Home » Review: Goodmans Go – Durable Bluetooth enabled DAB+ radio with phone charging

Review: Goodmans Go – Durable Bluetooth enabled DAB+ radio with phone charging

Goodmans Go

Goodmans have already made a great mark on the world of DAB radios since their introduction recently. This doesn’t mean that they’re stopping though. Recently they have introduced the Go, a durable, Bluetooth enabled DAB+ radio which comes with mobile phone charging capabilities, and features a splash proof design, meaning you can take it out with you, as well as leave this in the bathroom.

Features

  • DAB+ digital & FM radio
  • Stream music via Bluetooth
  • NFC tap & pair
  • Over 24 hours continual playback
  • Recharge mobile devices (up to 2 smartphone charges form a full battery)
  • Rugged, splash-proof design
  • Tough, rubberised housing
  • High capacity 4,400mAh internal battery
  • High contract multifunction display
  • One-touch access to favourite stations
  • Battery level indicator
  • Line-in for playback from non-Bluetooth devices
  • 3 available colours: in Dash (black), Stream (white), and Candy (red)

Look and feel

The radio isn’t that far off in size from an old styled ‘wireless’ radio, but obviously a lot lighter. The front features grill design which shows off a couple of speakers, and an LED in the bottom right corner which tells you about the charge status.

The right features a tough lanyard, with the word ‘Go’ embezzled in it.

The back holds the antenna, and the NFC pad. It also features a port which gives you access to USB out to charge your mobile devices, AUX In to play music from your other devices and the micro USB port to charge this.  The cover is similar to the ones you get on most splash proof/water proof devices, with extra rubberised feel to it, with a satisfying click at the end to let you know that it works.

The top features a big volume dial, which also clicks as a select button, a couple of buttons for Mode and Menu, an LCD Screen, 4 preset buttons, and a big button to turn the device on or off.

Overall the device has a soft rubber feel to it, making it feel nicer than your average device. It is light weight, making it ideal to carry it in your back pack for when you want to be on the move. The battery life means that it is ideal for picnics and parties.

Modes

It offers the following modes of operation:

  • DAB+
  • FM
  • Bluetooth
  • AUX IN
  • Charge

The modes are obviously self explanatory!

Setup

First turn on means it pops on in DAB+ mode, and goes on and scans all the channels it can. After that, you are good to go.

Similarly, on Bluetooth mode, you pair and are good to go.

Operation

The operation is perhaps not as simple as most DAB+ radios, and some other radios from Goodmans. This is because the smaller size of the radio means there is less room to put buttons on the top.

For example, to change channels, you press the volume button, and then rotating the button lets you choose between channels. Most other radios come with a separate select channel. Of course, you can also set your favourite channels as one of your 4 available preset buttons.

The LCD screen also only features one line of text and one line of icons. Pressing the MENU key lets you see further information about what you’re playing. Of course, the Menu key also allows you to access other features. The volume ‘button’ acts as a select in that case.

Overall, I found the on/off button needing a bit of a knack to get it working. It works better if you press it slightly on the side rather than bang in the middle. After a little bit of use, it got better, so perhaps it was just a bit sticky to begin with, but it definitely needed some getting used to.

Sound Quality

This dual speaker gives a fairly good sound. It is a bit low on bass, and depending on the song, can feel very slightly tinny at times. However, for speakers of this size, this isn’t uncommon, and it offers a great quality sound for its size. Best usage I found is for radio,which includes a healthy mix of voice and music. The volume level goes up to 30, which can be fairly high for open spaces.

Portability

This is where this really shines. A 24 hour battery life (and a super included charger) means that you don’t really need to worry about charging it, and a battery indicator on the top also lets you know what the battery is doing.

It also features a splash proof body, which means this is great for parties, picnics, by the pool, or near the shower. No power required means it is great for near water too! Also for gardening.

Ability to charge devices gives it that little bit extra that makes this better than most other.

More information

More information on the Goodmans Go can be found on their website:

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

Go is available now from Maplin, Sainsbury’s, Amazon, JD Williams, and via www.goodmans.co.uk  with a RRP of £69.99.

Verdict

We have reviewed quite a few products that give us some of the features the Go gives, but nothing that comes near to how complete a product this is. Add to that a very reasonable price, and we have a winner here.

 

 

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