There’s never a bad time to explore the vast, near-endless number of radio stations out there, and you can start picking your favorites today with your smartphone. If you’re new to internet radio, try it out on your smartphone first. While models with built-in digital assistants are the most expensive, many find that the luxury of simply asking for what they want to hear is worth the price tag.īefore you buy an internet radio, consider these tips. Digital assistantĪ few cutting-edge internet radios support cloud-based digital assistant services like Google Home or Amazon’s Echo service. Using a remote as the primary means of interacting with your internet radio can certainly take longer, but it’s perfect for anyone who misses the old days of using a remote to play tunes through a hi-fi system. Nearly all internet radios include remote controls, but some of them can only be controlled through their remote. There are three main types of internet radio interfaces. As you’re shopping for an internet radio, spend time thinking about how you want to interact with your device, because your decision defines the experience you’ll have.

But that’s pretty much where the similarities end because each internet radio brings its own interface to the table.

On paper, most internet radios sport the same basic feature set: they stream music from the web either in the format of an online radio station or a streaming music service like Spotify. While paid services offer features like higher fidelity and wider selection, there are thousands of free stations available from all over the world, and you can easily enjoy an internet radio without paying any monthly fees.

Most internet radios support both paid streaming services and free, ad-supported internet radio.

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