OT: Nice Radio

cbass

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What fills your home with sound? If anyone is looking for a nice table radio I can highly recommend the Tivoli Audio Henry Kloss Model One. I recently purchased one for our office/guest room and it sounds beautiful (I'm listening to jazz with "Eric in the Evening" on NPR right now and the music sounds rich and warm, filling the whole room). I can't believe the audio quality from such a small cabinet!

It's a simple unit with only three controls: a tuning knob, a volume knob and a band selector switch. Anyone who appreciates the simple controls of an all-manual camera will also appreciate this small radio with the big sound.

Attached is a photo with my Argus C-3 for scale. I'm not an audiophile but I can say without hesitation that the Model One is the best-sounding radio I've ever owned. :)
 

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I haven't listended to any AM stations aside from WBZ 1030 but it seems to grab the others well enough. The helpful amber light on the front glows brighter as the signal gets stronger. The FM reception is very good. The radio comes packaged with an accessory FM antenna which connects to the back of the cabinet (I'm not using it at the moment).

I wish I had discovered this radio sooner.
 
A friend of mine bought one of these and I was amazed the first time I heard it. Unfortunately here in Oz they sell for $300.0 which probably won't stop me from owning one eventually. :D
 
I bought my wife a Tivoli Model Three Clock radio - pretty nice sound, not cheap, but probably the easiest alarm clock to set ever. Also has an AUX input for an Ipod, handily replaces a stereo in a small room.

-A
 
I've read very good reviews of that unit.. isn't there also a version with an input for iPods?

nevermind.. guess I should read all the responses before typing :)
 
Hi,,

I have one in my office and one in my bathroom. Both are 6 years old and have performed flawlessly.
I like their "fullrange" sound, you can vary the bass output with foam. AM reception here in Cambridge, MA is quite good.
Oh and MP-3 player work with even the first units, just not easy switching of sources.

Ciao

Joerg
 
National Public Radio. About all the radio I listen to, and since I'm never home for the early evening news it's where I get most of my information. (Those of you not in the US may not realize that NPR is viewed as having a distinct liberal bias. I tend to disagree.)

Anyway, I have a Model One also and it's a great radio. I don't know what $300 Australian works out to in US$, but it seems like a lot. However, for rangefinder folks it's a really good fit -- very simple and retro, and gives top results. Kind of like a really nice fixed-lens camera (maybe a Rollei 35?), but with no electricity it really is just a doorstop.
 
I have always thought about getting one of those ... tonight while browsing the B&H catalog, I noticed Boston Acoustics has similar units. Has anyone heard/used one of those?
 
Here's my carefully refinished "classic walnut"...about 5 coats of varnish, and rounded off the corners a bit...looks like a Stradivarius! I have a PAL too...which is so obviously styled after the Rolleiflex. Oh, and I have this old Kloss design on my desk...a 1974 Advent Model 400 (the speaker is on the other side of my monitor). Unbelievably detailed sound.

BTW, I used to work for NPR (I was a researcher for Fresh Air) so I gots to have my radios : )
 

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mine died after three months and had to replace it. the bose units really sound better. My main complaint about the tivoli is the external output is for headphones and not so good to plug into a stereo.
 
This is a very good radio. I find it better value than the Bose Wave Radio and looks better too. I agree that the Boses do sound better, to my ears at least. There are quite a few Tivoli models to choose from.

http://www.tivoliaudio.com/home.php?cat=262

I used to be into hifi and although nothing beats a great component stereo, I'm looking to simplify things. Especially in small rooms where a stereo would be impractical. I tried a minimal component system comprising of a CD player/radio, Jolida tubed amp and a pair of System Audio bookshelf speakers in my bedroom and it didn't work at all. Sounded great but itl took up too much space and it cost me a bit over $1000. The Tivoli cannot compare to my previous set up in terms of sound quality but its much more suitable for the space. I'm considering getting two of these Tivoli Model One radios - one for the kitchen, and one for my bedroom.
 
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Steve: I envy you the Advent. Really.

Strange what we like (I've never liked a Bose anything), but I once had a Bogen receiver (valve/stereo), RP-30 or some such. Great sound. I once recorded a Met performance of Carmen off air on that thing, and the cassette is great. It was an NPR broadcast, of course. ;)
 
:eek:
Trius said:
I have always thought about getting one of those ... tonight while browsing the B&H catalog, I noticed Boston Acoustics has similar units. Has anyone heard/used one of those?
I have both the Boston Acoustics Recepter Radio (clock radio) and the Tivoli Model One (just to my right, from the computer). I would rate them very close, audio wise. The Boston Acoustics is digital (with dual alarm), while the Tivoli is analog. Them AM reception on the Tivoli is very good, by the way. I wake up to the Boston Acoustic, but listen to the Tivoli more. (... and I run from anything BOSE :eek: ).
 
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I love Tivoli's ... Mr. Kloss was a brilliant man

I have the Classic Walnut Model 1 (though I gave it to my father for his office)

I use The Model 2 with subwoofer for my PC speakers, for music, movies, and the occasional game.

At the office I stream internet radio with my PAL (which is approaching 4 years old)

I love Tivoli radios ... nothing else quite like them
 
Speaking of NPR, does anyone remember that NPR broadcast about the US Postal Service "Postcode Portability" initiative, a few years ago?



It was broadcast on 1 April. :)
 
Given how much people go on about their vintage RFs here, I'd like to point out that the Tivoli Model One is sort of a reincarnation of The KLH table radio of the 60s/70s that redefined what to expect of a "table radio." (Henry Kloss was the leading light of KLH in the 60s, Advent in the 70s, Cambridge SoundWorks through the 80s and 90s, and, in his final years, created designs for Tivoli. He was also on the ground floor, so to speak, when Edgar Vilchur founded Acoustic Research in the early 50s, ushering in the age of the "sealed-box", or acoustic-suspension, loudspeaker.)

Tivolis are cool, but the HD-Radio-equipped Boston Acoustics table radio is nectar for the ears!


- Barrett
 
I was thinking of the Boston Acoustics Receptor for an alarm clock as my current alarm clock is annoying and will often wake me in a bad mood....

but I also really love the style of the Tivoli, except I don't like the 50 dollars more that it costs.

Both sound great

BTW: sad to hear Tivoli's discontinuing the PAL, my PAL has been a rugged performer and despite its constant use it still gets its full 16 hr battery life. Its great for basking on the dock during the summer, well entertaining some friends during a bon fire and beer ... or just for my office. Despite some nasty falls, caught in rain 4 times, some use in a steamy bathroom during showers, and even in below zero weather.... it sounds better the older it gets
 
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