Freecom MusicPal review

DAB could well stand for Disappointing Audio Broadcasting.

Coverage can be patchy outside of major urban areas, the signal can gobble like a turkey if it isn't spot-on, and the output can be reedy compared to FM as multiplex owners cram in more stations. Also contrary to the adverts, switching wholesale to DAB from FM and AM can result in fewer choices, not more.

Fortunately there is an alternative: Internet broadcasting. Most DAB, FM and AM stations now simulcast online, enabling you to listen to Lowestoft's The Beach in the heart of London, London's Heart in Guernsey, and Guernsey's Island FM in Ireland. Add to that all the DAB stations denied to those lacking a digital radio, Sky or a Freeview box and the ability to stream libraries from Macs and PCs, and you'll see why stand-alone radios have had their day.

Well, that's the theory - and most of the time it holds up, so you can understand why we were disappointed with the Freecom MusicPal. For starters, it's so light that it slides across the desk when you press the buttons and jumps forwards when you max out the volume. At low volumes it's fine but beyond the two thirds setting it rattled, and seemed to lose the treble end of its signal in the midst of a mechanical rattle.

Fortunately there is a 3.5mm socket for headphones - and phono sockets for connecting an external speaker. These sit around the back alongside the Ethernet port and power point, with the wifi aerial safely secreted somewhere inside the casing.

We found the selection of UK stations narrower than that on the TerraTec Noxon 2 Audio (MacUser, 22 June 2007, p51) - where have the national BBC stations gone? - and when it came to streaming from iTunes, using EyeConnect, it's savvy to only MP3 and Wav, so those unprotected iTunes Plus tracks you downloaded and the albums you ripped to AAC are all out of bounds.

What do we like? Well, set-up is a breeze and you can have an RSS feed scrolling along under the clock, which is a nice touch. The integrated web server that allows you to tweak all of your settings from Safari is handy, and we really, really like the way that it's controlled, using two iPod-like twist-and-click dials rather than the four-way buttons found on the Noxon. Sadly, though none of those things is enough to win it a MacUser recommendation, or more than two mice.

It feels cheap but it costs too much. The stated price is from PC World and we'd find it more palatable if the same chain (albeit PC World Business) wasn't selling the TerraTec Noxon 2 Audio for £71.80 including VAT. Granted you don't get a built-in speaker with the Noxon, but you can add your own, plug it in to a hi-fi or use headphones, which is what we'd recommend for the MusicPal anyway after a week of life with that speaker.