DAB+ Digital Radio available at Aldi from 18th Feb. Only $29.99. Digital radios from JBhifi start at $75, so this is a very good price for one.
DAB+ and FM radio with the function of presetting up to 20 stations
Backlit LCD display
FM auto scan
3.5mm headphone jack
AC or battery operated
1 Year Warranty
This radio is a failure!!!
Unfortunately I voted +, so could only revoke that & not neg as it deserves for reasons way down below.
You seems not understanding the price you pay and most probably you'll get much more value than what you pay from other retailers' stuff still having unknown brand and selling it higher.
I personally wouldn't buy this cheapo simply because I know that I should spend at least $200-300 for a good one, but some other people will be happy to spend just $30.
BTW, not all people go to Aldi by car.
Disappointing for you maybe, awesome value with zero petrol wasting for others.
I can walk there 3 streets away :)
I fly there from Perth ;)
driving down in your Audi ?
Aldi's cheap electronics are great, I know many people who have been using the cheap HD $50 setup boxes for years with no issues.
You obviously haven't bought much electronics at Aldi - there are so many stories of absolute crap electronics on Whirlpool. I have returned everything I have bought over $20. A recent PVR reset scheduled recording dates if you entered a new scheduled recording other than for that day. That mean almost all recordings failed to start. It kept on changing the scheduled recording dates automatically after that. Unless you used manual record, all you ended up with was a $199 500GB twin tuner that thought it was only a HD set top box. When you ask for a repair, you can usually only be offered a refund.
The latest 2 PVRs often freeze when FF, and the remote control sensor is triggered by turning on a compact fluro light, sometimes crashing the unit. Others have reported on Whirlpool that the PVR has lost the internal HD for hours. Aldi electronics is very dodgie. Only occasionally there is a good product, so you may be lucky. Its always a gamble with Aldi & usually a waste of time.
Overall I am a HUUUUUGE fan of Aldi. As a regular shopper their quality is usually very good and their returns policy is excellent … and their value-for-money is the best. There are occasional exceptions (like their terrible $15 shaver!), but in my experience they are very much the exception.
I bought a great hi-specced PC from Audi years ago … it refused to die (even after we put it out in the rain!), it was still going strong when we threw it out to make way for some Macs.
The Aldi story is fascinating too … two brothers who divided the world between them and ended up the two richest men in Germany … :)
One of my latest Aldi PVRs crashed 10 times in 1 day, while the other completely froze & failed to record anything on the same day. The manufacturer of those for Aldi rang to thank me last week - they send my Whirlpool posts to the factory in China to help improve future units. So I do know a fair bit about Aldi electronics problems. Bought lots from them, but no more!!
See Aldi Gadgets - Best and Worst http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=1773283#r… for a laugh/cry.
Thanks for the feedback :) You got exceptions and were able to return them. Move on.
As I said, there are so many people complaining about what you call 'exceptions' to show you do not understand there is a major problem.
The history of Aldi may be of some interest, but even that link points to the poor reputation of Aldi products. I have read it before when researching problems with Aldi for a proposed action.
I have been providing unpaid support many hours a day to disgruntled buyers of Aldi electronics, when the manufacturer's Support has failed to help or even respond to complaints about faulty firmware & products.
Computers are generally the exception (typing this on an Aldi tablet & the mistakes are really annoying) - have not had problems there (but support is almost non-existant, Medion often tell you they know nothing about their computer; gave advice that this 3g tablet could not connect to 3g!), but most electronics are faulty, have shoddy firmware, or just poor design. I have bought about 75 electronics apart from the computers, and none over $20 was worth keeping as it were severely flawed.
I find being told to 'move on' offensive - I am relating my & others bad experiences with shoddy Aldi electronic products, & backing it with 1 of the links to Whirlpool discussing problems with Aldi. If you want to ignore the experience of others, just ignore advice, don't tell the other person basically not to say anything because you think differently!
Sorry Bruce! I'm too big a fan of Aldi, that's my problem, but nobody's perfect- and all feedback is good feedback!
Personally I have found most of their electronics stuff to be too low specced to be of interest, and given your experiences I would be wary in future. I buy their other stuff.
Thats OK. Understand that, but the discussion (by donkeykong) was about their poor quality cheap electronics - low spec but temptingly good price point, which dk thought was a time waster. Conio thought the cheap electronics were good. Even my examples, cheap in their class, may not be considered cheap electronics, but they sure have a long list of faults.
And with their better stuff (eg Medion PC's) support can be a big problem. Once you experience bad Aldi support, most people will shop elsewhere.
I am the exception, am learning from Aldi's poor products and in the process of forming a relationship with one electronics manufacturer to Aldi (most of the major stuff) to improve customer experience. So I am not moving on, but moving up.
Good luck to you Bruce, and as well as improving their service with you, I too hope Aldi can improve the quality of the original products.
"I have bought about 75 electronics apart from the computers,………."
Is this 75 electronics from Aldi?
If so, how long did it take you to discover:
"most electronics are faulty, have shoddy firmware, or just poor design."
and
"none over $20 was worth keeping as it were severely flawed."?
LOL Its call research in my field. But kept items like energy meters for myself - using a few of those tonight with appliances under test & good value at $10. Good enough compared to my more expensive meters.
Every TV (bought 2 at a time) in 2010 was returned within days, simply terrible.
Have bought up to 3 PVRs at a time, dating back 5 years. If you buy 1 unit, you can not tell if it is just that unit with the fault. If 2 have a fault, I try to find another from a different batch. Their PVRs are getting better, but all have had firmware faults. All made their way back as faulty.
Just because 1 or 2 electronic products are faulty or great does not give a representative sample of a store. You need a good sample size. Doing that, it doesn't take long to realise there are a lot of lemons at Aldi. (Am now being offered some preproduction units to test & review which will keep me out of Aldi stores.)
bruce, what are you doing to make these items faulty? Sure, some items might be 'cheaply manufactured' but either you are doing something to these units to make them go faulty or you have the worst luck ever.
Most users don't use all the features of a complex product like a PVR - my area. What was found with most Aldi consumers, is they replace a VCR with a PVR & don't use its advantages. By the time faults show, they usually do not return the product as it is beyond the returns period.
I push the firmware to the limit to look for faults - within the design limits anyway. Most users would never see all those faults, or assume they had done something wrong. Even major faults do not show up at the service centre, or are described as a completely different fault. Would you realise the PVR was recording by itself or turned on because a CFLight was turned on? (current PVR at Aldi) People just aren't aware of some faults, or attribute the fault to something else. It is difficult to bring cheap, complex, low production products to market without faults. There isn't the necessary, lengthy, & expensive testing there should be. The product rarely evolves over several iterations. Noticeable faults are usually eliminated, but some take time to show up & slip through.
One manufacturer rang the other day to thank me for my insights into faults, which leads to faster product refinement & development. Now they are going to supply preproduction models so I can do some magic on them, before reaching retailers like Aldi. The manufacturer said they are determined to improve the quality of their electronics sold through Aldi. So I am willing to work with them on that.
So, no I am not unlucky, I know what I am doing & like my work.
Bruce, I've been reading your posts in this thread. Are you in the testing business? Have you considered setting up some sort of arrangement with (for instance) Choice? From what I've heard, they're always keen to get hold of people who like to play with stuff.
Even if Choice isn't your thing, maybe Ozbargain can put aside some space for "product quality reviews" or some such.
I realise that you do post stuff on Ozbargain and Whirlpool, but I'm thinking that this kind of QA review information would be useful in an aggregated form.
In other words, people like me are keen for the details of what you're finding with individual products. It can only help us make a more informed purchasing decision. And if you're already publishing/in the business, can you point us to where we can find your work?
Some good positive ideas there, Postulative. Because my advice is directed to businesses, I am bound by commercial in confidence agreements, severely limiting what I can say, especially with pre-production units. I go along with that, if I can bring better products to market. (At present I am not tied to any agreement.) I do not publish to the public.
I am usually holidaying overseas, so work & posts have to fit around that. Mainly post on Whirlpool threads on specific devices, just for interest - like so many others. I know it can take time to wade through so many posts, but users offer advice freely - a great resource. Because so many people are using a device, problems are found fast. I have learnt so much from Whirlpool, so give back when I can. It is dynamic, unlike most reviews. Of course advice from amateurs has its limits. Much advice is no more than personal opinion & some just want to grumble. My posts are known to wander off topic a bit too much, into philosophy of fault finding & customer relations.
Your idea of a product review site has merit, but most would say it is already done. If you can find a product on Whirlpool, ask your question. There is at least one person discussing this radio in the DAB thread. I sometimes try to summaries faults & features in Whirlpool posts, as there is so much good info scattered amongst too many posts. I guess it would be possible in Whirlpool to formalise that process, so you could just view a review of the product or service rather than the full thread. Will look into it.
But it takes time I would rather be walking a mountain path or eating a different food with people I can barely communicate with…
My Aldi set top box died.
Wireless mouse lasted about a month
Bubble machine as a present was missing battery terminals. Woman at the shop tried to tell me it could only be returned in 60 days as it doesnt have a warranty. Told her that as incorrect with Australian law. Never had such a rude and argumentative person in a shop before. I didnt even want a refund, i wanted to swap it.
congratulations,you have an Audi .
Did you want a prize with that . LOL
Totally agree - I am tired of ringing the different manufacturers that Aldi badge with their trademarks (Tevion, Bauhn, etc) when their electronics fails. It is often faulty before you buy it. In general there is no after sales support. Most times they say they will ring back, but don't. Emails are not answered. On one product I lodged a complaint about a fault, sent numerous emails & rang, and 5 months later I am still waiting. The manufacturer told me i was being given 'priority' treatment - ie none. So many others complain about the same problem. Your only option is to take it back for a refund, which works well at Aldi.
Despite the negging masses, you were right Donkeykong.
Good point, donkeykong.
Never seen a bad car from Audi.
It's a new model "Audi Dab 2012".
wrong! it's the 2012 Audi DAB+! all the goodness of the original, plus don't forget the 60 day return policy!
Make sure you actually have Digital Radio available where you live before you buy one…
http://www.digitalradioplus.com.au/index.cfm?page_id=1003
yeah - definitely not good value if you save $50 to $70 on a DAB+ radio, only to have to fork out $40000 or so moving costs/stamp duty if you have to move house to get reception
$29.99 is a good price..
Depends on the quality…
For those who dont like Aldi and/or their products:
$49.84 from DSE
http://dicksmith.com.au/product/A5189/bush-dab-radio-with-pl…
speaking of which, i've never had a DAB radio, didn't see a need for it, but how does this compare to those others going for $50 and $80 here? are they clearer or do they have more memory or something?
some of these radios have the ability to record, may have a better build quality (don't know, just postulating), may be slightly more user friendly, may come in a bigger box, may make you more attractive to the opposite sex, may provide world peace or end world poverty. However they will not stop us making funny jokes about bulk condom deals here on ozbargain.
I have a yamaha all in one DAB radio, with input for ipod, usb, and Aux. It sounds great.
Personally I am happy with radio on the internet using the unbeatable tunein app (c$1.99) on my iPhone & iPad.
Do they not do a free one on iphone?
I got tunein app for free on my Android phone, and my Acer tablet. Works great.
Glad you got it for free - yes there's a free version for the iPhone & iPad too.
There's also a 0.99c "Pro" version which I have. I am not sure what the differences are.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tunein-radio-pro/id319295332?…
If anyone doesn't know this app, don't take my word for how good it is … just look at the customer reviews :)
All well and good if telcos here had you unlimited data.
yes … you might have to watch those Megabytes. Most of my listening is done on wifi and - fortunately I haven't gone anywhere exceeding the caps on wifi or 3G.
Radio streams don't use that much data though. I've never been anywhere near to going over.
for people who don't know most set top boxes will tune digital radio as well.
But these are portable & tune in the ordinary AM stations that broadcast in DAB.
(The 4 on your STBox are SBS (2 foreign language) & ABC JAZZ & Dig music.)
Best to check broadcasts are available in your area, if outside a major area.
Agree. Very few set top boxes are DAB+ equipped.
most set top boxes will tune digital radio as well.
which set top box tunes into DAB+ ???
They are a rarity, not MOST set top boxes (as stated), which do not have Integrated DAB+ Receivers. DS stock the DgTec ($299), not that I would ever touch that brand.
There is a confusion in some people between DAB & the very limited digital radio content on the usual STBoxes.
Easy 60 day return makes this deal interesting. If you don't like it, take it back.
I like how the shape of it in the picture makes it look like it is stereo.. until you look on website and see also available in white.. it clear from pic of white one that it is mono. ;-)
I got the AWA one from BigW Stereo, Internet radio, ipod dock, aux input, usb input, big clock, alarm. Love it, works great.
internet radio is not the same as DAB+…
.
yep, forgot to list that part, just thought it was obvious in a dab+ radio thread… oh well, it has dab+ too.
But yes, internet radio is different, we had Dab radio in UK back in the mid 90's
Except that the UK jumped into DAB too soon and didn't wait for DAB+.
Personally I think this is waste of money, why would anyone want digital radio …you want quality entertainment then listen to your media player or online streams etc, otherwise all you get is great sounding ads, I'm sorry but radio died a long time ago resurrecting it as "DIGITAL" isn't going to change that.
radio died a long time ago
Most ridiculous statement. Next you will tell us television is dead too.
After all, this is basically an AM/FM radio with hopefully better sound on the AM, and presets. Content will be much the same. Not much different for most users than radios in the 70's & 80's. And there is still talk back! The usual commercial crap radio without crackle is still crap.
Radio just doesn't realise it is dead.
Over 40,000 stations say u r wrong.
BBC Radio turn out great programs, including almost a play a day. Pity governments have starved the ABC of funds (they get one-sixth per head of population compared to the BBC).
There's also great music around on the radio - and it's all so much more accessible now.
There's also a 0.99c "Pro" version which I have. I am not sure what the differences are.
From what I can tell, the only difference is a recording function.
Thanks for that. I regularly use recording.
CD quality Broadcast, FM Quality speakers
You are an optimist!
Am returning an Aldi trademark (Fission) record turntable which plays MP3s. The speakers are so tinny & crap, even good quality MP3s sound like I was listening to them through a 70's AM transister radio. FM Quality speakers would made a big improvement.
Does it have a clock?
I don't see any point of getting this as I got Logitech Squeezebox for internet radio stations. I want overseas radio not just local….
How do you buy this? Is the site an online store, or do we need to go to a store to buy it?
No ALDI store in WA.. :(
I do notice it's from the 18th, but it's already the 18th in the eastern states (midnight 12:30am).
In store only and no store has contact number, so you have make a trip to a store, even just to find out if there is even stock left or its sold out.
Thats why there are always long queues on sale days before opening time, especially if there are popular items for sale.
Just picked up one from ALDI today, it tunes all the digital channels fine.
However, the MONO speaker on it is horrible. Just complete crap.
I used the headphone out to connect to stereo speakers and it is great on the external speakers.
It is a headphone out and not a line-out as the volume can be changed from the unit itself.
If you are using it as a radio to listen (ie using the built in speakers) to talk shows or cricket commentary etc, might sound okay, however for music, don't bother unless u are going to hook it up to external stereo speakers.
Just my 2 cents.
Agree. The volume is underwhelming.
I can hardly hear ABC RADIO NATIONAL interviews when listening in a quiet room, on maximum, 45cm from the radio!
I was buying for my elderly Father, so bought 2 as Aldi products have a high failure rate in my experience. He has hearing problems, so the maximum volume is too low. His aging basic pocket radio has far more volume before it distorts. The buttons are 2 small for him, and he is pressing the wrong ones as are close together.
Takes 4 AAA.
And being Aldi there was only 1 carton (48 radios from memory).
Going, going, almost gone.
And choice of colour (black or white) - no choice.
Its Aldi - you take what you are given - black.
As these were at the registers, I went straight there at opening time. Two shoppers ahead of me were buying these. I asked for 2 white ones. The manager came, searched the top layer of the box like the assistant had done, and like her announced there never were white. Other customers in the growing queue said there were. Sounds like they will be sold out in 1 hour.
But 2 minutes is an eternity for shoppers, so I was copping abuse from 1 customer who was shouting at me that he was first in the store so should be first served. I took my new choice of black. That's Aldi service!!!
(Donkeykong - Walked there & back, so no petrol, just time wasted.)
Guess these will be going back next week.
The only good feature according to him is the presets, so I added whiteout dots for his few regular stations on his old AM radio, which he thinks is great.
Good range of stations. (New to DAB+)
I also picked one up today. Thought I would try it out to see if I could get digital where I am. So, don't bother getting one if you are outside of a capital city. It will be going back today for a refund. You get what you pay for, and this radio isn't much chop.
Yeah, I did. Thought I might give it a try anyway. Seems like digital radio has been around for at least 4? years and hasn't really been extended beyond metro areas. I am about 75kms from Sydney CBD.
Mainly put that in for others. Yes, limited to major capitals. Trials in Canberra & Darwin. Hasn't caught on so far in those cities. I have driven in UK - DAB car radio automatically tuned same station as I drove long distance. That would be useless here.
Bought 2 of these yesterday - one black, one white. Hooked them up to power with the AC adapter and after waiting 2 minutes for the initial autoscan to complete, I thought I'd try them both with batteries.
Well, neither of them would power up with my brand new Duracells. Took them straight back to Aldi where the gentleman was kind enough to open another one for me and put in some fresh Aldi batteries - same result. Asked for my money back and walked out.
Anyone else have this problem or was it just a faulty pallet at my store :)
Both mine worked with batteries.
Just went back to my Aldi and the guy who sold hem to me yesterday said they've had a dozen returns due to the same issue. Maybe the others that bought from there haven't tried with batteries yet.
Think I'll stick with name brands from now on :)
May have been a bad batch with battery fault.
Many faults don't show up (for a while), as people don't use all features.
But I think there will be plenty of returns as volume is a bit low, and some Aldi shoppers may not understand how to use a DAB+ radio.
There is an error in manual describing how to use PRESETs.
Tune desired station.
Press & hold preset (M1 etc) then press Enter.
To use preset, press desired preset (M1 etc) & press Enter.
They left out the instruction to press ENTER.
You need to press Enter after almost every task.
Having no working presets would be annoying.
That problem should bring a few back.
Fails to work properly on batteries!!!
Both mine now turn on with batteries, then turn off seconds later!
Good to see I'm not the only one… well, sort of good anyway :)
Yes. Without these forums to share experiences, we could think we were alone in having a faulty product. That's why I buy 2 at a time at Aldi - if the fault is in both, its a dud product. But a PVR I bought 2 of, both had problems, crazily bought a 3rd & it works pretty well - so my 2 fails = dud rule failed.
Aldi staff don't usually comment on faults in Aldi products.
Have discussed issues on http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=1458703&p…
More reports of battery failure on that Whirlpool thread!
(Unless that is you tightarse?)
Accidentally touching the Auto-Scan button erases all presets.
I've done that twice in 24 hours. Removal of the dedicated button would improve functionality & design.
As Auto-Scan is automatic at initial use, and is the first menu option, that button would be better used as a MUTE button, beside the volume buttons.
You need to also press Enter for an Auto-Scan via Menu, which eliminates accidental resets as you need to press 2 buttons.
Could be an easy change in firmware for future models I'll suggest to Tempo.
Will burn through batteries!
Suggest rechargeables for portable use to save your bank balance.
1000mAh rechargeables will last a maximum of about 10-14 hours, similar to alkalines.
At 75/100% volume on 612 ABC consumes 50-65/65-90mA (depends on content, measured during talk, about 20mA higher with music stations) with backlight on.
Suggest turning 'always on' backlight to 5/10/or 30 seconds to reduce power consumption in portable operation (menu-backlight). Saves 8mA.
Does it come with a power adaptor?
Yes. Since some fail to work on batteries, you'll need it.
The thing turns off after a while after some days of use.
DAB+ does use a lot of juice and the batteries in the Aldi unit go to 1.2v quick. So rechargeables not recommended either.
240v power pack ok.
Digital DAB+ Radio, Good