Not many designers in the hi-fi space have been as dedicated to the science of radio waves and the art of cool. Tom DeVesto is one such gent who has worked his magic with Cambridge Audio, Tivoli Audio, Kloss and is now focused on working his charm with Como Audio.
Como Audio Musica Review
Old school meets cool
Design: Say hello to the 60s
Sound: Warm but not fuzzy
The bass port does sound a bit stressed if you’re pumping out R&B or rap at full tick, making chuffing noises that can be heard if you’re seated close to the unit. There is EQ on board to let you tailor the curve as you like, but it really does sound its best when not pushed too hard. Although a single chassis speaker, the distance between the tweeters helps to create a pretty large soundstage (for its size) and give it a big speaker sound that a lot of other smart speakers don’t manage. Mix that with the thick MDF construction and it does sound like a well-designed pair of mini-monitors without a leading edge and great timbral accuracy.
Sadly, the remote feels like it belongs to a Chinese radio from the 80s and that is not retro cool. Primary controls like volume up/down are located at weird locations and ergonomically, there isn’t much to talk about. It does have eight preset buttons like on the main unit to jump to your favourite internet radio station in a hurry, but it’s not backlit nor does it make you want to show it off.
Verdict
As a conversation starter, the Como Audio Musica can easily compete with the Scandinavian or British options, but it also adds a quirkiness that is unique. Sure, it lacks the ergonomic finesse or the last bit of snap in dynamics, but as a background entertainer, it does a fantastic job of providing virtually every form of source as a choice to the user. All in one unit!
Stuff Says
Not the price tag you expect, but oozes charm in both sound and aesthetics. Strong connectivity options FTW!
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Specifications
Drivers: | 2 x 0.75in tweeters, 2 x 3in woofers |
Power: | 30 watts per channel |
Formats supported: | AAC, MP3, WAV, FLAC, ALAC, WMA |
Display: | 3.2in TFT LCD colour |
Dimensions (WHD): | 16 x 6 x 8.5in |
Weight: | 4.3kg |