Standalone system solution
Yes, it looks like a radio, we know, but that’s kinda the point — this remarkable product, developed in Australia by the local Bush team, aims to sneak into your home in the guide of a traditional radio, then blow your mind by revealing itself as being able to connect to your home network and deliver (pause for breath...) app control of DAB+, FM and internet radio, limited UPnP network music streaming, Spotify Connect compatibility, Bluetooth, an auxiliary input, plus potential multiroom growth for most of those sources, and a lovely end unit for playback of all this. All for $499.
The friendly radio feel extends to its main controls. With its many available presets you can use it like a simple household radio, selecting digital radio stations, FM or internet radio stations straight from the unit itself. Or you can whip out your smart device of choice and stream music via Bluetooth, or via Spotify Connect if you have a subscription. Or use the free iOS/Android app (pictured below left) to play music stored on your network, set up a multiroom system, or operate all the other functions from the comfort of your couch instead of pressing buttons on the radio itself.
So you might call it a ‘radio’, but it’s really a wireless multiroom speaker which has an advantage over most others of that breed by also being a ‘radio’. It achieves this by basing its smarts around Frontier Silicon’s UNDOK multiroom platform, which has the potential to combine not only multiple Bush units (the smaller Heritage Portable 1 has just been released) but also devices from different manufacturers on the same multiroom platform. Revo, Roberts and Ruark are three companies already using UNDOK, while this very design from Australia is now finding its way into Europe under the Goodmans brand, sister to Bush Australia.
The sound is a classic big radio sound from this good-sized box — 32cm wide by 17cm high and 15cm deep (note that it needs 22cm of shelf depth given a protruding mains connector, and you’ve got a 70cm telescopic aerial to accommodate), and not as retro as the previous Heritage radio (based closely on a 1958 Bush original); this is more a modern industrial remake of a classic. A good round and rich bass is delivered, while the treble performance exceeds the traditional softness of radio sound, with plenty of zing up top — a bit much for some digital radio stations indeed, but ideal for Bluetooth and quality sources.
Bush is proud of its real-wood laminate version (pictured here, no two radios exactly the same), but we rather fell in love with the clean looks of the cream version, which will suit minimalist décors and kitchens. We were delighted with the way this Bush offers multiple paths to music, connecting and streaming, its modernity quietly hidden. More info: