CCrane Selling the Roberts Revival Radio from England

The Roberts Revival Radio uses an analog tuner and is said to be the radio given the the royal family. The CCrane site says they've been trying for 10 years to bring this radio to America. At $200, it had better be an apex performer. We shall see. 

Comments

[Ed]

Is it just me, or does the RRR look like it will cost you man points as well as $200? The curved handle, shape, etc, make it look too purse-like... fit for a Queen, I guess.

[Jeffrey McMahon]

I'd buy two CCRadio 2s before I bought this. I agree. There's too much purse going on.

[Angelo]

I don't agree. True, it does look like something Marlo Thomas would carry on "That Girl!" but hell, it's a radio---and a guy should be secure enough in his masculinity to carry good audio equipment even if it does look like Bea Arthur's purse from "Maude." I have other issues with this though---for $200.00, it doesn't look like there are enough buttons to make me happy. Roberts made some more sophisticated radios. If you're doing a retro Roberts, why go for a simple design, especially for 200 big? It better damn well sound like a concert hall.

[¾ Blind]

The first radio I bought with my own money was a Midland portable which received AM, FM, 4-12 mHz. SW, and 108-174 mHz. "VHF-hi" AIR/PSB. I was a few months shy of 15. Ah, the naiveté of youth. The portable had a fake leatherette case with handle which looked purse like, and multi-colored tuning scale, all conspired against a masculine look but I was too young to know better. The real red flag though was the combined AIR & PSB in one "band". Little did I know air transmissions are in AM and PSB transmissions are in narrow band FM, so the Midland used a type of detection that demodulated both AM and FM, but did so rather poorly.

[Tom Welch]

Funny, I met Bea Arthur back in the mid 1970s. At the time I met her, I didn't know who she was b/c I rarely watched TV.

[Tom Welch]

Here's the Roberts Radio website featuring the Revival radio: http://www.robertsradio.co.uk/Products/Analogue_radios/Revival_250/index.htm

Sangean makes a lot of radios for Roberts in the UK. I think the Revival is overpriced for what you get @ $200 USD.

[Angelo]

Tom: I've read that Bea Arthur was a nice lady. I never met her---but did enjoy her work in television.

[Mike W]

Well, if the PR-D5 looks like a purse, this Roberts radio is an out-and-out handbag.

Since it's a UK brand, I think it is less "That Girl!" and more a piece of Lady Penelope's spy gear from The Thunderbirds, but I suspect she'd commission a special pink edition.

[Jeffrey McMahon]

Looks aside, I can't get excited about spending $200 on an analog radio. Unless its AM is twice as good as the PR-D5's. Which I doubt.

[Karl Dahlquist]

Just a simple Google search will reveal you can buy Bea Arthur's Purse for around $138...plus there is a nice pastel pink version for those totally willing to tear up their man card.

http://www.superfi.co.uk/index.cfm/page/moreinfo.cfm/Product_ID/4532

[Angelo]

I'd go with the "real leather" lemon yellow.

[Mike W]

Could be coincidence, but take a look at this :

http://www.kaitousa.com/KA8083.htm

[Angelo]

Mike: I doubt it's a coinsidence---too unlikely. Also, Karl is correct: No need to commission a special pink edition----I believe I actually saw two different pinks (pastel and brighter) for that Roberts radio. At least two yellows too. Lots of colors to chose from.