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Review: Goodmans Heritage Radio

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What is it?

The Goodmans Heritage Radio brings back the vintage look of a classic radio, featuring DAB as well as FM radio. While the sound quality is better than most DAB radios in the same range, what sets it apart is that it also pairs with your phone/tablet/device via Bluetooth.

Look and feel

The Heritage Radio, as evident from the picture above, is a modern spin on the classic radio design. It features a wooden body, though sadly the version we had was all white. They do a wood finish as well, which looks awesome (from the images), but the real deal is that wood helps create better acoustics. The front is a metal grill, a couple of dials which can be rotated or pressed for functionality, plus a feature of buttons which can be used in different modes.

The back allows you to plug in an aux cable, in case you want to use this as a speaker, as well as a headphones socket in case you want to enjoy your radio privately. Also on the back is the antenna, which will need to be expanded to get your radio signal.

Ease of use – DAB radio

As simple as it gets. It will automatically scan the first time you turn it on, but you may SCAN again using the SCAN button.

Once scanned, the left button can be used to browse through different channels, while the right button allows you to turn the volume up and down.

The INFO button can be used to find out various bits of information about the transmission, and this of course depends on what is sent by the station you are tuned in to.

Ease of use – FM Radio

Much like DAB, a simple scan and off you go.

Presets

Also available are tuned presets. You can select up to 10 favourite channels, and store them under presets.

Bluetooth

While Bluetooth set up takes slightly longer, there isn’t much to worry about either. Pressing the Mode button lets you cycle through various modes, such as DAB/FM/Bluetooth, and once in Bluetooth mode, you can search for your radio, and pair it to your device. The radio appears as Heritage in your device list, and while we didn’t have to use the passkey, the manual says it is ‘0000’ if prompted.

Once paired, you can use your device to transmit music through the speakers of this radio. Simply changing the mode is enough to disconnect the device.

Alarm

The radio also features a couple of Alarms, which can be set to either DAB, FM, or just buzzing. Pretty handy if this finds itself on your bedside table. You can select days of the week to use the alarm, as well as the volume the alarm goes at.

Sound Quality

At the end of the day, a radio is all about the quality of the sound it can deliver. The Heritage radio features a couple of 10W speakers, and if you keep the backlight on while it is in a dark room, you can make them out behind the grill. Looking pretty aside, the speakers are very impressive. DAB radio already features near CD quality, but a lot of small to medium sized radios do not deliver. This one, however, definitely delivers, and you can enjoy everything from Classical Music to Rock. Playing with the built in Equalizer really enhances the sound quality too, which I often find rare in most radios.

All in all, a very impressive device.

Portability

While light, it does not come with any lifting handle, so I won’t say it is designed to be carried from room to room. Instead, leave it perched in your favourite spot, where it looks pretty, and sounds pretty.

More information

More on this can be found at their website:

http://www.goodmans.co.uk/product-heritage.html

It retails for £129.99, and comes in four colours.

Verdict

This beautiful piece of kit is beautiful, sounds good, and throws in all the functionality you want from a great product. Definitely recommended!

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