Push the volume to its loudest and it doesn’t sound strained, though your mileage may vary depending on the station and what’s playing. A rummage through DAB and FM stations and there was only one where I felt that the Zen Plus started to hit the ceiling with its volume (Greatest Hits Surrey). At around 50% volume it’s clear and crisp with the spoken word, with no sibilance noted listening to Bloomberg, Absolute Radio, or any of the BBC Radio channels. Roberts is popular for its attractive and retro-styled radios and the Zen Plus is another one of its quirky-looking efforts. This digital radio supports Bluetooth and features wellness features such as ‘Sleep Sounds’ to help put you to sleep.

Its Bluetooth performance is one I find slightly anaemic with a flat sense of energy and dynamism. Volume must be turned all the way to max on both the Zen Plus and source device for the radio to give a solid account of itself. For a speaker of its size, the Roberts Zen Plus sounds much better than expected. It’s clearer and detailed than the bigger Groov-e Zeus and strikes a more natural tone across DAB and FM stations.

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As this radio is called the Roberts Zen Plus, you’d be right in assuming there’s a standard Zen model. The main differences between them are that the Zen Plus carries a DAB tuner, Bluetooth streaming, more presets, and Sleep Sounds. When working as it should, the menu settings and navigation are relatively easy enough to grapple with. Tap the icon that looks a little like a lemon with three dots to cycle through the Zen Plus’ modes (Sleep Sounds, Alarms, DAB, FM, and Bluetooth).