A Modern Twist on the Classic Radio

Dedicated internet radio players haven’t exactly topped anyone’s wish list since the late 2000s. Once smartphones and smart speakers took over, they started to feel redundant. But in the process, something meaningful disappeared. Those standalone devices had personality, with real buttons and dials you could actually interact with. Smartphones may stream the same stations, but the experience they offer is entirely different.

Because of their decline in popularity, internet radio players are hard to come by these days. But if you want one and have some technical skills, that’s not too much of a problem. You can simply create your own DIY build, like Tech Talkies recently did. It’s not hard, either. In fact, Tech Talkies pulled it off using just a few components.

The project is built around a Seeed Studio XIAO ESP32S3. This development board handles the heavy lifting, connecting to Wi-Fi networks and streaming audio from internet radio stations around the world. To convert that digital stream into something you can actually hear, the project uses a MAX98357A I2S amplifier paired with an 8-ohm, 2-watt speaker.

A 1.8-inch TFT display provides a simple interface for browsing stations and settings, while a rotary encoder serves as the primary input mechanism. You can turn the knob to adjust volume, press and hold to access menus, and scroll through options just like you would on a traditional radio.

The build process began by validating the circuit on a breadboard, ensuring all components — from the display to the encoder and amplifier — were wired correctly and working as expected. Once everything was working, the circuit was soldered onto a prototyping board for a more permanent and reliable setup.

On the software side, the project relies on the free Radio Browser API to pull in station listings. Users can customize their experience by filtering stations based on country or genre, or even hardcoding specific preferences directly into the code. This flexibility makes the device feel far more personal than a generic streaming app.

Finally, everything is housed in a custom 3D-printed enclosure designed to mimic the look of a retro radio. The speaker sits behind front-facing vents, the display fits neatly into its cutout, and the rotary dial is positioned on the side of the case.

The end result is a compact, fully functional internet radio that blends modern streaming capabilities with old-school charm. If you’d like to build one for yourself, there’s a pretty good chance you already have all of the parts you need. Check out the video below to find out how to assemble them.