Music is literally everywhere these days. Whether it be Bluetooth streaming in your car, ceiling speakers in your bathroom or a traditional hi-fi separate there’s just no getting away from it.
Seemingly every room in the house has generally got something you can play music on and it’s become a must in every household. Even if it’s just a bit of radio as you wake up in the morning there’s always something there. And radio is what we are here to talk about today…..
I present to you the View Quest Monty DAB radio.
From the get go it looks impressive. Finished in a retro, real oak case, the Monty really stands out from the crowd. Aesthetically it’s outstanding and makes other radios at this price look unimaginative and lacklustre. There’s a luxurious feel to the whole product. From its carry handle right down to its four wooden feet, it really is a sight to behold.
Oh and just for another touch they’ve added a smart looking fabric grille to the speaker as opposed to the standard plastic grille you usually get on this type of product.
If it sounds as good as it looks then we are in for a treat.
I guess first of all I should just mention what you’re able to use this DAB radio with. There’s DAB radio (obviously), a 3.5mm input and a bonus in a wireless Bluetooth connection. Also included is a USB input but sadly that just charges up your portable device rather than actual playback of music. A headphone socket comes handily available on the back just in case that’s the route you want to go down. All in all, a well equipped little speaker so let’s see how it fares with the most important part, sound.
Being diminutive in stature with dimensions of 130 x 183 x 100mm, I’m not expecting the Monty to blow me away with bass and volume so let’s see what we’ve got on our hands.
The small speaker housed behind its fabric grille is quoted as a “10w ultra-wide full range stereo speaker” and it definitely punches above its size. Playing songs from Bluetooth is surprisingly good. There’s enough bass to keep your foot going and the there’s a lack of harshness when reaching the higher notes. It does a decent job of giving you that “stereo” sound it promises although I wouldn’t say it’s as full range as quoted. Still an impressive audio experience from a speaker no bigger than a mobile phone.
Music isn’t all the Monty was made to do so let’s put on Radio 2 and hear what Jeremy Vine’s smooth, made-for-radio voice sounds like.
Again much like the music, his speech is clear, defined and easy to listen to. It all holds together well and you can just tell that the Monty oozes quality inside and out. It really does sound as good as it looks and that’s saying something! If you want to tweak the sound a bit then there’s even a range of equaliser presets and individual bass and treble controls.
Want to listen to Radio 2 when you wake up? Then that’s not a problem as there two independent alarms to set so you can wake up with Chris Evans every weekday morning….
Add in the fact you purchase an additional battery pack which can last up to 36 hours and you’ve got a real winner.
Want to see for yourself then pop into your local Richer Sounds for a demonstration.
Click to find out more about the View Quest Monty Portable Bluetooth Radio.
Author: Bradley, Plymouth Store
