Riva Turbo X review – premium Bluetooth speaker packing a punch

Sound quality

For a premium-priced Bluetooth speaker, the sound quality is as good as you would expect. The larger than average cabinet has allowed Riva to pack in an impressive amount of drivers. There are three 60mm full ranger drivers, supported by four dual piston bass radiators for the lower frequencies.

There’s plenty of rich, warm tones from the bass. The mids and trebles are well controlled. There’s enough detail that they aren’t masked by the lower frequencies, with a pleasant amount of separation. The mids and trebles aren’t quite as crisp or delicate as the Bowers & Wilkins T7, but the crispness is a recurring theme of Bowers & Wilkins’ signature sound.

I was glad to hear my more difficult test tracks didn’t cause any distortion in the lower frequencies, and more impressively this remained the case when the speaker was turned up to its maximum Turbo volume. The robustness of the cabinet really comes into its own here.

The Riva Turbo X and the Bowers & Wilkins T7 will please slightly different tastes. The T7 emphasises its treble slightly more, for a slightly more critical sound, whereas the Turbo X has a little more energy in the low-end.

There’s a microphone built-in, so you can use it for hands-free conference calls. Echo and noise cancelling is included, which makes the Turbo X one of the better Bluetooth speakers I’ve tested where it comes to phone calls.

Conclusion

There’s little to complain about when it comes to the sound quality and functionality of the Turbo X. It sounds great, reaches incredible volume, is well constructed and has useful extras like the phono output and USB charging. The only area I wasn’t a fan of was its general design. The capacitive buttons and glossy plastic across its top, in particular, let the overall feel down, so when it’s put next to the supremely classy Bowers & Wilkins T7 it comes up short.

Neither speakers are quite perfect but they each have their pros and cons making separating them more down to personal preference. If you’re looking to buy a premium Bluetooth speaker, they’re both good choices.