Dualit is introducing a DAB radio for the kitchen. The company, best known as a maker of professional toasters and pro-look kitchen appliances for the home, reckons that the DAB/FM unit is, "Destined to become an instant kitchen classic", being "designed to complement other products in the coveted Dualit collection while offering advanced sound quality".
The radio, due May at a VAT-inclusive RRP of £199.95, has a cast aluminium front and rear, plus an aluminium handle - features said to create "a reassuringly solid product with a high-quality feel". Backing this up, the radio, measuring 180(w)x135(h)x27.5(d)mm, weighs a meaty 2.55kg. It will be offered in three finishes - black, cream and polished aluminium - and available initially from John Lewis.
Dualit DAB/FM Kitchen RadioControls sit along the top. Although there are push buttons for auto tuning, setup, DAB/FM selection and station presets, the dominant controls are large rotary knobs - volume at the left and tuning to the right - separated by a large white-on-blue LCD panel with three brightness settings.
Dualit says that all controls are designed to be intuitive, making it easy to carry out tasks such as tuning, searching for stations, altering clock menus and setting up pre-sets.
Although the radio is mains powered, it comes with a built-in rechargeable NiMH battery, giving the flexibility to move it away from the power, say into the garden or just to take it with you to catch the end of a programme without the hassle of having to plug it in. Battery life is reckoned to be three-to-four hours in DAB mode and seven-to-eight in FM.
Other features include a cooking timer, "ensuring that you don’t over-boil the eggs while dancing around the room", and snooze and alarm functions so that the Dualit unit can also double as a bed-side clock-radio-alarm. There are five presets for DAB and five for FM, which is, perhaps, rather fewer than you might expect for a radio pitched at close to £200.
In terms of connectivity, there's a digital audio output plus 3.5mm jacks for headphone/speaker out and for aux audio input from, say, a portable MP3 or CD player.
Commenting on the launch, Leslie Gort-Barten, managing director of Dualit Ltd said, “We believe that there’s a gap in the market for a quality kitchen radio that coordinates with other high-end domestic appliances, yet stands out as unique in the sector. This radio certainly meets these requirements. It complements the rest of our collection and has been created for people who appreciate exceptional design, quality performance and reliability.
“We have purposefully kept the design and functionality straightforward. The radio is not 'over-featured' but easy-to-use, with a focus always on quality of sound and performance. We’re confident that this radio will find its own place in the market, thanks to our established reputation in the kitchen appliance sector and the undoubtedly unique design.”
Dualit large-dome kettle
Dualit toasterWe're planning to go hands on with the radio to see it's as good as Dualit claims and will let you know our thoughts. In the interim, let us have yours in the HEXUS.community.
HEXUS.links
Dualit - http://www.dualit.com
John Lewis - http://www.johnlewis.com
