Roberts Rambler Classic review: a 70s-inspired DAB radio with a classy Bluetooth speaker alter ego

Roberts Rambler Classic review: two-minute review

The Roberts Rambler Classic is a classy DAB+ radio that takes you back in time, without sacrificing any modern-day benefits. It has a gorgeous 70s-inspired design, which is excellent for fans of a retro aesthetic. With an elegant leather handle, bamboo side panels and shiny speaker grille, the Roberts Rambler Classic earns plenty of style points, but how does it sound?

Well, I’m happy to report that it sounds very good. If you’re mainly going to be listening to radio shows or podcasts, you’ll be pleased with this radio’s super-clear vocal reproduction and separation. And when it comes to music, the Roberts Rambler Classic is equally up-to-scratch. You’ll experience impressively warm bass, clean mids and delicate, controlled highs, as well as surprisingly high volume levels for a radio of this size (a child’s shoebox or cute purse, say).

If you’d like, you can connect your phone to the Roberts Rambler Classic with Bluetooth as well and once again, sound quality is clean and free of harshness. You’re not going to get the massive, room-filling sound that some of the best Bluetooth speakers can offer, and the Bluetooth version (4.2) is a little out of date these days, but just having it is useful, nonetheless.

For those looking for a more intimate listening experience, there’s also the option to listen with headphones. You can plug a pair of the best wired earbuds into the port under the Roberts Rambler Classic and experience balanced, decently detailed audio. There’s also an AUX-in port for wired listening (if you’ve got one of the best MP3 players kicking around), making this a fairly versatile radio in terms of connectivity options.

You’ll be glad to hear there are a wide array of features at your fingertips with the Roberts Rambler Classic. You can switch between DAB+, DAB and FM radio, select up to 40 station presets, set up an alarm or even tailor a sound that suits you best with the onboard EQ options.

This radio can also be used while plugged into a power socket, or on the road, thanks to its inclusion of a rechargeable battery slot. The battery itself, however, is sold separately, so you’ll have to splash some extra cash for the privilege of portability. Speaking of cost, this radio doesn’t come cheap, carrying a fairly premium RRP of £179, though this is matched with high build quality and audio output.

Additionally, this DAB+ radio is super easy to use, in part thanks to the inclusion of a nifty LCD display. Simply use the tactile knobs atop the radio to sift between settings, stations, volume levels and connectivity types and you’re away. The display will provide details of the radio show or content streamed over Bluetooth.

So, all in all the Roberts Rambler Classic is a sleek, stylish DAB+ radio with impressive functionality and sound quality to match. It won’t come cheap and the requirement to purchase a battery separately isn’t ideal, but this doesn’t stop the Rambler Classic from being a great overall package. If you’re looking for your next kitchen-top radio, I can confidently recommend this model, but if you’d like to weigh up your options, why not check out our guide to the best DAB radios.

Roberts Rambler Classic review: price and release date

• RRP of £179
• Launched in November 2024

The Roberts Rambler Classic released in November 2024 and can be yours for £179. It’s available (in the UK and Northern Ireland) in two colour variants, Duck Egg or Navy Blue, which is the model I tested for this review.

At £179, this is a fairly premium radio, suitable for kitchen-top or bedroom play as well as taking out and about. It’s a pricier option than, say, the very cute Roberts Revival Petite 2, which we loved, but not quite as pricey as the even-more premium Roberts Revival Icon, for instance.

Roberts Rambler Classic review: specs

Roberts Rambler Classic review: features

• DAB+, DAB and FM radio
• Bluetooth 4.2 connectivity
• EQ options

The Roberts Rambler Classic has a decent feature-set and is very easy to use. The radio instantly scans for stations when you power it on, there’s no action required on your end. After the Rambler Classic finds all your favourite stations, you get access to up to 40 station presets – double the amount of the Roberts Rambler BT Stereo. You can also easily assign stations to each of the five buttons on top of the radio too, making for a seamless user experience.

There are a number of options accessible through the radio’s display, including EQ presets (like Classic, Jazz or News), loudness levels, standby time and screen brightness. If you’d like, you can also set up an alarm clock or sleep timer, making this a strong all-in-one bedside companion.

The Roberts Rambler Classic supports DAB+, DAB and FM radio, but there are a number of other connectivity options available too. Firstly, this can double up as a Bluetooth speaker, allowing you to connect a phone, tablet or laptop for music or podcasts. This radio uses Bluetooth version 4.2, which is admittedly quite out of date, but it’s still compatible with most modern devices. You also get AUX and headphone ports for wired listening.

Finally, the Rambler Classic has the option to be either mains powered, or battery powered – though the latter is a restricted feature. Why? Because you have to purchase a rechargeable battery pack separately, which is capable of a fairly average seven hours of playtime.

Now, I understand that a large portion of customers will simply keep this radio plugged into power at home, but sticking portability behind an additional paywall is slightly frustrating in my view. The battery won’t set you back massively – it’s available for less than £40 on the Roberts website and a handful of retailers, but that does take the full package above £200… and that’s not cheap.

Roberts Rambler Classic review: sound quality

• Clear vocals in radio shows and podcasts
• Impressive bass output
• Solid (if not booming) volume levels

The Roberts Rambler Classic impresses on the audio front. After it swiftly scanned for stations, I tuned into BBC Radio 6 Music and was instantly struck by clear, pleasantly forward vocals from the talk show host. There was not even a slight hint of tinniness or harshness to her voice, something that I’m pleased to report was largely the case throughout my listening.

In All Good by De La Soul, intricate rhymes were communicated rhythmically with immense clarity and balance. Bass was also pleasingly warm and weighty, something I wouldn’t expect from a lot of Bluetooth speakers at this size. Don’t get me wrong, you’re not going to get booming sub-bass or anything here, but if you tune in to a song like I Want You by Moloko, you can still expect an impactful low-end thump. At the beginning of this track, vocals also maintained their breathy tone and electric guitars in the mid-range were both beautifully weighted and tonally accurate.

As well as DAB+, DAB and FM radio, you can play music or podcasts from your phone, tablet or computer by connecting to the Rambler Classic via Bluetooth. The radio could get surprisingly loud when streaming music over Bluetooth and quality was nothing to be sniffed at either. For instance, when I listened to Rains again by Solji, vocal high notes sounded delicate and carefully separated from instruments in the treble frequency range. Acoustic guitar sounded soft and controlled too, with bass never feeling invasive or overpowering.

That’s not all though. The Roberts Rambler Classic also offers up wired listening thanks to its AUX and headphone ports. I tried listening with the excellent Sennheiser IE 200 earbuds and was again pleased with the Rambler Classic’s sound quality. When listening to talkSPORT, speech was ultra-clear and distortion-free, even at louder volumes.

On top of all of this, you can adjust this radio’s sound signature with a number of EQ presets or your own custom tuning, which enables you to raise or lower bass and treble levels by 5. So, really, there’s a lot to love as far as sound quality goes. I did find, when listening to DAB+, DAB and FM radio, that the Rambler Classic couldn’t get all too loud, meaning it might not be the best for an outdoor gathering or party atmosphere, but otherwise I was a big fan of what this model had to offer.

• Sound quality score: 4.5/5

Roberts Rambler Classic review: design

• Attractive 70s-inspired look
• Neat TFT LCD display
• Tactile knobs, easy-to-use button controls

One of the main selling points of the Rambler Classic – and indeed many of Roberts’ radios – is its retro design. I’m a fan; it has an attractive aluminium grille, sleek bamboo panels and eye-catching leather handle. I also think that both the Duck Egg and Navy Blue colour options aid in giving the model a premium look – they’re reserved yet classy. So, if you’re the nostalgic type, the Rambler Classic is certain to tick a lot of your boxes.

However, it does combine some modern aspects, like a lightweight design, shiny tactile knobs and an LCD display, both of which are elegantly integrated and don’t detract from the retro vibe. There are also some easy-to-use, albeit slightly cheap-looking button controls, which can be used to sift between preset stations and trawl through menus.

On the underside of the radio, you can access the various ports for wired and headphone play and charging. This may not be the most practical placement in the world, but it does make for a more discreet, minimalist appearance. It’s also worth noting that this radio is not water resistant, so it’s not the ideal companion for listening in the bathroom or by the pool, for instance. That’s fine in my book, but it’s worth noting that there are waterproof alternatives, like the Pure Woodland (more on that in the ‘Also Consider’ section).

Roberts Rambler Classic review: value

• Not the cheapest radio around
• But great audio and feature-set
• Shame battery pack has to be purchased separately

In all honesty, this isn’t the cheapest radio on the market. But with an LCD display, EQ options and a premium design, that’s to be expected. You’re getting a very attractive package here, from clean audio to brilliant build quality. So really, the £179 price tag is pretty justified. That cost isn’t too dissimilar to a lot of other Roberts models too, with the Roberts Revival RD70 coming in at the same price-point.

The big issue I have in terms of value, however, is that the battery pack – required to take this radio on the go – is sold separately. That’s going to add another £40 to the price you pay here, which isn’t ideal. That would take the full package to in excess of £200, which is quite a lot to cough up for a model of this size.

Should I buy the Roberts Rambler Classic?

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

Roberts Rambler Classic review: also consider

Roberts Rambler Classic review: how I tested

• Tested for one week
• Used in the music testing space at Future Labs
• Predominantly tested using DAB+ radio and Tidal over Bluetooth

I tested the Roberts Rambler Classic radio over the course of one week at our music testing space at Future Labs. I spent hours listening to music, radio shows and more, mainly using DAB+ radio. I listened to a handful of stations, but used BBC Radio 6 Music as my main point of reference.

I also tested the radio’s Bluetooth functionality by playing music from Tidal after connecting up the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE. When listening to music, I tuned into tracks from the TechRadar testing playlist, which includes songs from a wide variety of genres.

As well as blaring songs and talk shows out loud, I tried listening using wired earphones, specifically the Sennheiser IE 200. For the most part, I conducted testing with the Roberts Rambler Classic plugged into a power socket.

• First reviewed: January 2025
• Read more about how we test