The Roberts Revival iStream 3L is a British object that looks like it belongs in a 1950s film, yet it is smarter than most people you meet at a dinner party. It’s a device for people who want to pretend they live in a simpler time while still demanding 20,000 internet radio stations.
Inside the wooden box, which is tuned for sound and not just for looking pretty on a shelf, you find a new processor that starts up faster than a Swede reaching for a second cup of coffee. It connects to Spotify, and it has Bluetooth for when you want to play your own sounds from a phone.
Roberts brand is nearly a century old. They started making portables just as the BBC began broadcasting, and they have survived every trend since. It is a solid piece of history that doesn’t require a subscription to keep your room from being silent, which is quite refreshing.
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