Roberts Blutune100 Sound System Review

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Summary:
Well made with great sound quality, but a high price tag.

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The Roberts Blutune100 is a complete sound system rather than just a radio. It’s an upgrade of the earlier Roberts Sound100 sound system, with the addition of Bluetooth functionality as well as several other new features.

Using Bluetooth, you can stream music from a smartphone, tablet or laptop through the Blutune100’s high-quality speakers. This means you could use the Roberts Blutune100 for listening to online radio or streaming music from YouTube or Spotify via a smartphone connected to the internet.

In addition to Bluetooth wireless streaming, this sound system also offers FM/DAB/DAB+ radio and an MP3 CD player, giving you a lot of flexibility. Let’s have a look at the Blutune100’s features and performance in more detail.

Features

DAB/DAB+/FM radio
CD player with MP3/WMA playback
Saves up to 20 preset stations
Remote control
USB socket for charging a smartphone or MP3 player
Bluetooth for streaming audio from a smartphone or other Bluetooth-enabled device
Clock and alarm with choice of alarm sounds (CD, radio, buzzer)
Sleep and snooze functions
Aux input socket and headphone socket
Equaliser with adjustable bass and treble
Wooden cabinet for better acoustics
3.5mm headphone jack
Stereo (2 x 7W) speakers

Dimensions: 32.9 cm wide x 11.3 cm high x 22 cm deep
Weight: 2 kg
Power: Mains power or battery powered with a lithium metal battery (included)

Build and design

The Roberts Blutune100 comes in an acoustically tuned wooden cabinet. It has a retro 1970s-style design, and is compact in size at about 33 cm wide and 11 cm high.

Performance and use

The Roberts Blutune100 is very easy to use, and you probably won’t need to consult the user manual (which is clear and easy to follow if you do need it). It pairs to Bluetooth very quickly, and is very convenient to use with the Spotify app.

The sound system’s stereo speakers are clear and has a rich sound, aided by its wooden casing. In comparison to most other FM/DAB radios, the Roberts Blutune100 offers good reception, so if you live in an area with a weak radio signal you might be surprised by how many stations this radio can pick up.

The sound system has an adjustable EQ for changing bass and treble levels. There isn’t any distortion when you turn the volume up, but the Roberts Blutune100’s two 7-watt speakers don’t offer that much power.

Pros

Excellent sound quality on both the radio and CD player, even when the volume is turned up
Very good reception – better than cheaper DAB radios
Easy to set up and use
Clear instructions manual
Being able to play CDs is a very useful feature if you still have a large CD collection
Bluetooth streaming

Cons

Volume is limited
Relatively expensive

Verdict

While it’s certainly not the cheapest radio/CD player, the Roberts Blutune100 Sound System offers value for money given its quality and durability. This sound system sounds amazing, so if you want to enjoy your music in all its depth and detail, the Blutune100 is a good choice.

One downside is that the sound system’s stereo speakers are fairly small, and don’t offer too much volume. Apart from that, there isn’t much to complain about with the Roberts Blutune100.

Similar radios

Roberts offer a few other sound systems in their Blutune range:

The Blutune 65 is cheaper than the Blutune100, and features a Lightning dock for charging an iPhone or iPad. It’s features and small size make it ideal for a bedside table.

The Blutune200 is more expensive than the Blutune100. It has the same features plus a few extras: USB playback and the ability to play and record music on an SD card. This is handy for recording radio programmes to listen to again later. Read our full review of the Blutune200 here.

You can also consider one of these high-end DAB radios.