Specification
-
SOURCE
- FM/DAB/DAB+ Built in
- Yes
- Internet Radio
- Yes
- Spotify Connect
- Yes
- Bluetooth® Connectivity
- Yes
- Music Player via Network
- Yes (PC, Mac or NAS over home network)
- Music Player via USB
- Yes
- Music Player Codec Support
-
MP3/
WMA/ FLAC/ AAC/ ALAC/ WAV
-
Network
- Wi-Fi
-
Yes (802.11b/
g/ n standard on 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands)
- Wired Ethernet Connection
- Yes
- Control via UNDOK app
- Yes (iOS or Android smartphones)
-
Audio
- Tweeter
- Yes
-
CONNECTIVITY
- Headphone Socket
- Yes (3.5mm Stereo)
- Line-out (Analogue)
- Yes (3.5mm Stereo)
- Auxiliary input socket for playback via smartphones
- Yes (3.5mm Stereo)
-
DESIGN
- Alarm Function
-
Yes (Radio/
Buzzer)
- Kitchen Timer
- Yes
- Full Colour Screen
- Yes
- On-device Control
- Yes
- Hand-held remote control
- Yes
- Mains Powered
- Yes
- Battery Powered
- Yes (via optional Rechargeable Battery Pack)
- Supplied Accessories
- Mains Adaptor, Remote Control with Battery
- Dimensions (mm)
- 260w x 170h x 132d
- Weight
- 1.7kg
Reviews
Difficult to tune instructions complicated Sound not great very expensive for very little radio
Lots of fantastic features and a great sound even if it struggles on top volume. The app is pretty awful looking but does its job. The radio also Ioses wifi connection and you have to unplug and restart to get it to work again. I also have a problem with usb playback as it shuts down into standby after 15 minutes. Lets se if the support is as good as the radio. But all in all I am very satisfied with it. When it works...
Purchased to replace my older Roberts internet Radio, but suffers from the same problems of time searching for world channels and cut offs. Disappointed as I thought that in the past six years Roberts would have sorted this out ( I have the fastest Virgin internet available). Another problem which should have been addressed is no AM channels, if you want to listen to air band etc you can't with this radio, what a missed opportunity.
After owning 2 Pure DAB radios for several years I almost made the 'mistake' of replacing them with something from the same manufacturer when looking for something for our narrowboat. However, during my extensive research the Roberts Stream 94i crept into my field of vision and eventually I saw the light. Now, I not only listen to DAB but also Spotify (free version), Youtube, Internet radio (especially useful in poor DAB signal areas), Podcasts and more. We even have it connected to the TV which has improved the horribly tinny sound immensely. The depth and quality of the sound is simply amazing for a 'portable’ radio and we have it connected to our 12v system (through a regulated adaptor bought elsewhere) so it's on all day long in one mode or another. It's not an insignificant price for a ‘radio’ but boy does it pay for itself in quality and adaptability, well worth the money! The one minor point that I’d make is that you can currently only use the Spotify Connect feature if you have a ‘paid for’ Spotify account, even though Spotify made ‘Connect’ available to free users a year ago! This required manufacturers to issue a firmware update to enable the feature for ‘free’ users but as yet, Roberts have not made an update available. That is a bit slack given the time scale and relatively minor change needed. Please get this sorted ASAP Roberts!
At first I was impressed with how easy it was to connect to the internet and Bluetooth the sound is good for a portable radio (once you buy the optional battery) but for me the main problem is the radio keeps randomly rebooting itself which I why I will be reluctantly returning this radio
Sound is great, but the product has been let down my numerous software bugs such as occasional WiFi disconnects fixed only by power cycling the unit, fade on alarms that play a split second of full volume audio before fading in, and a bug that means you can’t fall asleep listening to Bluetooth and wake up to WiFi radio because it fails to connect. Roberts suppler acknowledged this bug a year ago but still no fix has been issued. The screen still glows when the background light is set to ‘off’.
This was a Christmas present, and probably one of the best I've had. It's fantastic to be able to listen to DAB, but now I can also play my MP3 music collection which is stored on my PC, and I can listen to a multitude of Internet radio stations. The sound is just top notch, unbelievably crystal clear and vibrant. Two minor quibbles though. I use it as a bedside device, but bizarrely, when the Radio is turned on, there is no way of displaying the time in large digits - although this is possible when on Standby. This is a big bugbear, so I hope it's addressed in a firmware revision. Also, the display is too bright during the night, even though the Brightness is supposedly Off. Can this be reduced?
I assume it is losing network connection [even though it has keep network connection selected and shows network icon] as it is pot lock whether the unit appears on your network to stream to from a PC. I assume it is the same problem causing it to be a lottery whether the UNDOK remote control app can find the unit. Not used internet radio much so can't comment on whether it drops connection when listening - worth trying before you buy if possible. Buyer beware if you want to use UPnP or the smartphone remote app [which is useful]. Sound quality is good although there is noticeable excessive sibilance on spoken word programs, but you are paying for features that don't work, so can't recommend.
Can you add an internet radio station manually to Roberts radio 94i?
Alongside the Pure Avanti Flow wi-fi radio i still own, this is up there as another solid set. Whilst the sound is superb it doesn't quite match up to the 'volume' and acoustics of the Pure set, but does surpass all other units i have owned. If i have one gripe, and hence only 4 star rating, it is that you cannot bluetooth on the output side, i.e. to set of wireless headphones. Bit of a shame when you can bluetooth music into the set. The other downside (and only my opinion) is that the 3.5mm line out Jack is on the back of the set....a pain in the backside when it comes to plugging headphones in since the lead trails round the front to place headphones on your head! I would also have made the base of the radio heavier so that when you press the 'select' button with one finger the radio itself doesn't move. Sadly you need to hold the radio when pressing the select button. That said i cannot fault the tone of the radio or the amount of presets that can store your favourites. I love the design, the traditional feel and look (wood case and leather type strap) and have to say i prefer the ease of use over my Pure unit even though the sound is not quite as good as the Avanti flow. I do agree with others who comment on the connectivity side of things in that on several occasions it tells me there is no network when that is certainly not the case. Shutting down to almost re-boot / connect is not good. 4 stars is a fair grade for me based on my Avanti Flow gaining 4.5 stars.
My wife and I already had 2 of the Stream 83i Roberts Radios (the predecessor of this one) so had little hesitation in buying the 94i when we required a third. It is well built, easily does everything it should and has a superb sound for its size. Set-up is straightforward. Not the cheapest, but highly recommended if you want great quality.
So nearly perfect. Great features, sounds great, plays and hooks up to everything you need - radio, DAB, internet read up, AUX, Bluetooth etc. My issue is that the internet radio doesn’t always play and says there is no ‘connection’ even though the WiFi is strong and stable. It’s very annoying when you want to listen to your favourite station. The other main issue is that the remote eats battery’s. I put a brand new good quality branded battery in and it lasts 1 week at best before it dies. There must be a problem there!? But it is a great radio and I love listening to music through it.
I purchased this radio several days ago. It produces a high quality sound, but I have found it to problematic and frustrating when using internet radio via a wireless connection. Having set it up I find UNDOK works fine. The issue I have shows itself when attempting to wake the radio on the network via UNDOK. Pinging its IP address from a PC also shows that it not detectable on the network as it comes back with the message: ‘request timed out’. I have connected the radio to my network both via WPS, and then through inputting the SID and other settings manually, yet still the same result. Sometimes it will wake and other occasions it will not. In terms of troubleshooting I have also tested the wireless signal strength where the radio is currently located via an app. This reported the signal level to be relatively high (approx. 73-82%), something I knew already as other devices work fine via my wireless signal. At the same time I checked the wireless status for the radio itself by imputing its IP address into a web browser. Interestingly it reported the wireless signal for the radio as being very low, fluctuating between 2-19%, while the app reported 73-82%! Clearly to my mind there is an issue around this radios ability to pick up, and maintain a wireless signal once it is asleep on the network. The only way to wake it consistently is via the remote control, or the on button. Disappointingly I could not recommend this radio other than for its DAB function and bluetooth at this point.
All I wanted from a 'radio' and sounded good, but tried 2 different sets from different shops and both had same fault [some might say that that was too much of a coincidence and it is a design fault, but I can't possibly comment]. The auto standby mode kicked in and shut the unit down when streaming Bluetooth. This happened when streaming from 2 different laptops [W10]. It worked OK streaming from my phone and iPad. Contacted Roberts tech support, but was just told it was a fault and to send them both back. The UNDOK feature/app was a bit hit and miss about when it wanted to work as well, which was frustrating, as it was good when it decided it was up for it. Also, asked Roberts about their other products as an alternative, but they decided they couldn't be bothered to answer. Hey ho!!