A comprehensive review of a new small internet radio sold on eBay as a "Sovos"
and in the UK by Ebuyer.com as a "Foehn & Hirsch".

A possible replacement for the long in the tooth LogikIR100 internet radio?


Just over half the size of a Sky remote control, this new radio receives internet and FM radio stations.

As you will see from other pages on this web site I have been using the well known Logik IR100 Internet Radio for more than 5 years and run no less then 5 of them at home. I was recently introduced to a new internet radio that was being sold on eBay for about £70 as a Sovos make. Then the well known internet suppler Ebuyer.com imported a 20' container load under their "home brand" Foehn & Hirsch, and is presently selling them on "Special Offer" for £50. It's worth reporting the eBay sellers have responded by making the price of their sets £100. Most odd as these radios are exactly, precisely the same inside.

After some prevaricating and after point out that we now get more than 2000 visitors a day I managed to get Ebuyer to send me a radio to review here. They did not impose any restrictions on what I wrote, and as you will read I have certainly not held back on my criticisms!

Let's start by explaining what an internet radio is. Like many computer things, it's simple really. When you connect to the internet with your computer you often find that you can listen to various radio stations from all over the world. Even the BBC are in on the act and you can listen to their old shows that have been broadcast in the preceding week (but not on this radio - more on this later.)

Put the bits that make listening to the radio on a computer together in a small box and that is an internet radio! Radio stations from all over the world, rather like an old short wave radio, but in Hi-Fi quality with no whistles, pops or fading. All you need at home is your existing common or garden wireless router - the same as you are using now to look at the internet. You need touch nothing or alter any settings on this and you don't even need to switch your computer on at all to listen to the radio. Ideal for listening to overseas radio station in bed.

For the last 5 years I have had these sorts of radios all over my house (as well as beside my bed) so that I can listen to for example to "hula-hula" music from Matariki FM in the Cook Islands, the Pacific Ocean, or Angel Radio in Havant anywhere that I happen to be. An added feature is the ability to listen to any of the music on my computer on the self same internet radio (but not on this radio).

The main difference between the Logik and the present review radio is that this one is battery powered which opens the prospect of listening to the same sort of stations all over my home and even in the bathroom or in the garden in summer. Do I like it and would I recommend this as a replacement for my Logik IR100 radios that are beginning to show their age? Well the answer is yes and no, as it really depends on what you use your internet radio for. If you just listen to the radio yes, if you like BBC listen again or your own home recordings then unfortunately the answer is a resounding no.

You see if you like to listen to your own music or to the replays of programmes which are available on the BBC IPlayer then you will have to look elsewhere as this small radio does not even see your home network at all, let alone will it play Real encoded content that BBC listen again uses. Very, very annoying as that is mostly what I use my Logik radios for. These features could certainly be made available as the radio has a facility for a firmware upade - and you could even switch between the two operating systems - very advanced!

The radio itself has the feel of being well built and solid. It is truly palm size measuring just 73 x 125 x 23 cm and weighing only 160g., in English that's about 5 x 3 x 1 inches and 5 ounces! About half the length and the same thickness and weight as a Sky remote control. It has a built in rechargeable battery which the makers claim will last for 15 hours before needing recharging. The internal battery is soldered in and is completely non replaceable. Like the rest of the set it has a guarantee time of just 1 year. Welcome to the modern throw away society. You could say that this at least saves on buying batteries, but guess what, they do not include a charger in the box! You are expected to use the supplied lead and recharge the radio from the USB socket on your computer. Given a full recharge can easily take 6 hours - mine takes quite a lot longer - it seems a huge waste of electricity. Fortunately the power socket is the same as the one that I use to recharge my mobile phone (it's a standard small USB) and I happened to have that charger to hand. This seems to be the way things are going as my daughter recently bought a new mobile phone and this too did not come with a charger either. I will at this point ask a question. Why on earth would you put the power supply socket on the bottom of any radio? It means that you can't stand it up on a table and continue to listen. Plain stupid!

Another reason why I nearly threw the radio back into the box when I first received it was that even after charging for 6 hours it just would not switch on. I tried pressing the hidden reset button under the plastic cover beside the power socket, uttered several oaths, but the radio stubbornly remained dead. I even (gasp) looked in the instruction book - this is well written and in good English by the way - but it did not offer any suggestions. It was only after studying the side of the radio that I found a lock button. Presumably to save the unit switching itself on during its journey over here from China the makers had locked the unit. A flick of this switch as I was in! There is a very bright green stripe on the front that illuminates whenever the radio is on - it flashes red when the battery is getting low. Apart from wasting power, it's in my opinion, far too bright - especially at night.

The firmware (which is upgradeable) is well designed. The entry of the wireless code to connect to my router was easy with minimum button twiddling, and the radio connected immediately. I've tried it with Netgear, Belkin, BT and Sky routers, all work with this radio. The radio can store three networks and connect to them automatically as you move from area to area so you could for example take it to work with you and have it reconnect automatically. I must say the Wi-Fi sensitivity leaves something to be desired as it would not connect from corners of my home that a laptop can, but I then found there is a way to boost the signal. It's hidden in the menus as a battery saving setting. Untick this and the Wi-Fi range is much improved, FM sensitivity stays a little low however.

Unfortunately the radio defaulted to a test station that is probably only available in the factory when I switched on so the first thing that I saw was an error code, but I soon found my way around and had BBC Radio blaring out. The speaker is small and lacks bass but there is a standard headphone socket and the audio from here is almost equal to that from the Logik save for some digital hash that is discussed later. Always remembering that audio quality is very dependant on the broadcast encoding. Virgin Radio which uses a high bit rate was excellent, however the loudspeaker audio from this radio in no way even comes close to that from the Logik with its hard  wooden cabinet and large loudspeaker. No the audio from the built in loudspeaker is not good.

I should add that I am now hearing some slight bubbling in the background, especially noticeable when using good quality headphones. Now the designers of any cross over equipment will always have problems with digital hash getting into audio circuits but Logik managed to keep the two apart. It is probably the small size that makes screening well nigh impossible on this set but you might be unhappy with the sound if you were to connect the radio to your Hi-Fi. I'd be interested to hear if others notice the problem of whether it is confined to the review receiver.

I must praise the speed with which the radio actually connects to internet radio stations. My Logik radios can take easily 30 seconds to lock up on some low bit rate stations but the F&H is virtually instant. There is a well designed and comprehensive web site which allows you to add stations that are not otherwise listed, add favourites that you find yourself, and adjust many other settings. Unfortunately it would not be possible for intended users to look beyond the front page of the web site before buying their radio as it will not let you in until you register, And to register you need a code from a radio! It's unfortunate but I suppose helps keep the riff raff out until they pay their money and buy a set!

The screen is quite small and I needed my glasses to see it clearly (I am old!). It does not show the programme details, presenter or track listing that the Logik can if it has been upgraded, this is a pity. You do see the name of the station and the buffering level if the internet connection or reception is iffy. To save power the screen blanks after a preset time - maximum 30 seconds - probably a good idea to save battery power but I'd have like to be able to leave it permanently powered when running on the mains. Selection is by a combination of the "twiddler" on the front - on my radio it's got a very cheap and nasty feel to it - plus a "back" button on the top.

It is only fair to mention that at the top of the display is a number that supposedly shows the bit rate at which the station is transmitting. For example a South Seas station with a slow connection to the outside world might use 32kbps, the BBC use 44.1k, whereas someone like Virgin Radio who have a number of audiophiles listening transmits at no less than 192k. I can't personally hear much difference once the rate gets above 64k, but that's being old for you! The trouble is the display on this radio is most certainly idiosyncratic as it seems to show bit rates that it makes up itself! They are certainly completely wrong as I have my own small station and know what rate I send at - the radio disagrees! This can no doubt be sorted out on a firmware update but needs addressing.

I did not mention that this radio also has a standard FM tuner. Reception to me was extremely weak, not locking up stations that all my other radios can tune to with ease. It is not helped by the automated tuning system which only stops on strong signals. Needs work in my opinion. There is no firmware update on offer as I type this, perhaps none will come until they see if the radio will sell in quantity. Like other internet radios the whole concept needs clearly explaining o a techno phobic public who would mostly run a mile from having to enter a hexadecimal code..

As I mentioned above I received my review receiver, but the question still arises whether I would pay the £50 "Special Offer" price that Ebuyer are presently charging, let alone £100 to get it from China on line. I suppose at £50 I would buy it, just. I use my Logik radio mostly for listen again and local music which the F&H radio will not presently handle, so it's a close decision, but the ability to carry the set with me and even into the garden swings it. If and when they upgrade the firmware to include the missing features (and it should not be that difficult to arrange) then buying this radio for 50 quid would be a no brainer.

Before closing this review I must mention a possible use for this receiver which is different from the design. Some of us who work with computers need to check if a wireless network is operational and whether it has a good range. Up until now this has either meant carrying you laptop up and down stairs whilst trying to look at the screen or risking upsetting your phone settings to search for networks. Now this radio offers an alternative. You can whip it out of your pocket and scan for wireless networks to your hearts content. The battery will last for days or weeks of intermittent use, it would not be the end of the world if you were to leave it somewhere, and you can even check the network security settings! Now I know that I said before that the Wi-Fi sensitivity was not wonderful, but thinking about it this might be an advantage as if this radio can see a network you can be almost certain that a laptop will! If you are in the computer networking business this use alone might make purchase essential!

This radio is available from several sellers on eBay or on Ebuyer.com where the product number is 227272. If you can wait for up to 5 days then delivery is free, otherwise the charge is about £10 for overnight. I can recommend Ebuyer as an honest UK based internet trader who can be relied upon.