[jude]

Yes, I have been eyeing the Riva for some time now. I read some of the reviews and Jude's comments in the Buying Guide and I was ready to go ...and then I scrolled down the Buying Guide and saw the Peachtree. You know, you can make yourself crazy reading about all the different products. And when I compare the Riva output to the Peachtrees 440 Watt and multiple speaker drivers, it does make me wonder.

But 100%, I will be using it in a portable fashion.

 
I agree with @Angular Mo that these two products have very different use cases. For home use--for general, doesn't-need-to-be-mobile, general home/office use--the deepblue2 is easily the better choice, in my opinion. I've never seen the deepblue2's 6.5" woofer exposed, but I have to imagine that it's capable of seriously long excursion (relative to its size), as the deepblue2 puts out a good amount of real bass--the kind you can hear and feel.
 
We've replaced two Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Airs (previous generation) with two deepblue2's. (I haven't yet tried the latest generation of Zeppelin Air.) The only one-chassis Bluetooth speaker I've tried that I prefer to the deepblue2 is the Naim Mu-so, which is significantly more expensive than the deepblue2 ($1499.00 for the Mu-so, versus only $399.00 for the deepblue2). (I'll be adding the Mu-so to the Buying Guide soon, as it's our new standard for a single-chassis wireless stereo speaker.)
 
The RIVA Turbo X is still my choice for overall fidelity in a portable Bluetooth speaker (when I don't need water resistance, as it's not particularly water resistant). Donald North has worked wonders with the Turbo X's DSP, keeping its sound signature full sounding even at its louder volume levels. Physics is physics, though, so at louder volumes, it's like a DSP-engineered perception of bass more than it is real bass to me. The Turbo X is still the most audiophile-sounding portable Bluetooth stereo speaker I've used extensively.
 
I auditioned the KEF Muo at CES last month, and that sounded very promising in the short demonstration. A pair of KEF Muo's will be arriving here in the near future--the KEF Muo can be used in single-unit mono mode, or doubled-up for use in dual-mono or standard stereo (one left, one right) modes.
 
Anyway, long story short, it comes down to use case--if you need it to be portable, the deepblue2 (which is heavy and runs only on wall power) is far from ideal. If you don't need portability, though, you're not going beat the deepblue2 with any portable I'm aware of.
 
2016-02-29 1347 EST EDIT: Corrected information about KEF MUO.

 

[DaddyMojo]

I agree with @Angular Mo
 that these two products have very different use cases. For home use--for general, doesn't-need-to-be-mobile, general home/office use--the deepblue2 is easily the better choice, in my opinion. I've never seen the deepblue2's 6.5" woofer exposed, but I have to imagine that it's capable of seriously long excursion (relative to its size), as the deepblue2 puts out a good amount of real bass--the kind you can hear and feel.

We've replaced two Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Airs (previous generation) with two deepblue2's. (I haven't yet tried the latest generation of Zeppelin Air.) The only one-chassis Bluetooth speaker I've tried that I prefer to the deepblue2 is the Naim Mu-so, which is significantly more expensive than the deepblue2 ($1499.00 for the Mu-so, versus only $399.00 for the deepblue2). (I'll be adding the Mu-so to the Buying Guide soon, as it's our new standard for a single-chassis wireless stereo speaker.)

The RIVA Turbo X is still my choice for overall fidelity in a portable Bluetooth speaker (when I don't need water resistance, as it's not particularly water resistant). Donald North has worked wonders with the Turbo X's DSP, keeping its sound signature full sounding even at its louder volume levels. Physics is physics, though, so at louder volumes, it's like a DSP-engineered perception of bass more than it is real bass to me. The Turbo X is still the most audiophile-sounding portable Bluetooth stereo speaker I've used extensively.

I auditioned the KEF Muo at CES last month, and that sounded very promising in the short demonstration. A pair of KEF Muo's will be arriving here in the near future--like the UE MEGABOOM, the KEF Muo can be used in single-unit stereo mode, or doubled-up for use in dual-stereo or standard stereo (one left, one right) modes.

Anyway, long story short, it comes down to use case--if you need it to be portable, the deepblue2 (which is heavy and runs only on wall power) is far from ideal. If you don't need portability, though, you're not going beat the deepblue2 with any portable I'm aware of.

Thank you jude and Angular Mo for your comments. While I was only leaning before, I am now committed. While I really like Amazon Prime, I will probably order directly from Riva in hopes I get the most recent version and latest software updates. Since it will be for portable use, there really was no question which unit would be best.

I also looked at the Kef Muo and noticed some concerns from Amazon. Rgardless, the Riva is still a much better choice for me. But for me, half the fun is looking to see what is out there and what other Head-fi members enjoy.

I will post some comments when I receive my unit. Thank you again for your help.

 

[moedawg140]

DaddyMojo - the best part about RIVA in my opinion is their 90 day money back guarantee. Try the TURBO X out yourself (only you will know if it is exemplary to your individual wants and needs) and if you don't like it, send it back for a refund. Simple as that.

 

[tkteo]

  We've replaced two Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Airs (previous generation) with two deepblue2's. (I haven't yet tried the latest generation of Zeppelin Air.) The only one-chassis Bluetooth speaker I've tried that I prefer to the deepblue2 is the Naim Mu-so, which is significantly more expensive than the deepblue2 ($1499.00 for the Mu-so, versus only $399.00 for the deepblue2). (I'll be adding the Mu-so to the Buying Guide soon, as it's our new standard for a single-chassis wireless stereo speaker.)
 
I auditioned the KEF Muo at CES last month, and that sounded very promising in the short demonstration. A pair of KEF Muo's will be arriving here in the near future--like the UE MEGABOOM, the KEF Muo can be used in single-unit stereo mode, or doubled-up for use in dual-stereo or standard stereo (one left, one right) modes.

Hello Jude, sorry to go offtopic
 
wonder if you are aware of the new Naim Mu-so Qb. But dunno whether Qb is portable.

 

[Donald North]

A head-fier recently brought the KEF Muo to our office to compare to the Turbo X and S. When listened individually I was surprised to find that the Muo operates as a mono speaker. They have some explanation for this on their website. You need two for stereo.

 

[jude]

A head-fier recently brought the KEF Muo to our office to compare to the Turbo X and S. When listened individually I was surprised to find that the Muo operates as a mono speaker. They have some explanation for this on their website. You need two for stereo.

 
You're right, Donald--thanks for the info. I just read their brochure, and need to make a slight correction to what I posted above.
 
Here's a screenshot of one of their brochures about the design choice:
 

 
In case that text is hard to read on your browser, it says:

Minimal Sound Interference
  KEF engineers also found a unique way to address another typical problem of speakers this size. With two drivers placed so close together, true stereo imaging only works if the listener is exactly in front of the speaker and over a very short distance, that equals to the distance between the two drivers. If you move further away or place the speaker off to the side, HF interference from the two drivers actually damages the sound quality significantly. In the MUO, however, only one driver plays the full frequency range while the other only plays LF and MF. Using two identical miniature Uni-Q drivers for this task allows for a very gentle crossover with a wide overlap, and avoids any discolourations.This unique setup produces a room-filling sound that remains full-bodied and stunningly clear when the MUO is placed off to the side or even behind the listener. Below are diagrams which show the directional sound limitation of a typical compact stereo speaker versus the KEF MUO.

 

[DaddyMojo]

DaddyMojo - the best part about RIVA in my opinion is their 90 day money back guarantee. Try the TURBO X out yourself (only you will know if it is exemplary to your individual wants and needs) and if you don't like it, send it back for a refund. Simple as that.

Moedawg140:

I called Riva Audio customer service today and found that their fulfillment is done by Amazon, so I ordered my Turbo X through Amazon and the allowed me free Prime shipping. While they may have a 90 day return policy, my hope is that I never need it.

Interestingly, Amazon showed the Turbo X carry bag was on back order, so I ordered that through the Riva Audio website and they did not show out-of-stock. Not sure why since Amazon does the fulfillment, so I will probably find the same thing eventually.

Thanks for the advice and the review, it is what sold me. I am beyond excited and for this father of three small kids, that is saying something.

 

[dsticker]

A couple questions about the RIVA app for Android:

1. Is there a way to make the app stop trying to interface with other apps? For example, it interfaces with Google Play Music. So it remembers the last song I was playing when I had the app open. Then I go to work, listen to Play Music, listen to Poweramp, etc. Many songs are played. Then I come home and start Poweramp. It's playing just fine on the Turbo X. Then I open the RIVA app. Immediately Poweramp pauses, and Play Music resumes with the last song it was playing before I went to work. I really only want to use the RIVA app for changing the volume of the Turbo X. And maybe to turn it on and off. Everything else can be done with the app I'm using to play music.

2. Are there any plans to upgrade the RIVA app? It crashes a LOT when I open it.

 

[riva audio]

Hi dsticker,
 
Can you provide us some additional information since what you are describing is not typical?
 
1. What Android device and OS version are you using?
2. The reason the RIVA app goes back to the old song is likely because the other player app is open and in playing mode.  If you close the other app, then our app will not go back to the song from the morning.
3. Can you explain a bit more about at what point does the RIVA app crash?  We have seen a few other instances where the Android version of the app crashes due to Android issues, not the RIVA app.
 
Thank you!

 

[Audio Addict]

I just thought I would pass along how well the Turbo X worked as a speakerphone. Last evening I had a non-profit board meeting with a consultant calling in. The room had no media abilities. The consultant call in too a cellphone, which was connected to the Turbo X. Everyone could clearly hear the discussion and if I read the manual right, it interfaced back to the phone which provided an enhanced receiver when those in the room engaged in the discussion.

 

[dsticker]

Hi riva audio!  Thanks for the quick reply.  And let me be clear, these are all very minor quibbles.  I absolutely love my Turbo X.
 
1.  I'm rocking a Moto X Pure XT1575 with Android 6.0.  Stock.  Not rooted.
 
2.  Yep, you're probably right.  I could have sworn that the song Play Music returned to in my example was the last one I had played prior to un-pairing (despite listening to many songs after un-pairing), but upon trying to recreate the scenario it actually returned to the last song I had played after un-pairing.  So your explanation makes sense.  If I can recreate what my memory tells me, I'll post a follow up.  But my memory isn't very reliable, so don't hold your breath.  
 
3.  Sometimes, when I open the app, it crashes.  Other times, when I open Play Music, it crashes.  But it never crashes any other time (i.e. once it's open, it stays open).

 

[riva audio]

So glad to hear you are loving your Turbo X!  We appreciate you sharing your experience. Let me connect with the product team and get back with you before end of day tomorrow based on your feedback.
 
Thanks!

 

[dsticker]

  2.  Yep, you're probably right.  I could have sworn that the song Play Music returned to in my example was the last one I had played prior to un-pairing (despite listening to many songs after un-pairing), but upon trying to recreate the scenario it actually returned to the last song I had played after un-pairing.  So your explanation makes sense.  If I can recreate what my memory tells me, I'll post a follow up.  But my memory isn't very reliable, so don't hold your breath.  

I was just able to recreate this issue (at least it's an issue for me, perhaps it's a feature for others).  Here's what I did.
 
I listened to an entire album on Play Music from my Turbo X paired to my Moto X Pure.  The album ended.  No music was playing.  I closed Play Music.  I turned off my Turbo X by releasing the power switch on the back of the unit.  Later, I turned on the Turbo X.  I opened Poweramp and started playing a song.  The volume was too low so I opened the RIVA app.  As soon as the app opened, Poweramp paused and Play Music started playing the first song of the album I was listening to initially.

 

[riva audio]

Thank you for the additional information. Let me review this latest information with the team.
 
Please accept my apologies for the delay in my last response.  We were tied up at Can Jam and were working on this today.  We will be in touch soon.

 

[dsticker]

Absolutely no rush.  Like I said, these are extremely minor nitpicks.