Ocean Digital WR-336F Wi-Fi (radio, 2023)

Ocean Digital

Purchased February, 2023

The internet radio part is great. Thousands of stations are available and most begin streaming in a few seconds. A web site with station stream addresses uploads the settings to the IP address of the radio on your local area network (easy to use, just need to navigate the radio display occasionally if your router changes the IP address. Custom stream addresses can be added, but stream addresses can be hard to find, especially for iHeart stations. Four preset buttons is not enough, but many presets can be loaded and scrolled through, which is annoying if this is your bedtime radio and you just want to touch a button. Sound quality is good, but I always use a headset. There is a remote control. The knobs and display are not easy to use in bed, and the radio slides on a smooth surface, so I had to put the radio on a pad so that it does not slide off the table when I press a button. The clock is hard to read while the radio is playing. I have not been able to find an internet radio with a truly independent alarm clock. The WiFi works, no wired ethernet port. I'll be darned if I can find a station (terrestrial, internet or otherwise) that plays Halloween songs year 'round.

Tangent Quattro (radio, 2012)

Tangent Quattro internet radio with alarm clock

Purchased August, 2012
(web site for loading stations has been deleted)

The internet radio part is great. Thousands of stations are available and most begin streaming in a few seconds. The web site provides a minimal overview of each stations, and the radio can play some terrestrial stations that aren't listed on the web site, but you can create a personal web account and select favorite stations that the radio automatically displays. This is important because the six preset buttons are not enough. Sound quality is good, almost too powerful for a nightstand. Easier to use than the web to find stations, but not as easy to use as a regular radio. There is no remote control, which is unfortunate, because a remote control would allow usage in a real audio system. The knobs and display are hard to use in bed, and the power supply is clunky. The clock is hard to read and the alarm feature and alarm controls are useless. The alarm sound plays through the speaker, but the speaker is muted by the headphones, so if you want to listen without keeping your partner awake, you have to remember to pull the headphones out before you fall asleep. You'll have to use a separate alarm clock. The WiFi works well, although I use a wired connection. Every terrestrial radio station that I have tried to tune can be played by the Tangent via the network. I'll be darned if I can find a station (terrestrial, internet or otherwise) that plays Halloween songs year 'round.