The LCD has a gentle backlight. You can set it up to display both the time and the station that the radio is currently tuned into. It also has a 3. I find this extremely helpful for private listening. This also has a sleep timer, which is great if you need to have background noise to fall asleep. I also consider this unit a fantastic Wi-Fi alarm clock radio because it is equipped with an alarm clock that lets you choose if you want to wake up to music or a gentle buzzer.

Aside from internet radio stations, you can also use this device via UPnP or streamed local network content. If you have other computers connected to the wireless network then you can set up this Wi-Fi internet radio receiver, so that it can play the music saved in those computers.

This can also work if you have a wireless hard disk drive. I particularly liked the fact that this radio comes with an easy-to-use remote control. This is great for people like me who would rather not sit up in bed just to turn off the radio because that will be enough to jostle me out of sleepiness. Also, having a remote means that this will also be a good radio for the kitchen. There is no need to walk to the other side of the room just to adjust the volume or tune into another station.

If there is one thing that I consider as a problem with this radio, it would be that it is not portable at all. It can only run on AC power, through the included AC adapter.

One thing that immediately grabbed my attention in this Wi-Fi radio receiver is that it combined an old-school, classic design with ultra-modern functionality. First, I liked the faux wood case and the mesh-enclosed speaker. When not powered up, it looks almost exactly like the radio that my grandfather used when he was still alive.

The illusion is quickly broken when I turned on the radio and a huge full-color LCD popped up. I am happy that this is also one of the best Wi-Fi clock radios in the market. It is because you can also use it as an alarm clock. This radio has all the features that I want from an alarm clock radio — a sleep timer and snooze button. It also offers the choice to wake up to a preset radio station, a track from a USB drive, or a selection of buzzers. It is nice that I am getting more than just one appliance in one package.

The detail that surprised me about this unit is that it has access to almost , different radio stations and music streaming services. Some channels are exclusively for sleep sounds. This is a great help for those like me who have trouble sleeping without background music or noise.

I also liked that there is an integrated Qi wireless charger for my smartphone. It is a very convenient addition. Another feature that I like about this radio is that it comes with remote control, so I can control the tunes even when I am doing something else from across the room.

Now, if in any case the remote was misplaced, which happens to me all of the time, I can still control it remotely using the Android app. There is also an iOS version for iPhone users. The thing that I did not like about this unit is that it requires quite some effort to get it set up. For instance, when I first tried to connect it to my home network, I had to do it manually. There is no option to connect it to the Wi-Fi network automatically.

I liked the simple and minimalist design of this radio. It is just a simple black cube with black buttons and dials and a two-and-a-half inch full-color display. You can use it in the living room, as a bedside radio, in the office, and anywhere else. The bright LCD can show album covers and other track information, a clock, weather updates whenever available.

The screen can also be dimmed to make it easy on the eyes at night when it is used as a bedside radio. I was surprised when I checked the stations that this radio can access a huge number. It even has more than 26, different radio stations. Thankfully, this unit comes with different station presets. This makes it easier to find and remember your favorite stations. I am glad that this unit comes with a built-in equalizer.

It is a big plus for me that I can easily tweak the sounds of my music to my exact liking. Also, I like the fact that you can hook this small unit to a set of big speakers to maximize the potential of internet radio. For such a small Wi-Fi radio, this one packs a punch. With dual 3-watt forward-facing speakers and a downward-facing 5-watt sub-woofer, this tiny radio can fill up a room with crystal clear sounds through its deep bass undertone.

I think this makes this unit perfect for music lovers. I am happy that this radio has a 4. This feature cleans up the entire look because there are very few visible buttons and dials. This gives the unit a nice, clean and minimalist design that will fit in any room of the house. I like the fact that this is a smartphone with massive speakers.

What was even more surprising was that I can install social media apps like Facebook, Twitter, and the like. This radio also has its built-in 4GB storage for storing music files so this radio can still work as an audio file player even when it is offline. The radio will appear as an external hard drive. What I like the most about this unit is that you can use it to enjoy a complete radio listening experience. It is an internet radio. You can expect it to do everything that you are hoping for and maybe a lot more.

What I love about this radio is that I can control it remotely. Even when I am in another place, I can still control it via a smartphone app both for Android and iOS. I can select radio stations, save presets, and do everything else that you intend to do. You can control your radio regardless of where you are in the house. When used as an internet radio, this unit can access more than 20, stations. This means that I will not be left wanting for choices when it comes to music.

Aside from the many internet radio stations, this unit can also access music streaming services like Pandora and Spotify. I also appreciate that this radio has a built-in rechargeable battery.

This means that I can take this anywhere in the house. As long as it is within range of the Wi-Fi router, it can still play tunes. It has a distinct shape and size that makes it the perfect fit for a nightstand table.

The button placement on top makes it easy to use when placed at the bedside. I love that this also works as a sleep sound machine. I have trouble sleeping when there is no background noise. With the help of this radio, I can choose from different sleep sounds.

It could range from white noise to ambient nature sounds. Furthermore, I can also choose from different alarms. This is primarily an internet radio and that being so, this unit can access more than 20, different channels.

This radio can tune in to foreign stations like the BBC as well as the local ones. One will not have any shortage of things to listen to with this radio around.

The next unit I would like to discuss is not just a simple Wi-Fi radio. It is an amplifier and a control center for a home-wide audio system. If you have a complicated speaker system installed at home, this should be at the center of it. This is perfect for hooking up to hi-fi cabinet speakers. This has a watt capacity so you can be sure that it can make full use of large powerful speakers without making the sounds clunky and hollow.

You can also hook this up to speakers with analog connectors. It will still sound amazing nonetheless. Once this is hooked up, you can simply control this using the Muzo smartphone app.

With this app, you can connect the Wi-Fi radio to online radio stations that you want. You can also log in to your music streaming services like Pandora, Spotify, and others. I loved that this unit came with equalizer controls — both on the unit itself and the Muzo smartphone app. The equalizer is a welcome addition because it allows the user to customize the sound coming out of the speakers. With a radio and speakers that sound so well, that will be a gracious addition.

The first thing that I noticed and loved immediately about this internet radio is its excellent sound quality. This has two front-facing speakers. It also has a downward-facing subwoofer that produces excellent sounds that can fill the room. The 4. Having a colorful screen makes it easy to navigate through all of the features that this radio has, unlike the other Wi-Fi radios where you have to press quite a lot of buttons to do a basic action.

I love the fact that this radio has a built-in 8GB of memory. I just need to connect the radio to my laptop via a USB data cable and start copying files to the onboard storage drive. You can access thousands of radio stations through apps like Pandora, IheartMusic, and others. You can also use this radio to access Spotify and other music services. You have to install the apps separately, though, which is a bit of a hassle.

I am happy that even though this is a very small radio, it pumps out quite an impressive amount of sound. This has powerful mids and an even more powerful small sub-woofer, so you can play even the more bass-heavy music through it while having a guarantee that it can deliver. This radio can access more than 26, different internet radio stations and when one found stations that he likes, its location can be saved in one of the different presets. This means you need not cycle through the many different radio stations.

Just push a couple of buttons and you can recover the saved stations. Aside from playing music and talking from the internet, it can also stream from sources within its local network. This is best if you have a network-shared hard drive in your home network. I love that this radio has its remote control. This is great when used in the kitchen. If I want to change stations, I need not move away from my station. I can just do it via remote control from the other side of the room.

If this is the first time that you have heard about Wi-Fi radios then you are in for a treat because these units will surely capture your interest. If you are suddenly interested in what the Wi-Fi radio and what it can do then you may want to buy it right away.

In that case, you have to make sure that you know exactly what to look for. These include the following:. Connectivity — How hard is it to connect the radio to your home Wi-Fi network?

Do you need to connect it to your home computer first to configure it? Do you need to download and install an app on your phone? Your chosen Wi-Fi radio should not be overly complicated to set up before you can start listening to your favorite music.

However, note that since this is a sophisticated electronic device, it is a given that this will not be that simple to set up. Still, that does not mean that it will take a normal person an entire afternoon to get ready. Nobody has time for that. However, they do not compare to the number of stations that Wi-Fi radios have. Of course, not everyone will appreciate having thousands of stations to choose from but it would be great to have many choices.

You can just spend the time skipping from one station to another and stumble upon the ones that played the kinds of music that you did not even know you liked. Sound quality — First of all, you should not expect that these radios produce the same quality of sound as in hi-fi set-ups built by true audiophiles.

These units have below-average speaker sizes so do not expect crystal-clear audio quality when you are still testing some while you are shopping. However, some radios also have great sound quality. This means that if you are truly resourceful, you might chance upon a radio that has great sounding speakers. Recording feature — Is there a program or podcast that you enjoy listening to but only airs when you are at work or school? This is when having a radio with a recording function comes in handy.

It would also be best to have one that can be programmed to start and stop recording at predetermined times. This way, you can listen to your favorite shows whenever it is convenient for you.

File compatibility — There are Wi-Fi radios that can also double as audio media players. This is great if you do not want to channel surfing and just want to play your favorite playlist of songs. Look for radios that say they can read all sorts of audio files like MP3,. This is important because you can decide later to change to a more compact file type.

This will let you cram more music into your SD card without sacrificing sound quality. Additional options — These are the days when electronic devices can do the work of two or more gadgets. Your Wi-Fi radio should have other functions, like being able to work as an external speaker for your smartphone in case you want to watch a movie while lying in bed.

In cases like this, the Wi-Fi radio should have Bluetooth connectivity so you can pair it with your smartphone and turn it into a loudspeaker.

If not Bluetooth, it should at least have an auxiliary 3. Wi-Fi radios, also called internet radios, are devices that can receive and playback streamed audio that comes from either an internet radio station or a computer in your home network. The audio content does not necessarily have to be music all the time. It can be news, commentary, podcasts, talk shows, and many more. Why stream when you can download? The advantage of streaming media, like music and other audio, is that you can start listening even while the media is still being downloaded.

This means you do not have to wait for an hour-long podcast to download. You can just play it immediately. Wi-Fi radios are for people who enjoy a wide variety of music — people who enjoy genres of music or just a select few of them. In short, this radio is for everyone.

However, the user must at least have some knowledge of how the internet works. It is also advisable to have some technical proficiency to set up the device and to make use of all its capabilities.

On the other hand, you can just have someone else set up the device and get taught how to use it properly. However, if in case the radio gets disconnected from the network, the user must at least know how to reconnect it properly. A Wi-Fi radio works by connecting to the internet and then acquiring streaming data from any one of the many music streaming sites.

Streaming audio is only played by the receiver. It is a continuous broadcast that entails the use of three programs. These include the encoder, which converts the audio into a format suitable for streaming, the server, which makes it available online, and the player, which is installed in the device connected to the internet. In this case, the receiver is the Wi-Fi radio. Just like regular radios, Wi-Fi radios come in different configurations. Some of the different types and configurations you can choose from are:.

Component radio — This is where the high-end types belong to. These radios are the ones that you position in the middle of the living room and hook up to a set of large, and nice-sounding speakers. You can usually see this in the homes of many audiophiles. Tabletop radio — This is not quite as nice-sounding as component radios. It is mainly because it has built-in speakers. However, these radios still sound quite decent for their size. You will usually find this one being used as a bedside radio because it is just the right size for a nightstand or side table.

This is also the reason why some of them have alarm clocks. Portable radio — This is the smallest type of Wi-Fi radio. It resembles the old-school transistor radio. You can take it with you all over the house and even outside in the backyard. In terms of sound quality, it seems to have the poorest sounds but it has 3. Whole Home Audio. Every Grace device plays music independently or group them into one or more zones. Your Smart Devices. Smart Internet Radios.

Bedroom, Den or Kitchen. Grace Link Amplifier. Power Everything. Grace Link. Upgrade your Stereo. Your Control. Integrated Display. Beautiful Audio and Displays. Infrared Remote Control. Take Control. Smart Apps.

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