RIVA S Premium Wireless Bluetooth Speaker (Black)

I absolutely love these speakers. I had a problem with the AC adapter being a little loose, and I returned my speaker. I ended up finding a better deal on the Riva website (sorry Amazon!) and I repurchased through them. I had originally bought one speaker for $149 but Riva had a deal for 2 for $199. How can you beat that! These speakers are absolutely amazing and sound just as good, if not possibly better, than the Bose Soundlink Mini. In addition, the battery life is better, the speaker is splash proof, you can charge a device with it, and you can pair two together for true stereo sound. When you put the two speakers together, they sound way better than the Bose. It also comes in a beautiful carry case, lined with velvet, and comes with international plug adapters. Some reviewers complained about the volume not going loud enough, but I don't find this to be a problem. There are only a couple small cons in my opinion, but I still gave the product a 5 star rating, because these are not too big of a deal. First, you have to charge it via a proprietary charger, not via usb. You can charge an additional device via usb, but not the speaker. The speaker charges up very quickly and the battery life is very good (13 hours), so it is only a problem if you are somewhere you cannot plug in, such as camping. Second, the directions are unclear (and actually wrong) on how to connect the two speakers for stereo sound. I followed the directions perfectly and it didn't work. I did figure out how to do it and contacted the company to let them know what happened so they can improve this for others. Overall it is a great speaker, but I may have not been as happy if I had paid the regular price of $250 each for the speakers. Also, I called customer service to ask some questions, and they were super helpful - I could tell that the customer service was excellent!

There's some brilliant and careful engineering going on here. But it's not perfect, and not for everyone seeking a Bluetooth speaker. Certainly, at its original list price of $250 US and for the sound QUALITY, this was designed as premium product oriented toward the high fidelity enthusiast. It sure has a lot of functionality, as well. Let's start with the good stuff: It has a really balanced, rich expansive sound. Even if you're a distance away, say, in the next room, you will be thinking that you're listening to real music. You can hear the micro-dynamics and detailed midrange that are ingredients in a higher end speaker. This is not a speaker that you have to be right in front of to hear the balanced sound. Functionally, this unit will allow you to not only play music via Bluetooth from your phone or tablet, but it has a 3.5mm input for which you can directly input a sound source (CD player, phone, etc.). This will get you BETTER sound quality, as direct sound offers a better quality signal than Bluetooth. This unit will also charge your phone or tablet's internal battery. What's the big deal about that?? Well, while some have complained about this having a proprietary charger. But that's actually an advantage here. It charges direct current (DC,rather than alternating current, AC). This means that it can charge ANYWHERE in the world and can adapt internally from 110volt to 250volt. The unit comes with outlet adapters for use all over the world. Wherever you're going, you're all set for charging the unit. Do you have the proper wall converter for charging your phone while in Paris? You may not. But plug the Riva into the wall, and you can plug your phone into the Riva for charging. Clever design. There is a lot of technology and design in this unit. There are 7 different drivers (speakers), 3 active and 4 passive. And this was definitely designed for great/accurate music reproduction. There are no exaggerated bright highs, nor big tubby lows. That means that this is not for head banging music. This unit is going to be heard with jazz, classical, folk, vocal, musical theater -- the more nuanced the better. I mean, this speaker conveys acoustic instrument textures beautifully. And again, you hear the gentle pushing and pulling of instrumentalists and vocalists that give the music life, even from the next room. Part of this has to do with drivers on all 4 sides of the unit rather than just in front. Riva also has designed remote apps for use on Apple and Android devices. It certainly worked in the next room about 30 feet away. The Riva S comes with a padded nylon carrying case (and it has a carabeener type plastic loop which you could use to carry around portably on a belt). The case doesn't have space for the accessories like the cables and whatnot (The Riva S is supplied with RCA-to-3.5mm and 3.5mm-to-3.5mm cables, as well as the walwart and adapter faces for the wall outlet. The Turbo X bag, which is a separate purchase for those that purchase that unit, DOES have an extra pocket for accessories.). The downsides for some are twofold, one major -- This just doesn't sound very loud. At its top volume, it's adequate. It's probably enough for my purposes, but if you really want room filling sound, you'd probably want to look at the Turbo X, though that unit is over twice as large. The Riva S is really designed to be a compact package which won't take up much room in a suitcase. If you're willing to deal with only moderate volumes and really want natural, realistic sound, this is a great unit. If you want head-banging power, or sound that really saturates the room, this isn't the unit for you. Interestingly, as I mentioned before, the multi-directional speaker design makes it sound good pretty much wherever you are in the room or the next room. Furthermore regarding the sound, due to its small size and natural-oriented sound design, there isn't a whole lot of bass impact in this unit. The bass is there to a modest degree, and reinforcing the bass by putting the unit near a wall or a corner will significantly help, but there's nothing remotely approaching gut-feeling bass response here. However, listen long enough and you'll likely appreciate the nuanced balanced sound. Knowing that this is not going to be your main speaker system, and you'll get used to what things it does so well. Part of the unit's musical capabilities is that the designers know that there has to be capability for peak dynamics. When the music needs a dramatic push of power, the unit has the power to deliver on that briefly. The difference isn't going to be huge, but it's the ability to convey the musicians' intentions is what makes listening to this rather compelling in the long run. The Riva S has a power mode, which boosts the power to make everything louder. But doing that squashes the dynamics. Instead of having that living, breathing feel to the music, everything seems pushed to the wall. It's the equivalent of digital music being mastered LOUD, so that everything sounds equally loud. At first it's impressive, but the music loses some of its life. So if you merely need some extra added volume, it can deliver somewhat (within reason), but you will also lose some of the musical qualities of the Riva S. Also know that it has a turntable mode in which you can plug in a turntable and it will boost the volume to accommodate the low built-in output of a turntable (a turntable cartridge puts out a tiny level signal, which ordinarily needs a separate preamplifier called a phono stage.). The other thing that you may want to consider is its battery life. A smaller unit requires a smaller battery and that means less power and less battery life. The company touts 13 hours, but that's when played at 70% volume. At 70% volume, it's really anemic sound unless you're literally feet away. At 100% volume (and I don't mean the Power Boost function engaged), you still maintain ALL of the great musical qualities, but you're probably talking about 5 hours before needing a recharge. So if you're willing to live with its limitations, mostly the lack of ability to play loud, this is a sweet unit. At the current price (as of 12/24/16) of $99, it's a bargain considering that it was originally selling for $250. The Riva Turbo X, considerably larger, will cost you about double if you add the carrying case, a separate charge. Some say that, at equal volume levels, that the Riva S actually sounds better (particularly in the midrange) than the Turbo X. But you'll get a lot more volume out of the Turbo X. Either way, these are speakers aimed to the high fidelity enthusiasts. Don't be fooled by bright highs or big bass. Listen for the pitch, the precise notes of the bass lines. Listen for how natural voices and cymbals sound. Does the high end sound tinny. Does the bass sound tubby and flubby? You won't get that with Riva sound. So for the money, I give the Riva S a good thumbs up. It does pretty much everything I would want from a Bluetooth speaker this size. A small niggle -- I discovered that the first unit's top was not precisely straight. When lifting it up from the the back and front near the top, I felt a sharp edge where the top of the unit was slightly overhanging. I wrote Riva. They asked for photos. I took photos that showed the top being slightly askew. They told me that this was not how they should be and suggested I return the unit for another one. I did that. The 2nd sample had the same issue, and it also had a number of light scratches on top of the unit (as though it had been a returned unit). I sent it back as well. I decided to order one directly from Riva. They checked a few units and they all had that slightly askew cover, according to them. But Design determined that it was within acceptability and not a defect after all. It IS small, but feelable. I still ordered another unit directly from Riva. This slight lack of precision fit is not a deal breaker. Not for $99 including shipping. But given how slick this unit is otherwise, it's a hair disappointing.

I learned about these from watching a notorious bluetooth speaker enthusiast's YouTube videos, and comparing this speaker to the usual competitors via Oluv's interactive speaker audio database. It does seem to easily beat the Bose, UE and JBL offerings on sound quality. Go have a listen for yourself. The Riva S provides the rare combination of very clear sound with nice bass response. In short: These sound fantastic, get pretty loud for their size, and look nice as well. What could be improved: - The top is super glossy plastic, and is so glossy that both of my new speakers had hairline scratches near the buttons as though the factory worker's finger nails had already marked up the top right out of the sealed packaging. A bluetooth speaker is meant to be portable, so why they put such an easy-to-scuff top on it makes no sense. - The startup/shutdown lag takes a couple of seconds, which can be annoying when you're used to just pushing a button and getting sound. To be fair, I didn't compare this aspect to other bluetooth speakers when I was making my choice, so it might be a standard lag time for this type of speaker. - The surround sound sync setup between 2 units is super annoying. I got 2 units for this purpose, and it really does sound great when it is working, but it has been annoying getting everything connected if anything goes wrong. My iphone can get fixated on the wrong speaker, and I have to leave the annoying voice response on or I can't tell if the process is working correctly. The smartphone app is no help with this as it is basically just a volume remote where you can also see the devices like your normal bluetooth menu. I found the app to also be annoying, have minimal utility, and cause lag and battery drain on my phone when in operation. I would still buy this speaker again today. My complaints above are very minor in light of how truly awesome this thing sounds.

I love music and must admit to having expensive tastes. I try to buy the best products I can find and usually have no problem upgrading when something better comes along; which is why, after reading countless positive reviews and "clavinetjunkie's" you tube videos, I decided to take the plunge and purchase this RIVA S. I already own the Sony x33 and Bose Soundlink Mini 2 and was so looking forward to getting my hands on this unit, so I could sell the other 2 and just travel and enjoy this one. Unfortunately, that wont be the case, as I've already returned it after an hour with it. I want to be clear, this unit does sound good. In fact it sounds somewhat better than the Bose, but its not head shoulders better. It's got a wider sound stage and slightly cleaner treble than the Bose, but it doesn't get anywhere near as loud and it's not earth shatteringly clear. Now, it must be said I'm not a loudness freak but there are times when you need volume. And this unit just doesn't produce it, the Soundlink Mini 2 trounces it in the volume department. That in itself is not a huge deal breaker, but there are a couple of other things that went into my calculation as to whether or not this unit represented value to me. So here are the things I just didn't like: First of all it is quite a bit bigger in H W & D than both the Bose and the Sony making it slightly less travel friendly. For the larger size I expected equal or better volume and more than marginal sound improvement. And lets be clear, I wasn't expecting a spectacular audiophile experience from a portable speaker but the reviews would lead one to believe that this blows everything in its class away, but it doesn't. 2nd. Outside of the speaker grill, the case is a high gloss plastic "Piano" finish. It's a finger print magnet and within seconds of touching it, it was covered with finger print smudge. That's not the biggest issue though. I can see how after a couple of uses, this thing would be covered in scratches. Quite frankly, the choice of high gloss plastic was simply stupid in my opinion. Yes, it does come with a travel case, but you cant use the speaker inside the case, 3rd. This unit comes with a Power Brick that rivals in size and weight many laptop power supplies from a few years ago with no other charging option. Most of the Riva's competitors utilize USB charging so that all one needs to do is bring along the speaker and and a single phone or tablet charger and you're good to go. I wanted to love this thing but I simply cant. It's not the Holy Grail of portable speakers. It does sound better than the BOSE, but not by a wide margin, and so does the Sony x33. Where the RIVA excels is that there is no distortion at higher volume, unfortunately for the size of it, there's not that much volume. It also has better stated battery life but for the premium price together with the shortcomings and large power supply I couldn't justify keeping it. If RIVA comes out with Version 2 with an Anodized Aluminum or Rubberized enclosure AND USB Charging capability, I'll buy one. Until then I'll continue to enjoy my Bose which does a fine job of doing what it was designed to do... travel well and sound good.

Great sounding speaker, but it automatically turns off after 15 minutes of inactivity, even when plugged into the wall and/or connected via aux. This makes it borderline useless to use with Amazon Echo Dot, as you will have to turn the speaker back on each time if Alexa hasn't said anything for 15 minutes. Customer service states there is no way around this, so pass on this speaker if you want to use it as the voice for your Amazon Echo Dot like I did.

This was the second one we tried and both were bad . The second one didn't even work at all. Don't waste your time with this.

I have read so many reviews on this site as to pros & cons. I also did online research before buying the Riva S and took the plunge and bought them here on Amazon. And I'm glad I did .... This is an excellent Bluetooth speaker IMO. When listening to these, music seems very well balanced, good mids and highs, and the bass sounds punchy without being over the top. I don't particularly like booming base for the type of music I listen to. But if you're looking for booming bass, this is not the speaker for you. I compared this to the Sony SRS xb3 which my roommate has, and while the bass is more pronounced and the volume louder, the quality of the audio for the Riva S is superior. It is true that the speaker's volume is not as high as others (and not as high as the Sony's), but it is quite adequate for my use. If you're looking for a party speaker, this isn't for you. But if you're looking for a quality Bluetooth speaker, with a solid build, exceptional sound quality, a balanced soundstage, and with no distortion at max volume, this is an excellent choice. I got this for $99.99, and consider it a steal at this price! It's worth more in my opinion. My roomie who has the Sony xb3 said the Riva sounds a lot better with a richer sound! Note: I did not see this feature in the materials that came with the speaker, but it has a POWER feature that boosts volume several dB, and I think this is a great feature. The highs become more pronounced, vocals are boosted, and the lows sound richer. It can be activated from the Riva app by pressing the center RIVA button.

This Review is based upon me using only one Riva S speaker with my Echo Dot. It's hard to believe that this little bluetooth box can produce such excellent, detailed sound! The Bass sounds much larger than you would expect from it's compact size. While it is not chest pumping, it is clean and sounds balanced in relation to the Mids and Highs, producing literally, hours of enjoyable listening. The Riva S settings that I prefer to use, are the Surround Mode and the Power Mode (4db boost on quieter tracks). Obviously we all differ in what sound profile we prefer. So when you purchase your Riva S you will set it up the way you like, which in itself, is a great feature - some level of customization. The Riva S does a great job of reproducing acoustic piano, guitar and jazz. Detailed, full sound. Again, hard to believe that sound is coming from that small box. However, because of it's dimunitive size, Classical music is more of a challenge since you don't get that big, surround sound, high end speaker experience. Obviously, if you purchase the Riva S, it will not be to replace your surround system. It will be for the excellent sound coming from this portable speaker which will easily fit into your bag.

Great natural sound, recommended for audiophiles. Everything from lows to highs comes across clearly. Bass isn't overwhelming but accurately represented in the mix. It sounds good from all different angles, with a driver in the middle and at either end it isn't too directional. "S" Surround function makes some songs sound wider but nothing compared to having two speakers for true stereo (if you buy two of these, you can pair them in stereo). It is splash-proof but most suited for indoor use. It came with a carrying case, aux line in cable, audio L/R splitter cable (Riva S is a decent upgrade over TV speakers since my soundbar died) and a variety of swappable wall charger plugs.

I like a hifi sound. I want to hear the music as it was recorded. I want that clarity at low volumes as well as high. Have been using JBL On Tour for years, and liked the clarity but it just couldn't manage much bass. Bought Bose mini some time back but had to return it because of excessively processed sound. Gave up search for new portable speaker as nothing jumped out as any good. Found a good review site Clavinetjunkie which put me onto Addon T3 and this Riva amongst others. Bought but returned Addon. Looks great but gaps in sound quality in mid range. For example snare on U2 track Babyface was lost. Bought Riva. Speaker works fine with Bluetooth but I use line in. At first was unimpressed until read online manual which tells you how to boost line in gain. This is intended they say for phono in from a turntable and bypasses Riva internal sound processing. Once activated speaker came to life. Much louder and clearer. Speaker plays everything well (including U2 snare drum). I listen to all sorts, from rock, electronica, jazz, classic, etc. Sound is clear and balanced. You get full frequency range. This is not a boom box. It goes loud, but it's more dinner party than rave. It stays good when turned low. It is about hifi clarity at all volumes, not boosted bass. It never stops trying to try to pair devces, with a light flashing on top to show this. I use line in so this is pointless. I cover the light. Firmware fix please Riva? I don't care. It sounds lovely. It looks classy. Battery life is great. It's a keeper.

En dessous des 100€ je n ai pas trouvé mieux ! Une enceinte avec une scène sonore étendue, des basses présentes mais qui ne domine le reste du spectre, le haut médium est un peu en retrait mais rien de gênant. Permet d écouter ts les styles de musique. Elle est un peu encombrante et plus lourde que ses concurrents. J'ai trouvé mieux (bose soundlin mini II) mais presque 2 fois plus cher Je recommande fortement cette enceinte

Me veo obligado a escribir una segunda opinión, recientemente he tenido en mi poder un bose soundlink mini ii, altavoz veterano, marca premium, súper ventas, con innumerables criticas positivas, pues bien, me quede muy parado al encender y probarlo, desde luego el sonido No tiene nada que ver con este riva s, es mas entrapado, menos cristalino, mas compactado el sonido y ha volumen alto se mezclan todos los instrumentos, desde luego después de tener el riva s el sonido se percibe para mal, desconozco si hay que hacerle alguna especia de rodaje o algo asi, como ocurre con el riva s, pero mucho me temo que estamos ante uno de esos casos de marca muy reconocida y poco mas, bien suena, no lo vamos a negar, pero si tenemos en cuenta el precio y el prestigio de la marca en cuestion...ufff no merece a mi entender, Este riva s descatalogado ya, Salió con un precio de 269eur..que quizas fuera algo excesivo, o no, el sonido es muy muy espaciado y muy muy natural, que no necesariamente plano. Muy compacto, mucha calidad de construcción, suena fenomenal...el volumen no es muy alto y menos aun para tener segun fabricante 30w...entiendo que no seran reales y seran musicales. En todo caso para interior ninguna pega en este aspecto. El sonido es equilibrado en bajas y altas frecuencias, buena calidez de sonido, me informe en varias web de otras opciones y vi varios videos de pruebas del estilo riva s vs denon... etc y llegue a la conclusion que esta a la altura de otros de unos 150 eur. Yo vengo de un sonos, el cual tenia algo mas de potencia y algo mas de bajas frecuencias, en definitiva mas balanceado en ambos extremos altas y bajas... Lo vendi pues la app de sonos es muy cerrada y no podia oir musica de spoty sin ser premiun, por poner un ejemplo,ademas no lleva bateria interna y se hacia un rollo no poder poner en cualquier parte, ademas era bastante mas voluminoso y pesado ( tambien cuesta casi el doble ) Con este contentisimo, importante hacerle una especie de rodaje de unas dos horas a maximo volumen, por algun motivo al principio suena algo entrapado y los agudos no afloran hasta pasar un rato como digo, despues de eso suena de maravilla. Yo le daria un 8/8,5 de nota en comparacion con este tipo de altavoces incluidos los de cerca de 200eur. Por lo que a mi parecer hacen de ellos una compra muy recomendable.

Ci sono tanti altoparlanti Bluetooth in commercio che è pressoché impossibile non trovarne uno adatto al nostro utilizzo. Non esiste lo speaker perfetto, ma quello che più si avvicina al proprio gusto ed utilizzo. Da amante (e forse più), della musica, ho cercato un prodotto che puntasse il più possibile alla fedeltà del suono più che alla portabilità, ma rimanendo di dimensioni ridotte. È qui entra in gioco la mia particolare richiesta e quindi il riva s. Posso già vantare un sistema di tutto rispetto come principale, ma mancava uno portatile da poter posizionare in casa ovunque volessi. Questo prodotto mi ha regalato le emozioni che cercavo, in relazione al tipo di altoparlante ovviamente. Una risposta in frequenza quasi piatta, una distribuzione del suono convincente, (troppo piccolo per apprezzare l'effetto stereo, ma gli altoparlanti ai lati rendono la riproduzione profonda e non piatta come nei sistemi con casse tuttoavanti), ed una costruzione e materiali notevole. Per spendere qualche parola utile in più sul suono, avrete davanti un sistema che suonerà correttamente, non per stupire, che suonerà in maniera corposa, non pompata, che avrà un suono reale, non artificioso. Il volume è sufficiente in funzione di quanto si possa chiedere ad una cassa acustica di queste dimensioni. Prodotti con un'analoga amplificazione che millantano volumi eccezionali lì raggiungeranno con una compressione dinamica nel suono, ovvero a scapito della qualità, (e talvolta della comprensione), della musica stessa. Può sembrare un paradosso chieder fedeltà ad un piccolo speaker Bluetooth. È vero. Lo è. Ma se è ciò che cercate, questo riva s farà per voi.