Customer Reviews

Tivoli Audio Model One AM/FM Table Radio, White/Silver

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

The Tivoli Audio Model 1 is a very good sounding and beautiful looking radio and that's about it. It does not try to do anything else. The tuner is easy to use with a geared down knob and a solid feel. There is also a light that gets brighter as the station is tuned in more accurately.

Henry Kloss did a great job on this design and everything about the radio is dedicated to function. The cabinet is wooden not plastic and it's also a ported enclosure. This helps out the sound in a big way. It's amazing how good such a small radio can sound. The design is mono only and the idea behind that is simple enough, it made more sense to have one very high quality speaker using the entire cabinet instead of two lower quality speakers with less volume per speaker, it sounds great..

One thing I've noticed on my Tivoli radios, I've also got a Model 3 at home, is that the quality is such that you can really hear the difference in sound between stations. Over compressed or poor quality audio is painfully obvious. Poorly recorded ad spots and DJ's with low quality mics are easy to hear. Put this thing on a good sounding station and it's fabulous.

If you want a great sounding little radio the Model 1 would be tough to beat.

One of the most attractive radios in its price range, well constructed, lacking cheap materials, and having a crisp, full monoaural speaker, the Tivoli Model One is an analog radio, which means you have to use the dial to find the sweet spot every time you tune to your favorite station. This can be a chore for some. Additionally, the reception is about a grade B+ for FM and B for AM. Remember, the Model One doesn't come with a telescopic antenna like the slightly more expensive Tivoli PAL. You only get a little pig tail in the back, which can prove inadequate for hard-to-reach stations. Yet understandably it's easy to fall in love with this radio, so what do you do? I'd recommend buying it. But instead of buying an external antenna to strengthen your reception, spend a hundred dollars (or 65 on the Chinese Degen 1103 model) on the Kaito 1103 digital radio. Easilly fitting on top of the Tivoli, the 1103 has the double the FM strength of the Tivoli a and has over a hundred digital presets. The problem with the Kaito 1103 is its little speaker. But the Kaito is small enough to fit ontop of the Tivoli Model One and be hooked up with an audio cable through the Tivoli's provided "Auxilliary In" connection. So now you have erased the weaknesses of both radios and maximized their strengths in what will be the best "radio" you can buy. The cost for this radio hybrid, about two hundred dollars, is still less than half of a Bose radio, which, in spite of its nice speakers, suffers from mediocre FM/AM reception.

The Tivoli Model is such an attractive, well-made radio that it's worth combining it with the super-performing Kaito 1103. By itself, however, I'm afraid it's more looks than performance.

The TIVOLI MODEL 1 is one fine-sounding little radio! A bit bigger than a brick, its audio is well balanced, meaning that there is solid bass as well as clear and defined midrange and treble. It is truly a pleasure to listen to and enjoy! It has an analog tuner with an LED signal strength indicator. The FM reception is very selective and sensitive, which is a plus in the signal-crowded inner city. The AM reception is average and OK for most local stations.

I would have given the TIVOLI 5 stars, but will subtract 2 stars for the following reasons. Its built-in power supply is cheap and not up to the task of powering its components adequately. During quiet times when the volume level was down very low, I could hear a 60 Hz hum produced through the TIVOLI's speaker from across an average size room. Additionally, when the set is played loudly so that there is a heavy load on its power supply, I could see slight dimming of the power and signal LEDs accompanying audio with heavy bass. Furthermore, when this strain on the power supply occurs, it causes the FM tuner to drift off frequency on some stations. The specifications for the power supply are 12 VDC at 800 mA. I called Cambridge support at 1-877-297-9479 and they suggested obtaining a filtered power supply. I purchased at Radio Shack a filtered power supply rated 12 VDC at 1000 mA. This did the trick! No hum audible and no sign of stress on the new power supply. For a radio of this quality, the power supply should be better. The Radio Shack power supply is CAT. NO. 273-1776. Be careful to get the correct size and polarity plug (tip) to fit the TIVOLI's external power supply jack. Another star comes off because of the TIVOLI's lack of a switch to switch between radio and auxiliary audio. One must reach behind the radio to plug and unplug external devices from its auxiliary audio jack. Other than that, I recommend this radio for its great audio performance, especially at low volumes. Incidentally, the amazon product description listed one of its cons being that it doesn't play very loudly. Come on guys. It's a tiny radio! It is more than adequate to fill an average room with nice sound. For the desk, office cubicle, or anywhere space is scarce, it is perfect!

Besides its sleek modern design, this compact radio produces very good sound quality at a relatively reasonable price. The silver/white case fits particularly well in today's kitchen.

I got this for my wife to use in the kitchen and she loves it. The unit is beautifully designed, fun to use and has amazing sound for something so small. My only gripe is that the tuner is not very strong. I live in a tough area for reception, and there's slight static on my favorite stations. The FM antenna attachment that comes with the unit helps quite a bit, but the reception is still not totally clear.

That being said, I'm glad I got it, and when my wife's happy, I'm happy.

This radio was a Christmas Present and it is awesome! The sound is clear and crisp and loud enough to hear in the kitchen from the living room, and the station tuning is easy and accurate - definitely a good buy!

I have been looking at this Tivoli Model One radio for over a year as a replacement for our over-the-counter kitchen radio. I was especially looking for radios that pulled in weaker FM stations. Well, I finally bit the bullet and paid $150.00 for an AM-FM (non-stereo) tiny little radio because of all the great reviews it has received on various websites - both my husband and I could not be more pleased. The ease of operation, the great sound quality and the fact that it DOES pull in the stations I wanted. It is so great that we took it to Florida with us and we are so happy - it pulls in the weak public radio station that we could never enjoy before down here. I wish I could have one of these in every room, although the range is great and it does extend throughout the house. I can't say enough good things about this little wonder.

This is a fine little radio with very good reception and very good sound.
I would have preferred a digital tuner with presets, but the analog tuner is very easy to use and just fine for the limited number of station we listen to.
Sound is very good although tends to be a bit bass-y. Treble and bass controls would have been helpful.
It has a single, high quality speaker, so the sound is monaural. The tuner/amplifier is actually stereo, so when you plug in stereo headphones (nearly all are) you get excellent stereo sound.
We bought the Tivoli Model One not only for its sound quality but also for its external design and compactness. Taking those factors into account, it does exactly what we want. I would recommend it to anyone.

I cannot get over the amazing and rich sound from such a small box. I can't stop listening to it!

Radio stopped working after 3 months -no response from Trivoli after numerous phone calls and e-mails. When I finally did get a hold of them they said the repair would be minimum of $100.00 without even knowing the problem.
This radio is less than 6 months old. Tivoli Model Satellite Table Radio (Sirius Satellite Radio / AM / FM )