Revival Petite Black Digital Radio

Product Information

The Petite’s use of a micro-USB port for charging also feels a bit outdated when most of the competition are incorporating USB-C, but this is far from being a dealbreaker.

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. Press the Tuning control to save the preset. ‘Preset 2 Saved’ will be displayed. The preset number will be shown on the playing display.Aside from the aforementioned distortion at high volumes and minor dip in sound quality while streaming over Bluetooth, there’s very little to dislike about the Revival Petite. Do not leave, charge or expose the battery to a heat source such as in a car under direct sunlight. Do not expose the battery to moisture. I also found that the volume was much quieter when using the Petite as a speaker as opposed to a radio, so I needed to adjust the volume as I moved between the two modes.

Scan setting –Choose ‘Scan Setting’ and then choose ‘Distant’ (your radio will scan for both weak and strong signals) or ‘Local’ (your radio will scan for stations with good reception). Preset radio stations Read on to find out why you should be considering the Roberts Radio Revival Petite for your next audio system: Sound All 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 make sure to compare products against similarly-priced class leaders to ensure we get a good sense of its sound-per-pound value and settle on the right rating. Displayed information such as title, artist and album will cycle periodically. To disable the auto scroll, enter the menu and choose the ‘Info Scroll’ menu item and then choose ‘No’. In this case it will only display the name of the connected device. Choose ‘Yes’ if you wish to cycle the information again.It also has amazing levels of stamina. As I write, I’ve had it up and running with the volume around 50% for over 22 hours without a break, and there’s still a smidgeon of charge left in the meter. That’s fantastic if you want a radio you can carry around with you all day. Roberts Revival Petite review: How does it sound? When in DAB mode, apply a long press on the Tuning / Menu control to access the following DAB menu options. Rotate the control and press to select an option. As time passes new stations may become available or you may have moved to a different part of the country.

When in FM mode, apply a long press on the Tuning / Menu control to access the following FM menu options. Rotate the control and press to select an option. The big caveat here is that there’s a definite volume ceiling. Up to 75% (or 15 out of the Petite’s 20 levels) it’s great, but that final 25% sees distortion creeping in on bass-heavy material and the tone becoming strident. The display and controls have moved from the top of the radio to the front – a detail I quite liked as it allowed me to see what I was listening to at a glance when the radio was at eye level. The Revival Petite couldn’t be easier to set-up, but there are a few options depending on the scenario you want to use it in. Switch it on using that big orange button and it instantly goes into autotune, which during our tests took less than a minute. DRC –Choose ‘DAB Advanced’, ‘DRC’ and then choose ‘Off’, ‘Low’ or ‘High’. The DRC facility can make quieter sounds easier to hear when your radio is used in a noisy environment. Note: Not all DAB broadcasts use the DRC function. FM MenuManual tune –Choose ‘DAB Advanced’ and then choose ‘Manual Tune’ and then choose the desired DAB channel. The signal strength will be displayed. The signal marker ( ) shows the minimum strength needed for good DAB reception. There are 20 memory presets, 10 for DAB and 10 for FM. Presets are remembered in the event of a power failure. Roberts Radio has been producing its Revival range since 1956, making the Petite the latest (and smallest) update to the sixty year-old plus lineage of radios. Before operating your radio for the first time please fully charge the battery. This may take up to 6 hours.

Given the radio's small size, Roberts have shrunk down the controls to just the basics. If anything, we'd say they're actually a bit easier to use than the regular-sized Revivals as a result- it's clear at-a-glance exactly what everything does. The only button that puzzled us at first was the one on the bottom-left. Once you know that it's the mode button, though, everything falls into place. One of the main draws of a DAB radio is the reception versus a traditional FM unit. The Roberts Radio Revival Petite has both a DAB and DAB+ receiver, AND it can also receive FM, so you’ll never find yourself in a position where you can’t get excellent reception. It also features 20 station DAB/DAB+/FM radio presets, so you’ll never be without something to listen to. Battery Life Press Tuning. Your radio will perform a scan of the Band III DAB channels. As new stations are found, they will be added to the list stored in the radio. With your radio switched on, press and release the Mode button until the Bluetooth mode is selected on your radio.When the battery is charging, the battery indicator light will be solid red. When fully charged, the charging indicator will turn off. Our round-up includes budget and premium options, with standard DAB digital radio to 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 here. How we test DAB radios The display could be better, as it’s very small, with text to match, which can make reading menus or finding out what’s playing a bit of a challenge. It’s also very bright, and while you can reduce the brightness level, you won’t get it down to levels you won’t notice in a darkened room. Note: You can begin using the radio whilst charging. Make sure the USB power source can provide 5V 1A of electrical current. If not, it may damage the USB power source. Charging your Radio