VQ Hepburn Mk II DAB & DAB+ Digital Radio with FM, Bluetooth & Alarm Clock – Cream

VQ Hepburn Mk II Digital Radio £88 I needed a portable DAB alarm with bluetooth and spent a lot of time researching what was available, unfortunately not a lot if you want a reasonable quality, this item, Pure Maxi Pop, a Roberts (overpriced so ruled out), Auna Dabstep (I could only find one review unfortunately, as it looks good but I've never heard of Auna), or something by AZATOM (who I'd also never heard of so ruled out). Initially I bought a Pure Pop Maxi, but returned it after 4 days after reading that you couldn't use the alarm when it was running on batteries (so it's not a portable radio alarm). When I took the Maxi back to the shop we tested it on some ordinary batteries (ie not duracell) and watched as the battery charge indicator dropped from 3 to 2 bars after a few minutes when searching for stations (which it had difficulty finding), then down to 1 bar after maybe 10 minutes! So I'd say that the Pure isn't actually portable at all. I also bought the rechargeable battery pack for the Hepburn, and after fully charging it, I've listened to DAB for 2 evenings/mornings (2-3 hours in total), left it in standby mode for 2 nights, and recharged my phone from 50% - 100%, and there is still 57% charge, so it's looking very reasonable to describe this as portable. Actually pretty pleased with the Hepburn it looks as good as a Roberts and has more features all of which I found very easy to set up, only referring to the manual once for the station presets. The sound quality is very good, I think better than the Maxi, music is quite well defined with clear top end and a pretty powerful bass, even at 3/4 volume (full volume being too loud to try yet). I initially went for the Pure as I thought the LED display on the Hepburn was too small for it to work well as a bedside clock but the display is better than it appears to be in the promo pictures, and it works far better than expected as a bedside clock/alarm, the 3 levels of brightness for the display also being perfect for this. The scrolling text is also readable, it wasn't on the Pure (too fast or something, anyway prolonged reading hurt my eyes). The one issue I do have is that, when using it as a bedside clock, I lay the radio on it's front so that I can see the time, but this means that the speaker is face down and therefore covered, I had hoped the handle would allow me to prop it up slightly but it wont fold forward so I can't do that. Pros Looks good Good build quality and materials Sounds good and music is well defined Works well as a bedside clock/alarm More features than the alternatives, including a usb for charging Cons When laid on it's front (to use as a bedside clock) the speaker is face down. The battery charge indicator could be improved, a traditional bar indicator would be better The battery cannot be charged when in use, only in standby mode. No bluetooth output for headphones etc. Improvements could be made (these are probably personal preferences tbh), but they are minor; an enlarged snooze button, a handle that pivots forward, when in standby mode it would be nice if the Tuning knob adjusted the LED brightness, an alarm that could be set for individual days of each week (ie repeat every Monday, or Monday to Saturday), dedicated buttons/knobs for adjusting bass and treble rather than the eq settings (instead of the forward/back buttons as these are pretty pointless), bluetooth output, and a proper battery meter with 5 bars would be good. I am not easily pleased, and I will not accept a product that does not provide what you pay for, but I'm actually growing to love this radio, it's a pity that it seems to suffer from being associated with reviews for the less than perfect Hepburn mk 1, but with the above changes, for me at least, it would be an incredible item. Update: the signal reception is so good that I have used this to listen to a DAB station while driving from Grantham to Lincoln (not an area of great signal strength!) and it didn't lose quality at all.

UPDATED 28.09.18 I already own the VQ Retro with lightening dock, but wanted to get a bluetooth speaker for my sewing room but still wanted quality with a retro feel. I discovered the Hepburn on ebay and on reading reviews had decided against it due to some reviews. But, then I discovered that the MKII was now available and had addressed issues in reviews, so decided to have a look for one. I am so glad I decided to buy it, mine is teal. I went straight from the Retro to the Hepburn MKII as was mid listening to something when I swapped them over and the sound quality is far superior to my Retro, you could instantly hear the change in quality, it seemed crisper somehow. Not that the Retro is leaving home, it has been moved to our sitting room and I am more than happy with it. But, this really has blown it out the water sound wise. It looks lovely and although longer than the other, but not as deep, it still sits where I need it to go quite happily. The DAB is easy to tune in and I like the fact there is 30 presets, as it makes it quite future proof if you want to tune in new stations and preset them as they come online and the bluetooth was easy to set up with my mac air, ipad and iphone. I don't feel I have lost the ability to charge these products, as there is a USB point on the back of the machine. Just need a cable, easily found in our house. The only niggle for me is that unlike my retro, there is no on/off switch at the back, so unless I turn it off at the mains (impossible where it is,) it has to stay on stand by. I don't like this on any product, same with my TV's as my sockets are never easily accessible, so unless I pull out the power leads, I can't not have them on stand by. It doesn't bother me, but if you wanted this on your bedside and make use of the alarm, the display panel is at the top of the machine which makes it incredibly difficult to see the time if you are using it for that purpose. But, to place it elsewhere would have ruined the look of the radio totally as keeping the front with just the speaker on it, adds to the whole retro vibe of the machine. The colour availability from VQ is always astounding and that is the same with this, there are some beautiful colours available and I am sure you would find one to go with any room in your home. I got mine as a warehouse deal, described as "very good" when it arrived a small piece of the leatherette was missing on one corner, but rather than send it back, I used a felt pen from my colouring in stash of the same shade and i'd never know it was missing now. There was no way I was sending it back, as it is a welcome addition to my sewing room and it was a good deal. I note this has been mentioned by other reviewers, the instruction book - it has the smallest font in the world and is just folded paper. I'd already downloaded the instructions from VQ website where it looks much more impressive. If you have bad eyesight, you may well need a magnifying glass for the paper instructions. They are quite clear on what to do, but just for the quality of the actual product they do let VQ down. I have given this 4 stars due to the quality of the manual and the fact I cannot turn it off unless I switch it off at the plug socket. But, I would definately recommend this to others. 28.09.18 I felt I would update this review. I still love this, so much so recently I have purchased 2 more for different rooms in black and cream. Equally as good as my teal one. I have also for some reason just worked out you can switch this off so the screen goes off, if you hold down the power button for a few seconds longer - bonus. I also have a battery in my original one now, and it works a treat, means I can carry radio from bedroom to bathroom in the mornings and blast the neighbours with Radio 4X (I am a middle aged bird people!) Also been using my iPhone charger recently to charge iPhone X on one of these. Not something I'd done before and it is a good and useful thing to be able to do. It doesn't seem to want to charge my iPad Air 2 however, so maybe doesn't like older models. Bluetooth works well, DAB radio clear and crisp. So, still thoroughly recommend these radios, stylish, great sound and reliable.

I try to only buy top class sound equipment whether it be stand alone Hi Fi with powerful floor speakers, Bluetooth speakers, headphones and this sort of portable device. Okay I am fortunate in being able to afford such things but I find the fabulous sound is well worth it and in any case when buying cheap you often get low quality sound and poor engineering. As soon as you take this out of the box the weight alone and the appearance just oozes class. The sound from such small speakers is incredible. I had to buy the battery pack from another source but well worth it because I'm not limited to the plug wire now. For anybody considering the pack I'd say go ahead it is excellent. I've given five stars because I just cannot be churlish about knocking off a point for - the instruction leaflet - but I was tempted. I hope if somebody reads this from the manufactures they take this as constructive criticism. You have a wonderful product, nicely packaged and something to be immensely proud of. So what on earth was somebody thinking in accepting a very low quality paper leaflet 11 cm x 11 cm and designed by a graphic artist aged about 5 year's old. The design is appalling and the tiny font usually reserved for scam insurance policies. I had to even use a magnifying glass to read it! Please guys get real - you don't spoil a product like this by such a nasty booklet. Surprisingly, the booklet that came with the battery pack was of high class paper and easy to read so I don't know whether you are already addressing the problem.

Ich bin absolut begeistert von diesem Gerät. Neben der erwarteten Funktion als BT-Player hat mich v.a. die DAB - Radio Funktion begeistert. Sehr guter Empfang. Die Bedienung ist einfach und übersichtlich. Der Sound ist ok. Er schafft auf jeden Fall "laut". Für den Alltagshörer, für diesen ist es wohl auch gedacht, ein solider Klang - ohne besondere Raffinesse und Überraschungen - aber eben solide. Super für Küche, Garten, Werkstatt, Kinder-/Schlafzimmer. Was mir besonders gefallen hat ist die solide Verarbeitung und das schöne Retrodesign (ich meine es kommt aus UK ;-)). Zusammen mit dem View Quest Akku ein hervorragender Kauf.

Très bon appareil mais,Manque mode emploi en français complet, l'adresse mail du support technique n'est pas accessible....

J'ai acheté cette batterie pour équiper la radio VQ Hepburn MKII. Elle semble de bonne qualité. Le montage dans l'appareil est relativement simple, mais il faut bien respecter les consignes de montage jointes à la batterie.

für mich war a) Technik und b) etwas Optik wichtig. Zur Technik : Überragend gut! Dazu habe ich einen Vergleich gemacht: DAB - "Empfangsklang" bei DAB nicht bewertet, das ist sinnlos, (was soll das "kristallklar?") denn entweder der gesamte Klang ist gut oder nicht. Sender geht oder geht gar nicht. Das ist nun mal bei Digital so. Bei DAB zählt einzig nur der Empfang. Pure Baujahr 2013: schlecht, Sangean Baujahr 2017 gut, Hepburn 2019 Sehr gut, viele Sender selbst in der Wohnung! Dann der Vergleich auf FM: Alter Telefunken Bajazzo Kofferradio : mässig, Sangean WFR 28C ist ok, Hepburn ist am besten. Klang ingesamt: Sangean mittelbetont, aber gut, Hepburn bassbetont, es fehlen leicht die Höhen, aber Klangbild am besten. Alter UKW Bajazzo: Bass gut, Höhen gut. Gewicht: Der schwerste ist der Bajazzo au sden 60er, dann der Sangean aufgrund der Batterien, dann am leichtesten der Hepburn - hat ja auch Lithium. Alles in allem: Der Preis ist hoch! Ich habe es mir aber gegönnt und muss sagen: Der klare Sieger ist der VQ Hepburn, er hebt sich deutlich von allen ab. Bluetooth geht wie immer inzwischen gut. Streaming von Iphone - kein Thema. DNLA fehlt mir jetzt nicht. Ach ja, die Bedienung und das Design - very british ! Excellent. Was wäre erst für ein Radio heraus gekommen wenn sich die englischen Entwickler mit Max Grundig zusammengetan hätten. - trotz leider hohem Preis mit Akku ist es ein schöner Radio dem man überall gerne mitnimmt.

Einfaches Einrichten, guter Empfang und guter Klang. Allemal sein Geld wert. Nebenbei auch noch schön.