Customer Reviews

Tivoli Audio Model Three AM/FM Clock Radio, Cherry/Metallic Taupe

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

I purchased the unit for it's renowned tuner but also for a replacement of my clock radio. The tuner is everything as claimed and nearly as good as a very high end tuner I currently own. The sound quality is also much better than expected. Where this unit falls apart is with the sleep functions. I could not get the snooze function to work as the radio would never come back on. An email to Tivoli revealed that the snooze must be activated within 120 seconds or it simply turns the radio off. This information was NOT in the manual! I know I'm not counting down from 120 seconds the moment the alarm awakes me from a soind sleep... Poor design. I've also discovered that the clock runs from the single AA battery at all times. It should run from the AC and only rely on the battery for back up. Another poorly thought out design. The two most important sleep functions are an afterthought and in my opinion not worth the cost or questionable functionality. If one were to add a second speaker the total would be $250 or $100 more than a model Two. That $100 only gets you a cheap battery operated clock and useless snooze function. Instead, spend your money on the model Two, the $80 sub and a wall timer. That's what I'm doing... You'll have a better system and save a few dollars as well!

I heard a friend's Model One Tivoli, and was sold, so I decided to buy the Model Three and the Dual Alarm / Second Speaker unit for my bedroom, to replace a very cheap and unreliable alarm clock radio.

So for $200 what do you get? Well, you get a modified version of the Model One / Model Two Tivoli, and a clock radio with a sleep timer and wake to Aux / Radio / Alarm function. To be frank, I can't figure out how Tivoli justifies an extra $100 for a battery operated quartz clock insert that has barely advanced features (setting time is electronically controlled - that's about it). In retrospect, the sensible in me would probably not make the same purchase again - instead, I'd opt to get the Model Two unit, and a nice alarm clock (though the style wannabe in me probably would - getting an all in one unit). Tivoli simply doesn't have enough "omph" or value for the dollar tossed in with the addition of the clock functions for the extra hun.

But let's break down the positives and negatives.

Positives: Sound quality kicks big time with lots of base in the unit (single speaker, dual speakers, even without the sub). FM radio, when dialed in right, sounds like near CD quality to my ears (with a caveat - see below). "Action" on the tuning dial is sweet with the 4x stepped down gearing. Clock is fairly readable, though it is pretty recessed into the case, so from an angle, it's hard to see the hours well, esp. in the dark. Ability to plug in your iPod or other mp3 player to the Aux, hook up a sub, hook up a second speaker (or as I've done, the Model Three Dual Alarm second speaker) and other hookups - wowsa for a clock radio! Ability to record audio is good as well - I have an MP3 player / fm receiver thingie, and when I compare FM radio recordings made with the device on its own, and with the audio in ability, recording the Tivoli's FM radio, there is no comparison - the Tivoli's FM sound quality is stellar (with a caveat - again, see below)

Negatives: People proclaim the Tivoli's ability to pull in FM signals. I haven't experienced this as well as i expected - some local stations sound hissy and tinny on the Tivoli, but in my '04 Jetta (with a radio that's often panned), they sound better. Where's this legendary FM ability across the dial? That said, when a station is pulled in by the Tivoli, it sounds (to my untrained ear at least) like big base CD quality. Other negatives: The 120 second "bug" in the design for the snooze feature has caused me to sleep in a few times (see another review for more info). Yes Tivoli - that is a major design flaw. The decision on fonts and font colours makes the tuning dial and other labels on the front of the box almost unreadable in most bedroom light. And as mentioned above, the clock functionality is not worth the extra $100 in price - maybe $30, maybe $40.

But it does look goooooood. :) And the sound is stellar - rivals my other sound systems in the house costing $100s more.

I received the Tivoli Model Three from Amazon about three weeks ago, and think I've played with it enough to post a review. First, Amazon was dependable and delivered as I've always experienced.

Now to the clock radio.

I (almost) love it!

I'll compare the Tivoli Model Three to my eight-year-old JVC mid-priced boombox, which should sound better than a little clock radio.

Pros:

- The Tivoli Model Three's tuner is great, even though it's analog. It receives many more stations and with much more clarity than the boombox, which has digital tuning. So don't let the digital vs. analog tuning fool you. Analog can be good when well-engineered. Digital tuning for over-the-air reception is not automatically better.

The Tivoli has a sensitive subtuning knob and LED that shows optimal reception. I didn't need to connect anything extra, such as a rooftop antenna or even the included wimpy little indoor antenna for much-better-than-expected reception.

- Considering it's a little clock radio, the sound is great. As others have posted elsewhere, "warm" describes the sound. That's much better than "plastic," which is how I would describe my boombox after spending some recent time with both of them. I like the Tivoli's cherry wood cabinet for the sound and look. I also think a larger mono speaker is better than two inseparable 5/8" stereo speakers in a small device. That never make any sense to me.

- Input-output features:

The Tivoli has some great options. You can buy an extra matching speaker and make it true stereo. I like this clock radio so much that I just ordered the extra speaker. You can buy a matching subwoofer.

It accomodates antenna input from, for example, a rooftop antenna.

- Other no-nonsense features:

I thought the big hole toward the left back projected bass. I blocked the hole, and it turns out it provides more treble and midrange response.

Clock runs continuously on battery. If your power is interrupted, the battery will intercept and your alarm (but not your radio) will sound.

Cons:

There is no weak battery warning. I would have given it a 5-star out of five-star rating since there's not a 4-1/2 star option here, but it's only a 4-1/2 star out of five. In my opinion, no weak battery warning is a major issue. There is no LED for a weak battery, and the clock must run on battery at all times, not just as backup.

If you know what you're in for, this is a good-sounding, elegant-looking and functional clock radio.

It's retro in a few functions as well as looks. For example, you have to remember to turn it on when you go to sleep, since it's a 12-hour clock. That's actually a "plus," or at least not a problem for me, since I'm now using it as my main radio (due to the superiority of the sound and tuner) but might be a "con" for others.

If you change radio stations a lot, this might not be the clock radio for you. No digital tuning presets. Not a problem for me, since I usually keep it on the same few stations, and I can easily find and finely tune those stations with the easy big old-fashioned dial and sensitive subtuner. I prefer the simplicity and elegance to a whole bunch of little menus and buttons.

I looked and looked at all the popular clock radios for $200 or less on the market, reading manufacturer descriptions, user reviews, etc. They almost all are not great in one way or another. Sony offers one that seems pretty cool, with CD player and NOAA Weather Radio reception, but no backup battery! Get with it, Sony. Wouldn't the type of person who would want emergency information also want battery power? And also, as a bonus, wouldn't it be nice to have sound that's semi-tolerable? Panasonic offers one, again with a CD player, that supposedly has better sound than most. But of about 10 user reviews, at least half the people complained its backlight was too bright, even at the lowest setting. One guy said you could line a bunch of those up and light an airport runway with them. A user "solved" the problem by putting electrical tape over its backlit area, but then of course he couldn't see the time. But he was happier than before. <wince> These models were in the less than $100 range. Nearly all of them in this price range had little tiny buttons located in unintuitive places with difficult or impossible-to-read labels, especially in the dark, that did a bunch of stuff. A common complaint was that you had to read the manual to use it, and as one user said, "If you're good at memorizing ...."

After all this disgusting stuff, I almost opted for a $14.95 Sony. The sound is reportedly awful, but at least it has a backup battery, is cheap, and doesn't look hideous. It came down to this and the Tivoli.

I didn't really see anything between $100 and $200 worth a second look, except for the Tivoli Model Three. It was $200, since if you've read this far you probably already know or are curious about the price.

Here's what I decided from all this research that I need and don't need in a clock radio:

- Do I really need another audio CD player in the bedroom? No. I have a boombox plus the computer. And I can add a subwoofer and CD player to the Tivoli! Plus, if I get rid of the plastic boombox later, Tivoli makes a matching CD player. But that's another $200. I'm tempted.

- Do I want halfway-decent sound plus decent reception for the radio. Resounding yes!

- Needs to be small. The Tivoli might look like a big (what do you call them?) desk radio from olden days. It's only 8-1/2" wide x 4-1/2" high x 5-1/2" deep.

- Do I want it to look great? Definitely! And it does, in my opinion.

I almost love it.

Let me start out by saying that I love Tivoli radios. I have a Model Two with a Model Sub-woofer in my living room and truly love the warm, rich sound along with the simple design and good looks. I liked the Model Two so much that I decided to buy the Model Three for the bedroom. Even in Mono mode, the sound is rich and exceptional and the tuner truly does pull in and lock onto FM stations as advertised. It looks beautiful and I had planned to order the up-firing companion speaker and have the ultimate clock radio. The problem I have is that as at least one other reviewer has stated the back light for the clock dial is so bright that I have not been able to sleep since I got the radio four days ago. I mean it is bright, you can make shadow figures on the wall from the light it puts out. I had to put a sock over the dial just to get some sleep. Now I feel foolish to have a $200.00 clock radio that I have to cover with a sock at night. Also the LEDS for the sleep and alarm function are bright enough alone to keep you awake. If you use the sleep function the LED stays on after the radio shuts off until you depress the button again and of course the alarm LED stays on all the time the alarm is set. Since Tivoli designed this to be a "bedroom radio" it is an inexcusable design flaw to not have include a means of toning down or disabling the back light for users that would prefer darkness while sleeping. I haven't tried the snooze function yet so haven't experienced the "snooze flaw" other reviewers have but it sounds pretty scary. One other clock flaw I experienced is that if I get home from work and go through my routine of getting everything ready for the next day before I settle in for the evening I discoverd that the 12 hour clock will sound the alarm if you try to set it for the next day within it seems a 2 hour window after the time you want to set the clock for the next day. In other words if you have the alarm set to wake up at 6:00 A.M. you can't activate the alarm until after 8:00 P.M. This bothers me because I personally have over slept more often by simply forgetting to set the alarm. In conclusion I cannot recommend buying this clock radio until Tivoli takes it back to the drawing board.

The Model 3 Clock Radio is flawed. Its sound quality though is excellent.

The biggest problem for me is that the front and back panels are nearly unreadable under most ambient light conditions. The standard lettering and background colors combined with font size and the reflectance of the "metallic" treatment do not produce enough contrast to promote legibility. A flashlight (held at the right angle to avoid reflectance) is a useful tool for changing frequencies. My Tivoli Model 1 (classic/walnut), in contrast, is much much easier to use and sounds just as good.

I agree with another reviewer that another problem with the Model 3 is that the clock is entirely dependent on batteries. It would be better for this AC radio to have an AC clock with a battery backup.

Just got mine for xmas after becoming obsessed with tivoli in the fall (I won't mention my ever expanding tivoli collection here!) but I've been waiting to finally add the model three to my wake-up's. I've not been disappointed either. Although I do have a comment on the clock itself, I'll save that for last.

As is mentioned by others, the sound this little box produces is without comparison- it's as terrific as the one and two so no surprise here (but waking to it and not my little sony radio has just elevated my whole morning routine immensely!). The clock light is far more subtle than I first imagined and it casts a wonderful glow in the dark, giving off just enough to illuminate the clock face. The alarm setting is super-simple as is the sleep function, although I would have liked a little more than the 20 minutes the sleep give you- but this just requires a simple touch to turn the alarm button off thus activating the radio proper. I now no longer have to wonder paranoid in the middle of the night if I've set the alarm correctly since all it now takes is a glance at a glowing green light to know it's been activated!! And those lights- how I LOVE those glowing lights, green and yellow with that glowing face- it just looks so high-end!

[Re: not mentioned in the manual about the snooze, I've just discovered that one must press the snooze button within TWO minutes of the alarm going off or this function will not work].

Now, the clock itself. After speaking with the people at Bay Bloor radio in Toronto (experts at what they sell for sure) they simply explained why this radio is powered off of batteries- it has much more to do with the internal workings of this clock and the need for a separate non-interfering power supply then any kind of bad design as many seem to complain about. I've had no trouble so far and will simply change out the battery every so often- no fuss no bother! And having experienced the black out last year, having this clock function in black or brown outs is simply a bonus!

My only problem is with the overall design of the clock face- it is simply difficult to read at any slight angle when least half the clock face numbers disappear because the outer ring (used for alarm adjustment)obscures them when not read from directly face-on! However, this I am finding to be part of my adjustment at no longer having a digital read-out to read as I have been accustomed to thru out my life.It's going to be just a matter of getting used to.

I have fallen in love with the tivoli radio's not only for their shear aesthetic beauty but because of their simply, back-to-the-basics functionality and I am finding my whole experience with the model three to be about forgetting those glowing red numbers and getting used to a softly lit face.

All-in-all I am extremely pleased... besides, it's just too beautiful not to love!!!

I purchased a model 3 about two years ago. I loved the wood finish and like the old-time look of the controls, and the sound quality of the radio is very good.

That said, I have been remarkably unhappy with the product overall (this is my first ever review on Amazon because I felt so strongly about this product.)

The initial, and less significant complaint, is that the low-contrast (grey on brown) printed numbers on the control panel are basically illegible in all but very bright and direct light (not what you typically have on your nightstand). -I'm a guy in his early 30's with good vision, so this is not your Grandpa complaining about this detail...

Next, the light in the clock face was so bright that we resorted to keeping a hanky on the nightstand to cover it at night.

However, the real, and totally unexpected Failure of this product is the alarm clock itself:

1. The alarm time must be set by rotating a bezel ring that is pretty stiff & awkward and requires a good deal of force to turn (my girlfriend hates it).

2. The alarm is on a 12-hour cycle, so it will go off twice per day (ie: 7AM and again at 7PM) if you don't remember to disable it every day by one of a couple of different button-pressings & knob twists required to disable/enable the alarm.

3. And the clincher: The snooze doesn't work like any other alarm I've ever used: If the alarm comes on (whether waking to music, or to the alarm tone) and you press the snooze button after more than 2-3 minutes of music, the snooze WILL NOT WORK (!) and you will actually be shutting off the alarm altogether.

Often, if I have a very early flight for example, I will wake to music, which will take a few minutes to really wake me up, at which point I may want to snooze once (for 10 minutes) before getting up & going. To my knowledge, this habit is pretty common alarm clock usage.

I discovered this flaw when I missed an early morning flight from SF to NYC, because I did just that: I pressed the snooze button, once, after what could not have been more than 2 minutes of music. -What I had really done was shut the alarm down altogether...

Needless to say, after scrambling to get a later flight, and rearrange meetings in NYC, I called Tivoli to tell them my radio was flawed (I'd bought direct). The girl in customer service told me the radio was behaving normally: that the snooze would actually serve only as an "alarm shut-off" button if I waited more than "about 3 minutes" (her words) into the alarm to press it.

She also told me that this was normal, and that it's "the way all alarm clocks work."

I've owned at least a half dozen alarm clocks in my life, and have stayed in at least a hundred hotel rooms. Never have I seen a snooze button that really just shuts the alarm off and lets you oversleep.

Tivoli touts themselves as a high-end, high-attention-to-detail manufacturer. They acknowledge that this bizarre snooze system is in fact "the way this product works" and go on to claim that this is "normal behavior" for all alarm clocks.

I can scarcely express how unimpressed I am with this company & this product.

I've now moved the TIVOLI MODEL 3 to the kitchen and purchased a BOSTON ACOUSTICS RECEPTER for the nightstand. The Recepter's alarm & tuning controls are truly excellent (especially the preset functions) and, aside from the audio being slightly bass-heavy, WE LOVE the Receptor!!!

Oh, and the snooze on the Receptor works great!! :)

As a carpenter I can tell you that the wood cabinet that this thing comes in is worth a hundred bucks alone--the Tivoli is, without a doubt, the best looking clock radio on the market and it will continue looking that way with the occasional dash of Pledge or whatever Tivoli tells you to use on the cabinet.

As a sleeper very sensitive to light I regret to report that (a) the clock's backlight is too damn bright and (b) there is no way to dim or shut off this backlight. For $200 there should be, at the very least, a switch for "NIGHT" viewing such as the Boston Acoustics Receptor has. Yes, you can prop something up in front of the dial to block the light and yes, you can simply turn the radio away from you (which will bathe that part of the room in sci-fi blue light) but then you can't readily access the, ahem, time, one of the reasons you bought this thing.

My Tivoli worked great with regards to the music side of things--no complaints there--and the alarm worked fine until a few months after purchase, when one night it refused to be set without going off immediately afterwards (about 1/10 of a second later). I couldn't use it that night, although it has worked fine since then.*

*Last night, the alarm suddenly went off shortly after midnight despite the fact that I haven't touched the setting for a few weeks (7:30 a.m.).

Ghost in the machine? The exception rather than the rule? Bad battery? Probably the second explanation, given the uniformly positive reviews of this machine.

Overall, a very fine machine that lives up to its promises and is actually worth its price (try making a cabinet like this at home and see how long it takes you--this would be several hours at least for a finish carpenter)--it will never end up in a wastebasket or be left in a dorm room. Most people probably aren't as sensitive to light as I am so take my complaint with a grain of salt.

A reason to purchase this rather than the Boston Acoustics would be the audio inputs on the rear of the cabinet--it is designed to be (if you wish) part of a full-scale audio system, with a second stereo speaker, subwoofer, matching CD player. So for $200 it's not just a clock radio.

I just bought the Model Three (2/2006) and I am not experiencing any of the alarm/snooze issues discussed in several older Amazon reviews.

Snooze works as on any other alarm clock I've owned. You can hit snooze as often as you like, whenever you like, and it never turns the radio off. All you get is five-minute snooze intervals.

Others comment that the clock light is too bright. The light on my unit is a very soft white light. It does not bother me when I am trying to sleep and I am sensitive to such distractions.

I have no idea whether the Model Three was tweaked in response to customer compaints, but I am pleased with the alarm features on this radio.

The clock does, however, run only on a battery, which requires periodic replacement. My only complaint with the Model Three is that the battery is not wired for backup only. If this set up was necessary to protect audio performance, however, I can live it.

I recently remodeled our master bedroom and decided that my 20 year old digital clock radio had become an eye sore in the room.
I started shopping for a replacement that would compliment the room and have a good sounding radio. I couldn't find anything in the stores that didn't look like a cheap hunk of plastic. I considered the Bose Wave Radio but at $350 it still looks like a plastic clock radio. It's also 14.5" wide, too bulky for the nightstand. When I saw the Tivoli I knew it was what I was looking for.

This radio is very well made and quite heavy for it's size. The cherry cabinet looks great against the dark face and would look good with about any wood furniture. I like the way the lettering on the front nearly disappears in the low light of the bedroom, making it look more like some type of gadget than a clock radio. After playing with it for 5 minutes you'll be able to operate all the functions in complete darkness so don't worry about seeing the lettering.

The radio is very clear and sounds great. I have no problem pulling in the stations I want to listen to. The tuning dial is very smooth and precise. I find that I pretty much leave it tuned to a smooth jazz station, I wouldn't use my clock radio to channel surf anyway.

The clock is quiet and accurate. The light from the clock is soft yet allows you to see your water glass in the dark. I think an amber light would have been a better choice here. The clock is powered by battery but the light is powered by AC, not a problem. The alarm works fine as does the snooze.

All in all, this is a great looking, great sounding clock radio.