With its two front-facing speakers, top-mounted roto-dial and shiny wood finish, the Vita Audio R2 is one of the best-looking DABs in radio town. Add tight, punchy bass, powerful mid-range, screeching highs and neighbour-enraging volume, and you’ve got one of the best stereos around.
Star Wars fans will love the fact it’s named after one of the film’s droids. But non-sci-fi fans will appreciate more the Vita Audio R2 for its simple operation via that handy roto-dial on the top and the nifty little display on the front.
There are even two line inputs for hooking up your MP3 players, which sound sweet through the R2′s speakers. That goes some way to making up for the lack of an iPod dock, or even CD player, but for the price that Vita Audio is asking (in excess of £200), it wouldn’t have been unreasonable for you to expect one, the other, or both included.
The Vita Audio R2′s overall performance, then, is outstanding, with the DAB reception proving just as easy on the ears as the body is on the eyes. It’s that eye-wincing price, however, that makes us want to shout with rage. Or as R2 would say: “Bleeep, bleep, prrrrrpp, bleepe”. That’s Droid speak for “How much?!”
