Panasonic RF-D30BTEB-K Smart function radio with USB smartphone charging, Bluetooth connectivity & DAB+, Black

Panasonic RF D10 DAB+ radio. Top quality Japanese audio brand. Good value.Features; large 100mm speaker driver for room filling sound (with vol set to 7 out of 12 SPL reached 70.4dB - tuned to KISS radio, neasured with Android dB app). Mains powered - standard C7 "figure 8" mains lead - with option to use x4 alkaline C batteries. All necessary features included: alarm, sleep timer, backlit LCD dot matrix display, 24 hour clock display, displays track info etc... 3.5mm stereo headphone output. 10 presets were very easy to set - just press button of empty preset whilst listening to DAB/FM station to save it!Only negatives (not for me) - no Bluetooth input, no internet radio, no NiMH battery charger mode, no colour options - black only, only one alarm. However, as I am using this as a bedroom radio I prefer that it focuses on the basics, and performs them brilliantly!!!!

Panasonic have just got everything right about this radio. The reception is excellent, the controls are well thought and easy to use (e.g. 10 presets!), the sound quality is very good and functionality is boosted by the ability to bluetooth stream.I bought this product after rejecting a Roberts RD70. The Roberts was also an excellent radio, as expected given it is 2x price of the Panasonic RF-D30. The sound of the Roberts was their signature - 'warm', 'rich' sound. Which in practise for me meant music sounded great but speech lacked clarity. In comparison the Panasonic is crystal clear on voice-based stations and whilst not hi-fi level for music is still prefectly good quality with a decent frequency spectrum and a bass that is present but not strong. The use of 4 C-batteries in the RF-D30 also means portability with decent battery life (20+ hours).In summary, not the most chic, not an audiophile dream but an absolutely great radio that 'does what it says on the tin' - deliver excellent quality sound from a wide range of radio stations.

Bought to replace an older battery-powered bathroom radio, which was sounding muffled to my wife and I, whose hearing has deteriorated with age. This RF-D10 radio is very much clearer and picks up the local weak DAB and FM signals well. The bathroom radio must be battery powered and it was good to read that this model should give about 40 hours use on DAB (early DAB radios were uneconomical to use with batteries). It requires four LR14/C size batteries: an unusual size nowadays, not as readily available as AA alkalines or rechargeables, and one must expect to pay about five pounds for a set of four. I have only been using the new radio for a few days, so cannot comment on battery life.Speech (news, discussions etc) is very clear and volume can be turned quite loud. In addition it is possible to set an 'equaliser' to adjust the tone, though the 5 settings 'Flat, Heavy, Soft, Clear, Vocal' did not seem to make much difference to me. I have tried to access a more detailed manual or specification online to understand what each is meant to do, but the UK Panasonic website is very poor and no detailed info seems accessible. There seems to be a 'sleep' setting available, to turn the radio off after a set time, but is awkward to set up, it only seems to work once-off, and does not seem to hold the setting from one session to the next. I don't think it can be used easily to prevent battery run-down should one forget to turn the radio off when leaving the room. I have tried to find out if it is possible to set this timer permanently but there is no help on the web-site.The UK Panasonic website is also clumsy to use: I tried to register for guarantee purposes but could not get registered for unknown reasons. A very poor website for customers wanting more detailed information than is in the simple sheet of instructions supplied.** Added 3 weeks later: I still like this radio: enough volume for elderly people with hearing difficulties, and speech is good with equaliser set to 'clear'. However, it is very heavy on batteries when used in the bathroom, in spite of specification claim. I had to replace a set of four new Panasonic 'Pro Power' LR 14 alkaline 'C' batteries after only 18 days of occasional use. With retail costs of about 5 to 7 pounds for 4 batteries, this is going to be a considerable expense. This size of battery is becoming uncommon. Although rechargeable 'C' batteries are available from specialist suppliers, one hardly ever sees them in ordinary shops. I cannot understand Panasonic designing this good radio around an obsolete expensive battery. Rechargeable AA batteries are readily available, though their capacity (around 2500 mAh) is much less than an alkaline LR14 (around 8000 mAh). They can be reused for years if recharged correctly in an 'Intelligent' charger. They might not work well in the RF-D10 however, which stopped when the batteries dropped to 1.25V. Now that a wide range of rechargeable Li-ion batteries are available (eg for cameras, power tools, laptops) it would have been much more sensible for Panasonic to have designed the radio to use replaceable, rechargeable, Li-ion batteries, so that one could have a spare always charged up.As the spec claims it only uses 7 watts on mains power, I am thinking of using it in the bathroom connected to a 20W isolated shaver/toothbrush power outlet, instead of buying batteries every few weeks.** Later comment: It can be run in a bathroom by plugging into a 230V shaver outlet, thus avoiding the expense of batteries. The radio draws a small current even when switched off (standby), so the isolation transformer in the shaver outlet gets slightly warm. Older outlets, rated only for shavers, might reach thermal cutout temperatures, so be sure that the outlet is rated for shaver and electric toothbrush recharging. I fitted a good one by MK: K0701, which gets slightly warm but nowhere near cutoff temperature. Even on high volume it does not seem to make the shaver outlet any warmer, and the radio works perfectly.

A most excellent radio. First rate reception, wonderful sound and easy to use.

Pleasantly smaller than I was expecting, similar in size to those scrumptious Genoa cakes prevalent at Christmas time. Absolutely beautiful informative, colour screen welcome to my myopic eyes. Seems to be a quality, well designed, matt, finger print resistant case, all’s nice.I tried to set it up intuitively out of the box, manual tucked into its plastic bag. Ok it’s not difficult to setup but I did have to read the manual to get the most out of the non-intuitive functions. For example there are 30 presets but only four preset buttons! I hate that. Pulled in loads of DAB+ and FM stations, I love that.It comes with a proprietary 6v power supply using a 3.5mm dc plug. Why, oh why, oh why, in the 21st Century isn’t it fitted with 5v USB power? Also why can’t I use rechargeable batteries in it? There’s a notice imprinted on the back, “DO NOT USE”. You have been warned.The mono sound is good. I listen at 7 but the volume goes way past 11 up to 32! You can pair it to your Bluetooth enabled phone, but, why, oh why, oh why, in the 21st Century if you don’t provide a headphone jack then please allow me to connect my headphones via bluetooth. You cannot use this radio with wired or wireless headphones!!!Otherwise I love it. It eats batteries, but much like that Genoa cake with the glazed almonds and cherries on top, the cherries are missing.