Gone are the days of choosing from a small handful of FM stations, the best internet radios now provide access to thousands of stations from across the globe for you to choose from.
Whether you want music in the kitchen, bedroom, garden, or just about anywhere else around your home, an internet radio can be a nice touch to any setting.
After extensive listening and testing both in our designated testing facilities and the real world, we've picked out a few standout internet radios.
We've selected a handful of our favourite internet radios based on differing criteria, however, all of our choices have been tested meticulously and had their sound, feature set, and overall build quality assessed and evaluated.
Kashfia is the Hi-Fi and Audio Editor of What Hi-Fi? and first joined the brand over 10 years ago. During her time in the consumer tech industry, she has reviewed hundreds of products, been to countless trade shows across the world and fallen in love with hi-fi kit much bigger than her. In her spare time, Kash can be found catching up with TV shows, tending to an ever-growing houseplant collection and hanging out with her cat Jolene.
The quick list
Here's a quick breakdown of our picks for the best internet radios with a short summary and some of the key features that they individually offer. If you're after more details, click the photo of the radio to drop down to the in-depth entry.
The best internet radio overall
The Roberts Stream 94L is an accomplished and fun to use radio. It's easy to use, sounds good and grants access to an endless list of stations from around the world. Compared to the previous version, it has a faster processor and built-in streaming services.
The best premium
The Tivoli Model One Digital Generation 2 improves on the previous model by adding Apple Airplay 2 and Google Chromecast to a traditional radio design. The design and build are impressive, and sound is presented clearly and articulately.
The best internet radio system
Featuring a modern-retro aesthetic, the Revo SuperConnect Stereo improves on its mono predecessor by adding stereo sound. Alongside radio, it also comes packed with a range streaming services such as Spotify, Deezer, and Amazon Music.
Best overall
The Roberts Stream 94L is the latest iteration of an award-winning radio (the Stream 94i and 93i have also been multiple prize-winners in the past), with this model's updates including a new logo and a faster processor as well as built-in Amazon Music, Deezer support and Spotify Connect. Better still, its considerable talents as an FM, DAB, and internet radio remain the standard to beat, too.
The Stream 94L is an undeniably smart-looking unit, flaunting its excellent build quality throughout that smooth, attractive design. The full-colour display is large and readable at a distance, and it's easy to use with the radio's buttons and the designated smartphone app.
Performance, thankfully, matches stylistic panache, based on our testing. The Stream 94L is an immensely enjoyable listen, with voices coming through with crystal clarity, the sense of rhythm conveyed expertly, and delivery coming through as punchy, detailed and dynamically expressive throughout.
The Stream 94L’s smooth, unfussy nature masks just how talented a performer it is, especially in its ability to sound so fluid and capable with anything you play through it. At an unchanged price of £200, this remains arguably the best sound-per-pound internet radio we've tested in a long time.
Read the full review: Roberts Stream 94L
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Sound | Smooth, enjoyable sound with a great mid-range focus. | ★★★★★ |
| Features | New processor, lots of connectivity options, full-colour LCD display | ★★★★★ |
| Build | Looks smart and is built excellently | ★★★★★ |
Best premium
The Model One Digital Generation 2 looks for all the world like a "normal" radio, complete with fabric grille, antenna and real-wood finish, but don't be fooled. At its core, the Tivoli is a wi-fi radio, with DAB+/FM taking the reins and now, Chromecast, AirPlay 2 and Bluetooth connectivity its valuable passengers.
This little gem scored five stars across the board in our testing, not just overall but for build, features and a clean, engaging sound – leaving us with no option but to hand it a What Hi-Fi? Award for the best DAB radio over £200. Its footprint is roughly that of a paperback (rather than a bigger shoe box, say), it is thoroughly likeable and it could have come straight from a cover shoot with Livingetc.
We're not joking when we use the term "sonic finesse", either. From hard rock through to high-energy rap and bright-eyed pop, the Tivoli seems to relish everything that comes its way, delivering tracks with a crisp, enthusiastic presentation. It's pricey, but if that doesn't bother you, the Tivoli Model One Digital Generation 2 is a splendid and fully-featured wi-fi radio.
Read the full review: Tivoli Model One Digital Generation 2
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Sound | Crisp spoken voices and clean, neutral and very modern presentation overall. | ★★★★★ |
| Features | Plenty of connectivity with FM/DAB, Bluetooth, and wi-fi | ★★★★★ |
| Build | Sturdy, reassuringly heavy and a pleasure to behold | ★★★★★ |
Best system
We loved the original Revo SuperConnect internet radio (below), but nearly a decade later, the stereo upgrade has taken things to new heights. The SuperConnect Stereo is a certified five-star performer in pretty much every department, serving up superb sound alongside sleek retro-modern looks and a whole raft of features and connectivity options.
In fact, the SuperConnect could well be your go-to alternative to a traditional multiple-box separates hi-fi system, such is the raft of functions on display and the level of sound produced. The range of physical connections is substantial (RCA analogue output, 3.5mm aux in, a digital optical output and 3.5mm headphone jack), while wireless options are accommodated courtesy of wi-fi and Bluetooth, with Spotify Connect, Deezer and Amazon Music music services supported. As a bonus, you can even stream tunes from connected devices on your home network. There’s also the usual access to FM, DAB/DAB+ and internet radio you’d expect from, well, a radio.
Hi-fi quality sound is the SuperConnect Stereo’s real trump card, though. It now has two 3.5-inch BMR drivers powered by a 30W Class D amplifier. Tracks feel balanced, weighty and properly substantial, with far more depth and subtlety than you’d normally associate with a single radio unit. Whether in our listening rooms or at home in the kitchen, Revo’s latest always felt balanced, in control and immensely enjoyable to listen to.
When we first heard that Revo was planning to charge £489 / $599 / AU$899 for its latest internet radio, it initially felt a tad steep. Having tested and lived with the SuperConnect Stereo for a number of weeks and experienced its class-leading sound and effortless usability, we can cheerfully confirm that it’s worth every penny.
Read the full review: Revo SuperConnect Stereo
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Sound | Clear, wide sound. Deals well with dynamic range and dense compositions. | ★★★★★ |
| Features | Access to tens of thousands of stations, as well as a range of streaming services | ★★★★★ |
| Build | Well made unit, feels weighty and solid | ★★★★☆ |
How we test
How we test internet radios
Why you can trust What Hi-Fi? Our expert team reviews products in dedicated test rooms, to help you make the best choice for your budget. Find out more about how we test.
We independently review hundreds of products each year, always as a team, at our state-of-the-art testing facilities located in London, Reading and Bath. This gives us complete control over the testing process, ensuring consistency and of course, impartiality, while ensuring no opinion goes unheard from our team of audio experts.
All radio products are tested against rivals in the same price category, and all review verdicts are agreed upon by the team as a whole rather than an individual reviewer, again helping to ensure consistency and avoid any personal preference. We test not only the raw audio quality of internet radio (and FM and DAB) but all its advertised features from Bluetooth connectivity to streaming support to the alarms and presets.
Performance is important but only in the context of a radio's value. A much more expensive radio might come with lots of bells and whistles, like various streaming service support and lots of connectivity options, but if you're only ever listening to the same four radio stations, you might be better served by a more focused radio that caters to your needs. Equally, if your internet radio is doing double duty as your main audio system, it needs to be up to the task (and your budget). And if you're not getting outright audio enjoyment, it's not exactly great value. A five-star product both performs great and is excellent value.
We choose only the best products from all of our reviews to feature in our Best Buys. There's no input from PR companies or our sales team when it comes to the verdict. At What Hi-Fi? we are proud to have been delivering honest, unbiased reviews for decades.
You can read more about how we test and review products on What Hi-Fi? here.
FAQ
What’s better: internet radio or DAB radio?
Internet radio gives you access to tens of thousands of radio stations from across the world, so you get far more choice than DAB radio. DAB is perfect if you're happy to listen to local and national stations. Internet radio is your portal to world music but remember, you will need a wi-fi/internet connection. Sound quality? Again, that depends on the radio station and the strength of your connection. It isn't necessarily true that one always sounds better than the other.
