Magicbox IMP Review

Overall Rating

Easy to use, good looking (in an i-pod sort of way), good sound quality and massive choice of station to listen to!

Fiddly rotary dial can be awkward to use, display too bright on standby and mains only!

With the increasing popularity of broadband and the webs massive choice of stations broadcasting worldwide, internet radio is fast becoming 'the' way to listen to your favourite style of music. But to turn on your PC and sit near it listening to the radio is a complete bind, so this new generation of 'internet radio's' has got to be an improvement. I recently reviewed the Acoustic Energy Wi-Fi radio for this site and to all intents and purposes this Magicbox 'IMP' is the same receiver. It is built in the same factory in Malaysia and shares most of the same internal workings. Only the looks have been changed and those I feel will appeal to the i-pod or Sony Apple type buyer. As before I should point out straight away that this radio relies on you already having a Wi-Fi network set up in your home or office! If you haven't then get one cos this little IMP is worth the effort. Out of the box you can feel that this radio has a good quality of workmanship. Once plugged in to the mains the radio logs itself onto your Wi-Fi system (if you have security turned on you'll need to input your system password..but only the once) and tunes in (or downloads) it's database of stations from the same Reciva site as the Acoustic Wi-Fi radio. This database is constantly being up-dated as new stations come on the 'air' and you can e-mail Reciva with any stations that you would like them to add in the future. Then using the dual function rotary dial (which I found a bit flat and fiddly to use compared to the AE knob) you choose either a country or genre and press select for the station you would like to listen too. Simple as that! It's worth remembering that some of the stations listed only broadcast at certain times of the day so occasionally your IMP Radio will just keep 'retrying' and not find anything. As with the AE radio one of the best features of this Magicbox IMP is its ability to play the 'on-demand' shows available from the various BBC stations AND be able to pause or re-start a show at any point. If the countless internet stations aren't enough for you the IMP will also play music files stored on your PC's hard drive so your choice is quite literally endless. Reception was good anywhere around my house and even in the garden but of course that will depend on your installed W-Fi system and the building in which you're using the radio. The display was my only gripe, (same on the AE version) on this radio as it's too bright to use in your bedroom as a clock alarm. AE say they have done a hardware up-date but even though I followed the instructions my display is still far too bright for use at night. When I E-Mailed AE they say they are working on the problem and another hardware up-date is due soon. I'm presuming the up-date will take effect on the IMP too, but we'll have to wait and see!
That minor gripe aside the Magicbox IMP radio is simple to use and gives superb results AND it is currently being sold cheaper then the AE version. I supose it depends on your choice in the looks department but both the AE and the IMP are thoughly well recommended!!