REVO IKON - Touch-screen DAB / Dock / Internet Radio

aweston0 · 02-09-2009, 11:41 AM

Just caught the teaser page for the new REVO IKON 'Touch-Screen' DAB / IPOD dock / Internet Radio...

Revo IKON

Looks like a shoe-in for an Xmas prezzy?

Has anyone had a hands-on with this yet - the spec looks like perfect kitchen radio goodness! - or not?

chriswyatt · 03-09-2009, 10:05 AM

Pricey, but it does look like an impressive piece of kit. Looks like it will knock the socks off the Avanti Flow.

Grumpsimus · 04-09-2009, 11:14 AM

Looks very impressive from the specs.

However, it all depends on how well it is made and how good the software is. It could be horrible with buggy software and constant crashes. We will have to wait and see what happens when people get to use it.

aweston0 · 20-09-2009, 4:16 PM

Yes, we'll wait and see - I can't see it being Apple/iPod/Touch quality interface, but even apple's 3.0 OS doesn't seem like the golden standard it once was! Let's hope it's one better than that - it should be, given it looks like a built-for-purpose UI with no legacy baggage!

Anyone getting an pre-launch version to review???

*adrianmurray* · 20-09-2009, 6:52 PM

I had a Revo Pico that failed just after a year, so not sure if I´ll buy another Revo product, but the Ikon does look good on paper, in a market full of retro dross.

YellowSphere · 20-09-2009, 8:50 PM

Hope it sounds good. I once listened to one track on the Blok and it sounded amazing, but it pretty much sounded awful with everything else I tried.

To be honest, the new Zeppelin Mini might be a better bet if you've already got an iPod Touch/iPhone. Could then use Spotify/last.fm/whatever. Reckon it'll probably sound better.

daboz · 23-12-2009, 5:38 PM

Just received my Revo IKON today (despite the terrible road conditions!). The company dispatched the first ones on 18th Dec.

I am going to try it out tonight and will put my thoughts here if anyone's interested.

Boz

darex · 23-12-2009, 9:14 PM

Please do post your impressions.

I have searched and searched for someone who has theirs and can report on how well they like it.

I'm particularly interested in these areas:

1) The Display: is it "sleeping"-compatible (many levels of backlighting)
2) The Alarm: is it very user-friendly? Is it easily customized and toggled on/off according to the whims of someone with an irregular work schedule? (I have found the Domino to have an awkward Alarm menu with many things to toggle through and items to confirm before it can be set, which is annoying!)
3) Is the interface responsive and user-friendly?
4) Does it list full text information for internet radio stations (e.g. station, track and artist playing, type of stream, etc...)
5) Is the iPhone dock sturdy? These pull-out drawer type docks can be either really good or really bad. I had an RCA docking clock-radio with a very good pop-out dock, and a Sony docking clock-radio with a flimsy, not-long-for-this-world [my impression] pull-out dock.

It's expensive, particularly if the screen is more gimmick than advantage, but if it allows logical, pain-free control over all the functions then it's a blessing and worth the added cost. I've no doubt the sound quality, and wireless connectivity will be excellent, as even on the Domino it's top-notch. I'm at a disadvantage as I cannot play with one in person in the store due to my location.

Looking forward to your report. Thank you!!

Hawkswood · 23-12-2009, 10:15 PM

I had a quick play with a Revo Heritage in my local John Lewis store, and judging from DAB radio alone the sound quality was superb (perhaps the best I've ever heard from a relatively small radio); indeed good enough to show up the sonic flaws that are painfully evident with a few DAB stations. The Heritage certainly made the Pure Sensia sound second rate by comparison, therefore if the Ikon is anything like the Heritage then it should be awesome, especially as the Ikon has a more powerful amplifier and stereo speakers.

Carlstune · 24-12-2009, 10:47 AM

Hi, I pre-ordered one with Revo and it arrived yesterday. A bit of a bold move but I needed an i-pod doc and wanted DAB etc.

However of course Pure have come out with a competitive product the Sensia which is more funky and is reviewed in the latest What Sound & Vision (4 stars because of sound). But it is taste and whether you really want the large screen.

In terms of use it is very easy to set up and move around the functions. Although the screen is a little finicky for those with large digits. The colour screen is good and does give you full text on Dab. Search facilities on Internet Radio and Lastfm are easy to use and there is a on screen keyboard for typing in any searches.

The lastfm option has the basic functions pre-programmed. So tabs, recommendations and radio station searches. I must admit this was my first dabble with lastfm and I was a bit disappointed that if I wanted to listen to an album I can't seem to do it on the Ikon and it is not that easy on lastfm ........ I know it's not really what lastfm is about, but.

With the Internet radio option you get automatic access to podcasts and the search facility is good and easy to use. The set up to the wi-fi is as easy as could be.

The streaming option I have yet to have a play with. But the instructions does say it will automatically find the player on the PC. Like all of these things it is PNCP enabled so you you have to get the converter on the PC to stream iTunes (HELP - where is a good free one). As I have yet to work on this bit I am not sure about streaming things like Spotify to the Ikon and whether there is a work around for it.

Sound. It is very good, if not what I would say is great. It is the same sound system as most of the Ikon systems. From hearing the Avanti Flow only once it probably lacks the depth ....... but the Ananti Flow is a lump of a thing where as the Ikon is light and very stylish. For me it is good enough for general listening and the ability to use different sound approaches i.e. loundness buttons and pre-sets for rock, classical etc mean you can get the depth or clarity you want.

What Sound and Vision still say there are better options if you have an iphone (which I don't). Because then you can have the Zepplin and drive it via the iPhone. But a £400 controller is quite steep.

So all in all very very good if it is the tool you need. I'll check the alarm radio out ....... but this is the kitchen sound system for me.

darex · 24-12-2009, 2:20 PM

Thanks for the initial impressions. Sounds good so far!

About the screen brightness, is it very customizable, or is there just a "bright", "dim", "off" setting? I think with the color screens they're a bit more careful to make sure that it's not blindingly bright at night.

I'm awaiting Revo's reply to my query about exchanging (upgrading) my Domino to an Ikon. If the display on the Domino were bigger than the postage stamp that it is, and if the alarms weren't so difficult, I'd keep it. It's a cute, small, worthy package otherwise with very decent sound.

daboz · 24-12-2009, 2:46 PM

Very quick update. I unpacked and setup last night, quick to do so but was surprised that shortly after connecting to the internet it prompted to download a new software update!

Worst still, today it rebooted all by itself while playing internet radio, then repeatedly rebooted for about an hour. Now it seems ok again. Very concerning.

Soundwise I'm very pleased, although as the other poster said it lacks the depth and range of Avanti Flow, but it's not far off. Its shape and size is absolutely perfect for table tops, unlike the avanti flow's hulking body.

Biggest disapointment is ipod user interface - there is none! All you can do is skip tracks. I expected menu browsing.

The touch screen is very responsive, not on par with iPhone of course, but pretty darn good. Don't have to press hard at all.

Anyway, here's some pics, note the 3 power cables for Europe, UK and US.

Dropbox - Photos - Secure backup, sync and sharing made easy.

Merry Christmas

Boz

darex · 24-12-2009, 4:08 PM

Thanks James. Looks good. The remote is way simpler than the Domino's.

I guess with the iPOD/iPhone right in front of you, it'd be redundant to have advanced navigation on the Ikon's screen too?

Is the docking-drawer sturdy/non-wobbly? Will be a "two-handed job" or a "one-handed job" to dock my iPhone?

Happy holidays to you.

daboz · 24-12-2009, 8:11 PM

Been playing it more today, Xmas playlists and yes it's fine using iPhone interface. Ikon comes with 10 inserts to fit all iPods and iPhones and my iPhone even fits with a hard plastic case round it.

The drawer isn't solid and it does wobble which is a shame. Not so that it's a problem but just disappointing. The push close action is nice and a foot flips down under the drawer to help support it. It's fine, just not £280 worth!

The sound I'm liking more and more and I think part of my problem is I rip CDs at low quality so the instruments mash together. The Internet radio sound is better than some of my rips! DAB works well, menus are good, screen responsive. Overall I'm very happy.

Apart from the reboot probs! It happened twice more today while trying to get iPhone playlist working. Then it worked fine. This badly needs fixing, hopefully a software update.

I'll have a read through the questions on this forum after Xmas day and try and answer them all.

For a kitchen system it's perfect with plenty of oomph. Worth £280...? Not sure. I didnt mind paying that cos it was the only system to do all I wanted. Avanti flow was close call but it's big and ugly.

Boz

daboz · 26-12-2009, 12:03 AM

After a couple of days of playing over Xmas it's really proven itself. I now love it. The reboot problem hasn't occurred today and I hooked up the Last FM trial. I use Last FM for free on PC and begrudged paying for the service on the Revo but it works so perfectly on the Ikon that I've decided it's worth paying for. It completes the system and makes it worth the extra cash over the Avanti Flow.

To answer some questions:
1) The Display: is it "sleeping"-compatible (many levels of backlighting)
Sort of. It has many dim levels, you can set level for off display (clock) as well as on mode independently but for me I think it doesn't go dim enough, but I like pitch black at night.

2) The Alarm: is it very user-friendly? Is it easily customized and toggled
Yes. 2 active alarms, choosing which source to turn on (wifi,dab,lastfm etc) and alarm button on the clock screen in off mode so easy access. Easy change both alarm times too.

3) Is the interface responsive and user-friendly?
Yes, very. Touch sensitivity is by pressure unlike iPhone but it's perfect. The menus react fairly quick, not instant, but are consistent. I'm very impressed.

4) Does it list full text information for internet radio stations (e.g. station, track and artist playing, type of stream, etc...)
No, and this surprised me. No track info, just channel description and stream info. Last FM has all that and album covers though. Maybe a software update might add track info to stations that support it.

5) Is the iPhone dock sturdy?
Not really, but it's adequate. As I said before it's a bit wobbly and I expected better for the price, but it is ok. You can dock it one handed without fear of breaking anything.

Overall I am very very pleased with the Revo Ikon. As long as the reboot bug stays away, this is a 5* product.

Any other questions or things you'd like more detail on?

Boz

daboz · 26-12-2009, 2:37 PM

Think I've tracked down what causes the Revo IKON to
reboot - it's when one of my PCs is switched on. Need to diagnose if it is to do with the PC accessing the Internet or if it's the media streaming software. Going to raise it with Revo and see what they say.

Boz

darex · 26-12-2009, 3:25 PM

Thanks Boz, you've covered everything. I really appreciate it! It sounds like a very well thought out device. Experience has been a good teacher for Revo.

Item #4 is an unpleasant surprise on my Revo Domino D2 too.

It surprised me because my previous internet radios both showed the programme playing (e.g. song title, or current presentation). On such a big, colour screen, with unlimited space to display text, it's doubly surprising that this should be absent on the Ikon. Perhaps a firmware update will fix this? I know that this information is carried by the stream. My VTech IS9181 internet radio, for example, shows song titles. It's a very useful feature!

I discovered on the Domino that the alarms CAN easily be toggled on/off after all via the remote, but only in Stand-By mode. So, it's just the postage stamp-sized display that I will have to decide to live with (or not). It's a radio, not a television, so perhaps it's not as important as it could be the fact that it's so tiny [and thus hard to justify as a reason to upgrade to the Ikon?]. The OLED display is clear and crisp. Since there's no song title information to be had, perhaps the display really is a minor consideration. ;-)

timmyra1 · 26-12-2009, 8:31 PM

Really nice to know this is an effective piece of kit as have been looking for something that has decent sound, radio alarm clock, an iphone dock and wireless streaming for ages. Hopefully I have found it in the IKON! I'm hoping to buy one pretty soon but I just had one question I hoped you guys could maybe answer.

I use iTunes on my mac to play my music mostly and just wanted to know the practicalities of streaming music to the IKON from iTunes? Is it easy? do I need other software? is this included?

Help would be much appreciated! Cheers guys!

daboz · 26-12-2009, 10:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by timmyra1

I use iTunes on my mac to play my music mostly and just wanted to know the practicalities of streaming music to the IKON from iTunes? Is it easy? do I need other software? is this included?

Help would be much appreciated! Cheers guys!

I'm doing that next, although I need the reboot prob fixed first as my PC being on causes Ikon to continually reboot. Will let you know how it goes.

Boz

josephbe · 27-12-2009, 9:50 AM

i have been wondering the model of my revo ikon does not seem to have a line out only line in is there a way to put the line in to line out

ohyeh · 30-12-2009, 12:09 PM

Great to see some feedback at last on this product....was wondering though before I take the plunge, does the revo play spotify ok?? As I will be getting the premium version of this app on my ipod touch.

darex · 30-12-2009, 12:40 PM

There's a guy on YouTube reviewing his Revo Heritage and he talks about and demonstrates Spotify on his unit. I'm sure if the Heritage plays it, the Ikon would.

aoj132 · 30-12-2009, 7:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by daboz

Just received my Revo IKON today (despite the terrible road conditions!). The company dispatched the first ones on 18th Dec.

I am going to try it out tonight and will put my thoughts here if anyone's interested.

Boz

If you can let me know what you think, I will be very greatfull,

Thanks
Tony

tarhoy · 01-01-2010, 8:15 PM

Hi. I'm interested in an Ikon but post #20 from josephbe and picture 5 from daboz in post #12 have got me slightly alarmed. The Ikon specs on the websites of both Superfi and Andy Tyson state that there is analogue audio out (RCA) and also a headphone socket. Picture 7 on Peter Tyson's website shows a very different rear view from that posted by daboz. daboz, thanks for your posts on the Ikon, is your unit a UK spec model? Before Xmas I contacted Revo for a pdf version of the Ikon manual but the reply was that it was not available at this time. So if any owners can clarify the picture it will be appreciated. (I live in the UK). Thanks.

darex · 01-01-2010, 9:15 PM

I was looking for the manual on-line too before I made my purchase (or returned the Domino, as it were).

It is still not available on-line, but I suspect it will be imminently. Neither the Domino nor the Heritage manuals were available on-line either until suddenly, a couple of weeks ago. When it appears, you'll find it here:

Revo product manuals

daboz · 02-01-2010, 12:22 AM

Hi Tarhoy, can't see any audio out except the optical. Maybe the line in doubles as a headphone, I'll try it tomorrow.

Hope Revo get back to me about the reboot problem. My pc is pretty much always on in my house so my Revo Ikon isn't getting used. A very bizarre bug - some network service on the PC I guess, but I can't work out what.

If it can't be fixed I'll gave send it back and get the Avanti Flow.

Boz

josephbe · 02-01-2010, 7:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tarhoy

Hi. I'm interested in an Ikon but post #20 from josephbe and picture 5 from daboz in post #12 have got me slightly alarmed. The Ikon specs on the websites of both Superfi and Andy Tyson state that there is analogue audio out (RCA) and also a headphone socket. Picture 7 on Peter Tyson's website shows a very different rear view from that posted by daboz. daboz, thanks for your posts on the Ikon, is your unit a UK spec model? Before Xmas I contacted Revo for a pdf version of the Ikon manual but the reply was that it was not available at this time. So if any owners can clarify the picture it will be appreciated. (I live in the UK). Thanks.

my came from revo and i can assure you that ther no line out just line in and optical out that all there is a the back

Hawkswood · 05-01-2010, 6:25 PM

Just checked the Revo website and the Ikon manual is now available to download from the Manuals section (under Support). Here's a direct link to the document in question:

http://www.revo.co.uk/downloads/IKON...e-download.pdf

Question - Can the remote control's skip back/forward buttons be used to select DAB stations and streaming audio tracks? (There's an implication that this should be possible.) However even if this functionality isn't currently implemented it could theoretically be added in a future software update.

Incidentally there's no mention of similar functionality for internet radio stations or FM presets, which isn't a deal breaker for me personally but is something that's worth knowing. Likewise there isn't a headphone socket (a slightly strange omission), although if you're desperate for one then you could always connect the Ikon's optical digital output to some form of digital-analogue converter (a Minidisc or other form of external digital recorder/computer with optical digital input could do this) and plug headphones into that.

The manual also explains how to set up a PC or Mac for streaming audio, and states that iTunes cannot currently be used as a UPnP server client but there are other software utilities available; Elgato's EyeConnect is suggested for Mac users and this can be downloaded from www.elgato.com.

darex · 06-01-2010, 3:20 PM

Just read the manual myself.

It seems very logical and elegant. It's analogous to the functionality on the Domino, but the implementation is much more user-friendly.

I am seriously having buyer's remorse that I didn't get the Ikon.

Here are some more questions:

On the Ikon, do you find the volume steps to be reasonable? I find on the Domino that there is too much of a jump between Volume Level 3 and 4 and 5, i.e. 3 is too quiet, but 4 is too loud (for bedside, at night). I find myself wishing for an in-between level. Maybe it's just my own personal quirk. It needs a software tweak, in my opinion.

One other question (and then I suppose I'll have run out of questions and just be left with my jealousy :-) ):

What are the viewing angles like? Although tiny, the OLED display on the Domino is certainly is sharp, from ANY angle. It's an ideal medium for a clock display. Previous iPhone docking clock-radios I've had have suffered profoundly from their requirement of a direct viewing angle, or else the contrast goes away fast. I know this is an unfortunate property of all LCD screens to some extent, but I also know that on my iPhone, the screen is at least legible from a wide viewing angle. With the display on the Ikon being so high-up relative to the surface it sits on, as well as angled backwards, I'm wondering how legible it is from "pillow level".

daboz · 06-01-2010, 7:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hawkswood

Question - Can the remote control's skip back/forward buttons be used to select DAB stations and streaming audio tracks? (There's an implication that this should be possible.) However even if this functionality isn't currently implemented it could theoretically be added in a future software update.

Incidentally there's no mention of similar functionality for internet radio stations or FM presets, which isn't a deal breaker for me personally but is something that's worth knowing. Likewise there isn't a headphone socket (a slightly strange omission), although if you're desperate for one then you could always connect the Ikon's optical digital output to some form of digital-analogue converter (a Minidisc or other form of external digital recorder/computer with optical digital input could do this) and plug headphones into that.

The manual also explains how to set up a PC or Mac for streaming audio, and states that iTunes cannot currently be used as a UPnP server client but there are other software utilities available; Elgato's EyeConnect is suggested for Mac users and this can be downloaded from www.elgato.com.

So far it seems that skip only works for lastFM and iPod. There doesn't seem to be a way to select stations in internet radio or DAB. I find this quite frustrating to be honest and I hope they do fix it.

Also, on internet radio stations that are not "live" (i.e. individually streamed songs) you can't skip tracks like you can with many of the Yahoo radio stations for example. Neither do you get the track info or artwork. Again, frustrating and hoping for an update (I will ask them, they're a very very friendly bunch and eager to support their customers).

I can't speak for the streaming track selection as I have the "PC reboots my Ikon" problem.

Boz