TIVOLI AUDIO Songbook Portable Radio BLACK

Rating:
Summary: Oh My Goodness! What a Sweet, Sweet Radio!
Review: The new Tivoli Songbook is one sweet, versatile radio. I was reluctant to order it because it was brand new model and I couldn't find any reviews, but I'm glad I overcame my reluctance and purchased this radio. I consider it expensive for an AM/FM radio so I expect serious performance for the money--I was not disappointed. It's Tivoli, so I expected sound quality and Tivoli delivers. The sound isn't quite as full as the Model One, but it's more than adequate. For talk radio, it's simply the best sound I've heard from any radio.

One reason I hesitated purchasing was because I planned to use this as a table radio more than a travel radio--the lack of external antenna jacks was a concern because I have trouble with AM reception in my area. The real surprise was the reception--this small radio locked on and pulled in signals that I have trouble pulling in with some of my better radios like the GE Superadio or Grundig Satellit 800--all while delivering a clear, clean signal. Admittedly, I'm not a DXer, and I'm not suggesting this is the radio for that purpose, but it's performance, particularily on AM, is impressive for such a small package.

Performance was great using the aux input on a Sirius tuner as well as MP3 and CD.

Overall, it has the look and feel--as well as performance--of a quality product.

One thing that you should be aware of--this model uses an outboard transformer--a relatively large wall wart. That negates some of the travel versatility, IMO, but isn't a problem for home use. One of the smart design features is the wall hang slot on the back--I promptly mounted the thing over my nightstand and cleared off the space formerly eaten up by my cheap, tinny sounding clock radio.

It's a rare day that a product meets my expectations, much less exceeds them, but this is a great radio!