Customer Reviews

Tivoli Model Satellite Table Radio (Sirius Satellite Radio / AM / FM )

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I love Sirius in my car for its niche channels like jazz, Folk Town and Bluegrass so I bought the Tivoli table model. On the positive side the sound is GREAT -- right up there with Bose, but the design leaves some things to be desired. 1. It won't work without external antennas for AM, FM or Sirius. 2. It does not have an internal power supply. 3. To get stereo or CD you have to buy additional boxes. 4. You really do have to have a clear view of the sky where the satelite is located. Trees and buildings block the signal. 5. You might as well order the third party signal booster and antenna extension because it only comes with a 30 foot cable to the antenna which will probably not get it to your roof. 6. There is not an easy way to feed additional stereo equipment to take advantage of a home sound system. 7. There is no way to cut off the big blue info screen which is really BIG and Blue. When installed this thing has as many wires and connections as a lobbyist in Washington. But if you can put up with the clunky design it is wonderful.

I have no doubt that one reason for the slow adoption of Satellite Radio by consumers is the lousy hardware. I mean, what are they thinking? The collection of products for both Sirius and XM looks like the over-designed, comic book props in Star Wars movies. They're totally dysfunctional. Nothing as elegant as an iPod, with the possible exception of Pioneer's portable radios for XM. Even the car radio's are clunky.

The Tivoli Model Satellite is the one exception to the ugly, under-performing Satellite Radio rule. The sound is about as good as it gets. Indeed, almost too good since it really points up the excessive compression used by both satellite and commercial FM broadcasters. You won't notice this difference until you play an uncompressed CD or MP3 file from your iPod through the AUX port on the Tivoli. Wow! What an amazing sound out of such small speakers. And I don't even have the subwoofer speaker accessory.

The Sirius section works great. It's easy to program. It's got a great "Memo" feature to capture the name and artist of 20 songs you'd like to look up later.

I did invest in a serious outdoor Sirius Antenna prior to the arrival of the Tivoli, so it was just a matter of plugging it in. The FM and AM sections worked fine without any external antennas. It's impressive that they include a serious external AM antenna - something I haven't seen packaged with table radios since the 1970s, and then only expensive "audiophile" models.

As noted by others, the Satellite and AM/FM functions aren't at all integrated. This is basically the Tivoli Model 1 with a Satellite function tacked on as an afterthought.

The huge, bright, multi-line display is awesome at providing all of the information you want at a glance, with a minimal amount of annoying left-to-right scrolling. While the display does automatically adjust to ambient light (a feature that can be turned off and on) it may be too bright for the bedside table for some people.

The Tivoli Model Satellite is to radio what a beautiful 52" flat panel plasma display is to HDTV. It's the best audio you can get for satellite, possibly short of a console deck connected to studio monitors. But, again, given the various compression artifacts on Satellite radio (and the compression is often horrible on talk-only channels) this may be about as good as you dare get.

Unless you have space limitations, it's kind of a waste to spend so much money on a radio only to have mono sound, so plan on buying the (right channel) speaker for stereo.

I have no problem that they didn't include a CD player. An integrated mechanical device would only shorten the useful life of the unit. As just a radio it should last 10-20 years if you're trying to justify the high price tag.

Will Sirius be around in 10-20 years? I don't know. We also hear talk of HD radio coming to AM/FM (but then we've heard about HDTV for 20 years too and it's still not here).

At this price point, it would have been nice if there's been a time-shift feature, sort of a digital VCR (DVR) feature to record shows you want to hear later.

The remote is pretty awful for such an expensive radio, it's just a cheap "membrane" type remote. Inexplicably I got a real remote with my Kenwood Sirius car radio (what good a remote does in the car is beyond me).

Let's hope with the merger of the two satellite services they make more of an effort to create better looking, more functional hardware AND clean up their sound quality. I'd rather they have half as many channels with better sound and produce better programs that are re-run several times a day.

I was initially quite skeptical about satellite radio. Then, I saw the Tivoli in an advertisement and decided to take a chance. I was very pleasantly surprised with the radio and the Sirius satellite service. I've brought the radio to my office and can enjoy commercial free music throughout the work day. The sound from this small, mono radio is remarkably clear and powerful. This includes both high and low range sounds. The remote control is compact and easy to use; actually, I prefer the remote, since the buttons on the radio are small. You can store 20 of your favorite satellite stations for easy access. Even FM stations sound great, but I rarely listen since the satellite stations are much better. The Sirius lineup is excellent, and it truly is commercial free music. (News and Talk stations have brief commercial breaks.) Overall, I definitely recommend the Tivoli satellite radio (and Sirius satellite radio).

This is a gorgeous little radio but... there is no way to adjust the tone. I feel the sound is WAY too bass-y. The power source is cumbersome and impossible to hide out of site. I just hate all of those ugly wires. The control buttons are hard to read unless you have good light and put your nose right up to it. There is really no satellite equipment that is asthetically pleasing right now so I guess this is the best one out there if this is important to you.

My Nightstand was a mess!Until I bought this! I originally had a sirius reciever, a huge radio from cambridge soundworks all on one tiny nightstand. It was so cluttered. That I knew it was time to get some kind of an "All in One" device.

I laid eyes on this Tivoli, and I was hooked. I just got it Today, and It sounds incredible. I know there is an extra speaker/subwoofer available for this unit, but the built in speaker is enough to fill my entire bedroom w/ great sound.

The built in FM Tuner has INCREDIBLE reception, haven't tested the AM yet, but I'm sure that it'll will be just as good. I also have my iPod hooked up through the Auxillary input on the back.

And It takes up Hardly any space on my nightstand!

Overall, I'd highly recommend this system for anyone that want's all of there music sources in one compact device, that produces incredible sound.

Only gripe I have w/ the Radio is that the Remote doesn't have a volume control on it (but it does have a mute button).

Go with this Radio, and you won't be disappointed! Now we just need Sirius to come out w/ a fully portable walkman type unit and we'll be all set!

I can't believe that I debated one second (I checked out all possible satellite radio options, and due to the cost, regretably hesitated on this one for one month). This is the only total satellite radio unit out there; the others you have to buy separate speakers, receivers, hand-held units, special antennas to get good reception---this unit comes complete. It was so easy to "install" this, I didn't even bother reading the directions (and I am a totally non-electronically inclined person). It took about 3 minutes to hook up and plug in--connect 2 included cables to the back of the unit, plug in the wall, and voila. PLUS, I cannot even begin to describe the amazing (yes, AMAZING) sound quality of this unit. It is comparable if not better than Bose. It sounds like the people are in your living room talking. And the sound is big; it fills my large bedroom completely. And then activating my Sirius subscription was so simple (you could do it online and save $5, or do it over the phone)--you just complete payment with credit card, Sirius gives you the signal immediately, and there you go!! I got it to listen to Howard Stern, but that pales in comparison to all the great channels available. I listed to 4 hours of classic Bluegrass music last night (who the #$&!! knew!) Plus there are tons of amazing talk channels (metaphysical info, health info, the Cosmo channel, etc.). I can't believe I waited to long; it's really amazing.

You have a window pointing in the right direction (North). Other than that, this radio has a well balanced, full, sound quality that's perfect for the office because it sounds great at low volumes. But, you can crank it up and it rocks, too.

If it didn't have so many wires attached to it: the satellite receiver, am antenna, fm antenna, power cord with a huge transformer, I'd give it five stars.

Highly recommended.... But check your window direction first (you can find the info at the Sirius website).
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UPDATE:

Well, I've had this unit for 17 months, and enjoyed every minute of it, until it blew up. While I was rearranging my workspace in my office I moved the Tivoli no more than ONE CENTIMETER, it made a crackling noise, and went completely blank. It sounded like some kind internal explosion.

I gave the unit the complete diagnostic: checked the outlets, wires, plugs, etc. and came to the conclusion that it was dead. I called the Sirius Tech Department and they agreed, and also informed me that it was no longer under warranty.

So, what I thought was a table radio I would enjoy for years has become something I cannot recommend. Caveat Emptor, Amazon consumers!

I love this radio. Starting with the real knobs to turn, I find it very solid and convenient to use. Yes, there are wires for the antennas, but you have to have them to get the good reception so there is no point complaining. You might as well moan about gravity.

It really sounds wonderful. After two weeks with one speaker I had to have the second one for stereo, and that was well worth getting. As other reviewers have said, it does have a slightly boomy tone, and I can't imagine why the sub-woofer would be needed. Maybe it is for rap music - I haven't tried that.

The programming from Sirius is excellent. It is more entertaining than cable TV. One word of warning though: if you need tech support from Sirius, you will be sorry. Apparently nobody there has ever used a satellite radio. They seem to be minimum wage people who are told to bluff their way through as quickly as they can so they can pull the wool over the next person's eyes. They don't know anything about electronics, and barely know what an antenna is. Don't confuse them by mentioning the FM or AM antennas!

In the end I got adequate reception in spite of all the misinformation from tech support. It was worth the effort.

I really do appreciate waking up to this radio every morning. The sound is very good for such a compact unit and works wonderfully with the optional subwoofer. Menus for choosing stations, genres, or by songs could not be any easier or more clear. The clock even sets itself using the satellite signal! And the FM reception is really out of this world (has an internal FM antenna as well, and a very intuitive precision tuning ), dare I say as good quality as or better than digital radio... But with the sirius content, I find myself keeping the switch on Satellite.

I am not sure why the other reviews are particularly so unimpressed. The Tivoli Satellite Radio is a great sounding, good looking, reliable, loud, easy to use radio!

Hard to get activated. Spent over 2 hours trying to find where the antenna could be aimed. Reception fluctuates during the day. The radio itself is high quality with excellent sound.