A Better Look at Things
The packaging is very bright and attractive, you can see an almost life sized picture of the USB Retro Radio on the package along with a list of features.
The back of the box has the same list of features, along with other information.
Nothing comes with the USB Retro Radio but the radio itself, no drivers or anything are needed, the entire radio is self contained inside the microphone, speaker and tuner.
The microphone part, or mouthpiece is actually made of metal to give it a very authentic feel and look. The sign on the top will light up bright red when the radio is powered on.
On the stem of the microphone is a switch to change between AM and FM, while the base has a volume control/power knob on the left and the tuning knob on the right.
While I am old, I’m not quite old enough to remember radio shows, though I have seen many pictures of the old time microphones used in them. The USB Retro Radio from Brando WorkShop looks just like one, and it looks and feels authentic. They could have easily made the microphone plastic but it’s nice to see they went the extra bit to make it metal for a more realistic and authentic look to it.
The entire microphone seems very well made, it does have some weight to it, but it’s not overly heavy at all. The USB cord seems long enough, about three feet, to reach most anywhere for installation and good reception, of course depending on where your computer is located that is.
I also really like the fact that it is entirely independent of the computer, it is only powered by your computer and that is all. I own a Radio Shark which is an FM radio, but you have to have drivers for it and there is a GUI tuner with it, while it works great, there is the hassle of the installation and other possible conflicts with other devices. On the other hand, the USB Retro Radio is true plug and play, you just need to plug it in and turn it on, the tuner, volume and speaker are all housed in the unit itself so you can take it to any computer, any OS and it will work just fine.