September 16, 2025

My Dad was in hospital for a few weeks recently and being the considerate son I am, I thought I'd get him a digital radio to listen to as he physically couldn't watch TV. To my surprise, there was no DAB+ signal inside the hospital, and he already has a digital radio at home, so that leaves me in possession of a Sangean DPR-35 pocket DAB+ radio I don't really need or want despite being an avid radio listener.

It was $150, which is less than the RRP of $199, but still pretty expensive I reckon. There's plenty of cheaper DAB radios but I wanted a little one and didn't want to wait for an online order to arrive.

The built-in speaker is fine for its size, but not good for music. I live on the fringe of DAB signal in Melbourne so it kinda doesn't work unless the little antenna is extended a bit. The antenna is pretty flimsy, but can be angled many different ways.

Because it is a rectangle you can put it on its side too, but the screen doesn't move.

The flipper dial works the wrong way that's natural to me. Down is up and up is down. It's also very difficult to use for someone who struggles with fine controls/small buttons.

Specs stat the battery lasts 20 hours and I can confirm that from my usage. It is not user-replaceable. The micro USB port is kinda annoying in a world where everything I have is USB-C. USB-C is also easier for someone with poor motor skills as micro USB is very prone to breaking when plugged in the wrong way. If the radio is off and the battery is charging, there's no way to know if it's charging.

While the Sangean DPR-35 has up to 10 presets, getting to those presets is buried in too many menus. Very annoying if I want to set it up for someone that has cognitive issues and the presentation of so many stations overwhelms them.

The Dynamic Range Control (DRC - kinda like a built-in normaliser) feature is nice for programs with have quiet phone callers or commercial stations with loud ads.

Here's what happens when you press the dial inwards when tuned in to a station:

Signal strength.

The program info sent by the station.

The multiplex of the station (there's 3 in Melbourne).

The time, which is kinda superfluous considering it's permanently displayed up top near the battery and signal strength.

The date.

The DAB band and frequency.

The bitrate and mode (this is also an FM radio).

So.. yeah, the Sangean DPR-35 pocket DAB+ radio sure is a radio and sure is digital, but it could be so much better. If you can find one, the Sony XDR-P1DBP seems way more user friendly. Unfortunately Sony seems to have discontinued it. I hope they bring it back. The Sangean DPR-64 seems like a better unit for ease of use, but isn't as small as the DPR-35.