Most of us have music all over the place - on PCs or Macs, phones, PMPs and USB sticks. If you also like to spend time listening to the radio - FM, DAB or internet - things can get complicated. With this in mind, Scottish audio specialist Revo has concocted a one-box-does-it-all player that promises to tie all those musical …
Can someone please explain to me why it is necessary to make a 2010 digital radio look like an old analogue mono one from the 60s?
It doesn't even look like a proper oldskool radio. It's no Roberts, in the antique-radio-design league.
Also, considering all the emphasis the DAB people make about DAB being "crystal clear digital stereo sound", can everyone stop making radios with only one speaker?
That goes with most DAB radios imo. Why oh why so many models in retro style? Why would I convert to DAB if most models available on the high street look junk?
> can everyone stop making radios with only one speaker?
Other than charging more, or to have separate drivers for different frequency ranges, I can't think of any justification for putting more than one speaker into a small box.
However, in a world where people listen to stereo audio through headphones*, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that you're confused.
*They should, of course, be listening to binaural audio.
Paris because she works fine as a monaural source.
A slab of rather nasty cheap wood on the side of a plastic silver box does NOT equal retro. Nore does it equal stylish. Its just unpleasant and has been done to death.
So when playing music from the iPod, the Heritage takes an analogue signal. If the Heritage is connected to a stereo via optical SPDIF, does the Heritage then do an A/D conversion and send the iPod music out digitally, or is the SPDIF not active when playing iPod music?
A bit on the expensive side, considering the Pure Evoke Flow I got 18 months ago does most of that this can (OK no iPod dock, RJ45, USB connectivity or video stuff) and is now > £120.
Though have to agree with AC above. Not sure about the styling and what's with the single speaker?
1. "Internet Radio." Is the reviewer aware that this is not nearly detailed enough? Which standards does it support? Does it support BBC Listen Again? Reciva? If you listen to "internet radio" this matters. In the past, Revo didn't support Listen Again (and Real). I guess that hasn't changed? You are writing for the Reg, not a lifestyle magazine. This is so imprecise as to be shoddy.
2. For £230 to release a radio with an iPod dock which is not iPhone compatible and which doesn't support 802.11n is frankly ludicrous. (Yes I know 802.11g is plenty for the stream, but it also drags down other devices on the network.) I think Revo could have stumped up the £5 for more modern chipsets.
So, an imprecise review for a nicely featured radio which seems to demonstrate a pennywise, pound-foolish approach to procurement.
The Heritage does indeed play all the BBC's "Listen Again" broadcasts. Since the BBC stopped using Real Player for its listen-again services last autumn (21/09/09 to be exact) access to said is becoming more and more common on internet radios. If it didn't support the service, I'd have mentioned that fact.
Styling choices notwithstanding -- I rather like it actually, although it needs a colour screen -- this thing is just too damned pricey for what it does.
A couple of weeks ago I picked up an FM/DAB/iPod dock STEREO clock radio from Asda. It had garnered mixed reviews on shopping forums because of a couple of odd design choices, but it was just £35. It lacks the built-in internet streaming capabilities of this Revo model but it's being used with an iPod Touch so there were dozens of internet radio programs in the App Store to choose from. If I wanted to stream my own media I'm sure it wouldn't be too difficult to set up a suitable server that could talk to one of the iPod apps, or to Safari.
For what it's worth the design problems were a excessively bright backlight quite unsuited to use in a bedside radio (solved with the low-tech application of a piece of paper between the backlight and the LCD) and an overly loud, unadjustable alarm volume (solved by switching to iPod mode and using the iPod as the alarm source). If it's not being used in a bedroom these problems are moot; in fact I bought a second one for use in the kitchen.
Quite a bit of faffing around you might say, but remember that this thing was £35. Even if I hadn't already owned an iPod Touch I could have picked up an 8GB for £140, the Asda radio for £35 and still been £55 better off compared with the price of the Revo.
There are probably countless arguments about convenience, build quality, sound reproduction and reliability that might allow some price overhead for the Revo. But it's more than SIX TIMES the cost of the bargain-basement Asda set. That's pretty hard to justify.
You guys are obsessed with cost. My wife's 5 year old Fiesta works just fine as a car but I don't drive it in preference to my new Prius.
If you want to pay £35 for a tinny grot box from Asda go ahead, if you want to pay more for something that is better made, better sounding, better looking - like Alun I rather like the look of it - and has more functions, the choice is yours.
Where not all penurious geeks with the aesthetic judgement of a blind man.
Register
Most of us have music all over the place - on PCs or Macs, phones, PMPs and USB sticks. If you also like to spend time listening to the radio - FM, DAB or internet - things can get complicated. With this in mind, Scottish audio specialist Revo has concocted a one-box-does-it-all player that promises to tie all those musical …
Fugly
Can someone please explain to me why it is necessary to make a 2010 digital radio look like an old analogue mono one from the 60s?
It doesn't even look like a proper oldskool radio. It's no Roberts, in the antique-radio-design league.
Also, considering all the emphasis the DAB people make about DAB being "crystal clear digital stereo sound", can everyone stop making radios with only one speaker?
Re: Fugly
That goes with most DAB radios imo. Why oh why so many models in retro style? Why would I convert to DAB if most models available on the high street look junk?
@Fugly
> can everyone stop making radios with only one speaker?
Other than charging more, or to have separate drivers for different frequency ranges, I can't think of any justification for putting more than one speaker into a small box.
However, in a world where people listen to stereo audio through headphones*, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that you're confused.
*They should, of course, be listening to binaural audio.
Paris because she works fine as a monaural source.
WTF?
A truly silly amount of money for a *MONO* radio that looks like something your parents/grandparents had?
Pull the other one: it's got stereo!
It does'nt though...
A slab of rather nasty cheap wood on the side of a plastic silver box does NOT equal retro. Nore does it equal stylish. Its just unpleasant and has been done to death.
Nice box, but
Pay a bit more and get the Pure Avanti Flow, which does all this one does, but has stereo speakers and integrated subwoofer.
Digital path
So when playing music from the iPod, the Heritage takes an analogue signal. If the Heritage is connected to a stereo via optical SPDIF, does the Heritage then do an A/D conversion and send the iPod music out digitally, or is the SPDIF not active when playing iPod music?
£230 ????
In the (paraphrased) words of Billy Connolly :
Fer a ferkin alarm clock ?
Wake me when it drops under £23.
"Does everything" except
stereo sound and recording.
A bit pricey
A bit on the expensive side, considering the Pure Evoke Flow I got 18 months ago does most of that this can (OK no iPod dock, RJ45, USB connectivity or video stuff) and is now > £120.
Though have to agree with AC above. Not sure about the styling and what's with the single speaker?
Note to Manufacturers and El Reg
There is NO SUCH THING as an iPhone- compatible player that needs to be put into "flight mode" to avoid interference...
Call a spade a spade, it's iPod-only...
Lack of Detail in Review; 2007-era Features
1. "Internet Radio." Is the reviewer aware that this is not nearly detailed enough? Which standards does it support? Does it support BBC Listen Again? Reciva? If you listen to "internet radio" this matters. In the past, Revo didn't support Listen Again (and Real). I guess that hasn't changed? You are writing for the Reg, not a lifestyle magazine. This is so imprecise as to be shoddy.
2. For £230 to release a radio with an iPod dock which is not iPhone compatible and which doesn't support 802.11n is frankly ludicrous. (Yes I know 802.11g is plenty for the stream, but it also drags down other devices on the network.) I think Revo could have stumped up the £5 for more modern chipsets.
So, an imprecise review for a nicely featured radio which seems to demonstrate a pennywise, pound-foolish approach to procurement.
@ Alex Johnson 1
The Heritage does indeed play all the BBC's "Listen Again" broadcasts. Since the BBC stopped using Real Player for its listen-again services last autumn (21/09/09 to be exact) access to said is becoming more and more common on internet radios. If it didn't support the service, I'd have mentioned that fact.
Way too expensive
Styling choices notwithstanding -- I rather like it actually, although it needs a colour screen -- this thing is just too damned pricey for what it does.
A couple of weeks ago I picked up an FM/DAB/iPod dock STEREO clock radio from Asda. It had garnered mixed reviews on shopping forums because of a couple of odd design choices, but it was just £35. It lacks the built-in internet streaming capabilities of this Revo model but it's being used with an iPod Touch so there were dozens of internet radio programs in the App Store to choose from. If I wanted to stream my own media I'm sure it wouldn't be too difficult to set up a suitable server that could talk to one of the iPod apps, or to Safari.
For what it's worth the design problems were a excessively bright backlight quite unsuited to use in a bedside radio (solved with the low-tech application of a piece of paper between the backlight and the LCD) and an overly loud, unadjustable alarm volume (solved by switching to iPod mode and using the iPod as the alarm source). If it's not being used in a bedroom these problems are moot; in fact I bought a second one for use in the kitchen.
Quite a bit of faffing around you might say, but remember that this thing was £35. Even if I hadn't already owned an iPod Touch I could have picked up an 8GB for £140, the Asda radio for £35 and still been £55 better off compared with the price of the Revo.
There are probably countless arguments about convenience, build quality, sound reproduction and reliability that might allow some price overhead for the Revo. But it's more than SIX TIMES the cost of the bargain-basement Asda set. That's pretty hard to justify.
Cost?
You guys are obsessed with cost. My wife's 5 year old Fiesta works just fine as a car but I don't drive it in preference to my new Prius.
If you want to pay £35 for a tinny grot box from Asda go ahead, if you want to pay more for something that is better made, better sounding, better looking - like Alun I rather like the look of it - and has more functions, the choice is yours.
Where not all penurious geeks with the aesthetic judgement of a blind man.