Home » Review: Ted Baker Finisterre DAB/FM/Bluetooth enable radio

Review: Ted Baker Finisterre DAB/FM/Bluetooth enable radio

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What is it?

Ted Baker are known to the masses for their fashionable clothes, the cat walks and the stylish accessories that go with all that. Recently though, they have taken the plunge into more than just styling our bodies, and looking to style our homes as well. The Ted Baker Finisterre is one such effort, a DAB Radio with built in Bluetooth connectivity. Much like everything else Ted Baker, it goes way beyond the functionality, and features a great design and good looks too.

Look and feel

This is perhaps the most important section of a Ted Baker product, and this one definitely doesn’t disappoint.

Beautiful finish all around is a given, but hidden beneath the brushed aluminium top was my favourite feature, the antenna, which sits flush with everything, and can be pulled out when needed. It can be seen in the picture below, in the top left corner.

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All the buttons are beautifully finished, and in the middle is the display. The volume and tuning buttons are adjustable knobs which can be pressed to mute or select respectively. Rest of the buttons are pretty self explanatory.

A leather band goes all around the radio, and hidden under the ‘Ted’ of TED BAKER is the NFC tag to allow you to pair this with your Bluetooth devices.

Below is a mesh fabric hiding the speakers underneath.

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At the back is the bass speaker, above the various ports that allow you line in, line out, and power. A USB port also exists, but it is only for firmware upgrades.

A leather band allows you to carry this around, which matches the tan band going around the radio.

And oh, the website tells you under care instructions: Not to be washed!

On first look, it carries a good vintage look, and then it takes it to the modern level with functionality.

DAB/FM radio

Like most radios, the moment you turn them on you get a full scan. This was no different.

I did read a review where the user complained that they got poor reception. I didn’t find any such issue, and it worked perfectly for me on the reception front. I do wonder if the Amazon review I read was a person who didn’t actually pull the antenna out.

Bluetooth

Bluetooth wasn’t as straight forward. Generally a radio that has never paired will go straight into discoverable mode when Bluetooth is engaged. This one didn’t. Anyway, a long press of the Bluetooth key engages that function and off you go. You can pair up to 8 devices, and a short press of the Bluetooth key actually allows you to cycle through the paired devices in case you want to.

The Bluetooth features extra control of your music, such as pause/play and skip forward or back.

However, the display kept showing the word ‘PAUSED’ on it when I had any track going. The buttons worked, the information displayed, but the word ‘PAUSED’ remained. Whether this is a bug, or it means something more, I do not know. The manual didn’t explain much.

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By the way, Opening is the name of the track I was listening to.

Other features

The Finisterre also packs in some extra features, such as the Alarm/Snooze feature as well as acting as speaker. The Alarm feature is more advanced than the ones you normally see in most radios. For example, you can program this for weekdays only, and there are two alarms available.

You also have a choice of ten presets available.

You can also use the ‘Snooze’ button to set the radio to automatically turn off after a little while.

The sound

And this is what it all comes down to. Is the sound worth it? Well, the device features 2.1 speakers, two at front, and the bass at the back. I have tried listening to various genres, going between rock, pop and that all so important classic.

I have nothing to complain, the sound is good, and the bass is definitely something you can feel without it being overpowering. A good balance is what I like in a speaker, and the Finisterre definitely offers it.

 

More information

For more information, head to Ted Baker’s website:

http://www.tedbaker.com/uk/Mens/Gifts/Gifts-for-him/FINISTR-DAB-radio-Tan/p/119614-27-TAN

It comes in tan and black, and our review model (shown in pictures) came in tan.

It retails for £199, and can be bought directly from their website, as well as various retailers such as John Lewis or Amazon.

Verdict

At this price, there is a lot of pressure on a product to deliver, both in terms of functionality and sound quality, but also in terms of ease and use, looks and styling. This does it all!

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