Some time ago our faithful FM portable radio finally broke apart, so it was time for a new kitchen radio. Welcome to the world of DAB, where sets cost twice as much, use three times as much electricity, and reception is four times worse (I know that doesn’t really make sense, but you get the meaning). We now have a Zennox Vintage, as sold by the Daily Telegraph.
The radio has a retro styled case, it’s quite sturdy and covered in a pleasant enough false leatherette. The controls move smoothly and all in all it isn’t badly constructed at all. The sound is boxy of course and has a strange background grumbling which fiddling with the aerial reduces a little. It’s not noticeable when listening to music and passable when listening to speech.
We only listen to Radio 3 and 4, and occasionally Classic FM, which are on presets. The set is on for many hours a day, more or less continuously unless we’re out, until the TV takes over in the evening.
The radio can be turned off and on during the day if we’re in the garden, or out etc. In the evening it’s turned off at the set, the power cord remaining plugged in and the set on standby. And here’s the whole point of this post.
When the radio is turned on at the set first thing in the morning, out blasts TalkSport radio at a fairly high volume. The previous night, at switch-off time, it is tuned to Radio 3 or 4. I would never listen to TalkSport radio if you paid me. There’s no preset for TalkSport. We use the presets to get back Radio 3 or 4, and carry on. The next day we have to do the same thing again. This TalkSport intrusion only happens on the first switch-on of the day. Why on earth is this happening? Is the set possessed? Do TalkSport own Zennox and it’s a devious plan to up their listener figures?
I seem to remember that if the power lead is disconnected overnight then the radio goes back to Radio 3 or 4 the next day, but that’s as big a faff as having to retune. I’ll have to test that again.
I knew DAB was a mistake.
The radio has a retro styled case, it’s quite sturdy and covered in a pleasant enough false leatherette. The controls move smoothly and all in all it isn’t badly constructed at all. The sound is boxy of course and has a strange background grumbling which fiddling with the aerial reduces a little. It’s not noticeable when listening to music and passable when listening to speech.
We only listen to Radio 3 and 4, and occasionally Classic FM, which are on presets. The set is on for many hours a day, more or less continuously unless we’re out, until the TV takes over in the evening.
The radio can be turned off and on during the day if we’re in the garden, or out etc. In the evening it’s turned off at the set, the power cord remaining plugged in and the set on standby. And here’s the whole point of this post.
When the radio is turned on at the set first thing in the morning, out blasts TalkSport radio at a fairly high volume. The previous night, at switch-off time, it is tuned to Radio 3 or 4. I would never listen to TalkSport radio if you paid me. There’s no preset for TalkSport. We use the presets to get back Radio 3 or 4, and carry on. The next day we have to do the same thing again. This TalkSport intrusion only happens on the first switch-on of the day. Why on earth is this happening? Is the set possessed? Do TalkSport own Zennox and it’s a devious plan to up their listener figures?
I seem to remember that if the power lead is disconnected overnight then the radio goes back to Radio 3 or 4 the next day, but that’s as big a faff as having to retune. I’ll have to test that again.
I knew DAB was a mistake.
