Roth Oli 10 review

Budget Roth Oli 10s put in a decent performance Tested at £90

What Hi-Fi? Verdict

Fine offering but competition is fierce: investigate if space is at a premium

Pros

  • +

    Compact and stylish

  • +

    suitable for a tight space

  • +

    fast, detailed

Cons

  • -

    Lacks bass weight and depth

  • -

    need a bit more punch and scale

Why you can trust What Hi-Fi? Our expert team reviews products in dedicated test rooms, to help you make the best choice for your budget. Find out more about how we test.

Roth is a company with impressive previous for shaking up the establishment. First it was iPod docks thanks to its penchant for eye-catching valves, then it was the budget stereo speaker market with the Oli 1s.

Roth is hoping to do it all again with those speakers’ successors, the Oli 10s.

The gist remains the same; a neat, compact pair of bookshelf speakers for around £100. Certainly the build quality remains high. A choice of black or birds-eye maple finishes is available and the curved cabinet feels solid and looks smart.

Fast and entertaining
Listening to Friendly Fires’ Live Those Days Tonight, the Roths are a fast, entertaining listen. Drums rattle along at pace, and there’s good attention to detail, while vocals sound clear and realistic.

With the speakers sitting on our reference budget stands in plenty of space, they do, predictably, sound lightweight. This helps keep the speed up but doesn’t help when it comes to delivering bass depth or weight.

We’ll have to make do without serious depth but push the speakers back within six inches or so of a wall and you can find plenty more weight, as SBTRKT’s Wildfire helps demonstrate.

If you’re tight on space and need something to sound its best up against a wall, you’re in luck here.

Just lacking a touch of bass punch
But this boost to the bass can’t do the same for out and out dynamics. Compared with the best around at this price-point, the Oli 10 speakers still want for a little more punch.

The diminutive cabinets can’t deliver the scale and dynamism of price rivals, sounding smaller and less powerful.

For upgrading a micro system, or if they need to go up against a wall, the Oli 10s deserve consideration. But the standard available for this sort of money is seriously high, and for outright sonic performance there are better options.

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What Hi-Fi?

What Hi-Fi?, founded in 1976, is the world's leading independent guide to buying and owning hi-fi and home entertainment products. Our comprehensive tests help you buy the very best for your money, with our advice sections giving you step-by-step information on how to get even more from your music and movies. Everything is tested by our dedicated team of in-house reviewers in our custom-built test rooms in London, Reading and Bath. Our coveted five-star rating and Awards are recognised all over the world as the ultimate seal of approval, so you can buy with absolute confidence.

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