Roberts Revere 500

Roberts Revere 500: CD, radio and streaming together in a stereo cabinet

A CD slipped into the slot in the morning, a Spotify playlist started from your phone in the evening: both play through the same wooden cabinet and the same four speakers. The most comprehensive model in the Revere collection from Roberts, this stereo system brings digital radio, streaming and physical media together in a single unit, controlled via a colour screen, remote control or app, and sized for the main living area.

Four speakers divided between midrange/treble and bass

Sound reproduction relies on two pairs of speakers with clearly separated roles. Two 6.3 cm full-range drivers handle the midrange and treble, the range occupied by vocals, piano and acoustic guitar; two 8.9 cm woofers focus on bass, with greater excursion to give body to bass lines and percussion. This arrangement relieves the smaller drivers of the most demanding air-moving work, keeping vocals clear as the volume rises. Everything is housed in an acoustically tuned, hand-finished solid wood cabinet covered in black faux leather. Stereo sound here comes from a single cabinet just under 46 cm wide and 16 cm high: the soundstage remains narrower than with two spaced-apart speakers, in exchange for a setup on a single piece of furniture with just one mains cable. Allow for around 8 kg on the shelf.

Sound adjustment to suit its position in the room

The same unit does not sound the same right against a wall as it does in the middle of a sideboard. The closer it is to a wall, the more reflections reinforce the bass, and a corner accentuates this effect further. The Revere 500’s placement profiles compensate for this effect in four situations: against a wall, in a corner, in a bookcase or compartmented cabinet, and in an open space. You make the selection once in the settings. On top of this, five equaliser presets offer ready-made sound profiles, while the custom “My EQ” mode provides five separate sliders: deep bass, bass, midrange, treble and stereo soundstage width, the last of which widens or recentres the image produced by the cabinet.

Radio in all its forms, with 120 presets

The tuner receives FM and DAB+, the digital terrestrial radio service that delivers hiss-free sound and displays station names and track titles. Once connected to Wi-Fi, the Revere 500 also accesses Internet radio, offering thousands of stations from around the world and podcasts, without relying on local broadcast coverage. Each reception mode has 40 presets, 120 in total, accessible from the front panel, remote control or app: enough to keep your morning news station, weekend music station and a foreign Internet radio station close at hand without going back through the menus.

Spotify, Deezer and Bluetooth over the home network

Spotify Connect works differently from a Bluetooth connection: the phone acts as a remote control, and the Revere 500 retrieves the music itself from Spotify’s servers. Listening is not interrupted when the phone rings or leaves the room, and battery power is saved. Paying subscribers benefit from Spotify’s lossless quality. Deezer is integrated directly into the unit, with 8 dedicated presets, compared with 10 for Spotify, to recall a playlist, album or stream at the touch of a button. Bluetooth remains available for everything else: an app that is not integrated, a video or a guest’s phone. On the network side, dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4 and 5 GHz) is complemented by an Ethernet socket, useful when the router is nearby or the home’s Wi-Fi is congested. The free Oktiv app, on iOS and Android, lets you browse stations, change sources, manage playback and access settings from a smartphone or tablet.

CDs and USB drives still have their place

The integrated CD player plays commercial audio discs as well as burned CDs containing MP3, WMA or AAC files, allowing several albums to fit on a single disc. The USB port accepts a drive containing these same formats, handy for a digitised collection. This physical media capability makes the Revere 500 a convenient bridge for anyone who still has a shelf full of discs and does not want to give up streaming.

Colour screen, remote control and two alarms

The colour LCD screen displays the station name, track information and album artwork, as well as the equaliser, alarms and clock. Its brightness adapts to the room’s lighting and the time of day, which matters if the unit takes pride of place in a bedroom. The supplied remote control covers all sources and presets. Two independent alarms wake you to your choice of radio, a CD, a USB drive or a standard alarm tone, one for weekdays and the other for a different schedule, for example.

Technical specifications

Audio performance

• Audio configuration: four-speaker stereo system
  • Full-range drivers: 2 × 6.35 cm drivers
  • Bass drivers: 2 × 8.89 cm drivers
• Design: wooden cabinet with dedicated acoustic system for midrange, treble and bass
• Equalisation: 6 presets and custom “My EQ” setting
• Acoustic profiles: 4 placement adjustment modes
  • Against a wall
  • In a corner
  • On a shelf
  • In an open space

Radio and connectivity

• Digital radio: DAB, DAB+
• Analogue radio: FM
• Internet radio: via Wi-Fi
• Bluetooth: wireless audio streaming
• Streaming services: Spotify Connect, Deezer
• Audio output: headphone jack

CD and USB playback

• Built-in CD player
  • Compatible formats: audio CD, MP3, WMA, AAC
• USB port: playback of compatible audio files
  • Compatible formats: MP3, WMA, AAC

Presets and content access

• Radio presets: 120 in total
  • Internet radio: 40
  • DAB: 40
  • FM: 40
• Streaming service presets: 18 in total
  • Spotify: 10
  • Deezer: 8

Display and operation

• Colour screen
• Operation: access to the various audio sources, favourite stations and favourite services

Box contents

• 1 Roberts Revere 500 audio system
• 1 mains power cable
• 1 remote control for remote operation
• 2 AAA batteries
• 1 quick start guide
• 1 safety and warranty booklet

Dimensions and weight

• Width: 45.8 cm
• Height: 16.33 cm
• Depth: 29.05 cm
• Weight: 8.02 kg