Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Jeff McMahon, who shares this review of the Como Audio Solo:
Here’s a $300 internet radio review from Wired:
https://www.wired.com/2016/12/review-como-audio-solo/
Click here to view on Wired.com.
I was an early backer of the Como Audio Solo and reviewed it in October.
Since then, the Solo has become my WiFi radio of choice. I have it hooked up to an SSTRAN AM transmitter and use it to pipe audio through my whole house via the AM broadcast band. Though this only concerns a tiny fraction of hard-core radio geeks: the Solo has a very quiet power supply and my AM transmitter picks up no hum from the Solo. All of my other WiFi radio induce a hum if connected to mains power. This is what makes the Solo so useful in my household and shack.
Of course, when I have it tuned to a music station, like RFI Musique, its built-in speaker system provides ample fidelity!
As I mention in my review, FM analog reception is mediocre, though I imagine it would improve with an external antenna. Wired believes the Solo is good, but not great.
I wonder how experienced this reviewer is with this class of audio devices. First he states that the Solo receives AM. I doesn’t. (Unless you count receiving AM stations via their Internet streams.) It does receive FM, although its sensitivity to fringe signals is a bit substandard comparatively, even with the built-on rod antenna. He notes a disappointing audio performance at higher volumes, but fails to distinguish between sources. Lower bit rate digital audio does reveal its insufficiencies with increased volume, but that would be true regardless of the speaker ratings. A 30 watt RMS driver/tweeter speaker combo in a box this compact bespeaks a pretty efficient and powerful digital amplifier that would shine if fed audio of sufficient “heft”. With so much compressed digital audio out there–especially on Internet radio–it’s hard to judge what the objective limits of this unit aurally truly are. He also doesn’t seem to be conversant with the set-up process, which is quite intuitive, or the fact that the unit comes with a remote. At $300 MSRP, it is premium priced and will be too rich for the blood of some. Furthermore, its Internet station list as provided by Frontier Silicon seems a bit more limited than others I’ve experienced. But it is beautifully designed and presented and is quite versatile. Then again, as much as I like it, I can’t see myself populating my home with one in every room. There are other products out there that do this more efficiently and affordably.
I do the same thing with a Sangean WFR-20 wi-fi internet radio and feed audio to two of my Part #15 stations, AM Carrier-Current AM610, which then feeds the audio to my Radio Systems I Am Radio Part #15 AM TX, AM1620. (Many know this as the newer upgrade to the original Talking House transmitter.), which has an amazing PEP of 92mW to an ATU unit and 9ft antenna. Well, we are talking Part #15 here. Good to see that wi-fi internet radios are still out there. I bought my wi-fi netradios when AES was still in biz for $350.00 each back in 2008. I love how they free up a computer, but they were not the rage in North America, but in Europe and Japan. Still, very useful to me to check out alternative radio programing out there.