When a organization can trace its roots back to 1932, it has every single correct to shout about it. Cue Roberts radio array. These retro, FM/DAB radios look like refugees from a dusty attic, but their reassuringly sturdy bodies hide one of the strongest DAB tuners we’ve come across. The Revival RD-60, fashioned in a classic 1950s design, fees between about £150 and £200, dependent on the finish. Our black review sample sits at the top of the value scale, but all the possibilities are pricey for a gadget with this kind of conservative specs.

Lounge lizard

You can not aid comparing this radio to its similarly priced sibling, the stainless-steel Revival RD-50. The controls and functions on the two designs are slightly various. The RD-50, for illustration, has only a single preset, whilst the RD-60 has as many as you want, plus a ‘favourite’ button preset to Classic FM (you can reprogram this). The payoff is that the RD-60 lacks any internal memory, whereas the RD-50 can pause reside radio for up to 40 minutes.

Then you have to think about the aesthetics. The RD-50′s buttons click into location, even though, on the RD-60, they are spongy and dull. The RD-50 looks great in a kitchen beside your stainless-steel gadgets, but the RD-60 is more of a lounge radio. The glossy black casing is undeniably beautiful, but the gold aerial, grille and controls, which are widespread to all RD-60s, no matter what the finish, will probably be as well ‘bling’ for some tastes.

Pop lacks punch

The two radios sound extremely great and, in isolation, you are far more than most likely to be happy with either, but, when you put them side by side, the RD-50 sounds slightly better. It’s not a huge distinction, and it could properly be down to our obtaining worn the RD-50 in with a year of almost continual use. But, while the RD-60 handles speech and classical music with aplomb, pop lacks punch. The RD-50 sounds vibrant, with a broad aural spectrum, but the RD-60 sounded slightly boxed-in.

The RD-60′s classy appears far more than make up for its lack of internal components

With extended use, this may possibly increase, but, in the short term, there is no way to tweak the output, as the RD-60 has no manual equaliser past DRC, a digital-only characteristic that enhances quieter sounds in a noisy surroundings. Plug in some headphones, even though, and the RD-60 genuinely excels. Even the stock white earbuds that Apple supplies with its iPods sound wonderful with this radio, suggesting that the processing is spot-on when you bypass the speaker.

The RD-60 locked onto great, robust FM and DAB signals, delivering 39 DAB stations in our test region, and demonstrating minimal hiss on FM, resulting in a pleasant listening encounter. Even with the aerial retracted, its grip on the digital multiplex was like a terrier on a trouser leg.

It is effectively-served by the standard array of ports: headphone and auxiliary-in on the best, and line-out about the back, so you can use it as a speaker for an MP3 player or pipe its output to a better set of speakers.

Exactly where are the guts?

The case is created of wood, and feels sturdy and effectively-constructed, while the soft leather handle is comfortable in your hand. There is a clasp on one side of the case and hinges on the other. Together they secure the whole of the back. Open up the radio and its insides are laid bare. There’s not much to see beyond the speaker, a paucity of cables and housing for 4 D-cell batteries.

 The sparse interior comes as something of a shock. You can make DAB radios as modest as a matchbox, but, when you happen to be having to pay this considerably for a device with so handful of parts — and one that does not pause, record or have an electronic programme manual — you cannot aid but question its worth for money.

Fortunately, the RD-60′s beauty a lot more than makes up for its lack of brains. This isn’t the sort of radio you purchase for what it does — it is how it appears when it’s undertaking it that tempts the cash from your pocket.

Roberts touts the RD-60′s green credentials, claiming this low-energy-drain device must run for 120 hours on a fresh set of batteries. If you’d rather run it on mains electrical power, there is an adaptor in the box.

Conclusion

If you happen to be a Roberts radio lover far more in terms of the gadget than the medium, you owe it to by yourself to add the stunning Revival RD-60 to your line-up. It really is not the best digital radio you can acquire, and it really is not even the best in Roberts’ range, but it looks breathtaking. When you happen to be buying a retro radio, that is what genuinely counts.