Review: Terratec Noxon iRadio for iPod media streaming

Terratec’s Noxon range of internet radios includes lots of models each with slightly different features.

The new Noxon iRadio For iPod pretty much throws in the kitchen sink, including just about every feature the rest of the range offers, all in one.

Like the other Noxon models, the iRadio for iPod can be connected to a home network, allowing it to play hundreds of internet radio stations and podcasts.

It can also stream music from a computer to the iRadio, so you can listen to music from the computer in any room.

And, of course, there’s the iPod dock that lets it play music from an iPod as well.

In addition to the dock, the iRadio For iPod connects to both wired and wireless networks.

There’s a line-in connector that's used to connect devices such as a portable CD player or non-iPod music player, and a USB port that lets users plug in USB memory keys or external hard disks.

If you want a little more power than the iRadio’s simple mono speaker provides there are both digital and analogue outputs for connecting it to external speakers or an amplifier. Finally, there’s an FM radio tuner and a timer that lets you use it as an alarm clock too.

The internet radio features work well: we were listening to an enjoyably bizarre German station within about five minutes of unpacking the iRadio. There were no problems when we plugged in an iPod either. However, playing music from a computer through the iRadio is a different matter altogether.

The program provided to do this, called Twonky Media, is unnecessarily complicated – and not helped by a manual that simply tells you how to install the software but doesn’t actually explain how to use it. In the end, only a telephone call to Terratec’s technical support department and a fair bit of trial and error enabled us to play our notebook’s iTunes library through the iRadio.

Given the iRadio’s hefty price tag, a friendlier way to stream music would have been welcome, but its internet radio qualities are very impressive.

See also:

Logitech Squeezebox Duet media streaming device hardware review

The popular music player gets a significant upgrade  02 Apr 2008

Review: Roberts WM201 Wifi radio

Worldwide music at your fingertips  31 Jan 2008

Review: Sonos ZP80

Sonos aims to make its award-wining music-streaming system more affordable  25 Sep 2006

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