{"id":21644,"date":"2016-10-20T19:11:38","date_gmt":"2016-10-20T23:11:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=21644"},"modified":"2016-10-20T19:15:38","modified_gmt":"2016-10-20T23:15:38","slug":"a-review-of-the-como-audio-solo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2016\/10\/a-review-of-the-como-audio-solo\/","title":{"rendered":"A review of the Como Audio Solo"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"como-audio-solo-table\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Regular SWLing Post<\/em> readers might remember that this past summer, I made an impulse purchase–and in doing so,\u00a0backed a Kickstarter campaign for the new Como Audio Solo<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But exactly why<\/em> did I buy this small, self-contained digital music device–? Having just completed an in-depth review of several WiFi radios<\/a>, I certainly didn’t need another. \u00a0But the good-looking Solo, with its clean design and\u00a0walnut casing\u00a0really<\/em> caught my attention…I couldn’t resist checking it out. \u00a0Plus, in\u00a0backing the radio via Kickstarter, I was able to purchase it for $100 less than the predicted future retail of $299 US<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Kickstarter campaign\u00a0funding Como Audio\u00a0was prompt in communicating updates with backers and providing even more product options during the wait for production and delivery. Although several other snazzy finishes for the Solo were brandished before me, I stuck firmly by the walnut veneer I’d originally chosen.<\/p>\n

Fast forward to\u00a0the present. I finally received my Como Audio Solo a few\u00a0weeks ago, and have had time\u00a0to play with it. While I haven’t had time to explore every nuance of this radio, of course, I have had an opportunity to form some opinions.<\/p>\n

Design<\/h2>\n

I don’t often comment on the design of radios I review, but in this case it’s worth noting.<\/p>\n

The Como Audio Solo, in wood, is elegant and simple.\u00a0Love it:<\/em><\/p>\n

\"img_20161003_163200127\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The\u00a0only element of the\u00a0design\u00a0I’m not typically keen on?\u00a0 I’m not the biggest fan of devices that sport colored backlit displays; to me they appear\u00a0a bit flash and faddish,\u00a0undermining\u00a0a radio’s\u00a0overall aesthetic.<\/p>\n

But I must say, the Solo pulls it off. \u00a0The color display in this case is somehow not too distracting–it’s soft yet crisp, and easy to read even at a distance.<\/p>\n

In short, the Solo is\u00a0a stunning\u00a0piece of kit, especially with that warm walnut casing, and looks right at home in any setting–office, living area, kitchen, or at the bedside.<\/p>\n

I’ve only one gripe with the Solo’s ergonomics: the front control knobs are a little too close to the bottom of the recessed controls area. When I try to turn a knob–for example, attempt to tune the FM band–I find my fingertips won’t fit between the knob and lower edge of the recessed panel, making the knobs a little hard to turn in one fluid motion. (Of course,this is also due to the fact that I have big fingers; my wife doesn’t seem to have this problem).<\/p>\n

But\u00a0this isn’t a dealbreaker as I’m\u00a0finding I don’t often need to reach for the\u00a0front controls, anyway. \u00a0Why? Because the rig’s IR remote–or better yet, its smartphone app–control the radio effectively at any convenient\u00a0distance from the radio. \u00a0Sweet.<\/p>\n

Audio<\/h2>\n

\"como-audio-solo-speaker\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I’m a sucker for quality\u00a0audio fidelity, and I must admit that this was one of the biggest deciding factors in purchasing the Solo: it touted extraordinary audio in a modest package, being designed around an\u00a0acoustic chamber\/chassis containing a 3″ woofer and 3\/4″ dome tweeter fueled by a 2 X 30 watt RMS amplifier. I was very curious whether it could\u00a0live up to its initial claim.<\/p>\n

After turning on the Solo for the first time, I immediately wanted to hear audio, so I put it in Bluetooth mode and played a few songs, ranging from Jazz to Electronica.<\/p>\n

In a nutshell: \u00a0Wow.<\/em><\/p>\n

The audio is strikingly reminiscent of my Tivoli Audio Model One…which is to say, it’s excellent<\/em>. It packs more audio punch than any of the radios I reviewed in my WiFi radio comparison<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Out of the box, the audio is fairly well-balanced, too. But you can tweak the equalizer, and I did, drawing in\u00a0a little more bass and treble. \u00a0My wife (also a bit of an audiophile) was impressed. And yes, the sound is all the more remarkable considering the radio’s\u00a0relatively small form-factor: \u00a0little box, big voice.<\/em><\/p>\n

FM Reception<\/h2>\n

\"como-audio-solo\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The Como Audio Solo is one of the few Wifi radios on the market that has a built-in analog FM and DAB receiver (save the $120 Sangean WFR-28<\/a>,\u00a0which has analog FM reviewed here<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Since I live in the US, I can’t comment on DAB reception. \u00a0I have, however, had an opportunity to test the FM analog reception. \u00a0Keep in mind, I live in a rural area and require a decent FM receiver with telescopic antenna fully extended just to listen to my favorite regional programming.<\/p>\n

When I tune the Solo to my benchmark FM stations, it can receive them–but not as effectively as many of my other radios, including the WFR-28<\/a>. Even when forced to use the Mono setting only, the stations it receives carry\u00a0too much static for\u00a0good listening. \u00a0So obviously the Solo isn’t as sensitive as some of my other radios, at least in this\u00a0setting. Indeed, few\u00a0stations it receives in this area are able to lock in to the\u00a0point that there’s no static in the received audio. For out-of-towners, this is a bit of a disappointment.<\/p>\n

With this said, I imagine if you live in an urban area, the FM receiver should\u00a0more than please you. I’ve no doubt it can\u00a0faithfully reproduce beautiful audio from local FM outlets.<\/p>\n

I should add that, while FM reception isn’t stellar for distant stations, the RDS information does convey even when the audio isn’t full fidelity.<\/p>\n

WiFi radio<\/h2>\n

\"comoaudiosolo-internetradio\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Of course, the main reason I purchased the Como Audio Solo was to use and review it as a WiFi radio…nothing at all to do with that sharp walnut chassis, or audio power.<\/p>\n

As I outlined in my WiFi Radio primer<\/a>, WiFi radios rely on station aggregators<\/em>–extensive curated databases of radio stations–to\u00a0surf and serve up the tens of thousands of streaming stations around the globe.<\/p>\n

Based on feedback from Como Audio shortly after the Kickstarter launch, I was under the impression that the station aggregator of choice was vTuner<\/a>. This concerned me, as vTuner’s reputation as an aggregator is somewhat maligned due to a series of documented faults and weaknesses. \u00a0Fortunately, this turned out not to be the case: after the\u00a0initial confusion, I soon discovered Como\u00a0had adopted the more robust\u00a0Frontier Silicon aggregator<\/a>,\u00a0instead–a better choice.<\/p>\n

Click here to read our primer on setting up your Como Audio product on the Frontier Silicon radio portal.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Since I’m a pretty big fan of Frontier Silicon and since I’ve already been using their service with my Sangean WFR-28, once I connected my radio to my user account, the WiFi portion of the radio felt identical to that of my WFR-28. Simply brilliant, as the Frontier Silicon radio portal gives the user flexibility to create station lists and folders with ease–all of which readily convey to the radio itself.<\/p>\n

The Solo\u00a0also features six dedicated memory buttons on the front panel for quick access to favorites.<\/p>\n

Turns out, there’s also a\u00a0comprehensive manual available online for download (click here)<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Summary<\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"como-audio-solo-bluetooth\"<\/a><\/p>\n

And\u00a0am I please with the Solo so far?<\/p>\n

I’ll reply with\u00a0a resounding “Yes!”<\/p>\n

I love<\/em> the Solo’s design–this\u00a0certainly is a handsome product. Moreover, I love the audio, and am pleased that it delivers the fidelity promised by its Kickstarter campaign. The Solo and Duet are loaded with features, connections, Aux In and Aux Out audio and digital ports–more, in fact, than any similar device with which I’m familiar. I regret that the rig’s\u00a0FM isn’t suited for country life, but the audio coupled with its stylish exterior do make up for this somewhat.<\/p>\n

\"como-audio-solo-back\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I do wish the Solo had an internal rechargeable battery option. Being able to move the receiver to different locations within a home or building\u00a0could be a major plus for rural FM reception. As my friend John pointed out, however, the audio amplifier is robust enough, it might have been a challenge to implement an affordable-but-effective internal battery without compromising the audio amplifier’s needs.<\/p>\n

In truth, I favor audio fidelity over portability for a tabletop radio.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In conclusion…do I have any backer’s remorse? \u00a0Absolutely not–!<\/p>\n

In short, the Como Audio Solo is a keeper. \u00a0I’m still marvelling at\u00a0this classy and\u00a0dynamic<\/em> radio that fills our home with rich beautiful audio. A few weeks\u00a0in, the Solo has already become a permanent feature in our abode. It’s one of the few radios I have that meets my artist wife’s approval in terms of both design and audio.\"comoaudiosolo-fm\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Great job, Como Audio! \u00a0If the Solo is any indication of radios\u00a0to come, I’ll certainly be looking for your future\u00a0innovations.<\/p>\n

Click here to order the Como Audio Solo and Como Audio Duetto.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Regular SWLing Post readers might remember that this past summer, I made an impulse purchase–and in doing so,\u00a0backed a Kickstarter campaign for the new Como Audio Solo. But exactly why did I buy this small, self-contained digital music device–? Having just completed an in-depth review of several WiFi radios, I certainly didn’t need another. \u00a0But […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[5517,3781,836,3,26,129,998,4652],"tags":[5512,5159,5513,5158,5546,5514,5330,4724,5358],"class_list":["post-21644","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-digital-audio-broadcasting","category-fm","category-new-products","category-news","category-radios","category-reviews","category-web-radio","category-wifi-radio","tag-como-audio","tag-como-audio-duo","tag-como-audio-internet-radio","tag-como-audio-solo","tag-como-audio-solo-review","tag-como-audio-wifi-radio","tag-sangean-wfr-28","tag-wifi-radio","tag-wifi-radio-review"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-5D6","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":19394,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2016\/06\/the-como-audio-solo-and-duetto-radios-on-kickstarter\/","url_meta":{"origin":21644,"position":0},"title":"The Como Audio Solo and Duetto radios on Kickstarter","author":"Thomas","date":"June 13, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Alas, I find that I'm\u00a0frequently blamed by SWLing Post readers who cite this blog as the reason\u00a0they\u00a0spend so much money on radios. But for the record, I'd like you to know that such\u00a0spending is\u00a0actually a two-way street! \u00a0A couple of days ago, Post contributor\u00a0Robert Gulley sent me a link to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "New Products"","block_context":{"text":"New Products","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/new-products\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"ComoAudio-Solo","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/ComoAudio-Solo-e1465854025207.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":21653,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2016\/10\/como-audio-solo-and-duet-how-to-add-and-organize-internet-radio-stations\/","url_meta":{"origin":21644,"position":1},"title":"Como Audio Solo and Duet: How to add and organize Internet radio stations","author":"Thomas","date":"October 4, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"This weekend, I received the Como Audio Solo that I backed in a summer Kickstarter campaign. I'm pleased the Solo\u00a0not only met delivery expectations, but I'm\u00a0happy\u00a0with the overall quality of this radio. I will post a preliminary review soon. One of the main reasons I purchased the Solo was to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "How To"","block_context":{"text":"How To","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/how-to\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"como-audio-solo-close-up","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Como-Audio-Solo-Close-Up-1024x576.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Como-Audio-Solo-Close-Up-1024x576.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Como-Audio-Solo-Close-Up-1024x576.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":24562,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2017\/03\/grace-digital-mondo-kickstarter\/","url_meta":{"origin":21644,"position":2},"title":"Grace Digital Mondo+ Kickstarter","author":"Thomas","date":"March 9, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Tom Ally, who writes: I remember that article you wrote about Wi-fi radios and just saw this Kickstarter on Facebook that may interest you: https:\/\/www.kickstarter.com\/projects\/1209003580\/mondo [T]hey are saying it is supposed to ship out sometime next month. [S]ome of the things it has --over\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "New Products"","block_context":{"text":"New Products","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/new-products\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Grace-Digital-Mondo-Plus.jpeg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Grace-Digital-Mondo-Plus.jpeg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Grace-Digital-Mondo-Plus.jpeg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":22572,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2016\/12\/wired-com-reviews-the-como-audio-solo\/","url_meta":{"origin":21644,"position":3},"title":"Wired.com reviews the Como Audio Solo","author":"Thomas","date":"December 2, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Jeff McMahon, who shares this review of the Como Audio Solo: Here\u2019s 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\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"como-audio-solo-table","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Como-Audio-Solo-table-1024x580.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Como-Audio-Solo-table-1024x580.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Como-Audio-Solo-table-1024x580.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":26134,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2017\/05\/the-como-audio-amico-and-musica-via-kickstarter\/","url_meta":{"origin":21644,"position":4},"title":"The Como Audio Amico and Musica via Kickstarter","author":"Thomas","date":"May 31, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Tom Ally, who writes: Saw this and wanted you to know about it since you mentioned loving his past Kickstarter [for the Solo\u00a0WiFi radio]. I backed the Musica model instead of the Amico since it still has 18 days left and it had a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Como-Amico.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Como-Amico.png?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Como-Amico.png?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":22576,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2016\/12\/john-responds-to-the-wired-com-review-of-the-como-audio-solo\/","url_meta":{"origin":21644,"position":5},"title":"John responds to the Wired.com review of the Como Audio Solo","author":"Thomas","date":"December 2, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, John Figliozzi,\u00a0author of The Worldwide Listening Guide, who comments with this critique of the Wired.com review of the Como Audio Solo: I wonder how experienced this reviewer is with this class of audio devices. First he states that the Solo receives AM. I doesn't.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"como-audio-solo","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Como-Audio-Solo-1024x576.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Como-Audio-Solo-1024x576.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Como-Audio-Solo-1024x576.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21644","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21644"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21644\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21644"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21644"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21644"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}