Battery charge time – approximately 3 hours (Beacon 330 may take longer). EQ Setting (Beacon 330 only)

To reset your speaker use a paper clip to push the reset switch through the pin hole located underneath the speaker. Battery Life / Charge Time The speaker will flash the battery status LEDs to indicate maximum or minimum volume level is reached. If previously used and paired it will attempt to connect to the previously paired device – see ‘reconnecting bluetooth device’. The Beacon 330 offers five EQ modes to choose from: Normal, Classic, Bass Boost, Outdoors and Speech. Press the power button – not too hard or long, or else you’ll turn the speaker off – and press either the volume “+” or “–” buttons once for Classic, twice for Bass Boost and four times for Outdoor mode. The small LED light beneath the Equalizer bar will flash a set number of times to indicate the mode the speaker is in.

Kitchen Radios

Five EQ options – Normal, Classic, Bass Boost, Outdoors and Speech – can be cycled through by short-pressing the power button then either the volume up or down button. When you hit the power button, a small LED reveals which mode you’re currently using via a set of distinct flashing patterns.

There are no user serviceable parts inside this product. Do not attempt to disassemble any part of the product. Do not use or charge the battery if it appears to be abnormally hot, swollen, leaking or damaged in any way. A DAB radio works by using a receiver that scans for digital radio signals and automatically connects to them, allowing you to listen to broadcasts. You don’t need to tune a DAB radio to find stations, as you would with FM stations. DAB radios have an internal memory too, so you can save and store channels when they have been located. Every time you switch the radio on, those stations are there, ready for you to enjoy. The Beacon 330 pumps out a decent sound through its 45mm neodymium driver unit, but over the course of listening to it, it’s clear there’s something… missing. Around the rear is a USB-A port for charging a smartphone or other device, an aux port for a physical connection to another device, and the option to plug the Beacon 330 into the mains to recharge the battery. The EQ mode and USB-A charging port are exclusive to the Beacon 330, differentiating it from the Beacon 320. Roberts Beacon 330 features – Long battery life, plus EQ modes to adapt the sound

Charging a device from the speaker will shorten the play-time available from the speaker’s battery before it needs charging. You’ll get used to it, but it is an odd interface. Trying to remember the mode the speaker is in, or having to go through the process of pressing the buttons again feels like a chore. Having a long press of the power button to put it into Bluetooth mode, and changing the Bluetooth button to EQ would seem like a simpler solution. Your product or AC/DC adaptor should not be exposed to liquids, steam, sand, dripping or splashing and no objects filled with liquids, such as vases, shall be placed on the product or adaptor. Alternatively, even when the speaker is already connected, a long press on the Bluetooth button will disconnect the current device and make the speaker discoverable so that a new device may connect.

The three little circles in the indicate battery status, while the bars at the bottom are there to help decipher the speaker’s EQ mode. The sound will change as you step through the options. After a few seconds without button presses the speaker will store the new setting. Internet radio offers thousands of channels from around the world too, and of course DLNA functionality means it can play music stored on your network, whether that be on a laptop or NAS drive.

Rich Roberts sound

When charging is completed the LEDs will stop flashing. The speaker is ready for use away from the mains supply if needed. Still, looking so good and feeling like a quality daily speaker ensures that the Roberts Beacon 330 will still be appealing to many.

When it comes to classical music, the Roberts Beacon 330 performs better, sounding suitably balanced in terms of mids and lows, but it certainly isn't the kind of speaker that's aimed at a party environment. Two Beacon 330 speakers may be linked to form a stereo pair with one playing the left channel and the other playing the right.

Discover the best of digital radio

Battery life is 15 hours – presumably each circle on the top plate counts for five hours – and recharging the battery to full takes three hours. The Bluetooth classification isn’t revealed in the specs, but we’re assuming its Bluetooth 5.0. In the event of a malfunction due to electrostatic discharge, mains power supply transients or short interruptions, reset the product to resume normal operation. If you are not able to perform the reset operation, removal and reconnection of the power supply may be required. If the product is used in an environment with any ESD Immunity / Radiated Immunity / Conducted Immunity disturbance, the product may malfunction. It will automatically recover to normal when the ESD Immunity / Radiated Immunity / Conducted Immunity disturbance is stopped. Recycling The Beacon 330 is a respectable sounding portable speaker with great looks. How much that appeals depends on whether you value style as much as – if not more so – than the audio. You shouldn’t buy the Roberts Beacon 330 if… Sadly for Roberts, that convenience almost pales into insignificance when reminded of the R-Line S2’s sound quality.