Description
Roberts Sound 49 DAB+/FM Bluetooth Clock Radio with CD Player - White
A mains-powered bedside clock radio built around a top-loading CD player, with DAB, DAB+, FM RDS, Bluetooth, USB playback and two independent alarms.
Most clock radios stopped playing discs years ago. The Sound 49 did not: a top-loading CD player sits on the lid, taking ordinary CDs, MP3-CDs and discs full of MP3 files. That makes it a genuine option for anyone with a shelf of albums and no other way left in the house to play them.
Around the CD player sits a complete bedside radio: DAB, DAB+ and FM with RDS, 20 presets with four one-touch buttons, Bluetooth for a phone, and a USB port that plays MP3 files and charges a device overnight at 5 V, 1 A. Two alarms with snooze wake you to radio or buzzer.
Ideal For
If your albums are on disc, the top-loading player takes CDs, MP3-CDs and MP3 files directly, without ripping anything to a computer or a phone first.
Two alarms wake you to radio or buzzer, snooze buys another few minutes, and the sleep timer plus a 24-hour clock display cover the other end of the night.
The bookmark function remembers where CD or USB playback stopped, so a long recording picks up where you left it rather than starting again from the beginning.
Key Features
The disc drops in from the top rather than through a slot or tray, and the player handles standard CDs, MP3-CDs and discs of MP3 files.
A bookmark function stores your position on a CD or USB stick and resumes from there, which matters with audiobooks, plays and long recordings.
Ten DAB and ten FM presets are stored, with four one-touch buttons for the stations that get used every morning without going through a list.
Five watts RMS is sized for a bedroom, a kitchen or a study rather than a party, giving clear speech and enough level for music nearby.
One USB port plays MP3 files from a stick and supplies 5 V at 1 A, so a phone can charge on the bedside table overnight.
Both alarms can wake you to radio or buzzer, and the clock sets itself automatically from DAB or FM, so there is no clock to set by hand.
A CD player on the bedside
Disc players have quietly disappeared from small audio, which leaves a lot of people with albums they can no longer easily play. The Sound 49 keeps one. The mechanism is top-loading, so the disc goes in from above without needing clearance in front of the unit, and it reads standard CDs as well as MP3-CDs and discs burned with MP3 files. Playback runs through the same 5 W amplifier as the radio.
The bookmark makes long listening work
Anyone who listens to audiobooks on disc knows the problem: switch off, come back, and you are hunting through tracks to find your place. The Sound 49 stores a bookmark on CD and USB playback and resumes from it. That turns a clock radio into something you can actually finish a long audiobook on, a chapter at a time, over a fortnight of bedtimes.
Everything else a bedside radio needs
Beyond the disc player, the Sound 49 does the ordinary jobs properly. DAB, DAB+ and FM with RDS cover digital and analogue, with 20 presets and four one-touch buttons for the stations you want without a menu. Bluetooth pairs a phone when you would rather stream, and the USB port plays MP3 files and charges a device at 5 V, 1 A overnight. Two alarms wake you to radio or buzzer with snooze, a sleep timer runs the other way, and the clock sets itself from DAB or FM.
How It Compares
| Listening Need | Sound 49 Technology | Practical Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Playing CDs | Top-loading CD player | Discs go straight in from above and play through the radio's own amplifier, no computer involved |
| Audiobooks at bedtime | CD and USB bookmark | Playback resumes at the point you stopped, so a long recording carries on across several nights |
| Morning stations | 20 presets, 4 one-touch | Ten DAB and ten FM stations stored, with the four you use most on dedicated buttons |
| Streaming from a phone | Bluetooth wireless streaming | Podcasts and playlists play through the Sound 49 instead of a phone speaker, no cable needed |
| Charging overnight | USB charging output | A phone can charge from the same unit that wakes you, keeping one plug on the bedside table |
| Waking up | 2 alarms with snooze | Radio or buzzer, set independently, with snooze for the mornings that need a little negotiation |
The Verdict
Strengths
- Top-loading CD player for CD, MP3-CD and MP3
- Bookmark function resumes CD and USB playback
- DAB, DAB+ and FM RDS with 20 presets
- Bluetooth streaming from a phone or tablet
- USB port for MP3 playback and 5 V charging
- Two alarms with snooze and a sleep timer
- Clock updates automatically from DAB or FM
Considerations
- Mains only: there is no battery operation of any kind, so the Sound 49 needs to stay plugged in wherever you use it.
- Presets run to 20 in total, ten DAB and ten FM, which is limited if you save a lot of stations.
- Output is 5 W RMS from a cabinet 145 mm wide, so this is a bedside and kitchen radio rather than a main system.
What's in the Box
- Sound 49 clock radio x1
- Mains adaptor x1
