You Don't Need a Computer to Listen to the Radio on the Internet

By David Colker

April 27, 2006 12 AM PT

Times Staff Writer

As I write this, I’m listening to Mozart arias from an online radio station based in Buenos Aires.

That’s hardly unusual. Millions of people regularly listen to Internet radio on their computers. But there is no computer on in the house; I’m using pencil and paper (gasp!) to write these paragraphs.

The sound is coming from what appears to be a clock radio. And that’s essentially what it is -- a clock radio for the Internet era.

The AE Wi-Fi Internet radio is a stand-alone receiver, preprogrammed with more than 2,500 online stations. Designed to operate more like a radio than a computer, it’s made by Acoustic Energy in Britain and is scheduled to hit the U.S. marketplace in mid-May.

It won’t be alone. Roku’s long-delayed SoundBridge radio -- also a stand-alone unit that can pick up Internet radio via Wi-Fi -- is also scheduled to start shipping next month. It comes programmed with only about 80 stations (more can be added) and lacks the user-friendliness of the AE machine. But the sound quality is better.

Both models bring Internet radio closer to the practicality of traditional radio. They might require the presence of Wi-Fi signals and electric outlets (because neither runs on batteries), but they fit nicely onto nightstands, bookshelves and kitchen counters.

Neither is cheap. The AE has a list price of about $300. The SoundBridge is about $400.

The tech-retro appearance of the AE, with push buttons under a small info screen, looks like something out of the old sci-fi “Thunderbirds” show. I get a kick out of the look, but the simplicity of those controls is at the heart of the AE’s charm. Using an all-purpose “select” button and the tuning knob, I can easily navigate station lists organized by location and genre.

There are 710 stations to choose from in the U.S., 380 in Britain, 33 in China, 21 in Mexico, nine in India, two in Trinidad and so on. By genre, there are 109 stations classified as alternative, plus four bluegrass, 11 Bollywood, 120 classical, 102 gospel, 81 jazz, 36 hip-hop and many more.

Searches of online radio stations can be done on a computer, of course, but not as handily. Besides, it feels more comfortable to use a tuning knob.

A downside of the AE is that stations not already programmed into the unit (there are about 10,000 online stations out there, experts say) can’t be manually added. An online form must be submitted to request an addition. Channel lists are updated about once a week and can be downloaded to the radio, according to AE.

The SoundBridge is a heavier, plainer-looking unit with larger, on-board speakers. (Both radios have jacks that can be used to plug in external stereo speakers.) The SoundBridge also has a larger screen than the AE and comes with a remote control.

The approximately 80 preprogrammed channels represent several genres. There is the alternative music of Radio Paradise, jazz from SmoothJazz, public affairs from a KCRW news feed and country from Classic Heartland.

And stations can be added, with a somewhat cumbersome process to transfer them from a computer on the Wi-Fi network.

But SoundBridge can’t play some streaming formats, including Real Audio, which leaves out very popular offerings, including some NPR and BBC streams. A Roku spokesman said the company was working on a downloadable upgrade to expand the range of formats.

Also, the SoundBridge’s controls are far from intuitive. I had to repeatedly consult the manual to figure out how to navigate the complicated layers of menus.

On the plus side, the SoundBridge can receive AM and FM broadcast stations. And when used in conjunction with a computer on the Wi-Fi network, it can play music stored on the PC’s hard drive. It also plays content from the Rhapsody and Napster subscription services.

The AE can play some computer-stored selections, but SoundBridge’s controls and functionality are superior in this area.

For Internet radio, the choice is the AE. Searching through its stations late at night brings back the feeling I used to get as a small-town kid, combing the dial in search of what seemed to be faraway civilizations.

I don’t speak Spanish, unfortunately, but I know that the announcer in Buenos Aires just said “Don Giovanni.”

I’m turning up the volume.

David Colker can be reached at technopolis@latimes.com. Previous columns can be found at latimes.com/technopolis.

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Rethinking radio

AE Wi-Fi Internet Radio

* Maker: Acoustic Energy

* Website: www.acoustic-energy.co.uk

* U.S. dealer: www.ccrane.com

* Price: $299.95

* Pros: More than 2,500 online stations preprogrammed. Well-organized station lists. Simple controls.

* Cons: Stations cannot be added manually