Radio Revival Mini DAB/DAB+/FM Digital Radio - Amazon Exclusive - Portable Radio - Midnight Blue

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I suppose the thing with digital radios sold commercially is to "be happy with things that work moderately well"... The big surprise is how big and authoritative such a small unit can sound. I’ve tried previous radios of around this size from Pure, Sony and VQ, but even the best have suffered from a slightly tinny, boxy output, with little in the way of bass and most of the power in the mid-range and the treble. Some have been more listenable than others, and you put up with the audio compromises in the name of portability. With the Revival Petite, those compromises just aren’t that significant. There was a slightly more involved discussion between Roberts and another member of the radio forum. He bought one of the combined DAB and internet radios from them. One month after his warranty ran out, the BBC changed the encoding method that they broadcast their streams in, so he could no longer decode them. Roberts said that they couldn't do anything to help him ( see my next paragraph ), but did offer him a discount on a new similar radio. I gather that things became rather heated, which apparently ended discussions between him and Roberts. On first switch on it goes into a tune mode for DAB stations and it found 67 in my area. It defaults to the first found. After my problems with the Solar DAB II, and learning far too much about Frontier Silicon modules and the "closed source" business model for my brain to handle, I built my own software defined radio which decodes all the regular broadcast stations, which is what I enjoy listening to - AM, FM, SW, DAB and DAB+. For DAB and DAB+, it uses the open source software Qt-DAB. It runs on a Raspberry Pi 3 and uses an RTL-SDR dongle.

Sony are still one of the best for after sales support, but like everyone else it's not what it was - the money isn't there to offer decent support any more. Everyone wants cheaper and cheaper prices, and cutting service support is one way of doing that. At the park (where listening to its radio will save on data eaten by pinging DAB stations from your phone to your Bluetooth speaker), in the kitchen, by your bed or beside your desk, the Revival Petite is a joy to use and sounds very good indeed. Verdict Now, the Roberts Revival Mini looks great, it sounds amazing, and it even feels good to carry around with you. However, Roberts is offering their smaller radio at a discount price, which also means that you have to compromise a bit on features.Our only issue is when listening to it at its top volume increment, number 20. Here, things do start to distort slightly through the treble (which hardens) and the bass (which begins to bloat). But take a moment to remember, this thing is the size of a modest 1970s battenberg cake – it is not intended to become an alternative to your hi-fi system. At more sensible listening levels, you’ll hear it display rare talent for its level.

One feature which few DAB radios have is ‘Prune’ and this allows you to remove stations that are permanently off air or those you know you will not ever want. Hi Nigel ! Just out of interest, is there a brand these days who impress you with after-sales support ? Something that customers would appreciate !For a truly tiny product, the Revival Petite sounds as big as you could reasonably hope to achieve; a credit to Roberts’ know-how when it comes to gleaning the best possible sound from a portable design. We listen to it outdoors hooked up to our old iPod. We listen to Capital FM radio in the kitchen, then talkSPORT DAB at our desk. We send a playlist to it via Bluetooth from our phone. Every source the Roberts relays is delivered with agility, textured vocals, pleasing depth and clarity. In Macy Gray’s I Try, Gray’s vocal is central, crisp and emotive alongside a regimented bassline in a cohesive, surprisingly detailed and musical mix. Listen to Debussy’s Clair de Lune and the keys feel three dimensional, with a generous sense of rise and fall through the dynamics. Well, at a glance, it’s exactly what you would expect – a smaller, more compact version of the Revival. There’s that fantastic retro vibe that made us fall in love with Roberts Radio in the first place. The display could be better, as it’s very small, with text to match, which can make reading menus or finding out what’s playing a bit of a challenge. It’s also very bright, and while you can reduce the brightness level, you won’t get it down to levels you won’t notice in a darkened room.

Always worth a try I suppose, but I'm dubious they would offer help - particularly to a member of the public. It’s also worth noting that music streamed via Bluetooth doesn’t sound quite as good as the DAB output. It’s only a little thinner, but there’s a slight reduction in the wow factor, especially if you’re used to larger Bluetooth speakers at the same kind of price point. Roberts Revival Petite review: What could be improved? The Petite’s use of a micro-USB port for charging also feels a bit outdated when most of the competition are incorporating USB-C, but this is far from being a dealbreaker. Power: Mains operated or portable with 4 LR6/AA batteries (not included) Performance and design Ease of use Well, that depends. The Mini isn’t as compelling as the original Revival, but we can definitely see it has appeal. The Mini provides a portable and cost-effective option for people who want to become a part of the Roberts community.The first button switches between DAB and FM. The second button is auto tune where a single press will move to the next station found starting at the lower end of the FM spectrum. You can manually tune in .5 increments using the right button. The third button is Favourite and this allows one DAB and one FM station to be tuned immediately on switch on. The forth is Info which has up to seven options for the second line of the display. The last button is Presets which are set by a press of the Preset button for a few seconds. Once in Favourite mode the second button just circles through favourites rather than them being assigned to a number or combination of button presses.

It also has amazing levels of stamina. As I write, I’ve had it up and running with the volume around 50% for over 22 hours without a break, and there’s still a smidgeon of charge left in the meter. That’s fantastic if you want a radio you can carry around with you all day. Roberts Revival Petite review: How does it sound? Roberts Radios are just cheap made in China radios, and seem to have very little spares support now. If you want alarms or EQ settings, let alone internet streaming features, then you’ll need to move further up Roberts’ price and size range, but if you just want a compact, simple and easy-to-use radio, then this one has you covered. For anyone looking for a reliable Bluetooth speaker with DAB and FM radio that you can throw into a bag and know that it’ll last throughout the afternoon and long into the evening, this little Roberts should be on your list. Any individual yet to invite the joys of the original wireless into their lives will find this device a compelling gateway product. It’s also a decent Bluetooth speaker, it offers wired listening, and it sounds every bit as good as anyone can ask for the price.

Kitchen Radios

I've never known anything about Pure, as far as I'm aware there was never much support from them, and they seemed to appear from nowhere. If you’ve always wanted to explore the benefits of Roberts sound quality for yourself, or you just love that Retro look, then the Mini is a fantastic entry point into the brand. Additionally, while it doesn’t come with certain features, like an alarm, it does feature everything you need for a good radio experience – which is what counts. One reason I kept the radio was because there was an easy (but not perfect) workaround. The BBC still retained old fashioned (and a bit lower quality) mp3 streams for all the stations and these were not affected by the change. The FS portal lets you add/save favourites and I added the BBC mp3 streams for my required stations. I could then use them as normal on the radio until Roberts fixed it. Prior to Roberts taking over spares and service it was done by R&M Technical Services, who were pretty good, and very helpful.