Verdict
An low-cost radio that ’s portable and easy to utilize , the Groov - e Venice is proficient at tackle voice than it is euphony in general , but if you use the radio for casual , backdrop listening then this is a decent performing artist .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
The Groov - e Venice is a chintzy , portable DAB radio , the kind this website has been neglecting in recent years .
But that ’s more an supervision on our part , and not because radio is unpopular . If anything , wireless is an exceedingly democratic business sector these days , with almost 50 million adults tune up in for an norm of 20 hours a week . The previous ‘ tuner ’ has n’t been replaced by the new radio just yet .
And so the Venice is an low-priced option to capitalise on the wireless ’s newfound ( or should that be everlasting ? ) popularity , small enough that you’re able to hale it round the house or take into the office . Its toll will inherently contrive up a few compromise , but let ’s see if the Venice gets rotund them .
Design
While not lowly enough to be a pocket - sized radio , the Groov - e Venice is easily transportable in its compendious , lightweight bod constructed mostly from credit card . For a cheap wireless it looks sleek enough , its showy appearance and rounded curvature allied with becoming anatomy timbre .
Though the Venice feels lightweight , its build quality is strong enough that it subsist an inadvertent pin on to a wood floor , but it ’s not something I ’d desire to reiterate too many time .
On the front are six buttons and orbitual control . The buttons spread over Power / Mode , Scan , Preset , Menu , Previous and Next , while the dial can be used to scroll through volume levels with a press selecting stations and carte items . The push button provide ‘ clicky ’ feedback , though there were clip where the Power button would get stick , so it pays to be a little delicate rather than rough in how you handle the Groov - e.
It ’s easy to understand the ascendancy , a farseeing press on the Menu clit goes into the fare choice , the Prev . and Next buttons there to snap through the pick presented . modality switches through DAB , FM and Bluetooth modes , while if you fix up an alarum then the control condition knob can be used to set it to drowse on those days you want to lie in .
The backlit LCD display is bright and clear enough to understand , though it ’s easier to recognize if the showing is at eye level rather than looking down . Default information overcompensate the current station and scroll text information furnish by the broadcaster . tap the Menu release and that ruffle through time , signal potency , volume degree , sign error and metadata such as number - rate , relative frequency and program type .
Around the back is the telescoping transmitting aerial for tuning , a 3.5 millimetre aux turnout for link a pair of wired headphones and a compartment for battery . To free the Venice from the mains , it require four AA batteries that you ’ll have to source on your own since none are include .
Features
characteristic are few for the Venice . Alongside DAB and FM support , there’sBluetooth(no mention of which criterion ) for twin to a smartphone or other gadget , bend the Venice into aBluetooth speaker . Doing so is a relatively easy feat achieved through the carte .
Frequency range for DAB extends from 174Mhz to 240 megacycle per second ; FM from 87.5MHz to 198MHz ( FM searches in 0.05MHz increments ) ; and you ’ve got 20 presets – 10 for DAB and 10 for FM – to economize your favourite stations for ready accession .
If you habituate your radio set as a bedside consternation , then arouse - up calls sport with a pick of the radio springing into life or an ascending buzzing noise ; with the forty winks button putting it to bed for 10 minute . The Sleep timer sets the radio to switch to standby automatically , and you could choose when it does so through the timekeeper in the fare .
Within the menu options there is Dynamic range control ( DRC ) . This refers to the difference between the loudest and subdued sound heard during a syllabus , and Groov - e says is utilitarian in environment where you might need to hear more due to fence noise .
you could choose between three levels of concretion – off , downcast and eminent – the maximum context hike subdued sounds while keeping the loudest sounds at their original stage . Playing around with this on a few stations , I ca n’t say I could hear much , if any difference between the various scope .
Sound Quality
There ’s certainly a cap to the Venice ’s performance and it ’s not a especially high one , but let me bulge with what ’s right , and what ’s just is the bread and butter for any radio set : talk word content .
With commentaries the Venice offer clear , intelligible voice quality across a range of stations , whether I was mind to the golf on BBC Radio 5 Live to Absolute Radio 00s on DAB or BBC R3 on FM . good quality depends on the channel itself , there were some stations that sound more detailed , rounded and delineate on FM than their DAB counterparts .
The decent clearness makes for an easy enough listen , and there ’s good mountain chain to the bulk level , turning it up to the max when take heed to Bloomberg , 6 Music and TalkSport did n’t obtain any aberration . There was some slight sibilance but lilliputian that would do an issue .
It ’s with music where you could get a line the Venice ’s limitation come to the stem . Over a Bluetooth connection it display decent outspoken clarity but there ’s not what I would call a forensic level of detail or perceptiveness in its functioning . It sound muddy and lack in definition compared to theTribit Stormbox Microspeaker , with not much dynamism or spaciousness , voice boxed in .
Tonally the Venice produce a lean , lustrous and slightly coarse presentation , and though freshwater bass miss a considerable amount of size of it and weight , there ’s some decent kick to the beat in OutKast ’s Ms. Jackson . The Venice ’s focal point is a consistent one , which is very much on bring articulation to the stem . The earpiece output is surprisingly seemly , lean and crisp in tone of voice , and sure useful for some bedtime listening if you have a good pair of wired headphone to expend .
Latest deals
Should you buy it?
radio Small and get off enough to bear around in your bag , and a performance that extend solid vocal timber .
The Venice is n’t as great with music as it is with the spoken word , you ’d be better off looking for a Bluetooth loudspeaker for that manipulation .
Final Thoughts
There Groov - e Venice is a decent DAB radio set for the price . It ’s much better with the voices than it is key out the elaborateness of Tune Yards ’ latest song , but what would you anticipate for the £ 31.99 asking price ?
It ’s easy to utilize and portable enough to acquit around the home or into work . If you want to take heed to music , you ’re skilful of purchasing a Bluetooth speaker , but if you ’re interested in keeping up with cricket score or want to mind rock candy from the 70s , this offer decent calibre at an low-priced entryway full point
Trusted Score
How we test
We test every radio we review soundly over an extended period of time . We use industry stock tests to liken features in good order . We ’ll always order you what we witness . We never , ever , accept money to reexamine a product .
ascertain out more about how we try out in ourethics insurance policy .
FAQs
The Venice can be plugged into the main or used as a portable radio set , for the latter you need 4 x AA batteries , which are not included with the wireless .
Full Specs
Sustainability
Trusted Reviews ’ holds the fact that planetary thawing is not a myth as a core economic value and will continuously strive to help protect our satellite from harm in its business organisation practices .
As part of this missionary station , whenever we refresh a product we send the company a series of query to help us gauge and make transparent the impingement the equipment has on the surround .
We currently have n’t encounter answers to the question on this mathematical product , but will update this pageboy the moment we do . you may see a detailed breakdown of the question we ask and why in oursustainability info page .
