Grace Evolves With the Pandora Internet Radio

Whether you celebrate Chanukah or Christmas, you still have to find the ideal gifts for those hard to buy for, pesky family members. I’m sure if you asked my brother, he would groan while rolling his eyes. For those of you taking the “coming together for the holidays” approach seriously, we have our own suggestions to make the last of your shopping days fairly simple and pain-free.

Grace Radio has been pushing hard into remaking the modern radio. Most recently, we were introduced to the Grace ITC-IR2550P Wireless Internet that provided us Pandora-obsessed nerds with the almost-perfect listening tool.

Streaming music can be done by quite a few different systems in this day and age. What we really enjoyed about this particular Grace product was that our computer doesn’t have to be involved in the exchange. We could plug into any stereo system and listen as the digital tuner supports 802.11g Wi-Fi and can output over mini-jack. What this means for you is the opportunity to choose from over 30,000 internet radio stations including NPR, but also Pandora, Sirius, and CBS among others. There is no Ethernet jack so you are required to use the wireless network. A stereo headphone jack is included but, as usual, not a direct iPod jack or dock which is a drag.

What is unique about the Grace Wi-Fi Internet radio is that it allows you to control the radio from the front, but also iPhone owners can download the free remote control app (for those of us who don’t own an iPhone, we are in luck with an included remote control). The remote control is decent, if a bit insubstantial.

The Grace was released and then re-released after fixing some minor glitches so as of late, it is better than ever. Playback was relatively smooth and we felt the sound quality was remarkably decent for a four inch speaker- light on the bass, and not quite powerful enough to fill a living room, it’s great in the kitchen or on the bedside table. Both WEP and WPA security are supported, with no issues signing into our WPA network. We were able to connect to our wireless network quite painlessly though using a single knob for our relatively long network key was tedious- luckily it is only a one-time annoyance.

Like other wireless radios such as the C.Crane CC WiFi Radio we have reviewed in the past, the Grace also works with Reciva. And this model offers some extra Pandora features that make it the best way to play Pandora besides a Squeezebox. Our biggest complaint was that although the radio was lightweight, it felt flimsy and we had to sometimes hold the radio down with one hand while adjusting our selection.

The menu was easy to navigate, and our Pandora playlist automatically saved. We would have appreciated narrower fields to search by as with the amount of options, it can be overwhelming to try and wean out what stations are compatible with your preferences. Also, the unit lacks a bit of style- the LCD can be a bit hard to read- but it’s easy to use.

If you are looking for quality sound with a built-in alarm clock and more choices than are humanly possible, give the Grace GDI-IR2550P Pandora Wi-Fi Internet Radio a chance. At around $110, it won’t set you back multiple paychecks, and it’s an inexpensive way to expand your musical library and reach.