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? Hi Nigel ! Just out of interest, is there a brand these days who impress you with after-sales support ? Something that customers would appreciate !

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.

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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. Occasionally, a product ventures through our testing facility that not only surprises us sonically but makes its way into our everyday lives, to the point that we miss it when the time inevitably comes that we have to return it. The Revival Petite is one such device. 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. I suppose the thing with digital radios sold commercially is to "be happy with things that work moderately well"... 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.

Roberts Radios are just cheap made in China radios, and seem to have very little spares support now. This radio is based on a 1950s design, with an attractive metal grille, a wooden cabinet and gold plating. While it looks great from a distance, it feels a bit cheap when you get up close. The big caveat here is that there’s a definite volume ceiling. Up to 75% (or 15 out of the Petite’s 20 levels) it’s great, but that final 25% sees distortion creeping in on bass-heavy material and the tone becoming strident. Most other radios at this price point have an alarm function, and many have Bluetooth and/or a USB port. If you want a compact, stylish FM/DAB/DAB+ radio and don’t need any other features, the Revival Mini is a good choice. You might even prefer a straightforward radio with just a few features. Similar radiosAt 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 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. 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. Aside from the aforementioned distortion at high volumes and minor dip in sound quality while streaming over Bluetooth, there’s very little to dislike about the Revival Petite. The white goods suppliers seem to be a bit more hands on than the brown goods suppliers and a number still run their own network of service agents e.g. Electrolux's ServiceForce who may use independent repairers but are there to provide national support for their products.

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? Always worth a try I suppose, but I'm dubious they would offer help - particularly to a member of the public. 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. The Roberts Revival Mini has rotary dials for tuning and volume control, which are very easy to use. You can also set and recall preset stations by just pressing a button, which is much easier than with most DAB radios where you would need to press a complicated sequence of buttons. Sound quality With the Roberts Revival Mini you’re mainly paying for the stylish retro design and the prestigious Roberts name, though it does have decent sound quality and the built-in battery charger is a great feature.

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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. 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. 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.