Tivoli Audio Model One AM/FM Table Radio, Hunter/Maple

by Tivoli

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8 x 7 inches ; 5 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00006I5WJ
• Item model number: M1GRN
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #23,880 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: January 11, 2005

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

The Tivoli Model One has been praised far and wide for its high-quality sound, small size, and cool, retro styling. We got our hands on a sample unit and came away impressed, just as many others have. Anyone who wants a compact, stylish radio with surprisingly good sound should give the Model One a look.

Design
In many ways, the Model One is the culminating achievement of famed audio engineer Henry Kloss's long career. Designed from the ground up by Kloss, who passed away in 2002, the radio exudes understated class and elegant simplicity. We received the Platinum Series Model One, which features a hand-lacquered, high gloss dark walnut cabinet that is simply gorgeous. According to Tivoli, the genuine wood casing isn't just for looks as it provides "an acoustically inert housing" that maximizes the speaker's sound quality. At just over 8 inches wide, 4.5 inches high, and 5.25 inches deep, the Model One is about the size of a toaster turned on its side-- plenty small to fit on a desk, dresser, or nightstand.

The Model One's single rotary dial handles tuning for both AM and FM stations. It feels sturdy and smooth in the hand. The dial is designed to move between stations at a speed that is a bit slower than the speed at which the user turns the knob-- a 5 to 1 ratio, to be exact. This "ratio" dialing technique makes it far easier to tune stations accurately and quickly. It's a nice touch that sets the unit apart from other desktop radios.

The tuner band selection and volume dials are easy to control. Plus, they're well designed for hands of all sizes. A small LED power indicator, as well as an LED that helps determine signal strength, are positioned between the dials. We liked the light-colored face and dark lettering printed on the Platinum Series model we reviewed; it made for easy operation in dimly-lit rooms. The Model One's single, 3" driver is protected by a handsome metal speaker cover. Tivoli adds that the speaker is enhanced by a "multi-stage frequency contouring circuit that adjusts the speaker's output over half-octave increments." The result, Tivoli claims, is "musically accurate tonal balance and bass response."

The back of the unit features a coaxial antenna jack for the included FM antenna wire. While the Model One also has an internal FM antenna, Tivoli recommends using the supplied external one for tricky tuning in locales with a lot of stations crammed together. There's a handy switch for switching between the internal and external antennae. A standard 3.5mm headphone jack is also provided, as is a 3.5mm auxiliary line in port for plugging in your iPod or other music device. If you want to use the Model One as a component tuner-- not a bad idea given the overall quality and accuracy of the tuning circuitry-- Tivoli has provided a 3.5mm output port. The back panel also sports separate ports for AC and DC power, making the unit a great choice for boating or RV use.

Listening Pleasure
As with the Tivoli iPal portable speaker system, we were initially skeptical about the performance of a small, one-speaker unit that only offers monaural sound. The reality is that most small two-speaker systems don't allow you to place the speakers very far apart anyway, and the Model One's rich, resonant sound more than made up for its lack of true stereo separation. Plus, the Model One is a single, elegant box with no annoying speaker cords.

While the Model One isn't designed to provide earth-shattering sound at high volume, it produces surprising clarity and fullness at normal listening levels. When turned all the way up, the unit's rich sound persists and we suspect that Tivoli engineered the Model One's volume level to max out before any distortion arises. If you don't need a lot of volume, the Model One delivers. As with the iPal, we were left scratching our heads and wondering how such great sound could come from such a little box.

The Model One's tuning accuracy is also impressive; we were able to dial in stations we didn't even know existed. Tivoli says this is due to the unit's discrete-component FM tuner technology, which was originally developed for cellular telephones. Whatever Tivoli has done here, they did it right; closely-spaced stations are a breeze to tune.

Pros

• Compact form factor
• Excellent sound
• Supremely accurate tuning

Cons

• Not engineered to produce extremely high volume levels

Product Description

Where performance and simplicity are paramount but space is sparse, the Model One table radio fits the bill. With just three knobs, it is the antithesis of today's ever more complex electronic products. The Model One gets more stations than other radios because of its state of the art, Henry Kloss designed discrete-component FM tuner using technology originally developed for cellular telephones. This technology gives better FM reception and increased clarity on closely spaced stations. Features include a furniture-grade, handmade maple wood cabinet that doubles as an acoustically inert housing and a heavy-magnet, long-throw 3-inch speaker which provides musically accurate tonal balance and bass response. Its large analog tuning knob with geared-down 5:1 tuning ratio permits easy and accurate tuning. The amber tuning indicator lets you know when you've achieved proper tuning. Built-in AM and FM antennas provide satisfying reception, while a rear 75-ohm jack allows connection of an external FM antenna in difficult reception areas. Also provided is a headphone jack, auxiliary input to connect an iPod, MP3 player or portable CD player, and a record output for recording, or to use the Model One as a high-quality outboard tuner.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Big, rich sound in a small, simple package, February 9, 2004

By 

"jsuso001" (Baltimore, MD United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tivoli Audio Model One AM/FM Table Radio, Hunter/Maple (Electronics)

This is an excellent little radio. Its diminutive dimensions belie the extremely rich, full sound that the Model One produces. Unadorned by all of the knobs, switches, levers, lights and other inputs that clutter most modern radios, it has an appearance that could be described as retro, even austere by the standards of today's gadgets. With just three knobs to tinker with (Off/FM/AM; volume, and an analog tuner), it's refreshingly simple to operate, a fact reflected by the Owner's Manual being not much more than the size of a postcard. Tuning is extremely easy and accurate, facilitated both by a 5:1 gear ratio on the tuning dial - allowing you to make very fine adjustments - and by a light on the front panel that gradually brightens to indicate the best signal strength. Tuning on this radio is actually a pleasure - I find myself spinning the dial for the sheer enjoyment of seeing what I can find.

Anybody interested in the Model One should also take into account what it is not. First off, it's not stereo but mono. Those who simply cannot tolerate a radio without stereo should consider its big brother, the Model Two (essentially the same radio with an extra speaker). But the Model One being in mono is not so much of a limitation as a deliberate design choice: excellent sound in a single, small package. That being the case, this is the perfect radio to unobtrusively fill space-starved locations, like the kitchen or office, with superb sound.

Unfortunately, a few flaws in the Model One prevent my giving it 5 stars (I'd give it 4.5 if I could). As another reviewer has noted but I think is worth reiterating, the volume dial is extremely sensitive on the low end. This can be pretty frustrating, as the slightest twitch of the finger on the dial makes for significant volume variations at the lower volume settings. As a result, I spend more time than I think I should making tiny adjustments in the bottom 10% of the dial, while the remaining 90% remains largely ignored. My only other complaint, albeit very minor, is that plugging a CD or MP3 player into the unit disables the radio, and the only way to reinstate radio play is to physically unplug it. This seems to be a function that could and should have been on the front dial and would have avoided unnecessary wear and tear on the rear inputs. As I understand it, this was remedied on the Model Two.

Despite its minor shortcomings, the Model One is a fantastic little table radio. If you're looking for a compact radio that delivers amazingly full and rich sound at a reasonable price, it's a fine choice.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Do touch that dial..., January 19, 2005

By 

John Fabian (Hanover, New Hampshire, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tivoli Audio Model One AM/FM Table Radio, Hunter/Maple (Electronics)

I was hunting for "just a radio". No CD player, no components, no extras, just a radio. I hadn't purchased a radio in years. I was dismayed by what I saw "out there" (I shop locally, not on the internet). The plastic, the cheapness, the gaudy styling, the prices, none spoke to me. Then I saw a display of radios in my local TV repair shop. I paused, I smiled. Here was a radio which, figuratively, spoke to me. I was drawn to its aesthetics.

The shop owner showed me the various models, some stereo, some monaural. He played the sub-woofer. The sound on all of them was fine. I selected the Model One in Hunter Green & Maple. There were four others from which to choose. I am very happy with the purchase.

I have played my radio in my office with various and sundry environmental noises filtering in. It sounded great. I played the same radio in my home at the most quiet time of the day, very early morning. I listened to classical music. The sound was robust and full.

I love the analogue dial. I am from the generation which spent its youth adjusting the car's AM radio dial to just the right frequency, to pull in that just perfect pop song which resonated so perfectly with our mood. At home, late at night, I tweaked the dial to pull in those FM stations from exotic places like Memphis and Chicago hearing blues and jazz, which to my parochial mind were foreign and a little forbidding. Adjusting the dial makes me a participant. Something lost in the push button digital world.

I recommend this radio if you want just a radio. Just a radio with great tonal range, in a naturally pleasing wooden box, with a dial that allows you to participate in your listening.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It does the job well, July 22, 2003

By 

Jeff "jack of many trades" (New Hampshire, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tivoli Audio Model One AM/FM Table Radio, Hunter/Maple (Electronics)

Quite simply, the Model One is a good little table radio. It won't wash your clothes or even play a CD, but it does one thing and does it very well.

Perhaps more important than the sound, the Model One has a very nice FM tuner. Reception is superb (Better than anything I have seen without a large antenna), and the tuner is very accurate, so you can easily tune in on as station as best as possible.

The sound is good for something so small: quite full, and no major flaws for such a small unit, although it does sound unspectacular by any means when compared with a full sized stereo, it was never meant to compete with that.

If you are looking for a little radio for the bathroom, home office, or kitchen (It'd even be a fine addition to the office at work, if some soft music is acceptable), or anywhere else you might want the addition of some music without a hassle, the Model One is a nice little radio, and I'd strongly reccomend it.