Grace Digital Wireless Internet Radio
Grace Digital
- ITC-IR1000B
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Reviews
(15)
1
I've been listening to internet radio for more than 5 years, and have been exploring the purchase of a stand-alone wifi radio for the last two. The market has either been high-end ($300+ for the Roku Soundbridge or the Revo Pico), products with flaws (check the reviews for the Torian InFusion) or not a true standalone device (requiring that your computer be on, works only with open networks, etc.).
When I saw the Grace Wifi Radio at the $170 pricepoint, I decided to give it a try. I opened the box about an hour ago, and within 10 minutes had it set up, working with my WPA protected AirPort network. Sound is good; this isn't hifi, but like 90% of internet listeners I'm no high-end audiophile. The stations available through the Reciva server simply blow my mind (think thousands instead of the hundreds I normally look through on iTunes). I can see myself playing with this for weeks, cranking the dial like a kid with his first shortwave.
Note this is a very simple
When I saw the Grace Wifi Radio at the $170 pricepoint, I decided to give it a try. I opened the box about an hour ago, and within 10 minutes had it set up, working with my WPA protected AirPort network. Sound is good; this isn't hifi, but like 90% of internet listeners I'm no high-end audiophile. The stations available through the Reciva server simply blow my mind (think thousands instead of the hundreds I normally look through on iTunes). I can see myself playing with this for weeks, cranking the dial like a kid with his first shortwave.
Note this is a very simple
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7 price(s)
0
I've had this for a little over a week now and I'm impressed. Setup was a breeze - I had it connected to my router (WEP encrypted) and playing music through my home stereo in less than 15 minutes. That included a firmware update downloaded from the website. Setup may get a bit tedious here and there as you work through the directions (which are very easy to follow) but it's quite simple. Sound through the radio itself is reasonably good but since I run the sound through my home stereo it's a non-issue and I'm just not that big an audiophile anyway.
Registering with the Reciva website (required to use the radio) is also straightforward and quick. Once you have that done, you have access to more radio station than you can really handle. My favorite is the Pandora integration - I love Pandora. I had to get a premium account for a whopping $36 a year but given how much I listen to it that's easy money. The Grace radio resets when that rather annoying Pandora "Are you still listening?"
Registering with the Reciva website (required to use the radio) is also straightforward and quick. Once you have that done, you have access to more radio station than you can really handle. My favorite is the Pandora integration - I love Pandora. I had to get a premium account for a whopping $36 a year but given how much I listen to it that's easy money. The Grace radio resets when that rather annoying Pandora "Are you still listening?"
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0
This radio provides a ready and uncomplicated link to my refuge among state-financed Classical radio broadcasting from Europe (noted with grateful but mixed feelings about embracing the age of narrowcasting). The build-quality is excellent, and the sound eminently satisfying. The only trial about set-up was eliminating the aggressively affixed publicity tags, which the company could well dispense with. Serves my needs admirably, and at a high standard.
0
Sturdy build, clean design, effective performance in this convenient gateway to thousands upon thousands of radio streams from all nations about the world gains five stars. It exceeds my expectations and has been a pleasure to install and explore. Audio quality through my media system is outstanding for the price.
My only trivial quibble, a peel-off label located on the speaker grill did not peel-off and proved difficult to remove. Applying a paper towel saturated with "Goo-Gone", letting the solution penetrate the label paper and scraping with a plastic card managed to remove the residue without marring the enameled metal grill.
All things considered, I am very pleased with the Grace Internet Radio.
My only trivial quibble, a peel-off label located on the speaker grill did not peel-off and proved difficult to remove. Applying a paper towel saturated with "Goo-Gone", letting the solution penetrate the label paper and scraping with a plastic card managed to remove the residue without marring the enameled metal grill.
All things considered, I am very pleased with the Grace Internet Radio.
0
the reviews below all seem to be on the mark.
i'd only add that setup was a joy - plug it in, enter the password for my network, scroll to "news," highlight "BBC," and listen. total elapsed time less than five minutes -- less than it will take to get those dam stickers off (anyone have a solution? -- the guy that decided to do that should get another job.)
i may read the manual for some of the fine points (e.g., the workaround to having only five presets), but it might not be worth it.
i contrast my experience here with the Roku, on which i spent hours over the course of two weeks, only to have the thing die.
like the other reviews said, looks good, works great, etc.
i'd only add that setup was a joy - plug it in, enter the password for my network, scroll to "news," highlight "BBC," and listen. total elapsed time less than five minutes -- less than it will take to get those dam stickers off (anyone have a solution? -- the guy that decided to do that should get another job.)
i may read the manual for some of the fine points (e.g., the workaround to having only five presets), but it might not be worth it.
i contrast my experience here with the Roku, on which i spent hours over the course of two weeks, only to have the thing die.
like the other reviews said, looks good, works great, etc.
0
I actually bought this unit because of its pricepoint on Amazon. Considering the difference in cost between this Grace unit and the others, I was ready for "You get what you pay for". Most of the time, however, this unit works extremely well. It has no trouble reading the local network and gateway and has logged on to many stations around the world without difficulty (through WMA or Realplayer etc. which is built-in). It's great to be able to listen to some of our favorite radio stations without having to turn on the computer. As most audio feeds are tiny, the unit doesn't steal much bandwith either. The Grace is a little quirky for there have been times that it just won't connect. There have also been times that during connection the link simply drops. We have to unplug the unit once and awhile and just let the unit re-boot. Overall though, my family and I are happy with the purchase and would recommend the Grace Wifi to others - especially if one wants to save some money.
0
Other than the absence of a remote (to me, a non-issue), there is nothing to criticize about this radio. Everything about it reflects quality: Visually handsome in its high-gloss piano black case, and featuring 2 dedicated controls: a small volume knob, and larger knob for selecting functions and perusing the long lists of global stations. There are also 5 pre-set buttons for instant access to your favorites, along with the ability to store up to 99 favorites in the My Stuff section that will appear automatically on your screen once you register with reciva (www.reciva.com). Register asap once you have the Grace up and running, and within a day, you can compile a personal listening library of dozens of stations. And did I mention how EASY it is to do on this radio?
The build quallity is outstanding: The radio has a substantial, solid feel to it. The single 5w speaker (supplemented by a rear base port) is a real powerhouse that produces rich, room-filling sound with a more-than-decent base
The build quallity is outstanding: The radio has a substantial, solid feel to it. The single 5w speaker (supplemented by a rear base port) is a real powerhouse that produces rich, room-filling sound with a more-than-decent base
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0
I took my Grace radio out of the box and had it up and running in less than 10 minutes. The sound meets my needs and I think for the radio's size is quite impressive. It is very easy to find the stations you want to listen to. I found it easy to navigate through the thousands of stations to find the content that is most important to me. The only drawback is that there are only 5 Preset buttons for favorites. A remote would also be a nice enhancement. I am overall very pleased with the radio. At $167.00, it is a very good value compared to other radios in the category.
0
This radio far surpassed my expectations. I bought it for the price, but the quality is amazing. I'm far from a techie, yet in a few minutes from opening the box I was browsing the radio stations of the world: jazz from Istanbul Turkey, Cambodian folk music and indie rock from Wellington New Zealand.
The quality of the sound depends mainly on how the station is streamed in kilobytes per second (kbps) - and this information is displayed along with the station name on the display panel. High quality streams (128 kbps or above) will have a CD quality-like sound - however even the lowest quality stream I listen to (16 kbps from Mali) is decent enough - a sort-of AC mono type of sound. Your wi-fi network also has to be up to snuff - in the two weeks I've had this I only lost my connection once for 20 seconds while listening. A friend of mine with an older wireless router loses his connection more often, but not enough to make it a hassle.
The instructions are easy enough to understand
The quality of the sound depends mainly on how the station is streamed in kilobytes per second (kbps) - and this information is displayed along with the station name on the display panel. High quality streams (128 kbps or above) will have a CD quality-like sound - however even the lowest quality stream I listen to (16 kbps from Mali) is decent enough - a sort-of AC mono type of sound. Your wi-fi network also has to be up to snuff - in the two weeks I've had this I only lost my connection once for 20 seconds while listening. A friend of mine with an older wireless router loses his connection more often, but not enough to make it a hassle.
The instructions are easy enough to understand
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0
I received my radio two days ago. Setting it up took a little time because of the VERY POOR User Guide. As an example, the instructions say to press "Enter" to set a parameter but I could find an Enter button anywhere in the manual. Found it by trial & error. I also cannot get the sleep timer to work, don't know why. As far as sound quality, I use it for talk stations at night before going to sleep so it's fine.The reason for needing a sleep timer is because the radio bothers my wife even though I use an earphone. All in all, I like it but would probably not buy another one.
0
In using this radio I have found it to be one of those things you buy that is just not ready for the public. Tuning is difficult at best thru the main knob, as is most other settings. Mine only played for a few days then showed an error on boot, and became a boat anchor for the most part. I'm still trying to get a working unit from Grace Digital in San Diegeo, via the year warranty, well see if it works when it arrives. I personally would not recommend anyone purchase this product.
0
Easy setup and great sound!
This is my second wifi radio. The first, an Acoustic Energy, did a fine job at working with my wifi, but the ergonomics (and the fact that it looked like a bedside air purifier), was only slightly better than the poor sound. The Grace wifi, on the other, with it's 4.5 watt amp and rear bass port really brings a richness to the audio that was unexpected, even for me, a dyed-in-the-wool audio snob. I was going to hook the output up to a set of high-end computer speakers, but (aside from missing out on the stereo output), the PC speakers actually sounded worse.
Two minor annoyances: (1) the radio tends to slide backwards when pressing the front buttons, so you need to hold onto the top of the radio while punching the controls, and this leaves (2) fingerprints, everywhere!
Perhaps I should have chose the white version of this radio, because the black model is a fingerprint magnet.
The price is right, the sound is great, the interface (with a little bit of effort)
This is my second wifi radio. The first, an Acoustic Energy, did a fine job at working with my wifi, but the ergonomics (and the fact that it looked like a bedside air purifier), was only slightly better than the poor sound. The Grace wifi, on the other, with it's 4.5 watt amp and rear bass port really brings a richness to the audio that was unexpected, even for me, a dyed-in-the-wool audio snob. I was going to hook the output up to a set of high-end computer speakers, but (aside from missing out on the stereo output), the PC speakers actually sounded worse.
Two minor annoyances: (1) the radio tends to slide backwards when pressing the front buttons, so you need to hold onto the top of the radio while punching the controls, and this leaves (2) fingerprints, everywhere!
Perhaps I should have chose the white version of this radio, because the black model is a fingerprint magnet.
The price is right, the sound is great, the interface (with a little bit of effort)
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0
Easy to set up and use.
I've used it mostly for Old Time Radio broadcasts, so the sound is only as good as the source. But the speaker actually sounds quite good and there's even a 'bass port' on the rear of the case.
When you register on the Reciva site you can select and add programming to 'My Stations' by searching genre, location, or key word. Next time you turn the radio on, your selections appear on the menu!
I originally thought the small number of presets might be a problem. However, since you can scroll through 'My Stations' using the dial, presets are almost unnecesary.
Considering the price of competing units, this radio is a bargain. It does everything I expected and I'm very satisfied with this purchase.
I've used it mostly for Old Time Radio broadcasts, so the sound is only as good as the source. But the speaker actually sounds quite good and there's even a 'bass port' on the rear of the case.
When you register on the Reciva site you can select and add programming to 'My Stations' by searching genre, location, or key word. Next time you turn the radio on, your selections appear on the menu!
I originally thought the small number of presets might be a problem. However, since you can scroll through 'My Stations' using the dial, presets are almost unnecesary.
Considering the price of competing units, this radio is a bargain. It does everything I expected and I'm very satisfied with this purchase.
0
Works very well. It does take it a few seconds to connect to the WiFi network, so it is not instant on. Also you find stations by category, not by frequency or call letters. It's a little convoluted, but with the assistance of the website so that you can find a station and its category and using the 5 preset stations, subsequent use is easy. Tone is great, although I've used it mostly for talk type programs and have not fully explored its musical tonal quality.
0
This is a great radio and for the price, its a steal. The sound is more than ok but I play it through my stereo system. The drawbacks are that it takes a time to figure out the instructions, there are so many great stations but only 5 presets, I still haven't figured out if it will work with my Mac, and there is no remote! However at $100 less than any other wifi radio, who really cares?
