TerraTec NOXON - iRadio Cube - Internet Radio device
Portable radio with Napster feature, access to 11,000 stations worldwide, podcasts and FM
The NOXON iRadio Cube is the latest in a line of internet radio devices designed for home or office use. Giving you access to over 11,000 stations worldwide, podcasts, and FM radio there are a couple of extra features like local network capabilities that make this extremely portable device really stand this out from the crowd.
Once you get passed the library of unnecessary documents and manuals, excessively printed in French, German and English (we hope TerraTec have heard and understood the concept of “Carbon Footprints”), the NOXON iRadio Cube is simple and straightforward to set-up. Other than twist in the wireless receiver and FM aerial you only need to set up the wireless connection, or plug in the device to an Ethernet port and you’re good to go.
Setting up and features
Powering up the NOXON iRadio Cube takes a little time, with a slight lag in boot up but once it's up and running the menu is responsive and logical to follow. The LCD is crisp and clear with several options for display interface it has a bright and vibrant look.
Internet Radio is no doubt the main attraction of the iRadio Cube. Giving you the options of ‘Best of NOXON’, ‘Location’, ‘Genre’, ‘New Stations’ or ‘Most Popular Stations’, initially working through all of the different options for stations is a little daunting. If there’s one thing that Internet Radio can’t do (no matter how snazzy it is) it’s filter out the wheat from the chaff in terms of content any more than breaking up stations into Genres. That doesn’t matter too much though as, with more and more use, and a bit of rogue station listening you can easily set up a ‘Favourites’ list. Using the remote control that comes included you can press the :( or :) buttons to tailoring your listening list to suit you. This is accessible from the start-up menu to save you searching for suitable radio station. And, if after a few listens you decide you don't want it added to your list it's easily deletable.
A dedicated category to Podcasts allows you to catch up with your favourite serial broadcasts without scouring the net. So, if you missed Adam and Joe last Saturday on BBC Radio 6, fancy tuning in to Guardian Unlimited Live or simply want to catching up on your 'Farming' news - that's no problem. All available podcasts can be listened to straight from the start-up menu. These too can be added to your Favourites list. It's also possible to extract your own Internet radio URLs if a station doesn't appear on the preset list.
Because of the fairly compact size of the NOXON iRadio Cube this device wouldn't look out of place on a bedside table. It's just as well then you can set-up the radio to act as an alarm clock or use it to fall asleep to with a sleep timer capable of switching off after 15, 30, 60, 90 and 120 minutes. A nice little touch is a simple 'Snooze' button at the top of the radio body. Sometimes it's the simplest things give the most pleasure.
Sound quality
It has to be said that for such a small radio device and no additional speakers the sound quality of the iRadio Cube is absolutely superb. Of course, it depends on the quality of the broadcast in the first place, but both sound and speech is crisp, clear and punchy. There's also a pleasing amount of bass that gives the sound a well-rounded feel without being too distorted.
You can play around with the equaliser settings to suit the type of music you're likely to listen to. With a quick press of the 'Setup' button on your remote control you can alter the equaliser to suit Classical, Acoustic, Jazz, Rock, Pop, Techno or a general 'iRadio' sound - this last option is recommended as it's been designed to match the sound to the characteristics of the iRadio housing.
My NOXON
From the home menu there's an option to access 'myNOXON'. Log on to www.my-noxon.net and you can set up accounts to use the iRadio to access and play tunes from your accounts like Napster, MP3 Tunes and BeSonic. The NOXON iRadio Cube is a German model, so there's also a whole stack of German tune libraries to access. The MyNOXON site isn't the most intuitive website, but myNOXON accessible libraries are easy enough to find and sign up to as they're listed on the right-hand side of the page.
Summary
Internet radio devices are generally pretty expensive and the NOXON iRadio Cube is no different. Priced at £170, if you're only going to use this device for basic listening purposes then there are cheaper alternatives. However, for true music enthusiasts there are some nifty little features on this device. Easy to set-up with easy access to a local network and online music libraries like Napster, this really is a compact hub for home listening.
Sound quality is wonderful for such a small device and it's so light there would be no problem moving this around the house (provided you're not hooked up through an Ethernet port, of course).
The NOXON iRadio Cube is a reliable, uncomplicated and responsive gadget that, thanks to its thoughtful design and features, soon becomes an essential device for day-to-day use.
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