Customer Reviews

Tivoli Audio Model One M1CLA AM / FM Table Radio, Classic / Walnut

5 star:		(83)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(19)
2 star:		(20)
1 star:		(16)

 

 

Several years ago I inherited a KLH 21--the inspiration for Henry Kloss' current Tivoli Model One. It is among my most cherished possessions, but sentiment aside--this radio is an advancement of the KLH "original" in nearly every aspect.

Audio tonal quality is much like "beauty"--it's in the eye (or ear) of the beholder. Considering the price and genre of this radio--I consider its audio fidelity to be exceptional--powerful and very pleasing. I prefer its design objective that incorporates ONE superior amp and speaker--opposed to TWO lesser channels for stereo. I've never been able to rationalize a "stereo" design where the speakers are separated by only eight-inches of face-plate!

FM RECEPTION: I own way more than my fair share of radios. Is this product on par with the classic $1500-dollar McIntosh MR-78? Not at all, but remember--Amazon is asking you for a mere $120 to own this radio. Within all reasonable considerations--FM performance is excellent. I suspect the criticism of FM reception you read here is due to a couple factors that are not the fault of this radio. First, NO GOOD FM TUNER can tell the difference between a weak distant station and all the "RF trash" generated within your environment by computers, "smart" appliances, and security systems. In fact, a superior tuner is MORE prone to such interference. Secondly, EVERY GOOD FM TUNER requires a good antenna--lose that included 12-inch "rat tail". I use a C Crane "FM Reflect" tuned wire dipole which terminates directly into the 75-ohm coaxial external antenna connector on this radio. FM sensitivity, selectivity, and capture ratio are very good. I routinely receive distant signals with good quality, and I have NEVER seen this radio overload from a strong local signal at a reasonable distance from its transmitter.

AM RECEPTION: My major criticism of this product is ironically my major accolade! Out of the box, this radio is unresponsive to all but the most powerful AM signals, and it IS NOT equally sensitive across the full 540-1700kHz band. This deficiency CAN be rectified with a $40 addition of the Terk "AM Advantage" inductively-coupled loop antenna. Set it atop or beside this radio, and the AM reception character changes dramatically. Maybe there is a "blessing" in this design--as there are NO "whistles", intermod, or overloading apparent on this radio's AM band reception! With the exception of a very few (and expensive) specialty receivers--the Model One provides the finest AM audio I have found in a mass-market radio. If your option for music lies on AM, you will be very pleased with this radio!

My favorite feature is the very smooth 5:1 geared ANALOG rotary tuning. It's generally accurate, and the wide bandspread and variable-intensity tuning light make it a joy to use. Analog tuning is technically superior in EVERY respect to today's commonplace "digital" tuning. Inconvenient? Maybe ever so slightly, but worth the minimal effort.

FINE PRODUCT... An easy FIVE-STAR recipient!

I'm sure there's lot of people like me would love to have a good sounding radio right on their desk, where it's easy to adjust the volume (when a phone call comes in), and be able to easily tune it to different stations as your mood suits.

I don't have the space for a big boom box, nor do I care to blast the sound real loud in my home office. I also don't need flashing lights, a graphic equalizer, or the numerous other features you seem to find on most other radios these days.

The Tivoli Audio Henry Kloss Model One table radio was exactly what I was looking for. It's unobtrusive on even a crowded desk like mine, yet it puts out sound that belies the small size. I also really liked the simplicity of design -- just three knobs (power, volume, and tuning) and a couple of indicator lamps (power on and signal strength). It has a retro look that's simple and very clean.

The FM tuning knob with 5:1 gear ratio allows you to really "ease into" a station, and a corresponding LED glows brightest when the signal is strongest. I actually find it to be easier to use than a digital tuner, and much more precise. I found that I didn't even miss not having presets. I've been able to tune in stations clearly with this radio that I cannot get on any other radio I own.

The speaker is small (3"), but puts out very clean sound, with a nice bass boost from the port in the bottom of the case.

The real hardwood case is a nice departure from the particle board and plastic that most electronic products are made from today.

The unit weighs about 4 lbs., and feels substantial in your hands when you hold it.

Do I wish it had a tone control? I don't miss it at all. The sound is so nicely balanced without it, and adding another knob would take away from it's simplicity of design and operation.

At around a hundred bucks, you can certainly pay less for a radio, but I think you'd have a tough time finding a unit that is so compact, simple, and great-sounding at any price. I'm planning on having this around for a long time.

I think a lot of young people may feel that this radio doesn't have enough bells and whistles, but I'll bet there's a lot of middle-aged businessmen like me that would love to receive this radio as a gift. I think it's something that would be truly appreciated, and used daily for many years. What more could you ask for for a hundred bucks?

I was looking for a radio that would look good on my kitchen counter and receive a variety of non-commercial FM radio stations.

This radio does both very well. I bought the white/silver color and it looks good in the kitchen. Except for one small FM station, the reception has exceeded my expectations. The music sounds great. It's a little too "bassy", but with the volume turned up, the sound from one small single speaker radio is amazing and fills the room with a rich sound. I also like the fact that you can plug in a real antenna.

My frustration is when someone is talking on the radio. In addition to music, I like to listen to news (mainly NPR) and sports. There is way too much bass when someone is speaking. As other reviewers have said, it would have been great to have a bass and treble control.

So the bottom line for me is great for music and reception, but poor for someone speaking (news, talk radio and sports).

My wife tends to ride me a bit about my expensive tastes in relatively high-end audio equipment. She thought her $20 GE radio was plenty adequate, even for an NPR junkie like herself. Seeing that the Kloss Model One is the radio sold by NPR at its website store, I gave her one as a gift. Now she claims that the prospect of waking up to its warm, rich sound is enough to make her look forward to getting up in the morning. In fact, she's beginning to agitate for two more identical radios for additional rooms in the house.

My own feelings about the radio are a bit more toned down but positive. In most similar radios "stereo" is an exuse to use cheap speakers. This monaural unit, on the other hand, features one carefully tuned and balanced speaker (the weight of the magnet itself testifies to its superior quality), reminding some of us that the "improvement" of stereo over monaural "hi fi" can be illusory at best. The sound is full, rich, and complete over the entire sonic spectrum. Moreover, the absence of tone controls encourages the listener to trust the engineers' judgment rather than waste time on equalizer switches. (I'll confess that personally I miss the ability to increase the treble and roll back the bass, which is too strong even without the gratuitous add-on "subwoofer.") Finally, the tuning knob is the smoothest and most accurate, not to mention the most finger friendly, that I've used.

Pure functionality, elegant simplicity, and noticeable attention to quality (especially the wood cabinet) make this the one to own. Add a CD player, and you have a mini-component system built around a sensitive, responsive tuner and carefully tuned speaker. Add another speaker, and you've got a stereo system (a supplement that, according to Consumers' Reports, makes this a better-sounding radio than the Bose, Boston Acoustics, or Cambridge competitors)--but at the expense of some of the compactness and economy which is undeniably a big part of this item's understated appeal.

FM reception had always been lousy at my home. Topography, nearby tall buildings, and high-voltage wires near my building all conspired against me. When I saw Tivoli's ads touting the reception of its Model One radio, I thought I'd give it a try. I'm an old-fart audiophile who remembers Henry Kloss's radios at KLH and Advent, but I was still skeptical.

My doubts disappeared within five minutes of plugging in the little radio. Stations that were problematic before, even with pricey component tuners and amplified antennas, came in clearly on the Model One. I even discovered several stations I didn't know existed. The retro-looking analog tuning dial is a welcome departure from the usual push-button digital routine.

The Model One's sound is exceptional, too; richer, deeper, and more expansive than anyone would reasonably expect from a single three-inch speaker. Any and all material sounds good through the Model One, but jazz trios and chamber music really show off its detail and clarity. When called upon, it can still deliver rock and pop with authority.

The radio looks good, too. Mine is the "Classic", with walnut sides and an off-white face. The little thing is surprisingly hefty, four or five pounds. The wood and weight are for more than aesthetics (they keep the cabinet rigid and non-resonant), but it's nice to see a moderately-priced piece of consumer electronics that doesn't look like cheap plastic.

For those who just can't help fiddling with audio gear, the Model One has jacks on the back for headphones, "record-out", and an auxiliary input for a portable CD player or PC. A nice touch, but once you're through playing with them initially, you'll go back to using the Model One for its primary purpose, listening to FM broadcasts.

For that, there's no other radio I know of that works as well, for anything like the price. I also have a Tivoli RadioCombo, which consists of the stereo Model Two radio, the Model CD, and Model Subwoofer. Along with that, I have a system of older, but high-end, separate components. Neither diminishes my enthusiasm for the Model One. I've invested a lot of money in audio gear over the years, but the Model One radio is the best, and most fun, hundred bucks I've spent in a long time.

If you are looking for an excellent tabletop radio with superb sound quality, you cannot go wrong with the Tivoli Kloss Model One! Being a professional musician (synthesist), I am extremely finicky about sound quality. I am happy to report that this radio will amaze you. It is almost hard to believe that the rich, deep sound you are hearing is coming out of this small, single little speaker. In fact, it sounds so good that I am considering purchasing the Model 2 (stereo) with Subwoofer and CD Player for my living room system. However, the single speaker Model One sounds better than most comparable stereo boom boxes.

I also like the user interface of the Tivoli Model One - no digital displays or push buttons - just solid, nice analog feeling precision knobs in an elegant wood casing. Aesthetics, ergonomics and good engineering all rolled into one. Highly recommended.

I have both Model 1 and Model 3. I liked the simple design and well balanced sound. I was also sold to Henry Kloss' reputation since I used the Cambridge Soundwork Ensemble 15 years ago! However, I've found several irritating problems which prevents me from giving it 4 or 5 starts.
1. When I first got the Model 3, I had to return to the store TWICE because both radios were dead out of the box! The quality control needed improvement at that time.
2. Later I got a model 1 for work. The volume control is very non-linear. It's almost like a step-function! The usable range is between 8 o'clock and 8:30. It's extremely difficult to set the volume right for the office.
3. Then I discovered that the Model 1 was interferred by my Ham radio transmitting at 144 MHz. The isolation really should be better than this.
4. Most recently I found that the Model 3 is interferred by my new wireless home network. Now that's really inconvenient!
(Wondering if Model 2 does better?!)
I also have a Sangean WR1, you can see my review there, it has none of the above problems except that the bass is a bit overly done. Also, the reception is a little better than Tivoli. Build-quality is very close to Tivoli.
Tivoli got the right concept about a simple, good quality radio. But the execution falls a bit short.

After favorable reviews on this unit from Amazon.com and many other reputable sites, I was initially very pleased to have found what I though was going to be a well built, good sounding radio that was a bargain.

Initially after recieving the radio, I turned it on and was impressed by the relatively clear and full sound it produced. I immediately moved it to my nightstand where it was going to serve as my primary listening post for my iPod as I drifted off to sleep.

When it came time to go to bed and the house was quiet, I turned on the radio and noticed a relatively loud hissing noise was coming from the unit even when the volume was turned all the way down. This noise is louder than my airconditioning intake vent outside my bedroom door and my Oreck Air Purifier on the other nightstand when they are both working at the same time.

When I got up, it was not as loud. From what I can tell, if this radio is ear-level (such as on a nightstand ) you can hear a lot of electronic noise and hissing coming from the unit. It doesn't matter what setting the unit is on (fm, am, aux), the noise is still there. When trying to listen to a song on a low volume, the hissing noise takes away some of the mid-range and interferes with the high tones, and if it is tuned very low you can hear more hissing than music. I was so dissapointed because this was my birthday present from my wife this year.

Not wanting to give up, and re-reading the reviews I decided to exchange the unit for a second unit instead of getting a refund. Amazon was excellent about sending me another unit at no charge OVERNIGHT! Kudos to Amazon customer service for treating me very well during this whole process.

I got the second unit today, and guess what, same problem. I'm dissapointed because I don't think there is anything else in this price range that suits my needs. The Boston Acoustics unit doesn't have aux inputs, and the Cambridge unit has gotten poor reviews for it's build quality.

So despite the excellent reviews this unit has gotten, mine did not live up to expectations. Maybe they have moved their production facilities to make more money, as both of my units were made in China and sounded like it. This unit is going back tomorrow.

I've always been curious about this radio. One day I bought one. As soon as I stepped outside I regretted spending three figures for a transistor radio. Then I turned it on in my office. For once I didn't have to fiddle with the bass and treble, which I have always had to do with other systems. This radio sounds perfect to me at any volume setting; something I can't say for any other office system I've had. I don't mind that it's not stereo. I plug in my old crappy Sandisk mp3 player and even that sounds good! Simply the best office radio I've ever had and I've had a bunch. I find it relaxing, almost zen-like, tuning in the stations by hand, in analog. This radio is best appreciated after you've tried others.

As a table radio it is near perfect. But only near.

The big problem can be fixed: banish the boomy bass by blocking the blowhole. Perch the radio on a crosswise paperback book so the hole in the bottom is covered; this converts the design from 'bass reflex' [famous for bad boomy bass] to 'acoustic suspension' [famous for accurate bass]. If you don't like the new sound remove the book, no harm done. Ironically, the invention of acoustic suspension speaker is how Henry Kloss made his name and his fortune. How he got his name stuck on a boom-box design is a story probably not worth knowing.

Other problems are minor and niggling: No external speaker jack and the headphone jack won't drive an external speaker; Tuning is stiff; The front panel is plastic and looks tacky in beige/walnut; The tuning dial is off just enough to annoy; You don't want to look inside -- it is put together with bubble gum [well, hot glue] and not very neatly at that; The schematic is not pasted to the case and so easy repair is not possible. If another few dollars had been spent on the design this radio would be have been great and not a plebian "very good".