radio: voices are projected clearly, and there’s enough solidity, detail and punch to make music enjoyable to listen to. The included earphones are poor-sounding and make everything sound thin and harsh; swap them out for a pair of SoundMagics (or another, better pair) and you’ll get a much cleaner, fuller sound. Presenters’ voices have a decent amount of heft and richness to them, with Craig Charles’ lush, deep voice sounding nicely textured, with ample detail and satisfying weight to our ears. The unit purposely pushes the midrange forward, making news items and match commentaries – crucial during this summer of sport – clear and easy to follow. Listening to songs on BBC 6 Music or Absolute Radio, whether it’s Beyonce’s Texas Hold 'Em or Nirvana’s Lithium, we’re treated to a zippy, agile sound that doesn’t sound sharp, lumpy or muddled. The frequency range is fairly restricted – don’t expect wide-ranging dynamics or soaring highs or deep lows – but what this Majority radio does really well is deliver music with a good dose of rhythm that you can tap your foot along to.
It’s tuneful. We spent a lovely hour or two listening to Classic FM, with the music flowing smoothly and instruments having decent space to flourish. Astor Piazzolla’s Libertango is delivered with a great deal of energy and zeal, with the strings gliding fluidly and rising in intensity as the tango reaches its crescendo, full of conviction and momentum. It’s a fun, enthusiastic listen, and it can go pretty loud too.
Verdict
Pocket radios like this Majority Petersfield Go may not be in vogue, but just because it isn’t on trend, isn’t packed with features or stands in the shadow of online streaming doesn’t mean it can’t be useful. For those looking for a super cheap and basic but good, portable pocket DAB/FM radio for the summer, this little unit is worth checking out.
SCORES
- Sound 4
- Build 4
- Features 4
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