We’ve reached that seasonal time of year, and so my Critical Popcorn Gift Guides return!

This year we’re celebrating the best films of the year (old and new) to Stream or 4K UHD, a must-have iconic Paul McCartney photo book, the best affordable and impressive all-in-one Music Systems, or even something to make that Home Cinema better with speakers and soundbars from Majority, a UK-based tech company with a lot to offer. And that’s not all, we also enjoy a selection of festive Funko Pops! to get your geek on, and even a couple of huge giveaways to enter!  

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If you already know the joy of CDs and tuning into the radio via a dial, via all kinds of methods, then I’m here to guide you towards an all-new system from Majority that’ll enhance that happiness. There remains a huge CD market for all music lovers – and even cassettes are in back in fashion – so if you’re looking for a music system that helps you re-explore that favoured collection, then we’ve got two superb options for you at different price ranges, with our first feature of the wintry season – thanks to two excellent devices – and today we look at the Majority Oakington.

If Majority are a new name to you, at Critical Popcorn we’ve been testing out and enjoying their soundbars for a couple of years, and so we enter the world of Internet Radio Music System and CD Players with genuine intrigue and excitement. They’re a UK-based company, founded back in 2012, and are notably growing fast and you can see why with these two options are well, with the Majority Oakington with their DAB+ Radio Music System, and the larger Majority Quadriga – a 2.1 120W Music System with DAB+ and Spotify Connect reviewed here.

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Oakington

First Impressions

Much like it’s older sibling (here), the Oakington sets us up with a steady, simple rectangle style, yet gives an extra slice of class with a lovely wood-style casing around a smaller unit, sized at 40 x 13 x 20 cm. While the face of the Music System is reduced, it still has space for a small LCD display screen, a CD slot alongside useful functionality buttons that are straightforward to recognise and understand.

With the reduced front panel size, the difference is a thinner, flat dial on top of the unit. While this isn’t something I’ve seen before, it’s as practical as a front-of-unit dial would be, giving you the choice to either navigate station tuning, or adjust the volume without issue.

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What can I expect?

Majority’s Oakington unit is a much more compact setup than the larger, more expensive, Quadriga but it’s no less impressive with options. Depending on your home setup, this is one of those you can put anywhere in or outside the house, as it works via the aerial (rather than aerial or Wi-Fi) to pick up DAB digital radio, plus DAB+ and FM radio stations.

When you first turn it on, get that aerial on the back up in the air to help find those signals and you can let it do a ‘full scan’ to get a lot of things in place automatically. Once you enable it to do that, it’ll scan and store everything you need on the radio side of things. I’d always say do this first with any type of Music or Radio System, as this is the best way to see what it has to offer.

Much like the Quadriga, it’ll find a wide range of stations, but if you’re into the CD player then that’s a simple process as well. All you need to do is change the ‘mode’, either on the front of the device (that little ‘square in a box with an arrow) or use the clearly marked remote control to choose what you’re after. I found either option easy to use, but of course the controller is a lot more direct.

Like any tech device now, you’ve got the connectivity via Bluetooth (absolutely vital) and then on the back of the unit, there’s a USB slot (if needed), and an Audio Jack for your earphones or headphones. In the bag, you also get a RCA to Audio cable, useful for those external speakers or similar. I think it’s also worth pointing out the extra power switch here – which means you can either leave the system on standby or literally turn it off via the button, if you don’t want the front screen on all the time.

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Sound

The Majority Oakington has two speakers on either side, coming out the front of the unit, and again – sound is vital when it comes to investing in any music system, and this one also impresses with quite the range.

Finding a fine middle ground between spoken word and picking out the intricacies of all genres of music, I tested it out with seasonal tunes alongside Radiohead classics and can happily report that both can be belted out with strong sound and very clear radio coverage on all the main BBC ones, and the likes of BBC 5 Live and other talk radio stations.

This system also offer Dynamic Range Compression (DRC) which means it can make quiet sounds a little louder, and the opposite with loud sounds should you enable it – which is good for all levels of hearing issues, should you have them or not. Or, of course, you can just adjust the volume as you need.

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Summary

While the Oakington doesn’t have the Wi-Fi connection for Radio, I didn’t find that a problem and it actually enables you to take it to an outhouse (with a plug socket) or set it up in anywhere in your house, as the aerial picks up the station you’re after. It’s also got the benefit of offering you the chance to plug in a USB, or just pick the CD you want to listen to and away you go.

The Majority Oakington keeps it classic and unassuming, yet presents a wide range of audio choices with impressive sound through whatever your radio and music options you choose, meaning there’s no restrictions on your listening experience!

Pick up an Oakington for £139.99 (current on offer) right here: DAB Radio CD Player, FM, Bluetooth and AUX | Oakington | Majority or via Amazon here: https://amzn.to/3Ta2jCK

*The unit was provided to me for review by Majority but these are my own views and from my own experience of using the device*