Roberts Revival iStream 3L DAB+/Internet Smart Radio

The Revival iStream 3L pairs the classic Roberts wooden cabinet with DAB+, FM and more than 20,000 internet radio stations, plus Spotify Connect, Deezer and Amazon Music.

At a Glance

• Internet radio stations: 20,000+
• Station presets: 60
• Battery life (6 x AA): 8-10 hrs
• Built-in streaming: Spotify / Deezer

Shaped like the Revival radios people have kept on kitchen shelves for decades, the iStream 3L hides a full smart tuner inside an acoustically tuned wooden cabinet. It plays DAB, DAB+ and FM, and once it joins your WiFi it opens onto internet radio as well. A good choice if you want modern reach without a modern-looking box.

That WiFi connection brings more than 20,000 internet stations and a large catalogue of podcasts within reach, and forty of the sixty presets are set aside for them. Spotify Connect, Deezer and Amazon Music are built in, so a playlist chosen on your phone plays from the radio itself rather than through it.

A traditional cabinet doing thoroughly untraditional work: twenty thousand stations, three streaming services and a battery option, all behind the same familiar controls and handle.

Ideal For

• Kitchen shelf: At 250 x 160 x 106 mm the iStream 3L sits comfortably beside the kettle, and the leather-cloth wooden cabinet looks at home in a room that is not full of black plastic.
• Podcast listeners: Podcasts play straight from the radio over WiFi, and with forty internet presets you can keep a long list of shows and stations a few button presses away.
• Taking it outside: Fit six AA cells and the radio works away from the mains for eight to ten hours, which covers an afternoon in the garden or a day's work in the shed.

Key Features

• 20,000+ internet stations: Over twenty thousand internet radio stations and a podcast catalogue arrive over WiFi, well beyond what the DAB and FM bands can carry in any one place.
• 60 presets: Forty presets for internet radio and podcasts, ten for DAB and ten for FM, so streaming favourites do not crowd out the broadcast ones.
• Three streaming services: Spotify Connect, Deezer and Amazon Music are built into the radio, so streaming does not depend on a Bluetooth link staying up across the house.
• 6 x AA power: Six AA cells, alkaline or NiMH, give eight to ten hours away from a socket. Rechargeable cells charge inside the radio in five to seven hours.
• USB and file formats: The USB port plays MP3 files and also delivers 5 V / 1 A for charging a phone. Supported audio formats run to WMA, FLAC, AAC and ALAC.
• UNDOK app control: The UNDOK app for Apple iOS and Android controls the radio from a phone or tablet, which helps when it is sitting high on a shelf.

• What the WiFi tuner adds: Irish DAB and FM will always be limited by what is broadcast where you live. Connecting the iStream 3L to your home network removes that limit: more than 20,000 stations become available, along with podcasts you would otherwise listen to on a phone. Forty of the sixty presets are reserved for these, so a station from another country can sit alongside the local news bulletin without displacing it.
• Power on the mains or AA cells: The supplied adaptor covers everyday use at home. Drop in six AA cells and the radio keeps going for eight to ten hours on alkalines, which is enough for a long stretch in the garden or a power cut. NiMH rechargeables are an option too, and they charge inside the radio in five to seven hours, so you are not hunting for a separate charger.
• A cabinet built for sound: The wooden cabinet is acoustically tuned rather than decorative, wrapped in leather-cloth with a carry handle on top, and the whole radio weighs 1.71 kg. Six equaliser profiles with separate bass and treble let you match it to the room. Connections are generous for a radio of this size: 3.5 mm aux in for an old player, a 3.5 mm line output if you want to feed a bigger system, and a 3.5 mm headphone socket for listening without waking the house.

How It Compares

The Verdict

Strengths

• DAB, DAB+, FM and WiFi internet radio
• Over 20,000 internet stations plus podcasts
• Spotify Connect, Deezer and Amazon Music built in
• 60 presets, 40 of them for internet radio
• Runs on mains or six AA cells
• Aux input, line output and headphone socket
• Acoustically tuned wooden cabinet with carry handle

Considerations

• The six AA cells are not included, so budget for alkalines or a set of NiMH rechargeables when you order.
• Internet radio, podcasts and the streaming services all need a WiFi connection; without one the iStream 3L is a DAB and FM radio.
• Bluetooth is version 4.2 and supports the SBC codec only, so it does not offer the AAC streaming some phones prefer.

What's in the Box

• Revival iStream 3L smart radio x1
• Mains adaptor x1
• Quick start guide x1
• Safety and warranty leaflet x1
• Streaming services leaflet x1