The Roberts Revival Petite 2 is arguably the best budget radio on the market at the moment, mainly thanks to its lively, engaging sound and, perhaps more importantly, adorable looks.

Right now, the Revival Petite 2 is just £88 at Peter Tyson, a generous 10 per cent discount that sees the Roberts take a rare dip below the £90 mark. Considering it started its life at around £100, you're getting a very tasty £12 discount on a What Hi-Fi? Award winner.

The great thing about the Roberts Revival Petite 2 is that you can plonk it everywhere. On the windowsill, at the corner of your desk, on a bedside table, on a bookshelf, in the garden – no matter how small your space, the Petite 2 radio will fit right in, and sound pretty great while doing so.

Battery life is a considerable 20 hours, and you can charge your radio up via USB-C. The Roberts also comes with a 3.5mm headphone socket so you can listen at night in peace. You can save 20 presets in total (10 x DAB/DAB+, 10 x FM), while Bluetooth pairs swiftly and with no fuss to our smartphone and laptop.

Sonically, the Petite 2 belies its compact dimensions. In our review, we said: "It’s a lively, rhythmically engaging sound that has a surprising amount of weight and punch to it, given the unit's size. The way it handles voices is a highlight, sounding clean, solid and detailed."

We're not expecting big scale or lashings of deep bass from such a petite unit, but there is ample solidity and richness to the detail, along with confident dynamics and toe-tapping rhythm to keep our attention hooked.

The Roberts radio is a well-designed, great-sounding radio that's lovely to use and listen to. For £89 at Peter Tyson, it comes highly recommended.

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Roberts has expanded its Revival range with the new Revival Uno Solar radio.

Priced at £199.99, Roberts says the portable radio has been designed for listeners who “appreciate timeless design” and “the simple pleasure of slowing down with great sound”.

The Revival Uno Solar supports DAB, DAB+ and FM radio. Up to 40 presets (20 DAB / 20 FM) allow you to store your favourite radio stations for fast access to entertainment, while Bluetooth support and a 3.5mm auxiliary input let you stream from your devices.

Additional features include two independent alarms with snooze, an adjustable sleep timer to minimise battery wastage should you nod off while listening, a 3.5mm headphone output for solo sessions and a 3.5mm stereo line-out connection.

Embodying the company’s love for the outdoors, which recently became more apparent than ever with the release of the SolarDAB 99, the Revival Uno Solar uses a built-in solar panel to supplement its rechargeable batteries, which can also be charged via mains. Roberts says the solar panel “offsets power consumption in naturally lit environments” and “doesn’t rely on direct sunlight”.

With a full charge providing up to 20 hours of portable playback and dainty dimensions of just 16.3 x 21.1 x 8cm (hwd), the Revival Uno Solar should have no trouble fitting into the packed car boot for your next camping trip.

Unlike the more rugged looking Solar DAB 99, the Revival Uno Solar embraces the classic design style associated with Roberts and is available in two finishes: duck egg and midnight blue.

The Revival Uno Solar is available now for £199.99.

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Majority has announced a new radio, and it has one feature sorely lacking from the four-star Little Shelford: a rechargeable battery.

When away form the mains, the Little Shelford relies on four AA batteries to provide 15 hours of battery life. As we commented in our review, that could soon get expensive if you're using it on the go a lot. But the Mini Shelford solves this problem with a built-in 2600mAh rechargeable unit that gives you up to 20 hours of runtime.

The Mini Shelford has a shorter, wider design than the Little, but still comes wreathed in retro styling. It too offers Bluetooth connectivity (for beaming content like playlists, podcasts and streaming services to it from your phone) and a DAB+/FM radio.

And if you don't want to go wireless, you can connect wired headphones to it using the 3.5mm socket.

There's a full colour display for showing album art and track info, and you control it using the rotary dial. Other features include a dual alarm and sleep timer.

We were impressed with what the Little Shelford offered for the price, and the Mini Shelford is only a few pounds more expensive. It goes on sale in August for £49.95 (around $67 / AU$97), and comes in Dusty Rose, Olive, Black and Cream finishes.

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The peak of summer has coincided with the World Cup this year, leaving many of us in a conundrum as to how to keep up with the games while escaping sweltering houses.

Fortunately, Roberts has thought up a solution with its latest DAB+/FM radio with Bluetooth, the SolarDAB 99, which can harness the unrelenting sunshine as a power source thanks to built-in solar panels.

But this portable radio is no fair weather friend. Designed for outdoor use, it also has an IP55 water and dust protection rating, a 20-hour rechargeable battery life and even a dynamo which can be cranked to charge the radio instantly (one minute of cranking will give you up to seven minutes of playback, mind you). In more domestic conditions, USB-C charging is also available.

The SolarDAB 99 supports DAB, DAB+ and FM radio, alongside Bluetooth audio streaming. For easy access to your preferred radio stations, Roberts has also included 40 storable presets: 20 for FM stations, 20 for DAB.

For late-night listening that won’t wake up the campsite, the radio has a 3.5mm headphone output, as well as a USB-A port for device charging. A 3.5mm auxiliary input allows you to connect your own devices to use the radio as a speaker.

The visual display includes a backlit LCD screen showing radio band selection, battery status, signal strength, station presets and alarm settings.

According to Owen Watters, CEO of Roberts Radio, "We’re seeing a real shift in how people are choosing to spend their time - more outdoors, more off-grid, more present, and with that comes a growing awareness of being prepared for the unexpected."

And prepared you will be, because the rugged SolarDAB 99 is even equipped for emergencies, with an LED flashlight, alternating red and white lights with SOS morse code, alongside an emergency siren.

With a weight of 837g and an attachable carry strap, Roberts says this radio will be able to accompany you on your travels, no matter where you end up, “from remote campsites and festival fields to garden days and emergency situations.”

The Roberts SolarDAB 99 radio is available to buy now for £150.

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Roberts Stream 219 review

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What makes a good radio? Clear sound and strong reception are fundamental, but high on the priority list should undoubtedly be ease of use. With multiple stations to access if you’ve got FM or DAB tuners, not to mention vast internet radio options and the added bonus of Bluetooth streaming in today’s digital radios, navigating your way through the multitude of options and hitting upon exactly the station you want within seconds is no mean feat.

Luckily, Roberts has some expertise in this area. The British brand has been making radios since 1932, with recent models including the network streaming-enabled Stream 94L (which is a former Award-winner) and our current favourite, the tiny but mighty Revival Petite 2.

The Roberts Stream 219 internet radio is the latest addition to the stable, and it packs in plenty of features for the £150 asking price.

Features

If you’re a radio fan, you are well catered for. FM and DAB/DAB+ tuners are included for your local stations, while you can fire up any internet radio station from around the globe thanks to the onboard wi-fi powers.

The Stream 219 has multiple buttons and dials to find your way across the numerous stations and sub-menus, and the controls feel swift and intuitive. This means scrolling through a long list of local DAB+ stations and switching between sources doesn’t take long at all, with every option labelled clearly.

You can also save up to 60 presets – 20 each for FM, DAB and internet radio – with five dedicated preset buttons available on the unit to quickly access your favourite stations. Handy.

The Stream 219 isn’t just a radio, it caters to wider listening habits as well: Spotify Connect and Bluetooth streaming are on board, and there is even a portal for podcasts.

Physical connections include a 3.5mm auxiliary input and a USB-A port, for plugging in sources like an MP3 player, or USB sticks and hard drives filled with music files (MP3 or WMA, no hi-res playback here). You can also charge your smartphone using the USB-A input. Handy.

All sources can be easily selected from the main menu, which is the small colour display on top of the Stream 219. Simply spin one of the dials to select your source, and the sub-menus will give you options to choose stations in a variety of ways – by region, popularity, genres or simply by searching for it.

All of these actions can be done by twiddling the dials and pressing the sturdy buttons, or a combination of both. It can be complex at first, but we find the actions become second nature once you’ve done them a couple of times.

If accessing the thousands of internet stations through the unit feels unwieldy, you can download the free Oktiv app for a more streamlined control from your smartphone.

In the Stream 219’s settings menu, you can set dual alarms; choose the sound quality level (we left it on high); check your network settings and software updates; set the display’s brightness levels and more. Inputting your wi-fi password will be the most laborious part of the radio’s set-up, but you’ll only need to do it once. We transported the Stream 219 between our home office and our work office, and it connected to the respective wi-fi networks with no prodding on our part.

One final bonus feature is that if you love listening to radio plays, sports coverage or the Shipping Forecast late into the night, there is a 3.5mm wired headphone port for private listening.

Build & design

The top of the radio’s unit that houses the controls, dials and 2.4-inch LCD screen is positioned at a slant, which makes it easy to access from most angles. We also found that this glassy surface is a dust magnet, so we would keep a microfibre cloth at hand for a regular clean.

The screen shows off album artwork and station logos in full colour, although the contrast weakens when viewed from an angle.

That aside, the buttons and dials feel reassuringly tactile when used. We like the physical dials for adjusting the bass and treble levels, which lets you tweak the sound on the fly, as you see fit.

The unit itself is a fairly chunky size to accommodate two 7.6cm (3-inch) full-range drivers within. We have become accustomed to Roberts’ heritage-styled radios that feature lovely leatherette coverings and wood panels, so this more minimalist, ‘modern’ look is a little bit of a departure, prioritising practicality over more luxurious details. The cabinet’s plastic build feels a little cheap to the touch, but it is a robust build overall.

The mainly mains-powered Roberts Stream 219 can also be turned into a portable radio, hence the sturdy carry handle integrated into the unit that makes it easy to carry the radio from your kitchen to the garden. You’ll just need to buy and slot six AA batteries into the back of the radio to make it portable.

Sound

The sound quality of FM/DAB radio will in part depend on your proximity to a local transmitter, and luckily we enjoy a strong reception as we test the Stream 219.

We play a variety of broadcast radio and music streams – World Cup news, Seattle's KEXP internet radio station, the No Such Things As A Fish podcast, a few hours of calming Classic FM, and our Tidal and Apple Music playlists over Bluetooth – and find ourselves getting along with the Roberts radio’s sound with ease.

The sound is clear and projected well into the room, with no sharpness or coarseness to the treble, although it starts to shine bright at higher volumes. There is no flab or undue boominess in the bass, either. Songs such as Alt-J’s Breezeblocks and The Beatles’ Come Together flow with a steady, agile rhythm, and there’s a good amount of detail when we tune into the news or start tapping along to Guy Garvey’s finest curated tracks on BBC 6 Radio.

While the radio doesn’t quite convey the wide-ranging dynamic scope of a full orchestra, or of the plunging basslines in Billie Eilish’s bad guy, there is a good amount of breathing space between instruments in the mix. Edges of notes sound tidy, and the sound projected into the room is pleasingly clean and open.

We find throughout our testing time that the midrange sounds a touch hollow, which robs voices of some natural warmth and solidity. As a result, the subtler inflections from presenters and musicians don’t come through with as much expression and subtlety as we’d like.

When so much of broadcast radio is dependent on the spoken word, this is a noticeable chink in the Stream 219’s armour. Tweaking the treble and bass levels balance the midrange somewhat, but doing so compromises other elements of the Roberts’ sound; this is where we wish there was a dial dedicated to adjusting the mids.

In comparison, the smaller, Award-winning Revival Petite 2 radio lacks the scale of its bigger brother, but it does offer a more cohesive and detailed sound that is more engaging to listen to. There’s more texture to instruments and voices, with personalities and nuances coming through with greater warmth and dexterity. Admittedly, the Petite 2 does lack the network features of the Stream 219, but there’s only £50 between the two radios.

Verdict

The Roberts Stream 219 gets full marks for its feature set and ease of use. It’s bursting at the seams with multiple music-playing options that would put some premium wireless speakers to shame and, despite the complexity, the physical controls are reliable and nice to use.

We think there’s room for improvement when it comes to sound quality, but it’s a decent performance overall. If you’re after this capable radio’s particular mix of talents at this modest price, you would be well served.

Review published: 17th June 2026

SCORES

• Sound 4
• Build 4
• Features 5

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A moment, please, for the humble radio. Not as high tech as dedicated streamers, not as audiophile as 'proper' hi-fi, radios are often overlooked, but one of the best internet radios is a fine thing to behold, and a worthy addition to any household.

Now Roberts, one of the leading names in the space, has announced two new portable models: the larger, more premium Stream 219, and the Blutune 7.

Both are stereo models, with dual 3-inch speakers, and manual controls for bass and treble. Both also have full-colour 2.4-inch LCD displays, five preset buttons, dual alarms and a sleep timer, as well as the ability to be powered by the mains or six AA batteries for listening without being tethered.

The Stream 219 (pictured above) is the more feature-rich of the two. As well as internet radio, DAB+ and FM, it offers Spotify Connect, podcasts, MP3 playback over USB and Bluetooth streaming.

You can also control it via the free Oktiv app for iOS and Android. And there's a 3.5mm headphone port for personal listening over a cabled connection.

You can store up to 60 presets (20 Internet / 20 DAB / 20 FM) for quickly finding your favourite stations. Plus, it can charge your devices via USB.

The Blutune 7 is more stripped back in its abilities. It lacks the wi-fi connection of the Stream 219, so there's no internet radio or Spotify Connect, but you do still get DAB+, FM and Bluetooth playback.

Its screen is the same size as its sibling's, but doesn't show album art. The Blutune 7 is also limited to 40 presets (20 DAB / 20 FM). It too has a 3.5mm headphone port.

Both the Stream 219 and Blutune 7 are available this month in black or white finishes. The Stream 219 costs £150 (around $200 / AU$280) and the Blutune 7 £100 (around $135 / AU$190).

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Roberts' tiny Revival Petite 2 radio is one of those products you can't help but fall in love with. It is adorably cute and small: its footprint is no bigger than an iPhone 16, it's about half the height of a Dr Pepper can, and your earbuds case will comfortably sit on top of it.

And it's lovely to listen to as well. From gentle Radio 4 programmes and BBC 6 Music tunes to your audiobooks or playlists streamed over Bluetooth, the What Hi-Fi? Award winning Petite 2 delivers everything with clarity, richness and punch that far belies its dinky dimensions.

This little DAB radio is one that I've been keeping my eye on this entire Black Friday season, hoping for a chunky discount – at least £10 or £20 off – so I could recommend it to everyone.

But as Cyber Monday starts closing in on its last hours, I must claim defeat, as the only real saving I've found on the Roberts Revival Petite 2 radio is equally tiny. Just £7.45, to be precise. You can find it for £91.55 at John Lewis, and what's even worse, this meagre saving is only on the Duck Egg finish.

All the other six finishes are available at their full price of £99, so this colourway is your only choice if you want to save a little bit of money on one of the best little DAB/FM radios with Bluetooth that you can carry around with you anywhere in the house.

And you really can plonk it everywhere: on the windowsill, at the corner of your desk, on a bedside table, on a bookshelf, in the garden, or even chuck it in your bag – no matter how small your space, the Petite 2 radio will fit anywhere.

Battery life is a considerable 20 hours, you can charge it up via USB-C, and it even comes with a 3.5mm headphone socket so you can listen at night in peace. You can save 20 presets in total (10 DAB/DAB+, 10 FM), while Bluetooth pairs swiftly and with no fuss to our smartphone and laptop.

In our review, we said: "It’s a lively, rhythmically engaging sound that has a surprising amount of weight and punch to it, given the unit's size. The way it handles voices is a highlight, sounding clean, solid and detailed."

We're not expecting big scale or lashings of deep bass from such a petite unit, but there is ample solidity and richness to the detail, along with confident dynamics and toe-tapping rhythm to keep our attention hooked.

Is it a great Cyber Monday deal? Not really. Is it a great product? Absolutely. Deal or no deal, the Roberts radio is a well-designed, great-sounding product that's lovely to use and listen to. So even if I haven't been able to find a great Black Friday/Cyber Monday deal on it, I would still wholeheartedly recommend it at full price. And you can pick the colour you want without having to restrict your choices.

If you do, however, want to save a few pennies and aren't fussed about the colours, then this titchy deal of £91.55 at John Lewis and at Amazon is worth a gander.

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Cyber Monday quick links

• Amazon: browse all of today's best deals
• B&W speakers: save £200
• Bluetooth speaker: 48% off five-star JBL
• Bose QC Ultra Earbuds: save £100
• Bravia 8 TV: save 34% on 55in Sony TV
• Denon AV receiver: save £500
• Dolby Atmos soundbar: down to £299
• ELAC Debut 2: five-star speakers now £199
• Headphones: Sennheiser Momentum 4 now £169
• LG C5 55-inch: lowest-ever price at Richer Sounds
• JBL soundbar: now better than half price
• John Lewis: £500 off LG and Sony OLED TVs
• Richer Sounds: browse Black Friday deals
• Sevenoaks: £150 off Award-winning speakers
• Sony headphones: now just £29
• Stereo amplifier: Cambridge Audio now £299
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Roberts likes a radio beginning with the letter ‘R’. There’s the Revival, the Rambler, the Reunion, and even an alarm-clocked shaped radio called the Rest – it’s Jonathan Ross’s worst nightmare.

The Roberts Reva continues said tradition, but unlike its stablemates, we’re not quite sure what that moniker actually signifies. A quick Google search reveals that Reva is a female name of Sanskrit origin that means "one that moves”, although that’s a touch confusing considering that this categorically is not a portable radio. In Hebrew the name can refer to a rain or shower, whereas in Swedish, it means a split, tear or rift.

Nominative conundrums aside, the Reva fills an attractive niche in the radio market. Below it is the tiny Roberts Revival Petite 2 (£100 or so), while more premium specimens, such as the superb Ruark Audio R1S, are available if you’re willing to spend around £300.

At £199, this Roberts DAB radio sits nicely between the two, making it a tempting proposition if you seek considerable radio pedigree that, while not cheap as chips, won’t leave you penniless, either. Plus, if performance is up to snuff, Reva might well come to mean “radio we recommend”.

Build & design

One of the major selling points of almost any Roberts digital radio is its design, and the Reva is no different in this regard. Its substantial trapezoidal form won’t necessarily appeal to potential buyers who can’t resist the cutesy charms of the small, adorable Revival Petite 2, let’s say, but there’s no denying just what an attractive and well-realised product the Reva is when placed on a kitchen counter or bedside table.

The mid-sized radio comes in a choice of three finishes – Cherry, Pastel Cream or Black – with our test sample decked out in that black finish with a classy metallic trim, giving off a calm, almost brooding elegance. If wireless speakers are too utilitarian for your tastes, the snazzy looking Reva may well appeal to your more artistic eye.

Style, happily, is married seamlessly with ergonomics, making the Reva a pleasure to use. The rectangular digital display is bold and easy to read from afar, displaying the time and date if left in standby mode and then switching to key track or station specifics when called into action.

Flanking that display are two metal-fronted dials, with the left-hand dial taking care of volume and its right-hand counterpart used for selecting inputs and adjusting tuning. Running in a row beneath are Mode, Dimmer, Alarm, Info/Menu and Mode buttons, as well as a power switch adorned with a slender horizontal LED.

The text on those buttons could be a touch easier to discern, but that shouldn’t be an issue for the majority of users.

We’re always looking for a way to catch a test product out, or scanning for ways it could, inversely, catch out a prospective user, but we struggled to find a task that wasn’t easy to execute via the Reva. Setting presets is easy to perform (you can have up to 40 – 20 for DAB, 20 for FM), as is finding your favourite radio station, pairing a source device via Bluetooth or setting either one of the radio’s dual alarms.

It’s the little touches, though, that make using the Reva a real delight. The LED surrounding the source dial, for instance, changes colour depending on which input you select, moving from a tasteful blue glow when pairing via Bluetooth to a rich red when selecting FM radio.

The volume control, meanwhile, is adorned with a ring of individual lights which are illuminated as you move the dial from sensible to ear-splitting. Those control dials have weight to them as they turn, while the metal used for the buttons beneath feels more rewarding than any cheap plastic alternative.

Features

As you’ll likely have gathered already, Roberts’ handsome radio does a good deal more than just read out the shipping forecast. Standard DAB/DAB+ and FM radio tuners are joined by Bluetooth streaming from a compatible source, and if you like to keep things a bit old school, you can always use the rear-mounted 3.5mm aux input to connect external devices physically.

The Reva is fitted with two dual alarms with snooze functions, as well as an adjustable sleep timer to set, when the Reva will automatically power down. When you consider that lots of users will have their radio playing in the background as they drift off to sleep, that’s not a bad facility to have.

Perhaps even more useful for modern users is the Reva’s USB-C port which, as you might find on a JBL Charge 6, say, is capable of juicing up your smartphone or other compatible device without the need for an in-wall power outlet. You can’t play music from the USB-C port – that’s the gap the aux is filling – so owners of more modern smartphones may need to dig out an adapter or rely on Bluetooth instead.

You also get a 3.5mm headphone socket if private listening is your thing, with the Reva offering a solid on-head performance that correlates with the speaker’s general sonic performance.

Sound

If you’re planning on getting your paws on a Roberts Reva, you will get quite a lot of radio for your £199. It’s a reasonably large unit, dwarfing the more expensive Ruark R1S by a considerable margin.

With that size comes a decent helping of power (a total output of 15 watts), something which the Reva harnesses to considerable effect. Even if this isn’t the subtlest performer you’ll ever encounter, it has plenty of clout, especially at the lower end, bringing the bassy brawn when tracks require it. The Reva suffuses music with spaciousness and weight, anchored by a hefty, powerful bass that grants tracks plenty of musical authority.

We don’t feel starved of detail or clarity, either. At this level, Roberts’ retro radio is able to tease out admirable levels of information, with voices in particular coming through with poise and precision. Human speech over the airwaves is clear and articulate as we switch from the soothing sanctuary of Classic FM to the more anarchic indie rockers over on Radio X.

When it’s time to crank things up a notch, the Reva has enough attack and propulsion – it’s not quite a ravenous Rottweiler, but this Roberts is no pampered Poodle, either. Muse’s You Make Me Feel Like It’s Halloween offers an effective blend of snappy drum rhythms and zippy synth stabs, whereas Dr. Dre’s Forget About Dre is big, bold and easy to nod along to.

What’s interesting about the Reva is that many of its greatest strengths could also be classed as its more frustrating limitations. We’re never afraid of a bit of burly bass, but the Reva radio can get a little carried away in this regard, with that lower end riding the line between being fulsome and weighty and just downright boomy. A touch more articulation and refinement, we feel, wouldn’t go amiss.

Further, the sound the Reva produces is admirably spacious and open, but those qualities slightly come at the expense of overall cohesion. Sometimes, the music from the radio can sound slightly mechanical and pulled apart, as though sonic elements are working distinctly from one another rather than all coming together to form a unified, cohesive whole.

Despite its many admirable qualities, the Reva overall lacks the fluidity and subtlety to make it a five-star listen, shortcomings that we find are highlighted when we listen to the admittedly more expensive Ruark R1S in comparison, where everything feels as though it clicks more neatly into place. The R1S is smaller and leaner, yes, but it’s also more graceful, cohesive and natural sounding – elements that we wish the Reva had a little bit more of for a fully satisfying listen.

That said, the Reva is still a fun, rewarding listen, and if you want a radio that sounds full-bodied, spacious and pleasingly detailed, Roberts has fulfilled that brief confidently.

Verdict

The Roberts Reva has unquestionable allure. It’s versatile, a pleasure to use and fills a nice gap in the radio market, all while delivering a performance that, while not the most refined or fluid, has enough power and scale to make it eminently listenable at this price level.

As a convincing blend of style and substance, it’s a fine addition to the Roberts family.

Review published: 12th November 2025

SCORES

• Sound 4
• Build 5
• Features 5

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Also consider the Roberts Revival Petite 2

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Pure has expanded its Classic range with three fresh additions that blend vintage aesthetics with contemporary audio features.

The new products – the Classic H6 stereo radio, Classic C-D4 CD player/radio, and Classic Stereo Mini micro hi-fi system – join the recently launched Classic Aura speaker to complete the manufacturer's retro-inspired audio collection.

The Classic lineup pairs traditional wood-effect finishes with modern connectivity options, with each model available in either Cotton White and Oak or Coffee Brown and Walnut colour options.

Kicking off with the £150 Classic H6 (pictured above), it delivers 30W total output via dual 3-inch full-range drivers, each powered by a dedicated 15W amplifier.

The stereo radio supports DAB+ and FM broadcasts, with capacity for 80 station presets split evenly between both bands.

Bluetooth 5.3 handles wireless streaming, while USB-A and 3.5mm auxiliary inputs provide wired connection options.

A 2.4-inch colour TFT display also serves up album artwork and station information, and a remote control is supplied for good measure.

Elsewhere, Pure has incorporated dual alarms, a sleep timer, and kitchen-timer functionality into the unit, which also features a telescopic antenna for reception.

At the same price point, the Classic C-D4 combines CD playback with DAB+/FM radio in a space-conscious design.

The all-in-one speaker houses a single upward-facing 3-inch driver delivering 15W output in mono configuration. Like the H6, it offers 80 radio presets (40 DAB+, 40 FM), and includes Bluetooth 5.3, USB and aux connectivity.

The 2.4-inch colour display and remote control mirror the H6's interface, with dual alarms, snooze, and sleep timer features also present.

The range-topping Classic Stereo Mini (£280) steps up to true stereo separation with twin 20W speakers incorporating 4-inch woofers.

The micro hi-fi system handles CD playback alongside DAB+/FM radio, offering 20 presets per band, rather than the 40 found on its siblings.

Bluetooth 5.3 streaming joins USB and auxiliary inputs, with a headphone output unlocking private listening sessions.

The system also includes an equaliser with presets, and shares the 2.4-inch colour display and remote control found across the range.

We have yet to put any of the new models through their paces, but if you don't feel the need to wait for full reviews, you’ll be pleased to hear that they can be snapped up from today, directly from Pure.

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• These are the best DAB radios money can buy

This is quite the steal! We've been keeping our eye on the price of the Award-winning Roberts Revival Petite 2 for quite some time, but it rarely goes far below its £100 launch price tag.

Luckily, though, this five-star radio has dropped to an impressive price at last. You can pick it up from John Lewis for £80 today.

Offering lively sound, plus a range of handy features, this is a deal well worth a second look.

If you're after a super-portable DAB radio that looks great, sounds better and does a lot more than you might expect, the Award-winning Roberts Revival Petite 2 is not hard to recommend.

Its meagre footprint is roughly the size of an iPhone or a soft drink can, meaning you can put it pretty much anywhere you like. Perched on a kitchen countertop, popped onto a windowsill, tucked into a shelf or just plonked on your desk as you work, the Roberts looks at home wherever it goes.

Give the Roberts a decent home and your reward will be clear, smooth sound that's far better than a radio of this size has any right to be.

As we said in our Roberts Revival Petite 2 review, "It’s a lively, rhythmically engaging sound that has a surprising amount of weight and punch to it, given the unit's size. The way it handles voices is a highlight, sounding clean, solid and detailed".

The (almost) pocket-sized unit offers a hefty 20 hours of battery life, while an expanded feature set means the Revival Petite 2 does a lot more than just fire out Radio 1.

You can stream your own playlists from your smartphone via Bluetooth, play podcasts, listen to live sports and talk radio, while there's a 3.5mm headphone port if you want to get up close and personal with your tunes.

We've tested the radio in its handsome Midnight Blue finish, but the deal above is just for the Deep Red colourway. Check it out at John Lewis with 20% off before stock runs out.

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Roberts continues its retro vibe with the Reva DAB+ radio and Bluetooth speaker

Roberts has revealed the latest addition to its considerable radio roster, the Revival Mini 2. Roberts says that the original Revival Mini is one of the brand's most popular products, citing a huge demand for its comeback as part of the push behind the reimagining of one of its "most beloved radios".

The new Revival Mini 2 promises to blend "timeless 1950s styling" with user-friendly portability, along with refinements to the design and sound. The DAB radio aims to deliver a "detailed, balanced sound" with talk radio and music, which comes courtesy of its improved acoustic performance.

We're told the drive unit in the Revival Mini 2 was carefully selected by Roberts' in-house engineering team, after hours of listening and careful tuning and EQ adjustments. Roberts says the Mini 2 should deliver a more open and balanced sound compared with its predecessor.

The compact radio features DAB, DAB+, and FM tuners, with stations being reproduced in "crystal-clear quality" – provided you get a strong signal, of course.

The Revival Mini 2 lets you store up to 40 station presets (20 DAB and 20 FM), which makes jumping to your favourite stations quick and easy. You can access these presets using three buttons on the top panel.

Bluetooth streaming is also available for streaming music, podcasts and more from your mobile device, and there's also a 3.5mm aux input if you want to plug in your source device via a wired connection. There's also a 3.5mm headphone jack for late-night private listening.

The Mini 2's top panel interface has had a fresh redesign, with a new colour LCD screen displaying information such as the current time, source, station and track being played. Roberts promises an intuitive experience with the updated design when playing music or setting alarms, while the top-mounted buttons manage commands such as mode, menu and alarm selection. There are also two dials for controlling volume and tuning or selecting radio stations.

The radio runs on mains power, but you can make it portable by using four AA batteries, with up to 11 hours of battery life claimed. There is also a built-in battery recharger.

The Roberts Revival Mini 2 is available now in three "leatherette" finishes – Duck Egg, Pastel Cream and Midnight Blue – and costs £149.

While we haven't reviewed the original Revival Mini, we have plenty of experience with other Roberts radios, such as the bigger, five-star Stream 94L, and the tiny, Award-winning Revival Petite 2 – both of which impressed us with their style, user-friendliness and great sound. If the Revival Mini 2 can showcase similar talents, Roberts could be on to another winner.

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In a world full of boxy tech, Roberts has decided to launch the retro-tastic Reva: a DAB+ radio with Bluetooth streaming, which visually stands out from the crowd.

Essentially a trapezium cabinet with soft, rounded corners, Roberts describes the Reva radio as its “most luxurious radio to date,” promising audio performance to match its looks. It will be available in Black Leatherette, Pastel Cream Leatherette and Cherry Wood finishes.

On the business end, the Reva’s 2.2kg body packs in a combination of a 3.5-inch woofer and 1.5-inch tweeter, housed in a ported bass enclosure design, all of which promises to deliver a “rich and vibrant sound” – though you’ll have to wait for our full review to confirm it meets the mark.

The Reva supports DAB, DAB+, and FM radio tuners, with capacity for saving 40 station presets (20 FM, 20 DAB). It also has a dot-matrix LCD screen for displaying station information and track details, with five brightness settings at your disposal.

You can also stream music from your favourite app thanks to Bluetooth connectivity, with the standard SBC and AAC codecs supported.

Practical features include adjustable equaliser settings, adjustable sleep timer for those who enjoy falling asleep to radio plays, and dual alarm functionality with snooze options, allowing separate wake-up times for weekdays and weekends.

Around the back, you'll find a 3.5mm headphone jack for private listening, a 3.5mm aux input to plug in MP3 players or other audio devices, and a USB-C port for charging your smartphone.

Available for £199 in the UK, the new Roberts Reva will be available directly from Roberts Radio from 8th September, with John Lewis stores and online availability following on 22nd September.

That price point slots it firmly in between two five-star radios: Roberts’ tiny Roberts Revival Petite 2 (£100) and the Ruark Audio R1S (£299), both of which are current What Hi-Fi? Award winners. Stay tuned to see how the new Reva matches up against its peers.

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It's around this time of year when kids go back to school and, usually a few weeks later, students head off to university. Whether it's your first time going to college or you're a seasoned veteran about to tackle your PhD in ancient Nordic runes or the effects the seed drill had on 18th-century agricultural practices, you're going to need the right audio gear to enhance your studies and, more importantly, give you a break from them.

Most students naturally won't want to spend a huge amount of money, so we've whittled down the products we feel offer the best value for music-loving students seeking great sound that won't have them living off leftover beans and stale bread for the next semester. There's a nice variety here, too, from wired headphones to wireless earbuds and even a dinky DAC to boost your smartphone or laptop's sound quality.

To everyone heading off to university: good luck, work hard... and always make time for your music!

JBL Flip 7 Bluetooth speaker

No self-respecting uni student can go without a Bluetooth speaker, it's just the law. We're not saying they're the last word in sound quality, but their convenience, portability and affordability make them the ideal choice if you've got mates round for pre-drinks and need a quick way of getting the tunes firing.

We've got the JBL Flip 7 (£130 / $150 / AU$170) as our top pick here, owing to its appealing balance of sonic punch and overall affordability. If you want something bigger and bolder, the JBL Charge 6 is a worthwhile companion that will go louder and prouder, but note that it will cost you a bit more cash at around £170 / $199 / AU$200.

For most students, the easily portable Flip 7 will do the job. It sounds dynamic and exciting, even when reaching its surprisingly loud max volume, it looks fun and funky, and it is durable and robust enough to be taken outdoors and survive rain, dirt and bumps.

Plus, with Auracast sharing, you can hook it up with your mates' compatible Bluetooth speakers, while around 14 hours of playtime will keep you partying until the sun comes up.

Read our full JBL Flip 7 review

Sony WF-C710N wireless earbuds

We know that schools and universities can be rather cliquey places, and that many of your contemporaries will likely be sporting the latest pair of pristine white AirPods as a signifier of their social status.

If you're after genuine value, though, we'd steer you towards the mighty Sony WF-C710N. There are plenty of budget buds on the market, but ignore them: the C710N deliver genuinely satisfying noise-cancelling, comfort and sonic chops for the money and leave the rest in the dust. These buds are our top pick for most people, most of the time, especially if you can catch them at a regular discount.

Their design is bold and comfortable (that transparent finish is great), while their noise-cancelling is excellent for the price paid. Plus, they really are some of the most entertaining, balanced and musical earbuds you can buy for under £100 / $120, so you'll never be bored as you hunker down for a long study session or during your journey to lectures.

Read our full Sony WF-C710N review

Qobuz Student streaming subscription

If you're serious about high-quality music, French music streaming service Qobuz is a much better shout than Spotify's more mainstream waters. It offers CD-quality sound and above, so it will be a far better audio stream than Spotify's MP3 quality. And at just £4.99 per month for students, it's something of a bargain, undercutting the £5.99 per month of Spotify's ever-popular student tier.

You don't need high-end gear for Qobuz to sound better, though you will really notice the benefit of its impressive catalogue of hi-res tunes if you're rocking a solid set of wired headphones, say. If you do have such a pair (might we suggest the Røde NTH-100, below?), then a hi-res streaming service such as Qobuz will elevate your listening beyond what the likes of Spotify can muster.

This isn't a limited catalogue of obscure Belgian jungle or avant-garde jazz, either. Qobuz has come on leaps and bounds in the last few years, with a clean interface that highlights new music, human-curated playlists and recommendations, and clear, detailed, refined sound.

Qobuz has become a genuine alternative to the more popular Apple Music, Spotify and Tidal services, offering plenty of hi-res music and latest album drops, and it even has a download store where you can purchase high-quality album files to keep forever.

Read our full Qobuz review

iFi Go Link Max DAC

Unless they're studying sound engineering or music, most of your contemporaries probably won't know what a DAC is. Frankly, that's their loss.

As a way of boosting your laptop or smartphone-based performance when using headphones, and for a reasonably small pile of cash, a DAC (combined with headphone amplifier) is a small superweapon in your musical arsenal. The iFi Go Link Max is particularly small, with the same sort of dimensions as a standard USB stick, but it's capable of giving your desktop music a real shot in the arm.

With support for hi-res audio playback up to 32-bit/384kHz, the iFi can be plugged into smartphones, laptops or portable musical players courtesy of its USB-C, Lightning and USB-A connections.

You'll certainly notice the results of your Spotify or Netflix streams if you use wired headphones, with the DAC offering a powerful boost in quality beyond what your laptop or smartphone is capable of.

Adding detail and clarity, not to mention perceptible new levels of space and openness, it's a great buy for enjoying music and videos for a pretty small price of £79 / $79 / AU$139.

Read our full iFi Go Link Max review

Røde NTH-100 wired headphones

If you're a student reading this, you might not realise just how much better wired headphones sound over their wireless counterparts. Wireless earbuds and headphones have taken massive leaps in the past ten years, but a wired connection is still the way to go if you truly care about sound – it's simply a far better way of transmitting the audio signal without any data loss.

Don't worry if you're confused about cost permutations, sound profiles, open-back versus closed-back designs, or over vs on-ears – we just have one piece of advice: just get the Røde NTH-100 wired headphones.

Why? Because, put simply, these over-ear headphones sound great without costing a packet. At this price, only the Austrian Audio Hi-X20 (£120 / $150 / AU$250) really come close, but for us, the Award-winning Rødes offer stunning sound-per-pound value.

They're eloquent and musical, with a real flair for revealing the essential character of your music, no matter the genre or style. Their sturdy, comfortable design with Alcantara earpads make them easy to wear, too, as minutes of listening turn to hours. Highly recommend.

Read our full Røde NTH-100 review

Roberts Revival Petite 2 radio

It might feel a bit retro to recommend a radio in this day and age, but hear us out. While the JBL Flip 7 Bluetooth speaker is a crowd pleaser, the Roberts Revival Petite 2 DAB radio for under £100 is an adorable, lovely-to-use design that will be your companion throughout your time studying.

Its tiny footprint is about the size of an iPhone (smaller than a current iPhone 16), and can be placed in the kitchen while you cook up a pasta bake, or you can pop it on a windowsill, a shelf or on the desk in your room – it's small enough to be placed literally anywhere.

And it will reward you not only with clear, smooth sound, but also with its cute, stylish looks that's available in a variety of fun colours. It's not just a DAB/FM radio, either – it also has Bluetooth, a headphone port and a hefty 20 hours of battery life.

It really does sound great for its size. There's solidity and weight to the music, with voices sounding clear, natural and full of personality. You won't get a lot of bass from such a small unit, but what bass there is comes over as well judged and nicely controlled. It simply sounds fun.

You can stream your own playlists from your smartphone via Bluetooth, play podcasts, listen to live sports and talk radio, or you can let experienced radio DJs regale you with curated tracks – it's a great way to discover new music without relying on AI algorithms.

Read our full Roberts Revival Petite 2 review

Ruark MR1 Mk3 powered desktop speakers

If you really are serious about music and you have a bit more cash to splash for your sound system (£399 / $579 / AU$899), we can't recommend the five-star Ruark MR1 Mk3 enough.

These are beautifully designed compact desktop speakers with amplification and Bluetooth built in, meaning you can easily stream your favourite songs directly from your phone or laptop. You can plug a CD player or TV into its aux/optical input, too. There's no separate amplification needed – and it is a genuine (and stylish) modern alternative to a hi-fi stereo system.

One of the major selling points of the MR1 Mk3 is that they have a built-in phono stage, which means you can plug a turntable directly into the speakers. No extra boxes needed. If you have been swept up in the popular vinyl craze, the MR1 Mk3 will play ball beautifully.

They sound hugely powerful, punchy and dynamic at the best of times, but their built-in phono stage is their trump card, vastly outshining that of the similarly priced Elac Debut ConneX DCB41 rival when listening to records.

However you choose to use them, the MR1 Mk3 are compact, versatile desktop speakers that deliver rich detail, superb rhythmic drive and powerful bass that's vastly superior to average computer speakers. If your budget stretches that far, these Ruark speakers are worth investing in – they will last you beyond your entire stint at college.

Read our full Ruark MR1 Mk3 review

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If you fancy ditching your phone alarm for something a little more traditional, then the new Roberts Radio Ortus 5 radio might catch your eye.

A compact bedside DAB/FM radio with a contemporary design, it's quite a departure, visually, from the retro designs we normally see with Roberts radios.

On the features front, however, the Ortus 5 is packed to the brim. It features DAB/DAB+ and FM tuners along with Bluetooth connectivity for easy streaming from your devices.

The full-colour LCD display includes dimming options for night-time use, while physical connectivity stretches to an auxiliary input and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

There’s also a USB port for charging your smart devices, along with radio presets for 20 stations. Neat.

And yes, there’s a giant snooze button for those who have the luxury of lying in.

The Ortus 5 houses a front-firing driver paired with a rear bass port, which Roberts claims delivers great sound quality suitable for music, talk shows, and podcasts, despite the unit's compact dimensions.

Small enough for bedside tables, kitchen counters, and crammed shelves, the Ortus 5 is equipped with alarm functionality that includes dual wake-up settings with multiple source options, including FM, DAB, or buzzer alerts.

Physical slide switches control the alarm settings, and there’s also a sleep function for those who want to drift off to the dulcet tones of their favourite presenter.

While we haven't tested the Ortus 5 yet, we have heard plenty of strong performers from Roberts to suggest an optimistic listen.

The tiny Revival Petite 2, for example, earned a well-deserved five stars in our review for its blend of style, size and performance, along with a 2024 Awards-winning accolade to boot. The Roberts Stream 94L performed equally well with its array of features for the money, with five stars and a 2023 Award under its belt too.

If you fancy a touch of the old school analogue wireless with a dash of modern smarts (minus any internet streaming), then the Roberts Ortus 5 radio is available now for £100.

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Streaming amplifiers are always a compromise. They have to combine amplification, DAC, preamp, multiple wireless streaming protocols and support for dozens of different music apps – all in one box. To make all these elements work seamlessly and deliver a great sound is a hard task.

Ruark Audio, however, has decades of experience in combining multiple functions in one box, to great success.

From powered desktop speakers with Bluetooth (MR1 Mk2), smart radios with streaming features (R1S, R2 Mk4) and all-in-one music systems (R410) – Ruark has already proven it can juggle multiple features while delivering great sound, stylish design and ease of use.

The Ruark Audio R610 streaming amplifier, then, should be a walk in the park, shouldn’t it?

Build & design

Unusually for a Ruark product, the R610 doesn’t include any speaker elements. It’s all electronics.

Inside, the R610 features Class D amplification with 75 watts of power per channel, and a Burr Brown DAC that supports hi-res files up to 32-bit/384kHz.

High-quality components are used, as well as a switch mode power supply that delivers efficient and optimised power to the system. It even sports a moving magnet phono stage, while the streaming platform is identical to the one we experienced in the five-star R410 all-in-one system.

Not unusually for a Ruark product, the R610 looks stunning. A classy design with a high standard of build quality, this “music console” (as Ruark calls it) wouldn’t look out of place in any interior.

The handcrafted slatted wood grilles and metal details on the front – also seen in fellow R100 series products, including the matching Sabre-R speakers – are elegant, and the whole unit is beautifully made.

The large, five-inch, full colour TFT display screen is gorgeous to behold – clear, informative, easy to read and use, with good contrast for displaying album covers.

It’s not a touchscreen interface, but it gives the R610 that harmonious balance of modern and retro aesthetics in either of its two finish options.

The compact footprint is also appealing. Coupled with the Sabre-R speakers that you can buy as a bundle, it is well-suited to smaller spaces.

The R610 is topped off with Ruark’s iconic RotoDial controller, a design which is also mimicked in the separate remote control you get in the box. This identical RotoDial handheld remote fits particularly neatly into our palms and is a well-designed, tactile way to use the R610.

Even better, it connects to the main unit via Bluetooth, not infrared, meaning you don’t need to have a direct line of sight to the unit to control it.

It takes a while to get used to all the icons and what each button does, but once you familiarise yourself with all the functions, it’s all plain sailing.

The buttons are swift and work smoothly, and the circular dial makes it very intuitive to scroll through all the sources and menu options.

Another great touch from Ruark is that a pair of 3m speaker cables are included in the box. This is unusual but wholly welcome – we don't normally see such premium-looking speaker cables included with a product.

It makes setting up your system, especially if this is your first hi-fi set-up and you aren’t au fait with traditional separates, quicker and easier as you don’t have to shop separately for speaker cables (which can start to get expensive).

The cables are nicely braided, are terminated with banana plugs and work well. This does also offer a good upgrade path as the R610’s performance did improve when we swapped them for a step-up set of speaker cables.

Features & connectivity

The R610 streaming amplifier is bursting at the seams with features. In terms of wireless streaming, all the popular protocols and latest apps are supported.

We started testing the R610 when Qobuz Connect launched in May, and the new feature worked without a hitch. Tidal Connect and Spotify Connect are also on the menu, as is support for Amazon Music and Deezer.

You can also opt to stream from your smart device using AirPlay 2, Chromecast or Bluetooth (connection is swift and simple), while DLNA and UPnP compatibility means you’ll be able to play through your digital music collection stored on media servers or NAS devices on the same network.

We tried both wi-fi and wired Ethernet connections, and they proved stable throughout our testing duration.

The Ruark R610 wears its radio heritage proudly, with FM and DAB/DAB+ radio tuners included alongside the usual internet radio stations. There is even built-in support for the BBC Sounds app.

You can save up to 20 presets on the R610, making your favourite playlists and stations easier to access.

It’s worth noting at this point that there is no dedicated app here. This is unusual for a streaming amplifier, but the Ruark R610 is perfectly usable without one.

If using Qobuz, Tidal, Apple Music or BBC Sounds, the native app serves as your natural playback controller, while the R610 auto-senses if you want to stream via the Connect mode or AirPlay, for instance.

It’s when dealing with large music libraries that a tablet or smartphone interface feels necessary, so a third-party app such as M-Connect is recommended.

The R610 also isn’t laden with myriad settings and customisation options, as offered on the BluOS or WiiM streaming platform – so there isn’t much need for an app, really.

The R610’s menu settings are simple and offer straightforward options that are easy to select with the physical control buttons.

Ruark has also confirmed to us that new features should be added in October, which include the ability to hide sources that you don’t use, alarm clock functionality, and support for Bluetooth headphones playback.

That’s it for the streaming side, but the R610 also packs plenty of physical connections. There is a rather good moving magnet phono stage for your turntable, an HDMI ARC input for connecting to TVs, along with digital optical and RCA analogue inputs.

There is also a UBC-C input that supports audio playback; this is also where you would plug in Ruark’s dedicated R-CD100 CD drive.

We didn’t have the R-CD100 at hand, but we used our reference Cyrus CDi CD player with both analogue and optical inputs, and our Rega Planar 3 RS Edition turntable was connected to the phono input as part of our listening.

The only hiccup we encountered during testing was when the two analogue inputs didn’t make a sound at first. A factory reset fixed this problem promptly, and we haven’t had any issues with the analogue section since.

Sound

We start our R610 testing by connecting it to our reference Epos ES-7N standmount speakers, and we're met with a smooth, spacious and open sound.

It’s a dynamic and detailed presentation, allowing high frequencies to soar while keeping basslines in check. There is ample punch and impact to the low end, while a taut and agile sense of rhythm gets us fully in the groove of the song being played.

The bite and shine in the sharper edges of Fontaines D.C.’s Starburster is crisp and full of attitude, but it never sounds thin or harsh.

There is textural depth and body to the cello and piano in Agnes Obel’s The Curse, while the soundscape is layered. The R610 delivers a pleasing breadth of scale as orchestral pieces ebb and flow, with the sense of build-up towards a rousing crescendo coming through with a good amount of drama and weight.

We play through a little bit of everything from ’60s Dusty Springfield to ’70s Bowie, ’90s grunge rock to modern shiny pop, and the R610 takes it all in stride.

Piano notes glide across fluidly but with enough intent when fingertips hit ivory; Outkast’s frenetic energy in B.O.B. is relayed with verve and propulsive momentum; voices are conveyed with clarity and dynamic subtlety.

In terms of speaker matching, we do get a sense that the R610 is holding back a touch with our reference pair; that it isn’t sounding quite as free and lively as we would expect.

We swap our Epos speakers for the mid-priced Bowers & Wilkins 606 S3 – all of the R610’s positive qualities still remain, but this combination still sounds rather reserved.

It isn’t until we plug in the Ruark Sabre-R speakers that the R610 truly shines.

The R610 comes to life now. There is a greater spring in its step, the mid to high frequencies have greater shine and sweetness, and we notice a clear step up in rhythmic agility and fluidity.

Vocals in particular sound far more immediate and natural – you can hear greater nuance in the emotion and inflections in voices when listening through the Sabre-R speakers.

Overall, it’s a more engaging and dynamic sound. The Sabre-R speakers are clearly tuned to match the R610, so it makes sense that they sound their best when paired together.

Our dedicated Sabre-R review goes into greater detail about these small speakers, but don’t be deterred by their four-star rating – they and the R610 fit together like two pieces of a puzzle. They flow together in perfect harmony, highlighting each other’s strengths and delivering a cohesive performance.

If you are considering buying the R610, then the Sabre-R should be considered its most natural pairing.

If space is tight and you need an even smaller pair of speakers, then the titchy Neat Iota II are a good fit – their energy and dynamism suit the R610 well, although they’re perhaps not quite as refined as the Ruark pairing.

Luckily, you can buy the Sabre-R and R610 as a bundle in the UK, while you can purchase them separately in other territories.

The Sabre-R speakers cost £699, so together with R610, the total system will set you back £1899. We just wish there was a little discount when you bought the pair as a bundle.

Elsewhere, the R610’s sound is consistent throughout the various source inputs. The built-in phono stage is of decent quality, which isn’t always a guarantee in streaming amplifiers. We would recommend the Rega Planar 2/Nd3 or Pro-Ject Debut Evo 2 as good options for the R610.

The streaming amplifier is sympathetic to different recording qualities but doesn’t make too much of a fuss about it, either. It conveys hi-res albums streamed from our Naim server with the same care and attention as with lossy Bluetooth streams from an iPhone.

Regardless of how you listen, the R610 doesn’t rob you of experiencing the shifting mood and feel of a song. Ruark simply tries to deliver the music as authentically as possible, so we can enjoy the core intent of the music.

For this type of product, which juggles so many different jobs, it’s a very capable performer. The R610 is a clear step up in performance over the Award-winning Technics SA-C600 (now available for around £760).

There are many streaming amplifiers across the price ranges that get close to offering great performance alongside ample features and specifications, but can’t quite hit the spot in every aspect.

With the R610, Ruark makes it look – and sound – easy. There is an effortless quality with which it delivers music, especially when paired with the Ruark Sabre-R speakers, that is wonderfully pleasing to listen to.

Verdict

If you want a substantial step up that gets closer to the sound of separates hi-fi, we would recommend the pricier Naim Uniti Atom (£2300 / $3799 / AU$5750).

But the Ruark R610 streaming amplifier is a fine example of what can be accomplished in such a compact, multi-faceted form, and at this price.

The R610 is a gorgeous piece of design, it’s lovely to use and however you listen to music – vinyl, streaming, CD, radio – it delivers an engaging, convincing performance.

Review published: 27th June 2025

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Features 5
• Build 5

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Sometimes, all you want is something that does the job. In a world that seems to get smarter, faster and more bewildering by the day, there’s still a place for the simpler things in life.

Nobody is denying the convenience of multi-channel streaming or voice-activated smart home hubs, but there’s an old-school charm to a classic, no-nonsense DAB radio that, when it isn’t dodging splatters of paint from hard working builders, can sit in the corner of the kitchen happily pumping out Radio 1.

Named after a small village in Cambridgeshire, UK, Majority’s Little Shelford is charged with such a purpose. Billed as a portable, affordable and hassle-free FM and DAB radio, it could be ideal for anyone who just wants a fuss-free digital radio that will have you riding the airwaves at the touch of a button.

Build & design

Considering the low price of £45, the Little Shelford is a smart and well-made unit. No, it’s not as adorable, stylish or well-built as the dinky Roberts Revival Petite 2 (which is double the price at £100), but the standards of construction and finish don’t have us worrying that the buttons will start malfunctioning or the extendable antenna will snap in half if you so much as look at it.

Be it the stitching of the leather carry strap or the tactility of the metal front grille, there’s little here that stands out as being poorly finished or potentially susceptible to breaks or wear.

That carry strap adds to the Shelford’s portability credentials, but considering no IP waterproof rating is provided with the unit, we’d steer clear of taking it outside unless the skies are clear and the garden hose is switched off.

If we’re being less charitable, the speaker’s top panel isn’t made from a particularly premium-feeling plastic, and those control buttons don’t set the heart aflutter when pushed.

Still, everything is easy to use and logically laid out, with a top-mounted LCD display that’s easy to read and nicely illuminated if you’re using your radio in low light. You’d be pushing your luck asking for much more at this price.

The radio is compact and light enough to easily carry with you indoors and outdoors, and looks at home perched on a kitchen counter or on a desk.

The top panel of the Little Shelford houses a centrally mounted control dial flanked by buttons for skipping playback, a dimmer switch and controls managing radio modes and presets alongside a handy information button.

At the rear base, meanwhile, you’ll find a power port sitting alongside a 3.5mm headphone jack, as well as a rather cheap-feeling slideable on/off switch.

Features

For a low-cost modern radio, the Little Shelford has enough tricks up its sleeve to keep us satisfied. Standard Bluetooth connectivity is a big plus, and getting connected to the Little Shelford is a breeze. Choosing Bluetooth as your source will automatically prime the Majority to pair, whereas saved devices will easily re-establish a connection by revisiting the radio’s Bluetooth mode.

The Little Shelford will plug into the mains, but you can also take the portable radio on your travels with you thanks to a solid 15-hour battery life. In what feels like an anachronism in these days of built-in power packs, the back of the radio houses a rear panel into which you can slot four AA batteries for portable playback.

It’s a useful feature, but given the potential cost of replacing four AA batteries a week, you might end up spending more than you’d bargained for if you’re planning to regularly use your radio as a portable companion. A pack of 12 Duracell AA batteries will set you back £12 in the UK, and those numbers can easily ratchet up if you’re not careful.

Let’s not forget that this is primarily a radio that we’re dealing with. The Majority offers FM and DAB/DAB+ tuners, with ten presets for saving your favourite stations available at the press and hold of a button.

You can also set dual alarms via the ‘info’ button, and though it took us a while (and a little research) to figure out how to do it, once we’ve nailed down the procedure, it’s a surprisingly intuitive experience.

In fact, there are very few functions that have us stumped when operating our given test unit. In a world of companion apps and smart controls, more old-fashioned analogue designs can be tricky to navigate, but we struggle to find a procedure – be it changing the date and time or saving Kerrang! Radio as our seventh go-to preset – that we can’t figure out.

Sound

Considering it costs little more than a dinner for two at Pizza Express, we’re hardly expecting the Majority to move mountains when it comes to its sonic performance. We’re always open to being pleasantly surprised, but we make sure to keep our expectations somewhat realistic as we settle down for a session with the Little Shelford radio.

And you know what? It’s not bad. Keep your caveats about the Majority radio’s price in the back of your mind and you’ll find it to be a competent operator that fires out a sound that hangs together reasonably well.

While we don’t detect a veritable host of sonic layers, all neatly stacked on top of one another like a sandwich in an episode of Scooby Doo, it would be wrong to call the Little Shelford disorganised – textures and instruments stay in their respective lanes, and rarely do we fret that our music is sliding around on an unstable foundation.

The super-cheap radio manages to keep a reasonably firm grip on your music, doing its level best to keep Björk’s Army Of Me from collapsing into a sloppy, cacophonous mess. Heaven forbid.

The clarity on display won’t knock you for six – there’s a hint of muffled muddiness to each track and station we select – but instrumental details aren’t omitted from the equation either. Voices are nicely communicated, so that whether we're listening to the presenters on Classic FM or Radio X, speech comes through with discernible personality.

Simpler tunes fare well, so that Waxahatchee’s vocals and accompanying guitar on Right Back To It are communicated with surprising nuance and delicacy. The guitar genuinely does sound like a real instrument, and for this sort of money, that was never going to be a guarantee.

There’s some excitement to be found, too. The Little Shelford isn’t soft and it certainly isn’t backward in coming forward, exhibiting a robust, if slightly hard-edged character that sometimes strays into sounding rather mean and industrial.

The smaller, more costly Roberts Revival Petite 2’s sonic signature is easier to digest thanks to its sweeter, more natural tone, qualities the Majority trades for a more unforgiving character.

Tricker sonic elements do fall by the wayside somewhat. We don’t discern a great swell of dynamics on, say, Hans Zimmer’s Up Is Down, nor do we find ourselves swept along by the propulsive momentum of Wolfgang Gartner’s Illmerica.

These characteristics depend somewhat on the format or station you choose. Bluetooth provides a stable sound signature, as does digital radio, but we find the quality of the FM stations, with their slight background fuzziness, to be trickier to listen to.

Still, for nailing the essential ingredients to make your music sound passable for under £50, we don’t feel short-changed by the modestly priced Majority.

What about that 3.5mm headphone jack we mentioned earlier? We connect a pair of Austrian Audio Hi-X20 to our test unit, noticing that the lean-sounding over-ears retain much of their signature character. It’s not a bad performance by any means, and the Hi-X20’s detail, clarity and nuance still remain when paired with the Little Shelford.

Verdict

The Majority Little Shelford fulfils its brief admirably. You’ll have to pay a good deal more if you want a more sophisticated performance from the likes of the adorable Roberts Revivial Petite 2.

If all you want is a solid-sounding radio with handy Bluetooth capabilities and a reasonably solid build, all without emptying your bank balance in the process, the Majority does what it sets out to do.

For this price, it would be cheeky to ask for much more.

Review published: 9th June 2025

SCORES

• Sound 4
• Build 4
• Features 4

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British audio brand Pure Audio has added two models to its established Classic Series of internet-ready radios. Joining the established launch models from early last year – the Classic H4, Classic C-D6 and the Classic Stereo – Pure has bolstered the line with the new Classic H4i internet radio and the Classic C-D6i radio/CD player integrated system.

The Classic H4i has been "designed to complement any interior", offering "impressive audio quality" thanks to its 10-watt mono speaker. The new model comes equipped with internet radio and DAB+ and FM capabilities, as well as Bluetooth streaming alongside USB-A and aux inputs if you're not in the mood for whatever's on Classic FM or Radio 1.

The new radio boasts a 2.4-inch colour display, as well as on-unit buttons for managing your favourite presets, switching sources and setting the in-built kitchen timer, as well as twin dials for volume and command selection.

If you want to spend more to get more, the Classic C-D6i promises "exceptional versatility" as it brings together a host of various functionalities. Essentially an internet radio/CD player hybrid, the do-it-all unit packs dual 15-watt speakers in pursuit of "immersive sound", as well as the same DAB+ and FM radio capabilities as found in the more purist H4i above. Like the H4i, the C-D6i also offers aux and USB-A inputs alongside wireless Bluetooth streaming.

The C-D6i houses a central-mounted 2.4-inch colour display flanked by selection and volume dials. The new model features an array of on-unit control toggles including play/pause, Bluetooth pairing and CD eject buttons.

Both new additions to the Classic line are available in a black ash finish from April 10th. The H4i will cost £120, whereas the C-D6i will set you back £220 (further prices pending).

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It’s been seven years since our What Hi-Fi? Awards radio category featured as many as three winners, and yet just when you think there can’t be many more days left in the humble desktop radio, here we are. Indeed, rather than settle on only a pair of radios for this year’s Best Buy winners, our in-house reviews team was so impressed with the recent newcomers that had arrived in the test rooms that we had no choice but to decorate a trio of them.

Only one returns from last year, the Ruark Audio R2 MK4 (below). And if your idea of a radio is a dated bedside box with a pull-up AM/FM antennae, this modern masterpiece will alter that slightly... or rather, a lot. Taking its second consecutive gong as our premium radio pick (‘Best radio over £400’), the handsome R2 MK4 is one of the British radio specialist’s larger and more fruitfully featured models – not only a pretty face and FM/DAB+ facilitator but also a gateway to music streaming via its Bluetooth, Spotify Connect, Amazon Music and Deezer support.

And, to quote our R4 MK2 review, “If you aren’t charmed by the Ruark R2 Mk4’s looks and feature set so far, you will be once you start playing music on it.” The Ruark is wonderfully rich, weighty and expressive, with a fullness and smoothness that makes even lower-quality audio nice to listen to.

But yep, you pay for that tabletop opulence, so if you’re looking for something more affordable, and smaller, but with the same generous feature set, you would do well to look further down Ruark Audio’s lineup to the R1S (pictured top), our mid-range Best Buy winner (‘Best radio £100-400’). We called this little charmer “as close to hi-fi as a small radio can get” for good reason: it too marries that same tactile, modern design with wi-fi streaming and Bluetooth, while the sound is pleasantly neutral and articulate, if not, of course, as room-filling as the R2 MK4’s.

OK, but what if you don’t need streaming and just want a nice little bedside radio? Well, we have something for you too – and from an arguably even greater radio legend: Roberts. Its new Revival Petite 2 (below) won us over a few months ago with its compact, cute-as-a-button design, features and operational simplicity (it has FM, DAB+, Bluetooth and presets) and clear, punchy sound.

The bonus is that it’s portable – the built-in battery offers 20 hours of on-the-go use per charge for accompanying you on a picnic, or in your DAB+-less car! Which brings us to our favourite quote about the radio, from Hunter S. Thompson: “On some nights I still believe that a car with the gas needle on empty can run about fifty more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio.”

We wish both Ruark and Roberts luck for the What Hi-Fi? Awards ceremony on the 14th of November, where one of these Best Buy winners will win the radio category's even more prestigious Product of the Year trophy. So check back then!

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2024 has been a decent year for the humble radio. Pure recently added to its Classic range of radios with the versatile, portable Mini, whereas Roberts' Revival Petite 2 won our hearts thanks to its stellar sound from such a compact package and, more importantly, its unbeatable cute factor.

Roberts is adding to its radio stable with a brand-new model, albeit one that's much larger than the palm-sized Petite 2. Billed as a "premium radio that fuses retro design with contemporary technology", the new Rambler Classic has been designed to slot into any room in your house, be it the kitchen, living room or home office.

The Ramble Classic packs in a full-range speaker alongside a ported bass design, aiming to deliver a "powerful, high-quality sound" housed in a striking retro aesthetic.

It's a radio with some modern smarts, too. Alongside traditional DAB, DAB+ and FM radio capabilities with 20 presets (10 for DAB and 10 for FM) granting easy access to your favourite stations, the Rambler Classic offers Bluetooth connectivity for streaming your favourite tunes directly from a smartphone or laptop. If you want to keep things physical, a handy aux input (it's not dead yet!) lets you plug in any source or MP3 player, while a 3.5mm headphone port is ideal for private listening sessions that won't annoy the neighbours.

As its name suggests, the Rambler Classic can be taken outdoors as well as moved around the home, with Roberts offering an optional BP3 battery pack that, for around £40, with furnish you with around 10 hours of playback. The stylish radio also comes with dual alarms with snooze functionality for getting you out of bed without too much of a fuss.

According to Owen Watters, Roberts' CEO: "The Classic is... a statement piece in any room, delivering a room-filling audio experience in that sleek retro 1970s design that always captivates, always complements, and always brings the perfect balance of sound and style".

The Roberts Rambler Classic will be available from November 11th in Duck Egg Blue and Navy Blue finishes, priced at £180.

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Audio manufacturer Pure is adding to its Classic series of affordable radios. The British brand unveiled three new models earlier this year to launch the line – the Classic H4, Classic C-D6 and the Classic Stereo – and now it has added its most portable member of the family yet: the Pure Classic Mini.

The Classic Mini is a portable radio which, according to Pure, "packs a punch" sonically, combining the form and functionality of a traditional radio with the versatility of a portable speaker, making it a strong candidate for home and outdoor use.

The new radio strives for a "rich and warm sound" with 5 watts of power behind the 6.35cm full-range driver and passive radiator, promising "crystal-clear audio" no matter the source. The Classic Mini offers traditional FM and DAB+ stations for listening to the radio as nature intended, as well as a Bluetooth 5.3 connection for streaming directly from a mobile device or laptop. The new unit also comes fitted with two equaliser options which, depending on your preference, will optimise the sound to enhance either voices or the rest of the music.

The Classic Mini can be plugged into the mains, but it is also equipped with a built-in rechargeable battery offering up to 15 hours of playtime on a single charge, meaning you can move it from room to room or take it out to the garden. The Mini uses USB-C for charging, too.

The Mini's colour display, accompanying buttons and dial aim for ease of operation, and you can store up to 40 presets each for FM and DAB+. The Pure radio is available in two finishes – black and walnut or white and oak – and is available now for £80.

We love a portable, versatile radio if the sound is up to scratch – just look at the five-star (and adorable) Roberts Revival Petite 2 (tested at £100). Let's hope the Pure Classic Mini can follow in the Roberts' dinky footsteps.

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• Our experts up to the minute best radio recommendations

I’ve been listening to the radio a lot recently. There are three radios in my house: one in the kitchen, one on the bedside table, and one in my home office. From the soothing sounds of BBC Radio 4 Extra at night, Seattle’s KEXP and Kerrang! during the day, to whatever happens to be on Radio 6 Music when I’m making dinner, the radio has been my constant music companion in the last year or so.

It has also, over many stretches of time, even replaced my streaming services for listening to music daily. Don’t get me wrong: Apple Music (interspersed with Tidal for work) with its curated playlists and my saved library are always near my fingertips, especially when I’m on the move. And to give credit to Apple Music’s algorithms, their top picks and weekly recommended playlists are very, very good. As someone who likes to listen to the same things over and over again, I like how its algorithm has learnt my habits and stays within my genres when recommending music I might (and will) like. 

The algorithms used by streaming services are very clever: they attune to your most-played artist and genres, and even quickly start showing related artists when you listen to something new. They may throw in an unexpected or wildly different artist or track sometimes, but with no context given, it’s easy to skip it.

That is one of the issues with streaming services, however; it’s too easy to skip over something you’re not familiar with or don’t initially like, and it’s too easy to stay within the safe confines of what you normally listen to. This means I might well end up missing out on something I will like, and with no one to tell me otherwise. Whereas listening to radio stations, with their various DJs and human-curated playlists, throws you out of that recursive algorithm loop. 

Radio DJs offer more of a conversation; it's more interactive. A radio DJ, especially a very good radio DJ, is better at subtly shifting moods and genres throughout a playlist, giving nuggets of information about the song or artist played, offering context, and maybe even snippets of what that song or artist means to them. It’s that personal, human connection that will encourage me to listen attentively, compared with the background noise of a streamed playlist. Radio DJs are also better at surprising you with curveballs, but ones that feel organic or come with genuine context, or at least a good story.

One crucial way that listening to the radio differs from streaming services is that you can’t skip songs. When listening to the radio, you are stuck with a DJ’s flow and need to wait it out for the next song if you don’t like it, or you might find yourself getting into the groove with something completely new. Or you can simply switch to another radio station if it’s just not gelling with you after a few songs. But the unskippable nature of radio forces you to listen – much like how you’d listen to a full album on a vinyl record or on CD – especially to songs that you otherwise wouldn’t have given a chance.

Gideon Coe has been sitting in for Cerys Matthews in the past few evenings on BBC 6 Music, and his calming voice accompanying the mix of ambient instrumentals and classical music wouldn’t ever be something I would consciously put on – and subsequently, Apple Music wouldn’t know to recommend that kind of music to me – but it was exactly what I needed when prepping dinner. It was random but enjoyable (a highlight was Tir a Mor by EL Heath), with Coe giving just enough context to keep me interested in the flow of his playlist.

Seattle’s KEXP 90.3 FM station is another favourite, the home of grunge and alternative rock, with shows hosted by experienced, knowledgeable and engaging DJs. They throw in some amazing curveballs. Flight Of The Conchords’ Business Time in the middle of a grunge/rock playlist was a delightful surprise, while The Earthlings’ Zombies From Outer Space and Codename Longboard by The Cosmic Wrays were two alt-surf songs that I might never have heard of, were I not listening to the radio in the middle of the night.

There’s also a sense of community when listening to the radio. For many, it’s a lifeline to the outside world with useful news headlines on the hour, while the presenters, guests and call-ins all offer a level of human interaction when you’re working from home. As every year goes by I miss Shaun Keaveny's “Middle-Age Shout Outs” segments more and more – it was a glorious moment of coming together where everyone listening could share in the same silly and mundane experiences happening in their lives.

With some radio shows like Keaveny's on Radio 6 Music, you didn’t just tune in for the music; you also tuned in for the banter between him and co-host Matt Everitt, for the random sound effects he would employ, and for his grumpy yet dulcet tones easing you into the day at 7am. Legendary DJ Kevin Cole’s last ever “Drive Time” show on KEXP was another moment of music lovers coming together to pay tribute to and celebrate his 25-year tenure, while most of us regularly tune in to specific stations as it's the presenter helming the show whose personality, music tastes and recommendations you've come to love and respect.

Yes, you can also fire up radio shows, podcasts and endless playlists on your preferred streaming services, and many listeners will prefer not to hear any radio DJ voices or news interrupting their streams. But listening to the radio feels more like a two-way conversation, with the best DJs acting more like a wise friend recommending great new music to you in the most enthusiastic manner; it gets you involved with the music more. And when you’re listening to these shows on good radios such as the Roberts Revival Petite 2 or the Ruark Audio R2 Mk4, the music sounds brilliant, too.

Another reason I’ve been enjoying listening to the radio more is that it simply takes the decision of what to listen to away from me. When there’s so much choice available that you sometimes don’t know what to put on, letting an experienced radio presenter take that decision out of your hands is a relief. With the best radio DJs – whether it’s Steve Lamacq, Cheryl Waters, Afrodeutsche or John Richards – whose main job it is to curate an engaging playlist with a good flow, they’ve always done a finer job than me of knowing exactly what I needed to listen to.

So the next time you’re stuck in a musical rut and feeling like you’ve heard it all through streaming, turn the radio on, switch to your favourite station, and let the (human) DJ take you on a journey.

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Ruark Audio’s smallest, entry-level radio has a strong history at What Hi-Fi?, with a slew of five-star reviews praising its stylish design and impressive sound quality that belies its compact dimensions.

The Ruark Audio R1S is an evolved version of this standard radio: while a fourth-generation R1 FM/DAB+ radio exists (at £239), the new R1S smart radio has built-in wi-fi for the first time and includes music streaming support to cater to today’s listening habits and demands.

At £299, this R1S is a fair bit pricier than the £160-£180 asking price of the R1 Mk2 from back in 2010 (the R1 Mk3 went up to £200 in 2015), but it’s no secret that the cost of products has risen across the board. Ruark, to its credit, justifies this price tag with a smart design, intuitive controls and stunning sound.

Build & design

Elegant, stylish, gorgeous – we have used many superlatives to describe the lovely Ruark R1 radio over the past decade or so, but this current generation’s design is even more elegant and premium than before. While the compact dimensions remain – small enough to perch on kitchen counters, work desks or bedside tables – the front panel boasts a sleeker fascia that hides the driver and looks classy in any environment. The full-colour display is larger and crisper, with a strong contrast that makes the text legible from a distance. It doesn’t try to cram the screen with too much information, but there’s enough space when scrolling through the station presets and sub-menus.

The radio’s build quality is of a high standard. The acoustically damped cabinet is smooth and solid with nicely rounded edges, and the slatted wood grilles (hand-crafted, fused walnut, just like on the more premium R410 system) look sophisticated.

The mid-grey lacquer finish as seen in our review sample is smart if a little unexciting. Ruark has since added two more colour options: light cream and satin charcoal. Regardless of which finish you pick, the R1S blends in when placed on desks at home and in the office.

As always, the ensemble is topped off with Ruark’s customary RotoDial controller on top of the unit. It remains responsive and easy to use for changing volume, selecting music sources, recalling saved presets (eight per radio source), controlling playback and scanning radio stations. You can also access the numerous menu options, including changing display brightness, setting alarms, timers, searching for specific stations and more.

The third-party Oktiv iOS/Android app is available and you can even buy a separate remote control for £15, but we don’t feel the need for it. The on-unit dial is more than enough to control all aspects of the Ruark radio, but it is handy to have the free app to access stations and favourites more easily.

Features & connectivity

Whether you view the R1S as a radio with streaming powers, or a wireless speaker with radio functions, the fact remains that this Ruark is a versatile unit that gives you enough options to be able to play music in a variety of ways.

Love radio? FM, DAB/DAB+ tuners are built in, and a telescopic aerial comes fitted as standard. The R1S also has internet radio thanks to the built-in wi-fi – so once you’re connected to your home network, you have access to thousands of global stations at your fingertips. Scanning for stations (digital or analogue) is easily done, and while a radio’s quality always relies on the signal strength and proximity to a transmitter where you live, the Ruark has no problem accessing all of our local Berkshire FM and popular digital stations.

Want to stream from your mobile devices? Easy. Also integrated are Spotify Connect, Amazon Music and Deezer, which are the popular music streaming services that are typically built into smart internet radios (seen also in the Award-winning Roberts Stream 94L and more expensive Ruark R2 Mk4). You won’t find any sign of Tidal Connect or Apple Music (or any hi-res capabilities), but those wanting to play any other music source from a phone, laptop or tablet can easily connect to the R1S using Bluetooth. Pairing is swift and stable, and switching between the sources is a breeze.

Around the back you’ll find a handy USB-C port that charges your smartphone and plays MP3 files from compatible devices, a 3.5mm aux input for connecting other audio sources (such as an MP3 player or a phono stage-equipped turntable, for instance) and even a 3.5mm headphone jack so you can plug in your favourite pair of wired headphones for personal listening. There are more premium wireless speakers we’ve tested that aren’t quite so generous with physical connections, so we are fond of how friendly and resourceful this little Ruark is.

There is also space to add an optional battery pack to make the R1S portable. This battery pack costs £69 extra, but it could be a worthwhile investment if you want to enjoy the R1S’s talents in the garden or want more flexibility with its placement in your home.

Sound

Under the hood is a single full-range driver powered by Class A/B amplification – it’s a set-up we’re familiar with from Ruark.

What we aren’t familiar with is the sound. We’ve often described Ruark’s products as having a rich, full-bodied sound with a strong, lush midrange. These are ideal sonic characteristics for a radio, especially a small one.

The R1S is different. It sounds so articulate, neutral, precise and authoritative. It takes us a while to get used to it when we first start listening, but after a while we start to appreciate just how talented this radio is.

It’s surprisingly clear and crisp, with plenty of detail revealed. Its timing is terrific: precise and agile, with ample solidity underpinning every note to sound satisfyingly tethered and natural. There are physical limitations to how much bass you can eke out of a small cabinet (with a downwards port) but the R1S delivers just enough bass that is pulled deliciously taut to land with impact and drive a song’s momentum.

We play a variety of music genres and stations, from Agnes Obel and Waxahatchee to Disturbed and Run The Jewels, from Kerrang! to Scala Radio, and the radio’s punctuality combined with a good sense of authority is unusual to hear. We play Skinny Love by Birdy (an old test track favourite) and her breathy vocals sound crisp, authentic and nuanced. From DJs and presenters to podcast hosts and radio play casts – voices are all projected clearly and sound characterful.

Moreover, instruments aren’t pushed to the background in favour of putting the spotlight on the midrange, as many radios tend to. It’s all more democratic and cohesive through the R1S. There’s dynamism and emotion in spades, all delivered with a confidence and organisation that is really rather impressive for a product of this type.

Waxahatchee’s breezy Americana tunes sound natural and fluid, Disturbed’s heavy metal tracks are raucous and muscular, but it’s with piano that the R1S really delights. Even more impressive is when we switch to a more classical piano piece such as Erik Satie’s Gnossienne No. 1 that we marvel at how solid, how resonant and how real the piano notes sound. It’s more akin to the kind of maturity and subtlety that separates hi-fi products deliver, rather than humble radios or wireless speakers. And we’re not even listening in hi-res here…

The R1S is designed to occupy small spaces, so this is a radio that performs at its best when placed close to a wall or in a corner. Out in free space, that solid, controlled sound starts to feel untethered, with the top end of the frequency sounding a little thin as it struggles to fill a larger room. If you want a bigger, more spacious, room-filling sound, you’ll want the bigger R2 Mk4 sibling. The Ruark R1S’s closest rival, the Roberts Stream 94L (£200, now discounted) also sounds bigger but is softer around the edges and not as defined and articulate as the R1S.

The radio is fairly evenly balanced, but if you find the top end starting to shimmer then you can tone down the treble just a touch, as we did. We’d leave the bass control and unsubtle Loudness mode alone, though.

Verdict

From its elevated design to the broad spread of music-playing options available, the Ruark R1S is a long way removed from the humble radio of its origins. Appealing aesthetics and versatility aside, the sound quality is so sophisticated, nuanced and precise – it’s a level of quality we’re surprised to hear from a product of this size and price. If you’re after a talented do-it-all internet radio that has modern streaming talents, this is one you should consider.

Review published: July 2024. Review updated: November 2024.

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Features 5
• Build 5

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Remember pocket radios? Smartphones, app-based internet radio and wireless speakers may have killed this once-popular accessory, but small, pocketable DAB/FM radios (like this old Pure) still have their place in today’s connected world.

There are plenty of people who favour local radio, and want to be able to listen to talk radio or keep up with football scores when on the move (or at work). Many might not have access to internet and connected devices as easily, either, so access to radio can be a lifeline for news headlines, music and sports.

Majority Petersfield Go is one such pocket radio, featuring FM and DAB/DAB+ tuners and comes bundled with a pair of earphones. It costs just £30.

Build & features

Yes, it’s only £30 (about $38 / AU$58), and for that super-affordable price tag, you get a neat little portable radio that does what it says on the tin. It is made of plastic, but what else do you expect at this price? The little Petersfield Go is well put together for the price, though, and doesn’t feel like cheap tat. It’s about the size of a pack of cards, the compact build is robust enough, the rounded corners mean you can slip it into pockets and bags without any snagging, and the buttons all work responsively. There is a sturdy clip at the back for clipping the radio to your pocket or belt, and it stays on securely.

You also get a pair of wired in-ear headphones bundled in, which is a nice bonus. They’re not the best pair of earphones, mind you; they don’t come with extra earbud tips, nor do they have left/right markers on them. They’re about as good as the cheap buds you get on an aeroplane – which is to say, not very good – but there is an essential reason they are included: the FM/DAB radio uses its cable as the antennae, so you always need to plug in a pair of buds to get a sound. The bundled in-ears can be swapped out for any other pair of wired headphones you have; we used the excellent SoundMagic E11C in-ears (about £40) for the majority of our testing.

We found the Majority pocket radio easy to use straight from the box. There are large buttons for accessing and saving presets and scanning available stations, which also do double duty for scrolling through the settings and selecting various options. Small but easy-to-press buttons on one side let you switch between FM and DAB/DAB+ modes, bring up the menu and cycle through additional station information; while on the other side, you have dedicated up/down volume buttons and the power button. The radio can scan for stations automatically, or you can use the buttons to fine-tune the station frequency yourself. We’d highly recommend saving your favourite stations as presets for ease: you get 10 presets for FM and 10 for DAB. The included instructions are clear and easy to follow, too.

We found that the quoted 10-12 battery life runs largely true, even with the LCD screen set to its highest brightness setting. That screen is tiny but jam-packed with information including the time, radio mode, station name, what’s playing, and icons for battery life, radio signal strength and volume. The only niggles from us are the juddering we see when text scrolls past and we can see the imprint of other text behind the main text, like ancient Tamagotchi screens. Regardless, the screen is still legible, so these are small complaints. 

The Petersfield Go uses the older micro USB port for charging, which means it will take a bit longer to charge up compared with current USB-C-toting models. The charging cable is included, which is another nice bonus at this price level.

Sound

Radio, earphones, charging cable – all that bundled in for £30 sounds like a pretty good deal to us. But does the Majority Petersfield Go actually sound any good? The answer is a surprisingly effusive yes. Again, we have to temper our expectations here, not just for that low price tag but also for what this little radio is and what it offers, but our time with the radio is positive.

There’s no Bluetooth or other streaming options here; you only have FM and DAB radio tuners, and the stations you do get access to depends on your region and proximity to a transmitter. We lucked out with strong signals for local Reading/Berkshire and national BBC stations during testing, although a train trip to London shows how any patchy or non-existent signal can stutter playback.

With all that considered, the Majority Petersfield Go does two essential jobs very well for a radio: voices are projected clearly, and there’s enough solidity, detail and punch to make music enjoyable to listen to. The included earphones are poor-sounding and make everything sound thin and harsh; swap them out for a pair of SoundMagics (or another, better pair) and you’ll get a much cleaner, fuller sound.

Presenters’ voices have a decent amount of heft and richness to them, with Craig Charles’ lush, deep voice sounding nicely textured, with ample detail and satisfying weight to our ears. The unit purposely pushes the midrange forward, making news items and match commentaries – crucial during this summer of sport – clear and easy to follow.

Listening to songs on BBC 6 Music or Absolute Radio, whether it’s Beyonce’s Texas Hold 'Em or Nirvana’s Lithium, we’re treated to a zippy, agile sound that doesn’t sound sharp, lumpy or muddled. The frequency range is fairly restricted – don’t expect wide-ranging dynamics or soaring highs or deep lows – but what this Majority radio does really well is deliver music with a good dose of rhythm that you can tap your foot along to.

It’s tuneful. We spent a lovely hour or two listening to Classic FM, with the music flowing smoothly and instruments having decent space to flourish. Astor Piazzolla’s Libertango is delivered with a great deal of energy and zeal, with the strings gliding fluidly and rising in intensity as the tango reaches its crescendo, full of conviction and momentum. It’s a fun, enthusiastic listen, and it can go pretty loud too.

Verdict

Pocket radios like this Majority Petersfield Go may not be in vogue, but just because it isn’t on trend, isn’t packed with features or stands in the shadow of online streaming doesn’t mean it can’t be useful. For those looking for a super cheap and basic but good, portable pocket DAB/FM radio for the summer, this little unit is worth checking out.

SCORES

• Sound 4
• Build 4
• Features 4

MORE:

Also consider the Roberts Revival Petite 2

Our pick of the best DAB radios

And the best internet radios

Sometimes, a product will come through the What Hi-Fi? test rooms that makes everyone in the team go: “Yes.” The Roberts Revival Petite 2 radio is one such product. It is a dinky DAB radio with Bluetooth powers, but really, just look at it. It’s tiny, it’s cute, and we want it. 

Even as wireless speakers and music systems are getting smarter and more multi-functional every day due to increasing demand, there is something universally appealing about the humble radio, especially one with such a compact form and such lovely retro looks.

Build & design

Roberts has form here, with its Revival line of DAB and smart internet radios long delivering an attractive, stylish retro design that is hugely appealing to both look at and hold. 

The Revival Petite 2 follows the same blueprint as the original five-star Petite: it’s so tiny it can fit onto the palm of your hand and perch in any corner, narrow windowsill, bookshelf or cluttered desk. There genuinely isn’t anywhere this petite portable radio isn’t able to find a place to sit pretty and regale you with music. It’s shorter than a can of fizzy pop, its footprint is narrower than a paperback book, and it’s just a bit wider than an AirPods Pro 2 charging case. Wherever you can put your smartphone down on a surface, the Petite 2 will occupy the same amount of space.

The build quality is reassuringly solid and oozes high quality, and we love the rounded, smooth corners, soft but sturdy leather-like covering and colour-matched grille. It’s available in seven attractive hues: sunburst yellow, duck egg, pastel cream, pop orange, dusty pink, midnight blue and black. The contrasting bronze trims, metal buttons and Roberts logo complete the look. Compared with the first-gen model, the Petite 2 is ever so slightly shorter but deeper, and lighter by six grams.

The OLED display screen is tiny but it is clear and has a strong enough contrast that you can read the text in any light. The screen is dimmable, with 10 steps on the brightness scale (tip: turn it up to max 10 when in bright sunlight). What’s more, Roberts manages to pack a whole lot of information into that small screen without it looking cramped. The radio station name, track/artist name, current source, signal strength, battery level icon and the time are all displayed neatly. It’s informative and easy to read at a glance. You can push the control dial to see additional radio station details, such as bitrate, genre and the date, and use it to pause and skip songs when playing music through Bluetooth.

The four large buttons for power, selecting source and volume up/down respond swiftly, while the multi-function control dial in the middle handles station tuning, selecting presets, scrolling through menu options and more. We occasionally find ourselves instinctively reaching for the dial to turn up the volume when Absolute Radio kicks out a ’90s banger, but it takes only a while to get used to not using the dial to change volume on this radio.

Features

It may be small and you might be wondering why on earth you’re paying £100 (approx. $126 / AU$190) for a little radio, but there are so many features packed into the Petite 2 to make it more than worth it. You get the essential radio tuners – analogue FM and DAB/DAB+ digital radio – as well as Bluetooth for streaming from any source. We’re not expecting high-quality codecs here, but the standard Bluetooth connection pairs well and retains a good signal throughout. 

There are 20 presets you can save in total: 10 for DAB, 10 for FM. It’s easy to save and recall stations using the control dial, and it’s useful to be able to save so many of your favourite stations so you don’t have to scan all the time. You can long-press that same control dial to access the many menu options, which include the brightness level, timer and new alarm clock settings.

The radio’s long battery life of 20 hours returns, and you can charge it up to full using the USB-C port, which has replaced the micro USB port of the previous model. 

Also new in this second-generation model is the 3.5mm headphone port, which replaces the 3.5mm aux input. We think it’s a fair swap, as being able to plug in your headphones to listen to music or podcasts at night or without disturbing others is a great bonus (and we imagine not many people would be plugging yet another source into this small radio). Another useful addition is the telescopic antenna included in the box, which is better for getting a consistent signal.

Sound

If all that wasn’t enough, we are pleased to say that the Roberts Revival Petite 2 radio also sounds very, very good. Under the hood lies a 40mm driver with a passive radiator that provides this titchy unit’s sound, but there is nothing tiny or diminished about the presentation.

Naturally, the quality of sound depends on your location/proximity to a radio transmitter and the quality of the station’s streams, but once you get a strong signal, the Roberts delivers a consistent sonic presentation across radio and Bluetooth. 

It’s a lively, rhythmically engaging sound that has a surprising amount of weight and punch to it, given the unit's size. The way it handles voices is a highlight, sounding clean, solid and detailed. The voices are admittedly given centre stage compared with the rest of the musical arrangement and instruments, but it’s a balance chosen for talk radio – one that Roberts will have intentionally chosen. Voices have a natural warmth that is appealing, and enough detail and nuance to communicate each presenter’s different personalities and inflections well.

This translates well to songs played through the Roberts, regardless of source, as the Petite 2 bops along merrily with everything we play through it. Waxahatchee’s Right Back To It sounds fluid and dynamic through the Petite 2, and we are too caught up with the song’s melody to care about things such as stereo separation or outright resolution.

We aren’t expecting huge helpings of bass weight or a wide, expansive soundstage from such a small box, but the Roberts is no wallflower. Whether you’re listening to BBC Radio 3 or Heart FM, the sonic balance is judged well to ensure it sounds confident and dynamically interesting, with the right amount of solidity and richness underpinning the midrange and upper bass to sound satisfying. Even heavy metal tracks that usually require far more wallop and impact, such as Disturbed’s Down With The Sickness, sound entertaining through the Roberts. There’s momentum and drive, you can tap your foot along to songs, and the warm, engaging presentation and standout vocals make it a joy to listen to. 

The Petite 2 even reaches an impressive volume for its size, but be aware that when going past 15 (out of 20) on the volume scale, the sound can start to get too unruly. It remains a sweet listen even at lower volumes. Plug a good pair of wired headphones – such as the Grado SR80x or Rode NTH-100 – into the radio, and you’ll be rewarded with the same lively, solid and engaging sound signature.

Verdict

For £100, you get quite a lot from this petite portable radio, and it’s an utter delight to use, hold and look at. Happily, it’s a lot of fun to listen to as well, so we have no problem recommending the Roberts Revival Petite 2 to anyone, especially if they are very short on space.

Whether it’s for your teenage kid, a friend or sibling, or your grandparents, we can see the stylish, versatile, enjoyable-sounding Petite 2 appealing to anyone who still values the humble wireless radio – and wants all the added extras, too. All that’s left is the matter of deciding which colour to choose… 

Review published: May 2024. Review updated: November 2024.

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Features 5
• Build 5

MORE:

Read our review of the Roberts Revival Uno BT

Also consider the pricier, bigger Roberts Stream 94L

Best internet radios: modern radios with streaming smarts

Roberts has announced the next generation of its pint-sized portable radio, aptly named the Revival Petite 2.

Serving up the same retro styling as its predecessor in the same grab-and-go design, the Revival Petite 2 now includes a telescopic antenna, for a more consistent radio signal, USB-C charging and new alarm clock functionality.

There are 20 presets for your favourite DAB, DAB+ and FM stations, alongside Bluetooth connectivity for streaming from your phone or tablet.

The built-in alarm function makes the Revival Petite 2 a great addition to your bedside table this time round too, with an improved OLED display that offers adjustable brightness to suit your room.

As for the sound, it squeezes in a 40mm driver with a passive radiator to help the low-end – we were suitably impressed by the sound of the original Petite back in 2021, so we're hopeful for more of the same here.

On a full charge, you’ll get 20 hours of music playback, plus there’s a headphone output for when you might need to listen privately too. Great for those night-time podcasts when your partner wants to get to sleep.

The Roberts Revival Petite 2 is available now in a choice of six colours, and costs £99.99. A seventh colourway, Pastel Cream, will be available from April.

MORE:

Read our five-star review of the original Roberts Revival Petite

These are the best DAB radios you can buy right now

Looking for something bigger? Check out our Ruark Audio R2 Mk4 review

In-car video is going up a gear! The new in-cabin DTS AutoStage video service, Powered by TiVo™, is making its way into the brand new BMW 5 Series.

TiVo’s award-winning tech has been integrated into DTS AutoStage and promises the ultimate ‘on the road’ entertainment experience – complete with in-car live TV, news, sports, movies and more. From Pluto TV to Plex, Bloomberg to TED, there's plenty to discover.

You can personalise the experience, too. Just answer a few simple questions and the tech will bring forth your favourite apps and videos. The system even provides tailored recommendations based on what’s trending, your watch list and your past viewing history.

If you know anything about TiVo, you'll know that it's technology revolutionised the concept of time-shifting video entertainment. That impressive heritage should help DTS AutoStage establish itself as the smartest and simplest way to level-up in-car video streaming. 

Clearly, BMW was convinced. The German automaker has already integrated the system into the new generation BMW 5 Series in the UK, United States, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, and South Korea. BMW says it's expanding the rollout, too, with more cars and regions to follow in the future.

"Consumers are evolving to view their car as a meaningful and enjoyable third space, rather than as a simple transportation device. It’s from the privacy and safety of their vehicle where they increasingly choose to relax," said Jeff Jury, senior vice president and general manager of connected car, DTS.

Here at What Hi-Fi, we've seen a huge leap in the quality of in-car audio in recent years, with top hi-fi brands lending their expertise to just about every premium carmaker. Now, it seems that BMW and DTS are all to set revolutionise in-car video.

Head to DTS AutoStage to discover more about the only global in-car entertainment system designed for truly immersive experience.

Established German audio brand Loewe has unveiled its new portable DAB+ radio to commemorate the company's humble beginnings a century ago. Designed in part as a tribute to the brand's very first radio unit, the OE 333 radio receiver, the new Loewe radio.frequency (yes, that's its name) commemorates 100 years since brothers Siegmund and David L. Loewe founded the company as Radio Frequenz Gmbh in Berlin in 1923. Time flies.

The new unit comes equipped with a host of radio listening options across FM, DAB and DAB+. Using what Loewe describes as "state of the art technology", the radio.frequency boasts 28 watts of power driving two full-range speakers and a passive bass radiator for "first-class clear, precise and well-rounded sound". 

A streaming radio capable of playing your favourite tracks over Bluetooth, the latest Loewe radio also comes equipped with a wake-up alarm and snooze function so you're never late for work. In theory, at least.

It looks suitably classy, too, with a subtle, understated design that you feel would nestle comfortably into almost any home or environment without ever seeming out of place. Constructed from high-quality materials and boasting a central 66mm LCD display, the radio.frequency has a few subtle nods to the original Loewe OE333, with attractive oak wood inlays atop basalt-coloured acoustic fabric. It's portable, too, and can provide up to 14 hours of listening time on the go.

It's been a while since we properly reviewed a Loewe-designed radio, but with the new radio.frequency returning the German company to its roots, that could be about to change. If it sounds as good as it looks, the century-celebrating portable could certainly be one to watch.

The Loewe radio.frequency is available now at a price of £199 (further prices pending), putting it in competition with the likes of the Roberts Revival Uno BT (£150) and the Roberts Stream 94L (£200).

MORE: 

Tivoli brings back the boombox with stylish designs for its striking wireless music systems

10 of the best Björk tracks to test your hi-fi system

Best DAB radios: portable, Bluetooth, streaming systems

• Want more choice? Check out our long list of the best radios

It would be reductive to call the Ruark Audio R2 Mk4 just a radio. Yes, it primarily functions as an excellent radio with FM/DAB/DAB+ tuners, internet radio and alarms all part and parcel of the product. And it looks like a radio, albeit a very luxuriously designed one.

But like many modern radios from Roberts, Revo and Tivoli Audio, it can do so much more. From wireless streaming via Bluetooth and supported music apps to physical wired connections, the Ruark R2 Mk4 is very much a modern music system that can compete against any premium wireless speaker.

With its rather hefty price tag of £479, you’d hope it feels, sounds and overall performs better than you’d expect “just a radio” to do, as well. Happily, it does.

Build & design

Ruark has a long history of blending modern and retro designs to deliver some of the most visually appealing products we’ve come across, and the R2 Mk4 is no exception. It’s had a significant redesign since its predecessor, the five-star R2 Mk3, which we reviewed back in 2015 (also an Award-winner that year), and we’re big fans of the new look.

We called the last model “gorgeous”; the new R2 Mk4 is even more elegant and elevated. So much of the Ruark R2’s appeal lies in its stylish, sleek design that exemplifies the modern-retro trend so prevalent across hi-fi products today. The R2 would look at home in any space: the home office, on a kitchen counter, bedside table, on a shelf – you could even have it as the main audio system in your house. The R2 Mk4 is about 20 per cent slimmer than its predecessor too, meaning it can fit better on most shelves or bookcases. Whatever surface you place it on, the rubber feet under the unit will keep both the radio and surface protected.

The sturdy cabinet is made for sound quality as well as beauty. The damped polymer cabinet is acoustically tuned and comes in three finishes: the light cream lacquer of our review unit, a new sea mist colour or a darker espresso version, with ash or walnut grilles respectively. The rounded edges of the cabinet, the new handcrafted slatted wood grille on the front, the bonded glass display – all are made to a very high quality.

The glass display spans the width of the cabinet, but the actual TFT colour screen for showing the time, source, station/track/artist information is restricted to a small corner on the left-hand side. We wish that display was bigger (there’s a lot of empty real estate on the glass screen). However, it is wonderfully crisp and clear, and the text is easy to read even from across the room. While a rival radio system like the superb Revo SuperConnect Stereo (£489) has a larger display screen, in comparison the text is more crammed in and harder to read from a distance.

The R2 is powered by 18 watts of Class A/B amplification, with two 75mm of Ruark’s own NS+ (NeutralSound+) full-range drivers for stereo sound. There are two small bass ports on the underside of the unit. No matter what surface we place the R2 on, there is enough space for the downward-firing ports to operate without feeling restricted or cramped.

There are numerous ways to control the R2 Mk4. First and foremost is Ruark’s customary RotoDial controller that sits on top of the unit. It’s a wonderfully tactile and responsive dial that lets you intuitively select sources, control playback, adjust volume in pleasing increments and access the R2’s settings.

If you prefer controlling your radio system using a smartphone screen, you have the choice of two third-party apps: Undok and Oktiv. Both work well, with Oktiv the slicker of the two. Saving and accessing presets for each radio option is marginally easier through the apps than the control dial. And finally, there’s a slim, basic remote control that you can buy for an optional fee of £14.99 – to be honest, we never felt the need for it.

Overall, we find ourselves using the RotoDial controller the most. It’s a tactile, practical experience that’s sorely missing from many wireless speakers these days, and we ended up enjoying the R2 radio even more simply by physically interacting with it regularly.

Features

We’d recommend connecting the R2 to your home’s wi-fi immediately after you’ve taken it out of the box. This not only gives you access to thousands of global internet radio stations at your fingertips (from Absolute Radio to Seattle’s KEXP) but will make it easy to stream from your music streaming services.

The R2 has built-in support for Spotify Connect, Amazon Music and Deezer. Those with Apple Music or Tidal can use the R2’s Bluetooth input instead. There’s no AirPlay 2 or hi-res support, however – two features that, while not crucial, would’ve been nice to see included in the R2.

Of course, Ruark hasn’t forgotten its roots when it comes to radio. FM and DAB/DAB+ tuners come as standard, and you can save eight presets for each. The signal strength naturally depends on your proximity to a transmitter; we lucked out with a very strong reception from a local FM station, and the radio quality was wonderfully solid, clean and detailed. Even if you end up solely using the R2 as a bedside radio, you can spend hours just listening to the radio and nothing else.

That’s not all, of course, as Ruark caters to physical connections alongside the wireless ones. There’s a 3.5mm aux line input for connecting external audio sources and a 3.5mm headphone jack for plugging in your favourite pair of wired cans. Additionally, a USB-C port (replacing the old Mk3’s USB-A) can be used to play stored audio files on a flash drive, but only up to MP3 quality. More usefully, the USB-C port can charge up your smartphone or other portable devices like an Astell & Kern hi-res music player. Handy.

Sound

If you aren’t charmed by the Ruark R2 Mk4’s looks and feature set so far, you will be once you start playing music on it. Whether it’s radio, Bluetooth streams or podcasts, it sounds hugely enjoyable.

The R2 has that naturally rich, weighty and expressive sound signature that we’ve come to know and love from Ruark’s previous products. Radio stations come through clear and punchy, and the R2 has a full-bodied approach that makes even the lower-quality digital stations pleasant to listen to.

It’s a likeable presentation from the get-go. Play better quality stations or stream songs from your favourite music app, and you’ll get solidity, detail and dynamic expression in spades. Yes, the R2 is a shade on the warm side of neutral, but never so far as to colour the natural tone and feeling of the songs we play, regardless of genre.

The bassline in Massive Attack’s Paradise Circus gives a great impression of depth, and keeps the song’s momentum driving along with an excellent sense of timing. There’s plenty of texture and snap to the bassline’s rhythm too; there are nuances here where plenty of rival products of a similar type would present it as a one-note, shapeless sound.

Underneath that genial, likeable manner is an impressive amount of sonic prowess for a product of this type. There are no harsh edges to that smooth treble; there is ample headroom for higher notes to soar as well. For what is a fairly compact unit, the sound that emanates from the R2 Mk4 is surprisingly big and spacious, and it can reach decently loud volumes without getting too strained or losing composure. Even more importantly, the musical cohesion of a song remains intact and a compelling listen even at lower volumes.

Voices in particular thrive through the R2. This is obviously an important aspect for talk radio and podcasts, and the R2’s natural warmth and textural depth lend so much life through the midrange. There’s so much detail here. From Nick Cave’s sombre, gravelly tones to Run The Jewels’ punchy, snappy rapping; from Agnes Obel’s ethereal singing to PJ Harvey’s snarling, grunge-tinged vocals – the Ruark delivers levels of subtlety that you can sink into.

The midrange sits ever-so-slightly forward in the presentation, especially compared to a rival unit like the Revo SuperConnect Stereo at similar money. The Revo offers a bigger, more roomy character, but it’s slightly reserved and understated compared with the Ruark’s more lively and rhythmically capable sound. We like both units, but it’s the Ruark that sounds more musically interesting and gets our feet tapping more.

Verdict

If you’re after a high-quality music system that looks great, is lovely to use and sounds wonderful, the Ruark R2 Mk4 should be at the top of your wishlist. It’s the kind of product that could – and should – be considered alongside any budget hi-fi separates as a more lifestyle (but still very hi-fi-sounding) alternative. It may seem pricey for a radio system, but the Ruark offers so much more and it has the musical prowess to justify its price tag. If you’re able to afford it, the R2 Mk4 deserves a place in your home.

Review published: 2023. Review updated: November 2024.

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Features 4
• Build 5

MORE:

Read our review of the Revo SuperConnect Stereo

Also consider the Tivoli Model One Digital Generation 2

Best internet radios: modern radios with streaming smarts

Let’s get it out of the way early: this is how a radio should look. Cold hard plastic and towers of chrome have their place within the hi-fi design manual, but there’s no denying the irresistible charm that exudes from practically every single item in Roberts’ bulging collection of retro radios. The new Revival Uno BT shares the same good-looking genes as its siblings, and this handsome little devil raises an important question in terms of radio design: why would you want to look at anything else?

Looks, as many a failed actor or pop star will attest to, can only take you so far. It’s easy to be suckered in by the cute “buy me, buy me” appeal of the Revival range, especially when you start envisioning how one daubed in pastel cream might look in your conservatory and another in duck egg blue would fit perfectly into the aesthetic of your downstairs bathroom. 

We’re not, however, reviewing the Revival Uno BT on the basis of its looks. Instead, the Roberts radio needs to be capable of fulfilling its primary function of filling whichever room in which you place it with confident and compelling sound. At the not-inconsiderable price of £150, it also needs to demonstrate its credentials as a portable Bluetooth speaker and domestic radio all in one.

Build & design

Roberts’ commitment to cute, classic British retro aesthetics has made it one of the most recognisable radio brands around, so much so that you’ll immediately take one look at the Revival Uno BT and know it to be a Roberts product (if the large ‘Roberts’ logo emblazoned on the front doesn’t already give that away). 

That’s no bad thing – the Revival Uno BT comes in a choice of eight colours if limited edition versions are taken into account, meaning you can have the radio in practically any shade you like. They all look great, although we’re particularly fond of the way our teal blue test model classily blends into any environment while also bringing a little pizazz to its surroundings. 

It’s also really well made to match. Encased in a satisfyingly plush leather with a dominant bronze-coloured grille at the front, the Uno BT feels supremely well constructed and hardwearing beneath its classy exterior. The leather carry strap doesn’t ever give you the sense it’s about to give way and cause your new radio to suffer a nasty concussion, and that foldable antenna is likewise similarly sturdy and dependable in its design. 

The Uno isn’t even particularly tricky to use once you get the hang of it, although you might initially struggle to get to grips with your new radio without consulting the manual first. There are four main selection buttons – Mode, Menu, Auto-Tune and the rather ambiguous Info button – the first of which can be used for putting the radio into either FM, DAB or Bluetooth pairing mode. 

A dedicated Favourite button, meanwhile, lets you select a favoured station by pressing and holding the smaller Favourite button, whereas Presets can be programmed by (you guessed it) pressing and holding the similarly small Preset button until a tick appears on the given station. You can save up to 30 presets which can then be accessed on a separate menu. 

Incidentally, you’d better get used to accessing these functions from the radio’s main body as the Roberts doesn't come equipped with a remote, so it might be worth digging out that manual if you get stuck after all.

Other operations require the use of the right tuning knob. Pressing the menu button and then scrolling through using the knob lets you delve deeper to make selections for things like your EQ, setting alarms, brightness and language. You can also use the right knob to play and pause streaming songs, as well as skip back and forth with either a turn to the left or right respectively. 

Features

The Roberts Revival Uno BT gives you a host of digital radio stations while also supporting streaming across the likes of Spotify, Apple Music and pretty much anything else your phone is playing while connected via Bluetooth. It’s a rather basic hook-up-and-play sort of affair for every service, although the chance to skip and pause tracks using the radio itself is a nice added feature, especially when you consider the Uno’s potential as a portable unit. 

On the subject of portability, the Revival Uno BT can be taken pretty much anywhere you like thanks to its rather impressive 25 hours max battery life, provided you whack four AAs into the slot provided at the bottom. You’ll likely struggle to get the full 25 hours with Bluetooth going and the volume pushed beyond halfway, but even so, the Uno’s portability gives it another dimension altogether. It certainly makes the stylish operator an attractive alternative to the best portable speakers offered by the likes of JBL, Audio Pro and Sonos.

If you’re not keen on taking the Roberts to a place where it may end up getting mud or dirt plastered over that pristine exterior, there’s no harm in simply using the Uno as a classic domestic radio, and while it may be a little small for some who prefer a real centrepiece unit to stand proudly in the kitchen or sitting room, the offering of DAB, DAB+, Bluetooth streaming and standard FM radio is more than enough to make the Uno BT a genuine proposition for your domestic set-up. If, of course, the sound is up to snuff.

Sound

The Roberts Revival Uno BT is not, by almost any measure, a large unit. It's a device more at home sitting on the windowsill of a small kitchen than it is holding court within a grand, opulent ballroom. A thing of this size and form is going to get most of its use as a domestic radio that can be popped into any room in a standard house or flat, bouncing around spaces wherever it's needed rather than squatting in the corner of your dining room for the next ten years like the wizened grandmother in a Dickens novel.

The task for the Uno BT, then, is to provide cohesive and satisfactory sound that will fill such spaces without sounding strained or unwieldy when pushed to its limit. Initial impressions are positive, and while it may take time for the handsome blighter to really get going, we’re quietly impressed by its handling of Chopin’s Nocturne No.2 In C-Sharp Minor as well as Gabriel Fauré’s Trois Romances Sans Paroles. Those tricky piano textures feel melodious and properly formed, the Uno BT conveying the essence of such a tricky instrument with confident fidelity.

The problems start, however, when we move away from either the piano or vocal-focused arrangements which the Roberts seems to be so adept at handling. We pick out Calvin Harris’ Feels as our test track du jour and find the experience to be somewhat flat, with the song’s essential bounce and rhythm somewhat lacking when played through what is admittedly a very diminutive unit. 

Nirvana’s Come As You Are is next, and new cracks begin to show. We’re not expecting deep, throbbing bass from a unit so small, but there’s a noticeable feeling of compression that makes the Roberts’ presentation feel a little thin and limited as a result. The track’s distinctive opening bass hook doesn’t quite grab your attention here, while those early drum hits come across as overly flat and lacking in resonance and tone. We place the Roberts side-by-side with its larger cousin, the Award-winning Roberts Stream 94L, and while the 94L is admittedly a larger and pricier model, it’s also better at delivering a more balanced, structured and cohesive overall sound. 

None of this is disastrous for the Uno BT, and we have to reiterate that this is a small radio speaker playing in a medium-sized testing room. It does, however, indicate that the Uno BT has its strengths and weaknesses, feeling far more comfortable with glistening piano tones and front-loaded vocals than it does with conveying the sway and dynamics of a funk track or the details and character of a piece of grungey alt-rock.

Verdict

Roberts has consistently impressed us over the past few years with its well-made, carefully designed and excellent-sounding range of retro radios. The Revival Uno BT is another strong entry, a versatile package that confidently blends streaming smarts with portability, ease of use and satisfactory sound presentation delivered in a supremely good-looking package.

That £150 asking price may seem a little steep at first, but the Revival Uno BT makes a case for itself not just with regard to how competent it sounds but how versatile it is as both a domestic radio, a portable Bluetooth speaker and a sort of hi-fi fashion accessory. If you’re currently seeking out mobile sound courtesy of a very nice-looking portable speaker, the Revival Uno BT makes a strong case for your consideration.

SCORES

• Sound 4
• Features 5
• Build 5

MORE:

Read our review of the Roberts Stream 94L

Also consider the Revo SuperConnect

Check out our pick of the finest DAB radios on the market

These are the best internet radios you can hear right now

In the same way that we once feared vinyl and CD would all but die out thanks to the rise of online music streaming, there was a great deal of anxiety that the good old-fashioned radio would soon go to the wall when portable MP3 players, HomePods and smart speakers emerged from the technological oven.

That hasn't, thankfully, quite happened. There’s still a great demand for having a classic radio as a staple of many domestic audio set-ups, even if the simple requirement of being able to transmit Classic FM and Radio 4 in the kitchen has evolved to include a more wide-ranging list of tasks and functions. 

A modern radio often needs to be a jack-of-all-trades while retaining the signature look, feel and function of a classic piece of tech in order to survive in its own particular market niche. That’s exactly what Revo's original SuperConnect delivered with its feature-packed original model back in 2014, and now, almost ten years later, the brand’s sequel has arrived with more stations, more streaming support and, crucially, stereo sound.

Build & design

We described the first SuperConnect’s aesthetic as “modern with a dash of retro” when we tested it back in 2014. Looking at the updated model, perhaps “retro with a dash of modern” would be better suited to the Stereo’s dapper aesthetic, the stylish new unit defined by a bold steel grille, smooth oak panelling and a sharp LED display now occupying the console’s centre. 

Atop the SuperConnect’s sleek panelling is a large foldable antenna, while a sizeable tuning knob on the right-hand side takes care of volume control. There’s also an optical digital output, an aux input, a pair of RCA connectors and a 3.5mm headphone jack if you’re keen to plug your cans into the source while, say, working at your desk without wanting to attract your neighbours’ ire.

Whether you opt for walnut and black or walnut and silver aluminium, the SuperConnect Stereo looks great, sticking to its half-and-half aesthetic without ever feeling mismatched or disorganised. It’s also brilliantly made, feeling weighty and solid without ever coming across as bulky or industrial. The various buttons and inputs across the bottom are clearly marked and easy to use, while the LED display gives you the basics you need to get by, even if the lack of a ‘back button’ to simply hop backwards a step when you’ve delved into a menu category can be a cause of irritation.

There’s also a plastic remote that covers most of the basic functionalities, too, and while it may not be particularly astonishing to look at, it does its job just fine. Again, our only gripe would be a lack of a handy ‘return’ button to flick you back a step, but that’s about it.

Features

Revo’s latest model accommodates 36,000 radio stations from across the globe, while streaming support from Spotify, Deezer and Amazon Music means the SuperConnect can keep up with the demands of the modern world. We sampled Spotify Connect with our own test model and found the set-up and functionality to be as simple as putting on a pair of socks. Operating playback from the SuperConnnect is less slick than from your phone, though, as the Revo’s display can only scroll back and forth through your songs rather than giving you access to the full category of your tunes. 

Wireless audio playback via Bluetooth 5.2 also works pretty well, although we did experience just the occasional twitch or hint of lag as the radio occasionally allowed one or two internal hiccups to become audible to human ears. Far from enough to take you out of the moment, but worth noting nonetheless. 

Thanks to a built-in WLAN network streamer, Revo can also stream tunes from any connected device on your home network (such as a music server, if you have one).

Scrolling through the Revo’s menu gives options from internet radio, DAB/DAB+ radio, FM, your chosen streaming services, a simple-to-use podcast hub, a few settable alarms and a settings menu. The podcast hub is a particularly nice touch, bringing together thousands of different shows into one accessible database while also allowing you to dig out your pod of choice via a neat search function.

Sound

The SuperConnect Stereo features a 30W Class D amplifier powering two 90mm BMR speakers, something that Revo argues gives “wide dispersion and an expanded sweet spot” for more pleasing audio playback. There’s also Proprietary EQ configuration to supposedly provide “warm open sound with clarity, detail and a rich, deep bass”.

Let’s see how this all translates to the real world of actually listening to your favourite tracks. Radios, especially smaller ones, do have a tendency either to sound too tinny or too muffled, but there’s an unexpected amount of space and depth provided by Revo’s more sizeable unit. Fire up Scissor Sisters’ Take Your Mama and you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how much of the song’s original flair and sense of fun remains. 

Darker, bassier efforts are given an equally good account. Metric’s Help I’m Alive retains so much of its character and weight, especially when it comes to the track’s clanking, industrial percussive sounds, whereas Nirvana’s On A Plain feels as crunchy and pulsatingly visceral as ever. 

The Revo also deals very well with dynamics and bigger, orchestral compositions. Beethoven’s Symphony No.5 In C Minor feels controlled, balanced and cohesive, as though all of the elements are being given the respect and authority they deserve. No single instrument or voice is off balance, and every timbre and texture is ordered into a cohesive, musical package. 

Spoken voices, too, sound crisp and authoritative. Load up any podcast of your choosing and you’ll find the vocal presentation to be clear and personable, something that carries on through to talking segments across DAB and FM frequencies or internet radio.

It’s worth noting, though, that sound quality will vary depending on the medium chosen and, inevitably, the strength of the signal you’re attempting to pick up. When playing around with our test model, the best sound came courtesy of streaming services such as Spotify or else internet-accessed radio stations, in contrast to the background fuzz generated by traditional FM frequencies. 

Verdict

The demands on the modern radio are more burdensome than ever. Not only does a good radio have to provide access to the airwaves as it always has, but now there’s a demand for streaming, not to mention high-fidelity audio and a striking, eye-catching design. Most contemporary units must be a Swiss army knife of functions.

Thankfully, the SuperConnect Stereo is more than up to the task(s). Packed with features and highly competent at everything it does, Revo’s long-awaited sequel to the original 2014 model has been worth the wait; it’s easy-to-use, fantastic to look at and a pleasure to listen to, and while it may sport a vintage aesthetic, nothing about the SuperConnect Stereo feels remotely out-of-date.

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Features 5
• Build 4

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This week Ruark unveiled its rather swish-looking R1S radio, which adds to the firm’s widening range of small hi-fi products.

I haven’t had a chance to listen to the new Ruark R1S yet, but considering our positive experience reviewing the firm’s other radios – which include the five-star Ruark Audio R1 Mk3 – I and the wider What Hi-Fi? team has high hopes for it.

For me, this is mainly because the one-box R1S looks set to fix one of the only problems I have had using Ruark’s other affordable radios and smaller speakers – their lack of network streaming. It is becoming increasingly hard for manufacturers to get away with omitting streaming support these days, even in the more budget products. And Ruark has clearly recognised that in its inclusion in the R1S.

This is particularly true of the Ruark Audio MR1 Mk2, which for years were my go-to desktop stereo speakers and the ones I would pair with my turntable. 

To be clear, these are still very good speakers, and the reasons I bought them and stuck with them for so long are pretty simple and hold true to this day. Originally I loved them as their dinky dimensions and lower-than-expected price meant they were the best option my 20-something-year-old self could afford that would fit into my tiny shared flat.

As an added perk they look lovely, featuring a wonderfully premium wooden finish, and an über-cool woven retro grille. But most importantly, they sound pretty darned nice, even by today’s standards. Our audio experts agree with me on this point, having given them the best desktop speaker crown at every What Hi-Fi? Awards since 2017 (a year after the speakers launched). That's right, nothing has come close to beating them in that many years.

Our review says it all:

“Gorgeous looks, streamlined design and features, sound quality that’s been improved in every way – the Ruark MR1 Mk2 shoots straight to the top of our favourites list.”

Trust me when I say, our team doesn’t give glowing praise like this often and that’s a key reason I stuck with the Ruark’s so long. But my move into a house, a process that saw me re-evaluate all my hi-fi and home cinema kit, meant that the lack of network streaming really hit home.

Bluetooth is fine for casual listening, but when non-"proper hi-fi" companies are bashing out similar home speakers with the feature, such as the Sonos Era 100 we gave a perfect five-star score to earlier this month, its absence undeniably ages the product. 

Having used products like the Era 100 for a while, I have become too used to using things like Spotify and Tidal Connect as my primary streaming service at home even when working on my home computer.

You can see a proper guide on why network streaming is such a big deal in our Tidal Connect guide. But the Cliff Notes is that streaming over wi-fi can be a gateway to much higher streaming quality than you can get via Bluetooth. Services such as Connect take this a stage further, letting you stream audio directly from the provider's servers to the device/speaker, further improving the amount of data that can be sent, without losing much along the way.

On a speaker that sounds as good as the MR1 Mk2, its absence is an omission that I am finding harder and harder to ignore.

This realisation then got me on a wider journey about quite how much I would like Ruark to deliver a more holistic update to the MR1 Mk2 (it is knocking on for six years old now, after all) and ponder what other features I would want on my imaginary MR1 Mk3.

There are plenty of open goals to be had. For example, given the fact the Mk2 is still being marketed as a desktop and TV speaker setup, it would be an easy win for Ruark to add HDMI and USB connectivity. Even if it doesn’t add HDMI 2.1, the latest standard, for Dolby Atmos, just having more connection options than optical would make the speakers much more flexible for home office or cinema use.

This would also let the new MR1's target an underserved market, if Ruark manages to keep its price down, with most of the competing products, the KEF LSX II, say, that are similar to the one I'm picturing in my head costing much more.

And it’s this train of thought that has kept bothering me whenever I have gone home and looked at the currently empty slots next to my TV and turntable and computer - at which point I feel a slight pang for Ruark to update one of my favourite sets of desktop speakers.

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Ruark has remained ever-reliable to the radio, making the point that the music medium is still hugely relevant today as it announces the next generation of its established entry-level R1 radio. The British audio brand is probably right, though the dominance of streaming services cannot be ignored... which is why this new R1S (£299) supports wi-fi and offers access to Spotify (via Spotify Connect), Amazon Music and Deezer. Ruark says that the R1S will also support Spotify HiFi when the lossless tier eventually shows up.

This marks the first time that networked streaming has been delivered by Ruark’s R1 model, having previously been the reserve of the larger, pricier R2 and the radio systems above it in the company’s well-rounded catalogue.

No internet in your bedroom? No problem. The R1S carries over many of the features of its predecessors. Bluetooth (the latest 5 standard this time) is onboard for easy, offline streaming of music from phones and tablets, as is, of course, FM, DAB and DAB+ radio. Internet radio hasn’t been left out either, with Ruark’s SmartRadio tuner allowing access to stations worldwide and including a source dedicated to podcasts.

Like its predecessor, the R1S has a USB-C port that can charge phones and other devices with that connection, as well as a switchable analogue line input and a headphone jack. The R1S plugs into the mains for power, though it can be made portable with the optional BackPack 3 battery pack (£69).

The R1S wears a familiar design, defined by the gorgeous wooden grille (created, Ruark says, from sustainable wood), the colour display, and the wonderful top-panel RotoDial, which offers perhaps the best on-unit control experience we’ve come across in such a product. Alternative means of control are with the matching remote and the all-new Oktiv app, the latter of which could well be preferred for more easily browsing through stations and podcasts.

Behind all that is the Class A/B amplifier driving a neodymium NS+ full-range driver – a type of pairing that has helped previous R1 iterations win five-star reviews for their rich, musical sound. We can only hope the R1S is able to seal its promising fate with a decent sound performance too.

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Rather than review the Ruark R2 Mk4 Smart Music System in our usual listening rooms, we decided to set it up in a master bedroom.

It’s that sort of product – ideal for a study or secondary space, and very much looking the part for either location with its modern take on a classic radio design.

We were glad we did this. It showed what an effect such a high-quality music maker can have on music listening habits, because the Ruark is just so easy to use, so easy to get playing with a single tap of the power button, that we reckon it must have quadrupled the amount of music we played in that space during its time. And that’s a recommendation in itself.

Design & build

There’s one important potential perception to correct here. It would be easy to look at the R2, see just a big old-style radio, and think, well, £439 / AU$899 doesn’t seem particularly cheap for a big radio. 

But hold on a minute. The better comparison here is not with an old radio: it’s with the latest high-tech wireless speakers, such as those available as part of platforms like Sonos or HEOS.

Because the Ruark R2 has precisely those skills – it is not just a radio. It has wireless networking, direct streaming of services like Spotify, Deezer and Amazon Music, full access to global internet radio stations via its own app, a specific ‘podcast’ source, plus Bluetooth, which can stream anything else you want via your smart device of choice. 

But Ruark’s R2 goes beyond the abilities of most wireless speakers in also including both FM analogue and DAB+ digital radio, something few wireless speakers include.

So what we actually have here is a high-specification streaming music system, boosted by full radio abilities (other than AM, which it doesn’t have). 

We reckon the R2 has one more big advantage over rival streaming wireless systems. Let’s compare the R2 Mk4 with what you’ll get at the same sort of price from major wireless speaker brands. From Sonos, it would be the Sonos Five, at £499 / AU$799. From HEOS it would be either the Denon Home 250, which launched at £449 / AU$849 but is now available at around AU$600, or the Home 350, which launched at £599 / AU$1299 but has settled around AU$900.

Sonically competent as those units may be (and two of them are previous Sound+Image award-winners), they are boring featureless black or white boxes when compared with the gorgeous R2, with its polymer cabinet slightly tilted back, and highlighted by the slatted grille made of wood. Our review unit came in the light cream lacquer with an ash-wood grille (pictured), which drew praise from all those who saw it, while a darker ‘espresso’ with a walnut grille is also available. 

And even though this latest R2 Mk4 has skimmed a few centimetres from the depth of its predecessor (better for window ledges and bookshelves, says Ruark) it is nevertheless larger in size at 34cm wide and 18cm high than either the Sonos Five or the lesser Denon. Yet it’s just such a lovely design that it’s a pleasure to have in the home, compared with a featureless modern box designed to hide rather than contribute to décor.

Another differentiation is the amplification technology within. While Sonos (and we’d guess Denon) uses Class D amplifiers, Ruark’s R2 has genuine traditional Class AB amplification to drive its stereo drivers, which are Ruark’s NS+ full-range design, backed by neodymium magnets. All of which bodes well for the last point of comparison – sound quality.

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Sound quality

Setting up the Ruark R2 Mk4 involves little more than plonking it down somewhere sturdy, and then using the top-mounted Rotodial to follow the initial on-screen set-up instructions. 

The Rotodial has been Ruark’s control of choice ever since the company transitioned from making traditional box speakers to its latter-day focus on radios and music centres, which today range from little mono radios up to the substantial table-sized R7, described as a ‘Radiogram Refined!’

The Dial has a central rotary section, with the power button at the bottom and seven other buttons arrayed around the top. Play/pause is sensibly at the apex, and ‘back’ and’ forward’ are sensibly at the outside, leaving two spaces on either side for alarm, menu, source and preset. There are twin alarms available with options for weekday and weekend alarms; a sleep timer is also available in the app so you can drift off to your favourite night-time tunes. 

Examining the connections at the attractive rear we noted two minijack sockets: one an analogue stereo line input, the other for plugging in a pair of minijack headphones. There’s also a USB-C socket which can be used for playback or for charging, but playback is, we think, limited to MP3s, and of course with a USB-C socket you can’t plug in a standard USB-A stick without an adaptor. Nor can you plug in, say, an iPad with a USB-C to USB-C cable. It simply doesn’t recognise the device, other than offering to charge it.  

But for set-up, it’s pick your language, connect to Wi-Fi, check for a firmware update, and then pick a source – and we were listening to digital radio within a couple of minutes. For radio reception we needed the antenna extended, and it’s worth noting the height of this, should you extend it fully vertically, as it extends to roughly triple the R2 Mk4’s height. 

Meanwhile, the display on the left of the R2’s top third had now illuminated to show us both the time and date or, once playing, the time and radio station/show, or the track, or whatever. It can show colour artwork for radio stations, but you have to specifically press the Rotodial for this, so you don’t see such logos in general use.

And now, the sound. We love the R2 Mk4’s sound, as we have previous Ruark tabletop music systems. They look like classic radios, and they’re able to sound like that – a rich woody sound, and one that remains rich even at quite low levels, thanks to Ruark’s use of adaptive EQ to put a tilt of bass into lower-level listening. So whether trickling out daytime radio as background music or being cranked up for something louder when entertaining or vacuuming, the R2 Mk4 can deliver in full. 

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It’s particularly well tuned for voices to sound engaging and real, both male and female, so that it’s also a great way to hear podcasts. For this, as for internet radio, the best way to find your way around is to download the Ruark’s control app, which is Undok (shown above), provided by Frontier (which presumably makes the streaming and radio platform within the R2). 

Undok has been around for years, and Ruark has stuck with it. It’s attractive and clean, if fairly basic in its implementations, so that finding an internet radio station or podcast requires either a text search or browsing by genre/country, the method used since the dawn of internet radio. Even this could be a little sluggish, we found, but delays can be circumnavigated by putting your favourites into the eight preset slots available for each source. These can then be accessed directly from the Rotodial. Indeed since the Ruark turns on to whatever was previously playing, many users may never need to do more than press the power button to turn on the Ruark at their favourite station. 

[UPDATE: Since our review, we see that Ruark is now recommending the Octiv app, rather than Undok. We're not sure why.]

For much of the time, that’s precisely what we did: we tuned the R2 Mk4 into a favourite station for FM, DAB+ and internet radio, and then we’d just wake up and hit the power button to have music flowing. 

We note that while some Ruark music players use the Undok app for multiroom sharing to other Ruark devices, the R2 Mk4 has been left out of this useful loop, for reasons unstated.

Other than the app there’s no remote control provided, but one is available for around £15 / AU$35, and that has four useful direct-access preset buttons.

When pumping out the compressed radio streams of FM, DAB+ and many internet radio streams, the friendly sound of the Ruark R2 Mk4 might accentuate the bass thump of dance music a little too intrusively; some might even feel there’s a little too much upper bass in general, so that male voices can be a little too full. 

There’s an easy fix for this in the app settings, as the R2 ships with its ‘Loudness’ circuit engaged. Turn it off and the volume drops dramatically, but raise it back up and you’ll enjoy a much cleaner sound: a more ‘modern’ sound, you might say. 

Which way you go will be down to taste; we listened for two weeks with Loudness on and didn’t object, but once we’d found the option we tended to prefer it off.

There are also bass and treble controls, with eight presets available for those, so there are further ways to tune the tone to your preference. We didn’t need these, but they might be useful to counteract the effects of certain room positions, or to tweak certain material.

Finally, there is a hidden ‘3D sound’ option, which isn’t available through the app, only if you access settings using the Rotodial’s own menus. Turning this off clarifies the midrange and treble in particular, so is well worth hunting down. Once we’d found it, that stayed off too.

For some reason we couldn’t get Spotify to ‘see’ the Ruark, but we listened to our own music and streams from Apple Music sent from an iPad Pro via Bluetooth. We didn’t find a pop track we didn’t enjoy through the R4; the warm sound fills all rock and pop with richness and musicality. 

It rolled out the twin basses opening Walk On The Wild Side, and did a lovely stereo job of the doo-de-doos. Leonard Cohen’s voice was one that sounded a tad too thick on the O2 live version of Tower Of Song, but was better with that ‘Loudness’ setting off. 

Of course, the ultimate low octaves are missing, so that it won’t present a symphony orchestra like a real large hi-fi system, but tonally we think fans of acoustic music will love its sound (‘loudness’ on to boost the strength of lower strings) and we were able to drift away delightfully to its rendition of Mozart’s Symphony #25 (Neville Marriner, 1984).

It has its limits. Halfway up should be plenty loud enough for most occasions, and beyond that things can start to sound stressed pretty quickly, especially with complex music or heavy bass, though this happens less if you turn off those ‘loudness’ and ‘3D’ defaults. 

When we cranked Peter Gabriel’s Panopticom, it was able to remain uncongested far louder with loudness off, while the vocals had better cut-through at every level with ‘3D Sound’ off as well. 

Verdict

We love the Ruark R2 Mk4 both as a design and for the easy ways it brings access to music.

It’s not a party machine for going loud, and there are some default settings we’d like to be able to defeat or select more easily, but it’s a powerful alternative to more modern-looking wireless speakers, coming with all mod streaming options, as it were, yet presenting in a stylish retro design. 

It’s a perfect all-in-one for secondary rooms, and for lovers of radio especially. 

• See all our Australian reviews from Sound+Image and Australian Hi-Fi

Never has a radio range been more accomplished. The 2021 Award-winning Roberts Stream 94i, and the 93i before it, have received multiple What Hi-Fi? Award trophies over the last decade, and this new version has followed successfully in its footsteps, winning in 2022 and 2023.

The Roberts Stream 94L is the latest iteration of this much-lauded radio and its updates are simply a new logo, a faster processor, and built-in Amazon Music and Deezer support. 

Everything we loved about the previous Roberts Stream 94i remains the same: the same design, extensive radio and streaming features, ease of use, and enjoyable sound quality. After all, why mess with a winning combination? Even the price has remained the same, which is worth celebrating in our current economic climate. 

Build & Design

For those not familiar with the Stream 94L's previous generations, it’s worth exploring just how good a radio this is. 

It’s a smart-looking unit, with excellent build quality throughout. The 94i had already been given a slick facelift, so there was very little to change with the new 94L. Visually, the only difference is the addition of Roberts’ new cursive logo on the front. 

The flexible handle is elegant and makes it easy to carry the radio around. The Stream 94L is mains powered, but you can buy an optional battery pack to make it fully portable.

You can control most aspects of the radio using the front row of buttons and the two dials for volume and tuning, the latter of which is also used for scrolling and selecting options.

A small remote control is supplied, but we find ourselves preferring the excellent Undok app (free for iOS and Android) to select radio or streaming options, access the settings, adjust the custom EQ, and save multiple presets. It’s much easier and slicker to use, especially when searching for radio stations. You can instantly access your top five favourite radio stations using the unit’s preset buttons, but many more than that can be stored and played via the app.

On the back panel, you’ll find a handful of connections: an aux input and a line output, a USB port for playing MP3 files only, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Features

Inside the new Stream 94L lies a more powerful processor, which Roberts says results in speedier start-up times and faster functions. While we don’t have the older 94i on hand for comparison, the 94L is certainly responsive and easy to use from the moment we plug it in. Selecting different inputs and radio stations is instinctive, and starting up from standby mode takes mere seconds. 

This Roberts radio has so many ways of playing music. You can listen to local and international radio stations thanks to internet radio, DAB/DAB+ and FM tuner (the antenna is included). Bluetooth was the big inclusion in the last model, and along with Spotify Connect, the new 94L now has built-in support for Amazon Music and Deezer streaming services. 

Setting up the 94L radio takes a few twiddles of the dial, especially when connecting it to your home network for the first time. After that, it never failed to connect automatically on start-up. A handy wi-fi icon in the full colour LCD display shows you how strong the signal is, so you can fine-tune where you place the radio to get the best, unbroken signal. We only experienced two signal drop outs in the weeks we had it, but it re-connected automatically. 

We find it interesting that the radio can display the bit rate, codec and sampling rate of each station, although song title, artist and station logo are the most useful information to see at a glance.

The Stream 94L of course still operates as a bedside radio clock. You can set alarms to play specific radio stations and also set a timer. 

Sound

Whether you’re listening to 6 Radio, BBC 4’s Kitchen Cabinet or Seattle’s excellent KEXP 90.3 FM station, using DAB+, Bluetooth or Spotify – this radio is such an enjoyable performer. We have it playing throughout the day and never tire of it.

Acoustically, the ‘subwoofer’ at the back of the unit and the two smaller drivers on the front have remained unchanged in the new 94L model. This is great news for sound quality, although we hope that Roberts can push the performance even further when it comes to the next update. 

Iggy Pop’s The Passenger sounds punchy and detailed, with all its ’70s punk energy intact. Dynamically, this little radio manages to pack in so much subtlety and has a natural ebb and flow to songs that even some dedicated hi-fi kit twice its price struggles to communicate. It’s an agile sound with a fine sense of timing. 

Midrange remains a high point, with voices coming through clearly, focussed and packed with expressive detail whether you’re listening to radio DJs, lots of sludgy grunge rock or podcasts. Voices have plenty of texture, and everyone’s personality shines through the radio.

Play something heavier like Deftones’ My Own Summer (Shove It), and while it can get a little messy when the volume is pushed high, the 94L still delivers a decent amount of weight to those thundering guitars and drums. Voices are still crystal clear above the mix of instruments, and the melody is driven forward in an admirably sure-footed manner.

You’ll never get masses of deep bass from such a compact unit, but the basslines on Digital Underground’s Walk Real Kool are tuneful and pulled taut. The Stream 94L’s smooth, unfussy nature masks just how talented a performer it is, especially in its ability to sound so fluid and capable with anything you play through it.

We’d also recommend tweaking EQ settings if you want to rein in the bass and give more of a spotlight to voices – especially if you listen to talk radio and podcasts more often – but we found the default Flat setting has the best balance across music and speech.

Verdict

This is such a fun radio to listen to. The updates might seem slight, but we applaud Roberts for packing in more streaming options and not increasing the price tag a jot. 

Its performance remains as enjoyable as ever, and we never find ourselves running out of things to listen to thanks to the world’s radio stations available at our fingertips. The new Stream 94L remains a smart, well-featured and great-sounding radio at this price. Highly recommended.

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Features 5
• Build 5

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What if you want hassle-free music and wireless streaming but you don’t want a fabric-jacketed orb, cylinder or pebble with its own voice and pulsating ring of light on your kitchen worktop? What if you want something that just looks like a (whisper it) normal radio but with Apple AirPlay 2 and Google Chromecast built-in? Meet the Tivoli Model One Digital Generation 2. 

It's been four years between the two models. Tivoli’s inaugural Bluetooth- and wi-fi-connected DAB/FM radio proposition, the original Model One Digital, first stole the hearts of avid wireless devotees (and by wireless here, we do mean radio). And its successor, the new Generation 2 update we have here, adds Google Chromecast and Apple AirPlay 2 streaming to the diminutive package. 

AirPlay 2 and Chromecast – both reliable wireless technologies that easily let you play content from your mobile device through an external speaker – mean that the Tivoli can stream audio from all apps that support them, such as Spotify, Apple Music, Google Play, Tidal and Deezer. It also plays ball with Alexa or Google Assistant voice control, too.

So, it’s basically a wireless streamer? Not at all. At its core, the Model One Digital Generation 2 remains a wi-fi radio, with DAB+/FM taking the reins and the aforementioned Chromecast, AirPlay 2 and Bluetooth connectivity its valuable passengers. 

Price

At £299 ($350, AU$449), the Gen 2 is just £20 ($50) dearer than the 2017-released Model One Digital. On the one hand, then, the addition of a Google Chromecast and Apple AirPlay 2, plus a remote control, has added value to this real-wood product. One could argue that the price was steep for a DAB radio to begin with – the Roberts Stream 94L, our current What Hi-Fi? Award winner, is available at a more palatable price tag at just £200. So it’s not cheap, then.

Build and features

The Tivoli Model One Digital Generation 2’s ideal environment might be the cover of Livingetc. backed by Farrow and Ball painted walls in a hue called 'Purbeck Stone'. Our walnut sample (it’s also available in a lighter cabinet with grey trim, or darker finish with black trim, both furniture-grade wood) has grey, eco-friendly fabric covering the speaker portion on the left of the cabinet, which comprises a Class A/B amplifier to drive a single long-throw 3.5-inch full-range driver. The central power/volume knob is cool aluminium, as is the bezel ring control around the display. 

Press the small central knob to power on and select a listening source – there's FM/DAB, Bluetooth or wi-fi, remember – then switch to the bezel control to facilitate track-skips in Bluetooth and wi-fi modes, or to tune in when you’re listening to DAB or good old-fashioned FM radio. Want to add a station to your presets? Simply short-press the bezel, or double-press it to reload the DAB station list. For volume, it’s back to the central knob. 

Around the back, you’ll find a small slotted bass reflex port, aux-in and DC power port (the Tivoli needs to be plugged in at all times). There are also two buttons; one mutes the speaker and the other labelled ‘setup’ enables it to be connected to a home network. 

Four small rubber feet and a classic shiny, retractable antenna complete the look. Yes, it’s pricey for a DAB radio, but you can certainly feel the quality. In terms of size, it’s smaller than we had imagined – its footprint is closer to that of a paperback book rather than shoebox – but at just over 1.5kg of wood, aluminium and workmanship, it is reassuringly heavy and a pleasure to behold. 

The remote is a small plastic affair, but it is fully featured and functions very well as we use it to set the alarm, switch sources, access presets, tune the FM radio and scroll through DAB stations. 

To set up the Model One Digital Generation 2, we select wi-fi as the source on the Gen 2, wait until the clear and classy screen reads “WiFi Setup Enabled” and use our iPhone to add the product to our wi-fi network as an AirPlay speaker. It’s simple and takes barely two minutes. 

Anything that’s available on our iPhone can now be streamed on the Model One Digital Generation 2 over AirPlay 2. And what if someone comes over and wants to play a tune but you don’t feel like handing over your wi-fi password? They can hook up via Bluetooth.

Set the Model One Digital Generation 2 down, give the remote a few clicks, read the LCD screen as it calmly relays the time, the station and the track playing, and we defy you not to fall for it. If it sounds good too, it’ll be a home run for Tivoli...

Sound

Tuning in to good old Capital FM first, we extend the antenna and enjoy the time-honoured task coupled with the clean, neutral and very modern presentation as reward. Spoken voices are crisp and Mabel’s Don’t Call Me Up is grippy through the low end and snappy for timing. Keys through the treble before the chorus feel nicely three-dimensional. 

We switch to DAB radio and use the remote to select BBC Radio Surrey. Julia Says by Wet Wet Wet is accurately relayed across the frequencies as the Generation 2 pays due diligence to Marti Pellow’s velvet, emotive vocals in a cohesive and pleasing mix. A historic news segment from Tomorrow’s World is played about the introduction of email, and the story sounds far more nuanced sonically here than we remember it, when it was first broadcast on TV in 1994. 

The added joy of AirPlay 2 means that your Apple device can also be used as your volume control, albeit in increments of three rather than one (as with the on-unit dial or the remote), and as we cue up Fester Skank by Lethal Bizzle, we note that the Tivoli isn’t scared to go loud. At just 16 of a potential 40 clicks on the volume knob, the sound is more than enough for the neighbours to know about it, but it is still sonically regimented, particularly through the low end where we might have expected issues as we crank up the volume. 

Considering the Tivoli is a relatively small, single-driver product, it would be churlish to think that it could challenge your main system for dynamic build and separation, but there’s more than enough detail and zeal to excite us as a secondary, stress-free source – and it is a truly likeable radio.

Verdict

Our only minor gripe when using the Model One Digital Generation 2 concerns the user convenience, rather than the sound. It is a small issue, but during testing we note that, at times, rotating the large dial to select DAB stations can lag a tad and thus it can take a little while if you don’t know exactly what you’re in the mood for or you haven’t loaded up presets of the stations you love. And here you can store a maximum of six, where competing products offer up to 30 presets. That said, we really enjoy Tivoli’s winning little box of tricks.

With old-school radio feels and thoroughly modern AirPlay 2 and Chromecast, the Tivoli Model One Digital Generation 2 scores consistently high marks. 

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Features 5
• Build 5

MORE:

See all the What Hi-Fi? Awards 2022 winners

Read our round-up of the best internet radios

Read our review of the Award-winning Roberts Stream 94L

• Want more choice? Check out our long list of the best radios

There's no surprise why DAB radios remain popular today: compact designs, hundreds of free stations, easy to use – it's a great way to listen to music, news and sports while going about your day.

In this guide, we are focusing on the DAB/FM radios that deliver the best audio performance, but note they also do the crucial alarm clock job, too.

Modern DAB radios today increasingly boast features such as Bluetooth, wi-fi and even Spotify integration to widen their appeal to all listeners. Their essential objective is still attractive: easy to use and fit into your home, and, for many, a lifeline to the outside world thanks to accessible, free radio stations to keep you updated with news, sports events and all genres of music.

There's nothing quite like your favourite BBC 6 Music programme keeping you company in the kitchen or home office, while a seasoned radio DJ's handpicked curation will delight and inform better than most AI-powered playlists.

Below you'll find our pick of the best DAB radios that we've tested and have impressed us with their features, ease of use, design and overall sound quality for the price. You can read more about our radio testing process here, or scroll below to see our pick of the best-sounding DAB radios you can buy today.

Best overall DAB radio

Ruark's smallest, entry-level radio is more than just a DAB radio. Packing internet radio, Bluetooth and wi-fi streaming, including integrated Spotify Connect, alongside the traditional FM/DAB+ tuners, the R1S is a smart, versatile and feature-packed wireless speaker for the modern era that can play from nearly any source. There are even physical inputs for plugging in your smartphone, MP3 player or wired headphones.

The compact unit looks classy and elegant, with a larger, full-colour screen displaying crisp, clear text that you can easily read from a distance. It's easy to use thanks to the on-unit controller; you can set alarms and timers, and save eight presets per radio source. There was only one finish at launch, but now it's available in three chic finishes.

We were expecting that rich, full-bodied sound we've become accustomed to hearing from a Ruark radio, but the R1S is much more articulate, precise and mature-sounding. It's evenly balanced, there are subtleties in detail revealed effortlessly, and the timing is spot-on. Voices sound natural and are projected well, and there's ample space and organisation for instruments to thrive.

It sounds engaging and dynamic, and it's impressive just how much bass weight and definition you can get from such a compact unit. No matter what kind of music you're listening to – classical, pop, rock, hip-hop – or enjoying podcasts, the R1S delivers a wonderfully solid, nuanced and organised sound.

If you're after a classic DAB radio that can also handle modern streaming smarts (and more), this Ruark is hard to beat at this price. It's such a terrific radio, it not only gained a What Hi-Fi? Award, but also ran away with the coveted Product of the Year Award for radios – two years in a row! Highly recommend.

Read our full Ruark Audio R1S review

Best budget DAB radio

Costing just shy of £100 and boasting 20 presets (10 DAB and 10 FM), Bluetooth connectivity and a 20-hour portable battery, the tiny Revival Petite 2 offers an abundance of features for the money. The updated model adds USB-C charging, alarm and timer settings, and a 3.5mm headphone jack, while the small but bright OLED screens pack in a whole lot of information.

We couldn't be more effusive about its incredibly compact, almost palm-sized form (check out the gallery above to see it placed against other objects) and how well-built and lovely it is to hold and behold. No matter how small your space is, this Award-winning Petite 2 (in its many colourful finishes) will be able to perch anywhere.

Despite its mini dimensions, the Petite 2 delivers a surprisingly big, detailed and weighty sound. Roberts has judged the sonic balance beautifully, recognising it won't be able to relay true bass or a wide soundstage, but delivering just enough richness to the midrange and a lively presentation so it's an entertaining and satisfying listen.

Voices are clear, solid and have natural warmth, while music, regardless of source, is dynamically and rhythmically engaging. There's drive and momentum, and it's fun to listen to.

In the Petite 2, Roberts has made a terrifically stylish, entertaining and versatile radio that is an utter delight in every way.

Read our full Roberts Revival Petite 2 review

Best premium DAB radio

Oh, what a lovely thing the Ruark Audio R2 Mk4 is. We rarely find audio products that achieve the Holy Trinity of sounding fantastic, looking sublime and being so easy to use that a toddler could probably find its way around the navigational menu, but the Ruark R2 (now in its fourth generation) has managed it, and in some style.

The beautifully made Ruark stole our hearts pretty much as soon as it was out of the box, and things only got better once we'd fired it up and started listening. It's a good thing, too, considering the R2's rather high price tag. It has a rich, detailed sound that doesn't sacrifice any musicality or timing, with a particularly nuanced, natural way with voices that make a great radio truly great. The Ruark is an engaging, vibrant listen no matter the genre or playing method you're using.

It's also, as you'll have guessed, a wonderfully made unit, sporting that stunning wooden slatted front, a clear, crisp display and a high-quality cabinet build that screams of a product made with care and precision. Why doesn't everything look like this?!

It supports Spotify, Amazon Music and Deezer over wi-fi, while all other music can be streamed from your device over Bluetooth. Whether you're streaming, playing FM, DAB, or internet radio, the radio is easy to use thanks to the built-in controller or by using one of two third-party apps.

It's priced at the premium end for a radio, but you get what you pay for with the Ruark R2. A wonderfully complete radio that truly deserves your consideration.

Read our full Ruark Audio R2 Mk4 review

Best DAB radio system

The modern radio/streaming system has to be a jack-of-all-trades while still holding onto that signature look, function and feel of a classic piece of tech, and while that's a lot of different requirements to juggle, Revo's SuperConnect Stereo delivers across all fronts.

It's classically handsome (more Rex Harrison than Timothée Chalamet), with its “retro with a dash of modern” aesthetic winning us over in an instant. Only the Ruark R2 Mk4 could be considered better-looking.

It's also made to a gratifyingly high standard. While slightly on the large side for a radio, the SuperConnect Stereo packs in a host of streaming features that will let you play music from popular streaming services to even picking up music stored on your network. Add some glorious sound into those dimensions, and this is a bona fide hi-fi system in its own right.

Speaking of sound, the Revo gets the balance just right, offering fullness, weight and body alongside detail, space and an appreciation for the music it plays. The Ruark (above) gives you a bit more spark, but the Revo is not lacking in weight and heft.

Easy to use, great to look at and a joy to listen to, the Revo SuperConnect Stereo is a genuine alternative to a modern hi-fi system, that just also happens to offer DAB radio as one of its many talents.

Read our full Revo SuperConnect Stereo review

Also consider

Majority Petersfield Go: After a simple, pocketable DAB/FM radio to tune into sports and news on the move? This little clip-on radio costs just £30, but you get lots of radio features (DAB/FM tuners, scanning, presets) and even a pair of nondescript wired earbuds thrown in. Swap them out for a better pair and this does the basics well.

Roberts Reva: While the Ruark rivals offer a more natural, fluid and subtle sound, the new Roberts Reva radio is a powerful, spacious performer that sounds good even at loud volumes. It's easy to use and we like the handsome new design, too.

Revo SuperConnect: The standard SuperConnect is still going (it delivers mono sound compared with the newer model's stereo output) and remains a smart, slightly more affordable choice for anyone wanting that excellent Revo sonic pedigree housed in an attractive, well-made package.

How to choose the best DAB radio for you

While all of the radios on this list give you access to hundreds of digital radio stations, some models include a number of useful extra features to boot, such as Bluetooth streaming and integration of your favourite music streaming service.

Size and features
Most importantly, when deciding which digital radio is right for you, you need to figure out whether you want something small and portable or larger and mains-powered, or if maybe you want a radio you can install in your car. Then, you'll have to decide if you just want to listen to the radio or if you're interested in wi-fi and Bluetooth connectivity, DAB+ and streaming support, or even CD player functionality.

Price and expecations
Price will of course be a factor as well, but it's important to set your expectations depending on the budget. DAB/DAB+ tuner integration should be standard for any digital radio, but it's worth checking whether the addition of Bluetooth streaming, FM radio tuner and/or the ability to set presets is important to you.

Our round-up above includes budget and premium options, featuring standard DAB digital radio and even various music-streaming goodies. Perhaps you want something tiny and ridiculously cute; perhaps it needs to fill a larger room – we have the best digital radio options across all shapes and sizes on this list.

Sound quality
But most importantly, all radios have to sound good, both with voices and with music. Whether you opt for a tiny radio or a full-blown radio system, each model recommended here offers the best performance and best value in its price category.

How we test DAB radios

At What Hi-Fi?, we independently review hundreds of products each year, including DAB radios, and always test as a team. This gives us complete control over the testing process, ensuring consistency across our reviews and our impartiality. To this end, we have state-of-the-art testing facilities located in London and Reading, where we conduct most of our reviews.

We test DAB radios in these test rooms but also take them home, especially to test out the quality of the DAB or FM tuner's reception. We also test how easy and intuitive the radio is to use in everyday situations, and how easy it is to find stations and set presets.

Regardless of whether the radio is placed in a permanent place or if it's portable, we use the radio in the way most people would when living with it. Naturally, we try out a variety of stations and programmes to test out the radio's sound quality during our testing period.

With DAB/DAB+ radios, we test not just the radio functionality itself (including the FM tuner) but every feature included in the product, from any wi-fi streaming to Bluetooth connectivity to global internet radio and even setting the alarms and presets. We evaluate all aspects of a product in the context of its price to ensure it offers value for money.

All radio products are tested against rivals in the same price category where possible, to ensure we get a good sense of their sound-per-pound value compared with the best-in-class, and that we are recommending the best radio at any given price point.

From those reviews, we choose only the best products to feature in our Best Buys. There's no input from PR companies, brands or sales teams, either. At What Hi-Fi? we are proud to have been delivering honest, unbiased reviews for over four decades. Our goal? To help you to find a product you'll be over the moon with.

FAQ

Recent updates

• January 2026: Added the recently reviewed Roberts Reva to our Also Consider list.
• September 2025: Updated Ruark R1S entry with new finish options available.
• June 2025: Removed the Roberts Stream 94L from the also consider section due to lack of availability.
• April 2025: Checked all product prices and availability.
• February 2025: Checked all information is correct and all products are still available and remain our top choices. Added more FAQs.
• December 2024: All 2024 What Hi-Fi? Award-winners are labelled, including the new radio Product of the Year for 2024.
• October 2024: Added more FAQs about DAB, DAB+ and internet radio.
• July 2024: Added the Ruark R1S as a new top entry, swapped out the Roberts 94L as it's no longer available, and included Majority Petersfield Go into our also consider section.
• May 2024: Added new Roberts Revival Petite 2 entry as best budget DAB radio following five-star review.
• March 2024: Replaced the Revo SuperConnect with the newer, five-star Revo SuperConnect Stereo. 
• February 2024: Added FAQ section to help with buying decisions and answer common queries.
• November 2023: What Hi-Fi? Award winners labelled after the 2023 Awards Best Buys and Product of the Year announcements.

MORE:

Check out the best internet radios we've tested

Here are the best music streaming services for you to play

If you’re fed up with streaming algorithms and miss the human touch, I have the perfect solution

Perhaps the best thing about internet radios is the great amount of listening possibilities they offer from one unit. You can stream a host of live FM and digital audio, choosing from global radio stations, a plethora of podcasts, and even access music streaming services like Spotify.

Those who like the combination of a classic alarm clock along with modern streaming functionality may also prefer them to even the best wireless speakers. Interned radios still feature AM/FM and DAB tuners for local stations, but the inclusion of wi-fi means you can connect it to your home network and access web-based radio stations from all over the world, and at no extra cost!

Here at What Hi-Fi?, we've tested all kinds of internet radios in our dedicated testing rooms over the years, and below we've highlighted the best three options that we've personally tested and would recommend to suit various budgets and listening preferences.

Two of our three favourite picks are current What Hi-Fi? Awards winners, but rest assured, all three are quality pieces of kit with an excellent sonic performance, ample features and well-made designs at their respective price point. They're essentially all-in-one sound systems, too, with built-in streaming services and a variety of connections, so there's a lot more on offer than just listening to the radio.

All our verdicts are agreed upon as a team, with multiple reviewers using the internet radio at home – just as you would – to ensure we give the best advice. For more on our testing process, check out our how we test section lower down this page.

Best overall

This is another winning entry in Ruark's entry-level line of radios – literally, as it picked up a What Hi-Fi? Award at the most recent ceremony. It's the first with wi-fi and music streaming support, and while it's pricier than its predecessors, it's comfortably the best internet radio for most people.

Just look at it. It's gorgeous. It's small enough to sit on a desk or bedside table, yet manages to cram in a decent-sized screen whose text is never too cramped.

And the build quality is second to none, with an acoustically damped cabinet, slatted walnut wood grilles (just like on the more premium R410 system) and three stylish finishes to choose from: mid-grey, charcoal and light cream.

Ruark's RotoDial controller is also present and correct, and as reassuringly solid and responsive as ever.

Internet radio is on board, of course, along with Bluetooth, streaming via the most popular music services and a USB-C port for charging your mobile. There are even physical connections for plugging in an MP3 player and wired headphones.

And while the sound quality is a bit of a departure for Ruark, it's one we welcome – it foregoes the usual rich, full-bodied sound in favour of a more articulate, precise and authoritative profile. There's plenty of detail, the timing is immaculate and it generates a surprising amount of bass for a unit this size.

All of which make it the best internet radio currently available.

Read the full Ruark Audio R1S review

Best premium

We called the last model “gorgeous”; the new Ruark R2 Mk4 is even more elegant and elevated, so much so that we gave it a What Hi-Fi? Award.

So much of the Ruark R2’s appeal lies in its stylish, sleek design that exemplifies the modern-retro trend so prevalent across hi-fi products today.

This sturdy unit is made for sound quality as well as beauty, with its damped polymer cabinet acoustically tuned. The R2 comes in two finishes: light cream or espresso, with ash or walnut grilles respectively.

The rounded edges of the cabinet, the new handcrafted slatted wood grille on the front, and the bonded glass display are all are made to a very high quality.

The R2 has that naturally rich, weighty and expressive sound signature, and features plenty of functionality and connectivity options.

Style and substance, it's got the lot.

Read the full Ruark Audio R2 Mk4 review

Best system

We loved the original Revo SuperConnect internet radio, but nearly a decade later, the stereo upgrade has taken things to new heights. The SuperConnect Stereo is a certified five-star performer in pretty much every department, serving up superb sound alongside sleek retro-modern looks and a whole raft of features and connectivity options.

In fact, the SuperConnect could well be your go-to alternative to a traditional multiple-box separates hi-fi system, such is the raft of functions on display and the level of sound produced.

The range of physical connections is substantial, while wireless options and various music streaming services are supported, along with access to the usual options that you would expect from a radio. Plus, you can even stream tunes from connected devices on your home network.

Hi-fi quality sound is the SuperConnect Stereo’s real trump card, though. It now has two 3.5-inch BMR drivers powered by a 30W Class D amplifier. Tracks feel balanced, weighty and properly substantial, with far more depth and subtlety than you’d normally associate with a single radio unit.

Whether in our listening rooms or at home in the kitchen, Revo’s latest always feels balanced, in control and immensely enjoyable to listen to.

When we first heard that Revo was planning to charge £489 / $599 / AU$899 for its latest internet radio, it felt a tad steep. Having tested and lived with the SuperConnect Stereo for a number of weeks and experienced its class-leading sound and effortless usability, we can confirm that it’s worth every penny.

Read the full Revo SuperConnect Stereo review

Also consider

• Roberts Stream 94L: With a great array of playback options, unfussy nature and excellent sound, this model is a previous Award winner. It's getting on a bit now, so might not be around for much longer.
• Revo SuperConnect: It lacks the stereo sound of its successor, but this previous Award-winner is still a great internet radio. And that design is timeless. Another oldie, so keep a look out for a bargain.

How to choose

Internet radios don't just bring you internet radio. The best models offer all sorts of extras, like Bluetooth, FM and DAB radio, a 3.5mm headphone jack and streaming from music services like Spotify and Amazon Music.

Think about whether you would use these, or if other devices in your home already have them covered – there's no point paying for features you're not going to use.

On the subject of paying, prices vary considerably, but you don't always need the most expensive option. Our pick for best overall is the cheapest from our selection.

You should also consider its design and build quality. A radio is on show at all times, and is often positioned prominently to get the best sound. If you're going to see it every day, make sure it's not something you hate the sight of.

And while voice controls are often standard, if you are going to be pressing buttons, you want ones that feel satisfying to use.

How we test

We independently review hundreds of products each year, always as a team, at our state-of-the-art testing facilities. This gives us complete control over the testing process, ensuring consistency and of course, impartiality, while making sure no opinion goes unheard from our team of audio experts.

All radio products are tested against rivals in the same price category, and all review verdicts are agreed upon by the team as a whole rather than an individual reviewer, again helping to ensure consistency and avoid any personal preference.

We test not only the raw audio quality of internet radio (and FM and DAB) but all its advertised features from Bluetooth connectivity to streaming support to the alarms and presets.

Performance is important but only in the context of a radio's value. A much more expensive radio might come with lots of bells and whistles, like various streaming service support and lots of connectivity options, but if you're only ever listening to the same four radio stations, you might be better served by a more focused radio that caters to your needs.

Equally, if your internet radio is doing double duty as your main audio system, it needs to be up to the task (and your budget).

And if you're not getting outright audio enjoyment, it's not exactly great value. A five-star product both performs great and is excellent value.

We choose only the best products from all of our reviews to feature in our Best Buys. There's no input from PR companies or our sales team when it comes to the verdict. At What Hi-Fi? we are proud to have been delivering honest, unbiased reviews for decades.

You can read more about how we test and review products on What Hi-Fi? here.

F.A.Q.

What’s better: internet radio or DAB radio?

Internet radio gives you access to tens of thousands of radio stations from across the world, so you get far more choice than DAB radio.

DAB is perfect if you're happy to listen to local and national stations.

Internet radio is your portal to world music but remember, you will need a wi-fi/internet connection.

Sound quality? Again, that depends on the radio station and the strength of your connection. It isn't necessarily true that one always sounds better than the other.

Is it worth buying an internet radio?

We think so, which is why we put together this guide.

It is worth remembering that a smart speaker will also give you internet radio, though its feature set may well differ from a dedicated internet radio.

What is the difference between internet radio and online radio?

Nothing really – they are one and the same. But the terms may be used differently.

Online radio generally refers to radio listening through a browser, as then you're online and so able to open other browser tabs and windows.

Internet radio usually refers to listening through a device that's connected to the internet (like a radio), but that you don't use for more general online purposes.

What Hi-Fi? radios coverage

Buying guides

• Best DAB radios
• Best wireless speakers
• Best hi-fi systems
• Best Bluetooth speakers
• Best stereo amplifiers

Reviews

• Majority Little Shelford review
• Ruark Audio R2 Mk4 review
• Roberts Revival Petite 2 review
• Ruark Audio R1S review
• Revo SuperConnect Stereo review

Advice

• Here are 7 affordable audio products every music-loving student should have
• 10 mistakes to avoid with stereo speakers
• Technics SC-CX700 vs KEF LS50 Wireless II: which streaming system is better?
• 10 of the best internet radio stations for music
• 14 of the best Grand Theft Auto radio songs to test your headphones or hi-fi system

Recent updates

• January 2026: Updated the intro, added new colourways to the Ruark Audio R1S entry, checked page copy and prices of all entries.
• December 2025: Wrote a new intro, checked and edited copy throughout.
• September 2025: No major changes, but edited copy throughout and added a new intro.
• June 2025: General update with a new intro.
• April 2025: Updated intro. Added new Facebook headline.
• January 2025: Rewrote the intro. Added more star ratings and retailer links, and 'Also consider' section.
• October 2024: Added mention of Award-winning status to both Ruark entries. Rewrote intro. Deleted duplicate headings in 'The Quick List'.
• July 2024: Deleted Jump Menu. Added 'Recent updates' section. Replaced Roberts 94L with Ruark Audio R1S. Added gallery images for Ruark R2 Mk4.
• May 2024: Converted to new Best Buy format. Added author bio, 'How to Choose' and 'FAQ' sections.
• December 2023: Replaced Tivoli Model One Digital Generation 2 with Ruark Audio R2 Mk4. Added mention of What Hi-Fi Awards 2023 winners.

Today's best internet radio deals

Despite the rise of music streaming, 50 million adults in the UK still to listen to the radio. In an effort to capitalise on this, McIntosh has unveiled a brand new AM/FM tuner.

The new MR89 AM/FM Tuner promises to "maximise sound quality from AM/FM broadcasts" with a slew of fine adjustments, ranging from sensitivity and separation to signal-to-noise ratio. 

Much like the current MR87, the new MR89 boasts the US hi-fi giant's proprietary radio frequency (RF) circuitry. McIntosh reckons the tech can receive ultra-strong FM signals from nearby stations – something that can overload lesser tuners. The result? Extremely low distortion.

Placement of the (wired) RAA2 AM antenna should be a doddle thanks to the advanced signal-quality monitor, which displays detailed multipath noise levels. Useful info when standing on a chair, waving the antenna around in search of that elusive 'sweet spot'.

There's no DAB here, and no option to stream internet radio stations, meaning the MR89 is strictly for the AM/FM enthusiast (in the UK, anyway). It does, however, offer the ability to store 20+ preset stations, plus the usual analogue and digital outputs.

Design-wise, it's all very McIntosh, with a black-glass front panel and a stainless steel chassis. This time around, the famous green-lit power meters have been tweaked to show the radio signal being delivered. Clever.

McIntosh has an impressive track record when it comes to tuners, making some of the best models of the 1970s, so we've high hopes for the MR89. But at £6800 (around $8300 / AU$12,000), it doesn't come cheap.

McIntosh dealers are taking pre-orders now, with shipping expected to begin later this month in the US and Canada. The rest of the world will follow "shortly thereafter".

MORE: 

See our pick of the best SACD/CD players

Check the best hi-fi and audio deals: amplifiers, CD players and speakers

And the best stereo amplifiers

Is there a gap in the market for a hefty DAB+, wi-fi and FM radio that sports a flip-up LCD screen – oh, and a CD player? Dedicated radio manufacturer Pure certainly thinks so.

Last year marked 20 years since the UK brand launched its first product, the Pure Evoke-1, so the company decided to celebrate by completely reworking and upgrading its most successful Evoke range – which now comprises the compact Spot, the versatile Play and the “comprehensive one-box hi-fi alternative” Home.

The Evoke Home is the largest and most room-filling in the line-up and the only model promising to accept your CDs alongside support for Spotify Connect, Podcasts and Bluetooth streaming. And it's the product under review here.

Price

There’s no easy way to say this: the Pure Evoke Home costs £400. Its closest competition, therefore, is probably the What Hi-Fi? 2021 Award-winning Denon D-M41DAB microsystem (£379), or the Ruark R3 (£629). As those prices suggest, the alternative options we’ve suggested differ quite a bit in terms of feature set, but while each offers Bluetooth, DAB+ radio and includes a CD player (hence their relevance), they also offer more flexibility in terms of both hardware connections and wireless connectivity.

For example, you won’t find aptX HD, DLNA streaming or Tidal Connect in the Pure Evoke Home (which you will in the Ruark R5), nor will you find a plethora of connections on the back, including two digital optical ins (which you will with the Denon system). Nevertheless, the Evoke Home does have a 3.5mm aux-in plus a headphone jack. Essentially, the Evoke Home is a meaty wi-fi enabled internet radio, with DAB+/FM, Bluetooth, Spotify Connect and a CD player – which means its pricing comes in a little hot.

Build

At 3.9kg, the Evoke Home is bigger than we had imagined, even allowing for the inclusion of a CD player – think large adult shoe box but heavier. Our ‘cotton white’ sample (also available in ‘coffee black’) looks clean and calming at first glance. There are quite a lot of buttons to become accustomed to and, although they are mostly small, circular and difficult to differentiate in low light, they are largely useful rather than surplus to requirements. 

Flip up the 2.8-inch LED colour screen and you’ll see several buttons underneath it to help navigate the display, including choosing your audio source, setting alarms and much more. Said display isn’t an OLED or a touchscreen, sadly – although you could just flip it down and operate the unit using its very small but functional remote, or the UNDOK app. For us, the volume knob over on the right of the unit is more of an issue, as it sports a halo of light that really is quite bright and is impossible to dim or switch off – unless you put the Evoke Home into standby mode. 

In the middle of the Evoke Home, five buttons sit above the CD slot for the purposes of handling your tangible music collection. Again, you can do this via the bundled remote or the app, but for our money it’s nice to have the buttons there. Over on the right is the nicely sized volume knob, which can also be pressed to turn the unit on or off or to mute playback, plus six smaller buttons for presets.

The Evoke Home’s grille is fashioned from a 90 per cent eco-certified recycled wool, made by Danish textile company Kvadrata. Wool is also biodegradable and able to absorb and neutralise pollutants from the environment, such as formaldehyde, which is comforting (if a little unusual in hi-fi), but our issue here is with the quality of its integration.

On our sample, the wool cloth puckers out slightly and sags at the top in two places. We understand that every cover is as unique as the sheep it came from, but the fact that it doesn’t sit flush with the unit does affect the sharpness of the overall aesthetic.

Underneath, the Evoke Home includes two 20mm soft dome tweeters and two 89mm woofers driven by 100W worth of amplification – and we can tell you that it easily goes loud enough to fill our medium-sized test room, although it distorts significantly at the five loudest of its 32 volume increments.

Features

As the ‘Home’ moniker suggests, it needs to stay connected to power since there’s no onboard battery pack. We plug it in, switch it on, flip up the display and follow the on-screen set-up wizard. Once we’ve managed to use the small buttons underneath the LCD display to scroll and select each of the upper- and lower-case letters and numbers which all good wi-fi passwords ought to have, we’re in and online with no issues. Similarly, the Evoke Home pairs easily to our phone and we’re soon pinging music to it over Bluetooth (albeit the slightly older version 4.2, so no simultaneous pairing of extra devices), and using Spotify Connect from our Spotify app. 

The free UNDOK app also works well for us. Although early iterations have given it and its Pure Evoke Home integration a bad reputation, work has clearly been done to rectify things. We find the app dependable, easy to navigate and intuitive. As well as source selection, volume and playback controls, it also offers EQ tweaks for the treble or bass. 

What you aren’t getting here is AirPlay 2 or Chromecast support, which will be a sticking point for both iOS and Android device owners. Similarly, there’s no Tidal Connect, which is an omission perfectly acceptable in models half the price of the Evoke Home, but notable at this level.

In an era of Bluetooth and Spotify streaming, does a listener select and load up a CD album over simply pinging a track to their sound system from their phone? That isn’t really our place to say, but – especially if you only subscribe to Spotify’s free tier, where audio quality is capped at a lowly 160kbps – the jump to CD resolution when it comes to enjoying the Pure Evoke Home is worth the walk to the shelf and back. 

Sound

We commence our listening with a podcast and find James Acaster’s Perfect Sounds spacious and energetic. Voices are textured and clear – useful qualities in any radio. 

In fact, across the course of extensive listening, the sonic performance is perfectly acceptable and pleasing. At sensible listening levels the sound is never harsh and nothing offends – the Evoke Home plays it safe with any file, CD or international radio station we throw at it. 

Load Radiohead’s OK Computer into the CD slot and Paranoid Android sounds balanced across the frequencies, open and with all musical strands held in a cohesive soundstage. 

That said, the Evoke Home does err on the side of caution when it comes to dynamics. We load up Prince’s Purple Rain and the drum crashes in I Would Die 4 U lack snap. As the extra backing vocals come in, although nicely layered, cohesive and spacious, the Evoke Home is unable to faithfully deliver the heightened sense of build and impact as the song continues. 

For detail, the Evoke Home is also beaten by the Denon D-M41DAB microsystem (which includes Denon’s SC-M41 two-way stereo speakers). We switch to DAB+ radio and Classic FM, where an extra ounce of detail – the three-dimensional quality of bowed string instruments, the leading edges of piano notes – are far more easily heard in the Denon microsystem. Let’s not forget the advantage two separate speakers give when it comes to stereo imaging and scale. Yes, that Denon product is an Award-winner, but with this price-tag, the Pure Evoke Home has some tough competition.

Verdict

If what you chiefly need is a large internet radio capable of going loud that will also accept your CDs, the Pure Evoke Home is still worthy of your attention. The sound is pleasing and we found the user experience stress-free and enjoyable. 

That said, for this money, you can get much more. Our minor issues with the build quality alongside notable omissions in terms of streaming support (particularly the lack of AirPlay and Chromecast) at this level mean the Pure Evoke Home cannot currently challenge the category’s class-leaders. 

SCORES

• Build 3
• Features 3
• Sound 4

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If you’ve yet to experience the phenomenon psychologists call ‘cute aggression', wherein the sight of a tiny pedigree puppy (possibly in a teacup, maybe wearing a bonnet) inexplicably makes you want to squeeze the poor creature a bit too hard for its own good, Roberts’ newest Revival Petite offering could easily be the catalyst for your first time. 

The Petite is an item that, without a scale reference, appears roughly the size of a shoebox. It’s actually the size of a Gregg’s custard slice and is so beautifully styled – in such mouth-watering retro colourways – you may want to take a conflicted bite out of it or try to break it. Once this illogical urge subsides, however, we need to work out how viable the Roberts Revival Petite is as a portable Bluetooth DAB radio, sonically speaking. So let’s acknowledge the feeling, let it pass, and get going.

Price

The £99 Roberts Revival Petite is the smallest and most affordable radio in the British firm’s retro Revival range; cheaper and even more compact than the Revival Mini. The range takes design cues from the inaugural 1956 Roberts Revival, which was itself based on Harry Roberts’ wife’s handbag – and unusually for the Revival range, the Petite does not feature a strap across the top. Honestly, it’s too small for one, in the same way that a wallet is too small for a shoulder strap but a handbag isn’t. At this price and boasting 20 presets (10 DAB and 10 FM), Bluetooth connectivity and a 20-hour portable battery, the Petite boasts plenty of features for the money.

Build

The Revival Petite is available in no fewer than six gloriously retro shades, of which our ‘pop orange’ sample is probably our favourite. You also get Roberts’ classic leather-feel casework, gold-tone metal accents and branding plate over the speaker grille. Looking at this pint-sized Bluetooth DAB radio face on, the right side of the unit is where you’ll see the multi-function knob, which is surrounded by four buttons for volume up/down, power and listening source – either FM, DAB, Bluetooth or aux-in. This multi-function knob clicks pleasingly and serves various purposes, but turning it for volume alteration is not one of them, which initially feels a little counter-intuitive. 

However, when it's in Bluetooth mode, you can now play and pause music by pressing this knob or skip forward and back by turning it. A long press brings up a menu that includes the option to scan for DAB stations, add a preset, set a sleep timer and alter the brightness of the digital screen. Said screen displays battery life, music source, station and track playing but, at roughly the size of a postage stamp, the text displayed could be a bit small to be easily legible for some.

Around the back of the unit is a 3.5mm aux-in for wired listening, an external antenna input (antenna supplied) and a microUSB port for charging. It’s slightly disappointing to see a microUSB connection rather than the newer USB-C one, but given the 3.5mm aux input (to attach it to a portable music player for a neat portable music system, say), it’s a minor issue.

Under the cute exterior, there’s also a bass radiator alongside the Petite’s bijou driver to add some bass clout to the audio output, plus a lithium-ion battery to provide up to 20 hours of portable listening – impressive in a model of such dinky proportions.

Features

As well as DAB, DAB+, FM radio and aux-in options, Bluetooth is onboard for easy wireless connectivity to your device. It pairs easily with our phone, issuing a reassuring beep, and the connection never falters across the course of our listening. That’s it for the feature set – there’s no wi-fi support or integration of voice assistants or streaming services such as Spotify Connect or AirPlay 2 – but at this price point and boasting such eyebrow-raising stamina, it is still a decently featured little radio.

Sound

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.

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. 

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

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. 

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. 

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Build 4
• Features 5

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Read our review of the Roberts Stream 94i

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Roberts’s Stream 93i radio won more What Hi-Fi? Award than we care to count – so how do you improve on something that’s clearly the best in its category? The answer is carefully and conservatively.

Roberts has only made a few small changes for its replacement, the Stream 94i, including the addition of Bluetooth – the only significant thing we felt was missing from its predecessor.

With that feature and a snappier new design, the Roberts radio sets the bar even higher.

Features

As well as its Bluetooth connection, the Stream 94i has a whole host of ways in which it plays audio.

It has access to FM, DAB and internet stations, so you should never be lacking for sounds – whether from your local radio or connected to the world wide web via the Stream 94i’s built-in wifi or ethernet port.

Other physical connections include USB and 3.5mm inputs, while the Stream 94i can also access digital music over a local area network (LAN) in MP3, WMA, FLAC, AAC, ALAC and WAV formats.

You can also use Spotify Connect (provided you have a premium subscription) to get the radio to grab your tracks directly from the site’s 30 million strong database.

If we were being picky, we’d like to have seen Chromecast support, which would provide greater integration for services such as Tidal and Deezer, but it’s unlikely to be a deal-breaker for most.

You can also manage the radio’s playback through the UNDOK app for iOS and Android, which is useful if the Stream 94i’s easy-to-use remote is out of reach.

If you wish to hook some speakers up to the radio, there’s a line out connection next to the headphone port.

Build

Roberts has given a fresh look to the radio, with a line of rectangular buttons replacing the segmented ones that were on the Stream 93i. They’re good to use and make the radio look a bit more elegant in our eyes.

While the material quality hasn’t changed much, the switch from the glossy, deep black exterior means that the Stream 94i looks more modern and smarter.

The handle has also been replaced – gone is the stiff metal arch in favour of a flexible material one, which makes the radio easier to carry about.

If you are looking to take it out and about, you’ll have to pay a small premium to buy the battery pack necessary to make this radio portable. If you already have a battery pack for the Stream 93i, it will work for the Stream 94i too.

Sound

While these new modifications are welcome, we’re pleased to hear that Roberts has maintained the sound quality of the 93i. That’s possibly because the ‘subwoofer’ at the back of the unit and the two smaller drivers on the front have remained unchanged.

We start by playing Dua Lipa’s New Rules through Spotify Connect, and the attention to detail this radio pays to the midrange is laudable.

The Stream 94i manages to convey the lyrics’ almost deliberately monontonous character without ever making it sound dull or disinterested. As she hits the high notes, there is never any sense of stress or harshness.

While a focus on vocals is a vital aspect of any audio experience, it’s especially important for a primarily speech-based platform like radio.

As such, the warmth and balance from the Stream 94i is pleasing – we could listen to chat-heavy stations like BBC Radio 4 for hours on end without wanting to switch.

Change to something more complex, such as Kanye West’s Black Skinhead through the Bluetooth connection and this radio strikes you with a suitably aggressive rendition.

The relentless, punchy drums and intimidating panting that kicks the track into action reach forward and grab you, before the Stream 94i comfortably delivers West’s attitude-laden vocals.

Happily, these characteristics remain no matter what input you’re using. Ending our test with a DAB broadcast of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21 In C Major – a stiff test of any hi-fi’s dynamism – this radio doesn’t let us down.

From the smooth clarinets to the energetic, rapid movements of the strings, this radio has a confident handling of dynamics, and a suitably iron fist when it comes to keeping each instrument distinct from each other.

Verdict

As a replacement for the top-notch 93i, the Stream 94i ticks all the right boxes. The lack of Bluetooth connection has been rectified without compromising on its enjoyably proficient sound quality.

The Stream 94i is the complete package, and that makes it the best radio (for its price) out there at the moment.

See all our Roberts reviews

Back in the elder days of hi-fi, there was an ongoing war of words and, indeed, a philosophical chasm between two breeds of music-making equipment. In one camp stood hi-fi separates – the true path.

In the other: midi systems, the great hulking all-in-one stacks which came topped with a turntable, under which were ranked successive layers of twin cassette, graphic equaliser and amplifier, sometimes with more than their fair share of flashing lights, and partnered with huge but often lightweight speakers of fairly thin MDF. 

Later, as CD players replaced turntables, these midi systems shrank down into mini systems and ultimately micro systems (and even, for a while, micro separates), until the whole all-in-one genre was eventually supplanted by the one-box wireless music systems of today. 

Denon’s CEOL N11DAB system, then, is a survivor in terms of product genre, but reinvents the breed thanks to updated abilities that are thoroughly modern and all-encompassing for today’s world of streaming and file replay. 

What’s more, the inclusion of external inputs and even the quality of its amplification are more separates-level than mini system, while the supplied SC-N10 speakers are no MDF lightweights. And as we shall see, it’s a combination that presents a serious challenge to the box-bound sound of many trendier one-box solutions.

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Equipment

We hadn’t previously investigated the etymological origin of Denon’s ongoing CEOL series of systems. The only relevant derivation we could find is the Irish Gaelic word ‘ceol’, originally ceól, meaning ‘music’ or ‘musical instrument’. Should you head out for the night into the cobbled streets of Dublin, you’ll be looking for craic agus ceol – music and diversion (craic is often translated as ‘fun’, but it’s broader than that, with a meaning closer to ‘enjoyable social activity’). 

This Gaelic derivation has been confirmed to us (off-the-record, apparently), so this also affects how you should say the word, since its pronunciation is less like ‘seal’ and more like ‘ki-yol’, rhyming with ‘doll’. 

And with that, we shall here endeth the language lesson and move to the electronics.

The CEOL N11DAB does so very much that it might be easier to describe what it doesn’t do. So – it doesn’t play vinyl. Or cassettes. Or AM radio. 

Everything else is pretty much covered, a great deal of it by the inclusion of the Denon/Marantz wireless multiroom platform HEOS. This you’ll control via the HEOS app on your phone or tablet, and it is one of the best and simplest control apps for such platforms. 

Once the unit is networked via either Ethernet cable or Wi-Fi, the Denon unit can use HEOS to access (in the app’s order of listing, see screengrabs below) Spotify, TuneIn, Amazon Music, Deezer, iHeartRadio, SoundCloud, Tidal, music on your device, networked music from shared folders on a computer or NAS drive, and music from an attached USB stick or drive. 

We very much appreciate that HEOS is properly localised and doesn’t show services which aren’t available to Australia (as do most rivals, to the ongoing irritation of users).

To use Spotify, the HEOS app simply opens your normal Spotify app, and you select the Denon as the playback device. We were pleased to find that this works for free Spotify as well as subscriptions, which isn’t always the case with other streaming platforms. 

As for more traditional sources there are screw-in antennas for the twin radio tuners onboard the Denon, delivering FM and digital DAB+ radio in addition to the internet radio delivered by HEOS. There’s no AM here, but all AM stations are almost certainly available at better quality via internet or DAB+ radio. 

There’s also a tray-loading CD player, positioned above the main display, on a front fascia which, despite the multitudinous abilities within, is a veritable study in minimalism, just a power button on the left and a second press button on the right, plus a minijack headphone output (we’d prefer full-size, really) and a USB-A slot front left. 

To that last you can attach a stick or USB drive for playback of music files in compressed WMA, AAC or MP3 format, or in uncompressed FLAC, Apple Lossless or WAV format up to 192kHz, and double-DSD (2.8 or 5.6MHz). The drive or stick needs to be formatted as FAT32 or NTFS, and the manual notes that album artwork exceeding 500 × 500 pixels may prevent music being played back properly. This slot won’t play from an iPhone (you can do that via HEOS), but will charge a connected device.

HEOS also delivers multiroom operation. Put another HEOS-compatible player elsewhere in your home and the ‘Rooms’ section of the HEOS app makes it ever so simple to have the same music playing to several or to all HEOS devices at once, whether they be HEOS-equipped soundbars, wireless speakers, even monumental AV receivers. You can also play the inputs of one device over the network to other HEOS devices, but – importantly – only the analogue inputs, not digital ones. 

This system has external inputs, though not a vast number – just one analogue RCA pair at line level (no phono input/stage for a turntable), though two useful optical digital inputs, one of which might be used for sound from your TV. (We are great fans of having stereo speakers like those of the N11 combo either side of your TV, or under it, as in the image overleaf, in preference to an often intrusive soundbar in front of it.)  

Not only can you select an input from the HEOS app’s ‘Denon CEOL’ pane, there’s a separate ‘inputs’ option. This duplicates the CEOL’s inputs, but if you have other HEOS products around the house, you will also see their inputs here, as additional functionality to the platform’s multiroom operation. 

There’s also the ability to have some commands via Google Assistant or Alexa. 

The internal amplification is rated as 2 × 65W into four ohms, though this a bit disingenuous given that the supplied speakers are rated at six ohms, so the power delivery will be somewhat less than that. (The other envelopes of qualification on that power figure are that it’s measured at 1kHz only, and with an allowed THD of 0.7%, a rather higher noise level than that at which a hi-fi amplifier would generally be quoted.) 

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Performance

Knowing all that the unit can do, it’s a remarkably unprepossessing unit to unpack. The speakers came in the first box, the central electronics in the second, along with speaker cables of two-metre length – if you need the speakers further apart, bring your own. We were set up in no time, using Ethernet for instant networking, and already having the HEOS app ready to roll on our various devices from previous reviews. 

We were then spoiled for choice of control. There are some rather swish touch buttons on the scratch-resistant top of the unit itself; these keys are back-illuminated and light up when you touch them, though not enough to help in a darkened room since the labels don’t illuminate, so you can’t tell what you should press. Also they only work when the unit has already been powered on. But they’re handy on a sunny day when you need to quickly mute the unit for a phone call, or similar.

The N11 also comes with a nice full-size remote control, but you can equally well do nearly everything via the HEOS app, which will wake the CEOL from sleep when you start playback from any source. While there’s full software control within the app, we were pleased to find that the volume rockers on the side of our iPhone also controlled the Denon’s volume when the HEOS app was open (though not from a lock screen), which is surprisingly often not the case, given this is the easiest and most intuitive method of volume control when using an app. 

We began our listening with internet radio, which uses the excellent TuneIn platform, which in the UK has been hobbled by record company legal action so that it can’t play anything other than UK stations, but which is, as yet, free of such interference here in Australia. Indeed it is our favourite radio platform, the only one to offer our local community radio station along with quite a few others – 100,000 stations, says TuneIn, along with 5.7 million podcasts, so if it’s your first time playing with internet radio, this should keep you busy for a while. 

Our local station came through with all the compression applied by their output racks but otherwise strong and clear, with spoken voices sounding accurate and sibilance-free, and with a pleasing warmth of musical presentation from speakers of this size and solidity. The CEOL’s delivery of Jeff Buckley’s version of Hallelujah flowed sweetly and swelled with emotion even from this source of lesser quality than most –  the front panel display showed the signal quality, in this case 96k AAC, as well as the source and station name. 

We couldn’t, among the various HEOS menus, find any way to change what the display shows when the unit is playing, though you can choose whether and how it shows the time when it’s off. You can set a time for it to turn on automatically, and the source it should play. 

There are various ways to tweak the sound quality, most easily accessed from the HEOS ‘now playing’ screen. This has a left-right balance control, plus EQ offering treble and bass sliders, and a ‘Super Dynamic Bass’ option, which certainly thumps up the low end, at the expense of a slight softening of higher frequencies; this was too much for us with internet radio, indeed it’s a sign of good sonic design that we spent nearly all of our CEOL listening with the ‘Source Direct’ option engaged, thereby hopefully getting the cleanest path to music. 

Check also under the main settings for the CEOL in the app; the EQ controls are repeated here but there’s also a ‘Quality’ option; we could find no explanation of this but we switched it from its default ‘Normal’ to ‘High’. Because why not. 

There are a good many other settings, some of them available only by crouching next to your CEOL and using the full-sized physical remote or front panel buttons to investigate. Under the ‘Audio’ section, for example, you can tweak the level of the headphone output, and switch off ‘Speaker Optimisation’, which is the adjustment Denon has made to match the amplifier to the speakers. It works well – leave it on! But should you ever switch out the speakers as an upgrade or for other reasons, you should remember this option and turn it off, or at least try the sound without it. 

While the profusion of settings might seem a little overwhelming if you go for a browse, we were impressed that the defaults were all sensibly chosen, so that anyone simply turning on and playing will get pretty much as good as the Denon can give.

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We continued to some Tidal streaming; there’s no unfolding of MQA Masters here for high-res streaming (as rival streaming system BluOS offers), but it’s arguable whether high-res is going to improve the excellent sound we enjoyed, whether punching up some bouncy REM or delivering the drifting flow of Philip Glass’s Closing. There was a limit to the size of bass the speakers could deliver, but the deep underlying organ note under Closing was certainly present, if not fully resonant. 

With electric bass the CEOL could drop all the way to the bottom E, and the sonic booms of Aimee Mann’s Nobody Does It Better were pleasingly expansive, the throbbing bass of this track was brought to the fore even without any of the EQ options engaged. Nice. 

A frequency sweep indicated that (in our listening room) the system was reproducing tones down into the 30s of hertz, finding its full strength in the 60s and 70s and rising impressively smoothly from there. Since the speakers are rear-ported, positioning will affect this somewhat, but can also be usefully employed to tweak it.   

Equally enjoyably the higher frequencies were never sibilant, and the bass, while sometimes dominant, never closed down the treble in the process. There’s not the full open soundstaging of full-sized hi-fi separates with a higher-specification amplifier, but there are plenty of hi-fi attributes delivered here, and definite musicality. 

Alex The Astronaut’s bold ‘Like A Version’ take on Mr Blue Sky sailed through the CEOL, the room acoustic clearly audible around Lindy Morrison’s drums, Alex’s nervous guitar solo pleasingly clicky, the bass never dipping even on its lowest notes, and the careful harmonies lifted above it all; this was fine work on this delightful recording (we played it twice, just for the joy of it).

We played high-res from USB, confirming its abilities with WAV, FLAC and Apple Lossless to 192kHz, and DSD to 2.8 and 5.6MHz, as well as playback of the lesser likes of MP3, AAC and WMA. 

Bluetooth here lacks any codec above the base-level SBC, not even AAC, so might be considered a weakness, except that there’s nearly always a workaround via HEOS to play from the same source at a higher quality. 

We nearly forgot the CD player, so sidelined has this format become in our lives today. But those with silver to spin can be assured that this source was a highlight in terms of clarity and dynamics. The Painted Ladies’ version of Vic Simms’ Poor Folks Happiness drove forth with a full bassline, vocals and guitars well defined. 

Angel from Louis Armstrong’s album Louis & the Angels with arranger Sy Oliver had the band sounding smooth and deep, while Satchmo’s horn blasted forth so surprisingly bright and loud that you suspect he’d shuffled several steps forward since the sound check when the engineers set the levels. Greater hi-fi will open this further and bring the band into sharper relief, but this was still a beguiling sound, with plenty of level in reserve.   

Verdict

With this sound at this price and with so very many ways to play, there’s nothing to criticise here, other than the old ‘systems vs separates’ caveat of not being able to upgrade or swap out a single element of an all-in-one system. But that aside, Denon has the modern mini system thoroughly nailed here.

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Ruark Audio has given its R1 DAB+ radio a stylish makeover. The new R1 Mk 4 improves upon its third-generation predecessor with a Danish-inspired wooden grille and, more importantly, a USB-C port that can both play from and charge compatible devices.

Keen-eyed Ruark fans will also notice that the company has done away with the R1's signature wood veneer cabinet, replacing it with a sleeker chassis (in 'cream' or 'espresso') that has been acoustically treated to reduce vibrations. Behind the hand-crafted wooden grille sits an amplifier and Ruark's own NaturalSound+ driver.

You also get DAB/DAB+ and FM radio, adjustable EQ settings, a 3.5mm headphone output, a switchable aux input and Ruark's familiar (and excellent) RotoDial top-panel control. The Mk4's OLED screen displays the time, alarm and station information.

The British audio outfit has amassed 40 years of hi-fi experience, not to mention a five-star review for its R1 Mk3 and MR1 Mk2 DAB radios, so needless to say we have high hopes for this new version.

Fancy a new bedside companion? The Ruark R1 Mk4, priced £229 / AU$475, will be available from next month from John Lewis in the UK and selected Ruark dealers globally.

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Pure has announced a trio of portable DAB radios designed to please music lovers and streaming fans alike. 

The travel-friendly Elan DAB+ (£39.99), Elan Connect (£69.99) and Elan Connect+ (£89.99) pick up FM and DAB/DAB+ stations, but can also be paired with with smartphones and laptops via Bluetooth.

Looks-wise, Pure has kept things simple with a choice of Stone Grey or Charcoal finishes, a colour screen, 20+ presents and actual buttons. Excellent news for those who prefer mechanical controls to whizzy touchscreens.

The pricier Elan Connect and Connect+ models add internet radio to the mix, providing you the option to stream over 25,000 weird and wonderful internet radio stations. With 2x3W speakers, the Connect+ might struggle to get the party started but it does sport adjustable bass/treble controls.

Pure's no-nonsense approach continues with the option to power the new Elan series radios with four AA batteries or a USB cable. 3.5mm headphone outputs, which are starting to become something of a rarity thanks to the rise of wireless headphones, are present across the range.

The new Elans are by no means Pure's first foray into the world of streaming. The UK-based DAB radio outfit has already launched several Alexa-powered wireless speakers including the DiscovR (£230) and the waterproof StreamR Splash (£130).

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