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The compromise you make is on sound. This is a fairly compact plastic radio with 3W stereo speakers and Pure has tuned it to give you a warmer, richer sound, but at the expense of clarity. Give it some time and play with the solid EQ settings, though, and you can get a decent output, at least at medium volume. What’s more, the Connect+ will run for around seven hours on a set of rechargeable AA batteries, so you can take the fun with you around the home and garden – with DAB+ for when you can’t connect to Wi-Fi. This device is excellent for anyone who wants the best of both worlds – vintage style combined with cutting-edge performance. In the same way that we once feared vinyl and CD would all but die out thanks to the rise of 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. This is a truly beautiful piece of machinery that perfectly embodies the retro hi-fi feel you might have had 20 or 30 years ago. In the UK, radio is thriving and the best internet radios can help you take full advantage of this boom. Almost nine in ten people in the UK listen to radio at least once a week and, despite the rise of podcasts and streaming, we still average nearly 21 hours of listening a week.
Portable models also tend to be more compact and able to run off batteries, while larger units have the potential for a bigger, warmer sound. Whether you want something you can carry around the house or a static unit to slot into an existing hi-fi system, there’s an internet radio to suit. It’s also a little smaller than the 380mm wide, 190mm high SuperConnect Stereo, and the gentle curves do a great job of minimising what bulk there is. In fact, with its off-white enclosure, dark glass panel and slatted wooden grill, the Light Cream version has to be one of the most attractive audio products I’ve ever reviewed.
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READ NEXT: The best speaker to buy The best internet radios you can buy in 2023 1. Pure Elan Connect+: The best entry-level internet radio 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. Unsurprisingly, fantastic. It has the same strengths as the R1S – it’s lively, warm and articulate with impressive texture and detail – but on a larger scale. Whether you’re listening to UK DAB+ stations or internet radio elsewhere, it’s hard to quibble with the tone or the dynamics, and it even handles complex, classical music and opera with finesse. Meanwhile, Radio 4 news and factual programmes or dramas have plenty of weight. SuperConnect’s audio characteristics are the result of a considered blend of the finest electronic, acoustic and software design. Premium quality audio components, all-digital technology, cutting-edge sound modelling techniques and a carefully engineered bass porting system combine to deliver category defining performance. Of course, dig a little deeper, and you’ll discover that this machine is more than just “up-to-date,” with a 2.7 inch OLED display – bigger than industry standard.
Everything the business has learned in over 15 years of development appears in this compelling piece of kit. Since radio happens to be a massive part of the British lifestyle, Revo knows that if it wants to capture the attention of its target audience, it needs to deliver something that’s not just stylish and stunning but functionally outstanding, too. You get two alarms, which seems to be par for the course with radios these days. You can set them daily, once, on weekdays or for the weekend. The alarms can be programmed to alert the user with a buzzer sound, Internet Radio, DAB+, or FM.Revo products are now available in 20 countries worldwide. Find out more about the Revo Radio brand here. About the Revo SuperConnect radio There are also RCA and optical stereo output connectors for linking to external systems and surround-sound. Revo SuperSystem is an all-in-one music system that includes DAB/DAB+, FM and internet radio, Spotify Connect support, Bluetooth wireless streaming, connection to NAS drives and other devices, Ethernet, USB charging and other connectors. Controls are as for the SuperConnect and there’s an OLED display plus dual alarms. A family company based on the south coast of England, Ruark Acoustics was formed in 1985 and, after initially making loudspeaker systems, began to manufacture music systems and radios in 2006. It aims to create design icons that deliver perfect sound and which owners can be proud of. A hand-crafted wooden cabinet has been selected for its superb acoustic properties, no other material provides the deep foundations of great audio performance like wood.
Let’s cut to the chase: the SuperConnect Stereo is a fantastic-sounding radio, and one of the few to slip into real hi-fi territory. Revo has done wonders with its balanced mode radiator (BMR) drivers and 30W of power. It’s not just that there’s a weight to the tone with a powerful but well-controlled bass and good mid-range dynamics but that there’s also an impressive level of detail. This service means you can play anything from Spotify’s astronomical library of songs and enjoy all the benefits of Revo sound quality too. We independently review hundreds of products each year, always as a team, at our state-of-the-art testing facilities located in London, Reading and Bath. This gives us complete control over the testing process, ensuring consistency and of course, impartiality, while ensuring no opinion goes unheard from our team of audio experts.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. Probably one of the best-selling Revo products of all time, The Revo SuperConnect is an attractive piece of technology that combines forward-thinking technology like Bluetooth connectivity with a compelling retro design. The tactile feel of the unit combined with its beautiful image makes it hard not to fall in love with the SuperConnect. What’s more, you get real, genuine wood casing with this device – not just wood-effect plastic. 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.
Revo Radio is a slightly newer brand in the broadcasting market, founded by Colin Urie and David Baxter in 2004. For quality streaming from smartphones, just pair the phone to your SuperConnect via Bluetooth, and you’re ready to go. Revo’s design and engineering philosophy centres around quality, function, and style. The products within the Revo portfolio are unique for combining the latest in high-quality design principles with a heart-warming retro essence and an eye for innovation. Probably one of the most highly-regarded digital radios around the world, the SuperConnect delivers an immersive taste of the Revo approach to unique design quality and engineering mastery.
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All Ruark devices have a RotoDial control system that accesses menus by scrolling and then pressing to select. Added to that, there’s a remote control plus an UNDOK app for use on a phone or tablet. There’s also a range of connectivity options to choose from, such as Bluetooth for wirelessly streaming your personal music collection. Fortunately, there’s no massive learning curve when it comes to figuring out how to use this set. We found it as simple as riding a bike. Revo, similarly, has a restricted range of products that includes speakers, music systems and digital radios. All are available in wooden cabinets for their acoustic properties combined with aluminium facias and speaker grilles. Models Compared
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