Its mids are particularly full-sounding, which gives the iStream 3 Roberts’s signature rich character. This is miles away from the “small radio” sound that’s tinny, better suited to BBC Radio 4 than a music station. It’s also one of the best-sounding DAB radios you can buy. It uses a woofer and a tweeter, and no passive radiators. The Roberts iStream 3 has a very conventional speaker array. Related: Amazon Alexa Guide – Features, entertainment, smart home and more The Nuvola Alexa Skill adds these features, if you want to use voice control. If you have an Amazon Echo Dot, for example, you can use it to change volume with a voice command. You can’t ask it questions, or for tracks, but the radio is recognised as a smart object by such smart speakers. This isn’t like an Amazon Echo or Sonos One. However, the iStream 3 adds Alexa support. Previous iStream radios have used Undok, too, and offered many of the same core wireless features. Other brands that use, or have used, Undok include Revo, Sonoro and Goodmans. Undok also offers some basic multiroom features, grouping up different Undok-platform devices to play the same track in different rooms. There are buttons to skip tracks, to change volume – but not the polarising touch-sensitive panels of the Sonos Play:5. You can ignore the app completely if you like. And while Undok isn’t quite as sleek as the Sonos platform, that difference is diminished by the radio’s physical controls. This radio has more comprehensive wireless features than many dedicated streamers. The Roberts iStream 3 also has Bluetooth, which is handy for streaming services that aren’t supported by the Undok platform, or even mobile games. Spotify user? You can stream music directly from the Spotify app. If you want to do something more advanced than playing a DAB or internet radio station, however, you’ll probably want to use the Undok app. You can directly access Deezer, Tidal, Amazon Prime Music and internet radio right from the top of the Roberts iStream 3. This is a multiroom streaming platform favoured by companies without the will, or budget, to make their very own bespoke software to rival Sonos. ![]() The Roberts iStream 3 uses Undok for its more advanced features. You can set two alarms, which is useful if you want one time on weekdays, another at the weekend. This is handy if you live with someone much less techy than yourself.Ĭlassic features such as an alarm are also here. Use the knobs to select stations on the colour LCD and you can ignore all its streaming features. If you want to treat the iSteam 3 such as a classic DAB radio, you can. There’s also a USB up top, which lets you slow-charge your phone. That’s the power socket, the aux input and the Ethernet port. This is good: half the Roberts radios I’ve seen in person have broken latches.Īll the connections on offer now sit on the bottom. The Roberts iStream 3 doesn’t have a latched rear that opens to reveal the inside of the cabinet. If you have an old Roberts radio, you’ll notice a few design differences. You can buy six high-quality, low-drain rechargeables from Eneloop, Energizer or Duracell for £15-20. The Roberts iStream 3 has built-in charging for NiMH rechargeables and a handy charge LED. You use six AA batteries instead, which slot into the bottom.īatteries don’t initially seem like an ideal solution, but it’s better than it sounds. However, note that a lithium ion unit isn’t included. The Roberts iStream 3 has a carry handle and can be used battery-powered. You’d never guess it can do most of the same things as much more futuristic-looking speakers. Even the buttons on the top of the unit look as though they belong to an earlier era. The shell is wrapped in leather-effect vinyl, the front metal speaker grille is delightfully old-looking. This one won’t.Īs ever, Roberts trades on the traditional. A few of Roberts’ traditional models can dominate a bedside table to an extent that you might not expect from pics posted online. The Roberts iStream 3 has the same core styling as the vanilla Roberts Revival, but this radio is smaller than some. ![]() Related: Best DAB radios Roberts iStream 3 – Design But the expectations for radio sound quality just aren’t in the same league, and this set is still both an enjoyable listen and a charming addition to a room. Sound quality hasn’t kept up quite as well, and the Roberts iStream 3 wouldn’t be a match for a similarly priced wireless speaker such as the Sonos One. New features for this generation include the ability to control the Roberts iStream 3 through Alexa, and more integrated streaming services. That remains a key appeal of all the most desirable radios. The Roberts iStream 3 is a DAB radio that does its best to keep up with wireless streaming speakers, while keeping a classic look.
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