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Sony XDR-S1 DAB Digital Radio | 
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| Brand: Sony
Category: CE
This item is no longer available
Rating:  19 reviews
Sales Rank: 51511
Media: Electronics
Number Of Items: 1
MPN: XDRS1
Model: XDRS1
EAN: 4901780857715
ASIN: B0002V85F4
Release Date: August 11, 2004
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| Customer Reviews: Read 14 more reviews...
 A Top-quality radio boasting DAB, FM, MW & LW! September 27, 2008
99% of portable DAB radios cannot receive MW or LW. This is an oversight/design-flaw by manufacturers. Roberts, for example, sell a myriad of portable DAB radios yet they can't manage even ONE that also receives AM. Sony to the rescue! There's a 2000 year-old saying "de palaioumenon kai ghraskon eggus afanismou" (what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear). That may well be the case with analogue TV. However, radio is not as straightforward. Here's what's so versatile about Sony's XDRS1...
DAB & FM:
In Dublin I receive at least 10 stations on DAB-only, including SEVEN by the national broadcaster RTE. For the handful of channels transmit on FM-only (mainly low-power, hobby stations), I switch to FM mode.
MW:
The AM noise reduction feature is great! In Dublin, MW signals like Manx Radio (1368) and BBC Radio Wales (882) are particularly clear; while BBC Radios Scotland (810), Merseyside (1485), Lancashire (855) and Cumbria (837) are listenable in sunny weather.
LW:
I also spend a good deal of time in rural Ireland where there's little or no DAB presence and commercial radio is abysmal. On such occasions there's only one channel I'm interested in listening to; BBC Radio 4. Their high-power 198 kHz signal BOOMS out from Wychbold, Worcestershire with about half-a-million Watts! It covers the entire Island of Ireland and our territorial seas. Radio 4 is a life-saver outside Dublin where DAB is patchy and local radio is atrocious.
Apart from the versatility of receiving FOUR classes of waveband, the XDRS1 boasts a high-quality sound and is solidly built. The design is quirky, but I like the way the speakers tilt slightly upwards (being 193cm tall it's a good angle for when I'm cooking!). I do agree with other reviewers that the option of batteries would have been nice. And I'd have preferred more than 10 presets on each waveband. It's also true that presets are lost within 5 minutes of unplugging, but mine just stays plugged-in in the kitchen - so not a problem. Overall it's a top-class radio set. If I owned a hotel I'd install one in every bedroom!
Excellent Radio- Everything You Want March 22, 2007
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
This is a great DAB radio- sleek design and one of the few radios (not part of a bigger unit) to have a remote control!
Only notable problem is that it loses the settings when the power is pulled. Apart from that it's great!
 Heaven and Hell... simultaneously ! August 27, 2006
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
The Sony XDR-S1 is one of the surprisingly few radios that offer DAB coverage as well as FM/MW/LW. It appears to have been discontinued (although still shown on sony.co.uk), but some retailers still claim to have them in stock, typically around 120 - 130 plus postage. However, at June 06 Argos are advertising them at 64.99 (but their availability is close to zero and they have to be collected from the store).
This quirky, idiosyncratic radio appears to have been designed by a committee. It's not quite sure whether it wants to be a kitchen radio, a bedside radio or an enthusiasts' radio; it achieves many things quite well, but it also has some infuriating omissions and limitations.
The specification offers plenty of useful features, including
Band III and L-band DAB
Stereo DAB and FM, with RDS
Optical output, line input
Sleep timer and clock wake up
Digital noise reduction to reduce hiss on AM and FM stereo
Multi-function remote control
Good sound quality, solid build quality
However, its drawbacks can equally comprehensive.
Mains only; its size and weight make it transportable rather than portable
No memory backup: all presets and clock settings are lost if disconnected from the mains for more than just a few minutes
DAB stations listed by multiplex rather than alphabetical order, so finding a DAB station thats not on a preset can involve scrolling through 50 or 60 names that seem to be in a random order
No external aerial connections for DAB / FM
No rotary controls, e.g. only switchable on-off settings for treble and bass
Insensitive on MW and LW; unless strong, stations are hissy even if top cut, mega bass and noise reduction are all used
No stereo indicator on DAB and FM
Band scanning can be fiddly: the auto tune only works in one direction and it misses all but the strongest stations. Manual tuning is possible but is very slow.
Remote control can be unreliable if the radio is high up; the recessed IR receiver can be shadowed by the front of the radio
Amazingly, the remote control has no Mute button; an inelegant workaround is to press the 'Line' button (assuming nothing is connected) and subsequently to press 'Band' to unmute.
RDS is decoded only on strong stations
Some bugs with Radio Text; last character is often missing, flashing characters from 'Waiting' can remain visible after the station is recognised and displayed
Some spurious responses on FM, although unlikely to obliterate weak stations
Overall Verdict
This radio could have been a show stopper, but it's ended up somewhere between a curate's egg and a lemon. A rechargeable battery would certainly have helped, even if good for only a couple of hours, and if an unplugged Pure Evoke 1 can retain its settings indefinitely, why can't the XDR-S1? As an early prototype it would be passable, but it's not fully up to the standards you might expect from a Sony.
If you're looking for a kitchen / bedside radio, know and accept its limitations and can find it close to the Argos price, you'll be pleasantly surprised by an upmarket radio that has ideas above its station, especially if you can receive many DAB multiplexes. You'll get a lot for your money, if you can still find one in stock.
If you paid over 100 in the expectation of getting a faultless thoroughbred, you may end up rather disappointed wondering how so many obvious shortcomings could have been completely overlooked.
Fantastic radio March 27, 2006
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
I bought a sony XDR-S1 last year after buying another sony XDRS-20 before and found the earlier radio the XDR-S1 to be the better radio as it comes with a remote control that makes life so much easier than the XDR-S20 and it would make a much better kitchen radio as long as you don't lose the remote!!
It dosen't come with the option of batteries but when buying six 'C' cell batteries the price of them is astronomical....and the XDR-S1 is so much easier to use to save your favourites just press whichever number you like and hold for a couple of seconds and you're all done. easy....
This is an AWESOME Radio February 11, 2006
1 out of 5 found this review helpful
I have read all the comments on here. I can understand the negative points. It is true that this radio doesn't have batteries and is slow at DAB Scanning. BUT....
It has AWESOME sound. VERY, VERY loud! Plug in some external quality speakers to the line out and you will be falling out with your neigbhours (and I don't care about mine - they always bug me with their rubbish music!)
It also has Digital Noise Reduction on MW and FM. It has varied contrast displays. It has 6 Grapic equalisers for all tastes - I prefer the high bass, high treble option. It has mega bass. It has many presets. I had a Panasonic before. It was crap. I got this and this is MY FAVOURITE POSSESSION. You can run off with my wife, steal my car - but DONT TOUCH MY SONY RADIO! Get one now from Amazon. I think this radio is superb. I give it 4 stars - because the negative points highlighted by others here are quite correct. I still feel this radio has far more positive points than negative. I'd have been pleased if I'd paid more for this - never mind the price I paid for it in the end!BUY ONE! Set up with external speakers. Then tune into Judge Jules. Sat night.
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