Revo are a new name to hit the shelves here at Richer Sounds, and the company itself is relatively new too; starting life in 2004 in Lanark, Scotland, where they still proudly design all of their equipment today. Their first product brought to market was an in-car DAB tuner, designed to plug into pre-existing car stereos and giving DAB alongside the standard AM/FM. The company hasn’t strayed too far from its roots, with today’s review subject, the SuperSignal, a DAB/DAB+/FM bedside table-style radio.
The smallest of three in the Super series (the SuperConnect and SuperSystem being its bigger siblings), the SuperSignal enters a market dominated by the likes of Roberts and Pure. Can it stand out amongst the older crowd, or is the performance less than super? Let’s find out.
Straight out of the packaging, the SuperSignal impresses. The scandinavian-inspired design perfectly marrying retro-chic buttons, front grille and lettering with clever ergonomics, all in a neat wooden case. The large volume dial on the top of the unit and large, clear, OLED display make this a definite winner for anyone wanting simplicity first thing in the morning! If looks alone defined the SuperSignal, Revo would be getting two big thumbs up, no questions asked. This being an audio product, though, that’s only half the story.
Before we get onto how the Revo sounds, it’s worthwhile taking a closer look at the specification. As well as the multiple radio options on offer, Bluetooth makes an obvious appearance, as does a 3.5mm headphone socket and an equivalently-sized aux input for plugging older devices in. There’s even a set of RCA sockets! The Revo kicks out about 10 watts, which is more than reasonable for something of its size and intended purpose. Being a clock radio, sleep and alarm functionality is built in, too. The aforementioned buttons on the front allow for up to 8 presets to be set for both DAB and FM. A remote control is also supplied, and this has all of the features from the unit itself.
Powered by its supplied mains adaptor (the Revo offers no battery power option), we settled quickly into a BBC Radio 6 Music listening session, with the SuperSignal making navigating through the many DAB stations a doddle. The small joystick that sits next to the screen was quick to respond, as was the select button which is used in tandem. A mono-speaker design, the Revo’s Bass Mode Radiator (BMR) drive unit provided plenty of punch, sounding crisp and clean with both the presenter’s voice and the many genres of tracks played. Sounding much more powerful than its 10 watts would imply, the SuperSignal was really boxing above its weight and was arguably as good as we’d heard from a standalone speaker of its size.
Switching to Bluetooth gave us the chance to hear more familiar tunes – always the best way to properly judge a component. Nothing is more familiar in the store at the moment than the latest Radiohead album, A Moon Shaped Pool, and it proved itself to be an excellent test album (as always). The understated intro to one of the album’s finest tracks, Identikit, gives way to backing vocals provided by a choir by the midway point of the song, giving us a mixture of styles and frequencies all under one roof. The Revo performed admirably, keeping up with the choir and band combo nicely, offering up plenty of detail and separation through its single speaker even as the volume was pushed to louder-than-normal levels. Sound quality, in general, was a step up over similar types of product, and wasn’t far off mini Hi-Fi levels in some respects.
Continued listening showed the above to remain true across the board, with the SuperSignal impressing everyone who listened. Of course, we aren’t saying to box up and sell the living room hi-fi – far from it. But in a category often known for placing an emphasis on keeping things simple and (reasonably) cheap, the Revo gave a much-welcomed display of what can be achieved when manufacturers go that little bit further in the pursuit of great sound. It’d probably even make getting up in the morning a delight. Well, maybe that’s pushing it…
If you want to hear the SuperSignal for yourself, pop down to your local Richer Sounds store for a demo today!
To find out more about the Revo SuperSignal, click here.
Author: Chris, Liverpool store
