Technocrat

Product Review - Tivoli Model Three Clock Radio

Kai Howells
Fri Nov 16 14:09:28 -0800 2007
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This is an unpaid, unsolicited product review of an item that I have purchased myself. Any links to the product will be in the body, not the preface of the story.

I've long not been happy with the sound from most clock-radios in the bedroom. I have to listen to the thing every weekday, so why not wake up to something that actually sounds good?
Quite a lot of research later and I eventually settled on the Tivoli Audio Model Three. The Model Three is a small, well made clock radio based on the original Model One platform. With an analogue clock and a single speaker dominating the front, the speaker is placed on the top of the unit and produces a very full, rich sound.
I've heard other systems, such as the Bose Wave Radio, and all arguments about Bose aside, they do have a pleasant sound. A few years ago, Tivoli Audio released a great little "table radio", the Model One. Going back to basics this unit featured a tuner, a single speaker and mono AM/FM reproduction. Using components based on mobile phone technology, the tuner in these units is capable of pulling in weak signals with great clarity.

The Model 3 uses the same radio, the same long-throw driver and produces the same great sound. Marketing guff aside, the sound from these units is not what I'd call neutral or accurate, but rather is warm, pleasing to listen to and fills the room quite effectively. The bass response has been tweaked to achieve rich bass from the small speaker, but manages to sound very good over a wide volume range.

The build-quality on the Model Three is great, the wood is finished in a natural finish, no heavy polyurethane varnish or cheap lacquer used here. The tuning dial for the radio is nicely weighted, and geared down with a 5:1 reduction, enabling you to finely tune in to ratio stations, even if they're crowding each other on the dial. There are a few connectors on the rear of the unit, one to hook up a companion Stereo Speaker and turn the unit into a proper stereo system, another for an aux input, enabling the use of your iPod or even computer as a source.

The Model radios are powered from a 12VDC plugpack, so if you're concerned about EMF near your head when you're sleeping, the transformer is out of the way near the power outlet and only a low-voltage DC supply runs to the radio.

Everything, however, is not completely rosy with these units. The analogue clock feels cheap and seems to be tacked on as an afterthought. It's noisy with an audible "tick" sound every minute or so. The Alarm is set by rotating the bezel of the clock, so you only get a roughly 5-minute granularity, and there's no AM/PM setting, so the alarm (or radio) will sound every 12 hours, not every 24.
My other huge (and I mean HUGE) gripe with this unit is the international pricing. For those in the USA, these radios are expensive, but not obscenely so. They are a quality product, I like the sound and the styling, so I consider the domestic pricing to be fair. The international pricing is something else altogether with around 100% markups for the "CE 220V" models. As an example, the Model Three is $199.99 USD. This is around the price that used Bose Wave Radios go for on eBay. The international model, however, sells for €299, or in my case $499 AUD. At current exchange rates, €299 is around $435 USD and $499 AUD is nearly $445 USD. What is the difference between the domestic and international models? From what I can see it's a cheap transformer based power supply, set for 110 or 220 V. So, I did what any self-respecting geek would do and bought it over the internet, threw the cheap chinese-made transformer in the bin and used a regular 12V switchmode power supply in it's place. Were the company to use modern switchmode power supplies, they could work with anything from 110 to 220V and anything inbetween.

Looking past the cheap analogue clock mechanism, and the vast international pricing disparity, I'm still very happy with this unit. I use it as a full stereo system in the bedroom and use it to wake me to music each morning for work. I have the extra stereo speaker, so there's a speaker either side of the bed, and there's nothing small or tinny about the sound, it's the best, smoothest sound I've heard from something this size. The industrial design is nice, looking quite plain with a funky retro twist - it suits a wide range of room decors.

The Good: Warm, rich, room-filling sound from a compact package
The Bad: Cheap analogue clock mechanism and fiddly alarm settings
The Ugly: International pricing.
Product Review - Tivoli Model Three Clock Radio
VonSkippy
Fri Nov 16 15:01:26 -0800 2007
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$200 USD for a analog clock radio.

PT Barnum would be oh so proud.

high end

zogger
Fri Nov 16 19:47:22 -0800 2007
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They seem to make high end gear, so that is why it is pricey, for instance the model one was reviewed in Forbes magazine and so on. Forbes just isn't going to review the latest $2.99 "magnaphornyvox" radio. They have a list on their site for the various products. Apparently this isn't "yugo" class stuff.

I'd like to see it head to head with the CCrane superdooper AM(centric, designed for talk radio) radio though, along with the GE super radio... Because I want one of that sort of quality. Despite owning probably three dozen radios all of them lack a little, including some decent sangeans, just tired of shelling out coin when I have so many already.

I use a biobased timekeeping mechanism wakeup device,a cold insistent dognose telling me time to get up, let her out in the early dark AM time...."wake up, fool, time to go milk the chikkens!". You just can't ignore it...
high end
Kai Howells
Fri Nov 16 21:12:37 -0800 2007
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Yes, I used to use a similar alarm system to you, however the current four-legged alarm clocks wake up a bit too early for my liking, so I have to resort to electromechanical means :D

I can't compare the Tivoli to the other two radios you mention - from what I've read, you would probably get a similar level of sound quality. The Model Three is able to get outstanding FM reception using a small wire around 1m long, draped down the back of my bed, whereas for my Yamaha stereo in the loungeroom, I've needed to use a purpose built FM antenna tacked to the wall - using a piece of 2-core ribbon cable, tuned for the middle of the FM band.
The Equalisation applied to the sound on the Model Three (and therefore, I assume, the Model One and Two) is non-adjustable, so it may not be to everyone's liking - if anything, it is a bit bass heavy, but in a nice warm fashion, rather than in a cheap boombox fashion. Voice comes through very clear and legible, music sounds like it's coming from a much larger speaker than it is.

radios

zogger
Sat Nov 17 08:53:42 -0800 2007
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As long as it is clear I usually don't mind much of a lack of setting an equalizer. My prob is mid range hearing loss, which means the spoken word vanishes first in broadcasts. Sucks. hard to hear at a comfortable level and with music a lot of the lyrics disappear. Well that and being primarily a midwave/AM listener you get station fade easy, and most radios out there seem way more interested in the music FM side so your choice for you with the Tivoli is probably better than what I am looking for. The best I have listened to so far for grabbing and holding stations have both been sony's, one just an inexpensive boombox I bought my boss for a gift (I tried all of them I found in several stores, the hundred buck and under models with CD player kind) that was the *only* one to get good stations inside of big buildings)(he keeps it up in the greenhouse now so I get to use it when working in there-spiffy!) and a nissan in dash radio that turned out to be a sony (GFs car that got junked, I snatched that thing out of it and still have it, but the connector is baffling to me, someday I'll figure out how to use it). Just astoundingly good quality compared to everything else I have tried, hands down better than any other car radio I ever used. I really need to dig that thing out and see if I can get it to work..hmm..projects...

Lately the freeplay am/fm/weather radio is the best I have found at a cheap price, around 40 bucks on sale locally to us. Gets the stations good without a lot of fading and the audio through earbuds is acceptable for me. No clockradio function though.

Here is link to CCradio-plus, and just run a goog seach for "ge super radio" ton of hits out there, I just checked. If you want I can check and post back that exact sony boombox model, forget off the top of my head right now. I tend to keep sony hardware and sony "entertainment" divisions separate in my boycott actions, FW that might be worth, even though it is the same parent company, the hardware side seems to do a better job of things and isn't obnoxious. Hmm, just noticed CCrane carries all those radios, including the Tivoli you just bought. Good company, I got my first freeplay windup/spring radio from them (I really like that idea), along with the first LED flashlight I ever got way back.

Product Review - Tivoli Model Three Clock Radio
isdnip
Sun Nov 18 13:43:32 -0800 2007
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It's not a ripoff; it's a good deal.

I have a Tivoli Model One.  It's basically a miniaturized knockoff of the KLH Table Radio from the 1960s.  That went for about $350 in 1967.   The Tivoli is pretty close in quality and, for $120, almost an order of magnitude cheaper.  The clock in the Model Three adds a lot to the price, and no doubt to the profit margin, but it's still a lot cheaper than a Bose or Creative.

We also have a Cambridge Sound Works (Creative Labs) clock radio/CD player.  It's a lot louder and probably better quality sound than the Tivoli, and has stereo, but a lot more expensive (less than Bose though, and at least as good).  This isn't cheap clock radio stuff; it's real hi-fi, just smaller than component systems.

Notable about the Tivoli analog tuner:  It is the best FM tuner on the market, save perhaps some high-end stuff I can't afford to even look at.  I lived within a mile of a whole heap of FM and TV transmitters, which caused pretty much everything else to have serious overload (intermod, etc.), but the Tivoli kept a licking and kept on ticking.  It's not rocket science -- a 1967 Lafayette was about as good -- but it requires discrete front end components, not cheap ICs, and hardly anybody does that.

Downside:  No tone controls.  The Model One (and I assume the Three's similar) is actually a ducted-port enclosure, with a hole on the bottom that's critical to its bass performance.  Trouble is, it's too bassy for clear speech.  I listen to NPR a lot and the booming bass hurts intelligibility.  So I just stick a quilted pot holder under it, covering the hole.  That lowers the bass a little and, to my mind, balances the sound correctly.  If I wanted to hear booming rock, I could remove the pot holder.

Tivoli was the last company founded by the late speaker pioneer Henry Kloss, so he had the right to clone something he designed at KLH a few decades earlier.  Henry's other companies over the years included Acoustic Research, Advent, Kloss Video and Cambridge Sound Works.  He didn't exactly invent acoustic suspension himself, but he was the master of the art.
Product Review - Tivoli Model Three Clock Radio
Kai Howells
Sat Nov 24 14:57:43 -0800 2007
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Interesting the comment on the Model One having the bass port on the bottom - the Model Three has the port on the rear, so I can adjust the bass to an extent by placing it closer to, or further away from the wall at the rear...
Product Review - Tivoli Model Three Clock Radio
Jyri Sillanpaa
Mon Nov 19 04:59:43 -0800 2007
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Hmm, I have not owned alarm clock in at least ten years. I use the one in my mobile phone and this model of Nokia I have the moment has an option to use your own mp3 or aac as the ringing tone (the sound quality is quite good for a mobile phones stereo loudspeakers.
Product Review - Tivoli Model Three Clock Radio
AlanM
Sat Nov 24 16:16:29 -0800 2007
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I owned a Model One and was pleased with the tuner - and was pleased that it is stereo at the line and headphone outputs. Sound seemed a little bright, but that's all in placement in the room and in relation to your ears. So when I found the Model Three on sale at a major retailer, I bought one right away! The sound was, in my opinion, better than the Model One due to the top mounted speaker, which gives it a more "rich" sound for music. The finish is as beautiful as the Model One I owned previously.

Sadly I must say I am dissapointed in a couple of aspects. First is the clock - in several respects. The hour and minute hands are nearly the same size, so if you wake up through the night, it's hard to tell if it is 3:30 or 6:15. The snooze is only 5 minutes - argh. But worst of all, the accuracy of the alarm is a mystery. I've had mine come on a full hour after what it was set to, just today it came on 20 minutes late (I was already awake). A $200 USD clock radio should at least have a reliable alarm equal to a $10 USD clock radio. The lack of AM/PM is a surprise that I did not think about. On the positive, the batteries than power the clock also power the ramp-up chirping alarm if the power would happen to fail, and are the source of clock power.

Then there is the issue with the radio. The tuner develops dead spots on the "dial". If you work the control as you would a volume control with static, the dead spots will go away one at a time - only to return the next day. Sigh.This does not speak well of quality given the price paid even in the US market. I had a Boston Recepter previously, which has a very similar sound (slightly more bass and softer treble). I believe I made a mistake in changing.  
Product Review - Tivoli Model Three Clock Radio
Kai Howells
Sun Nov 25 01:43:35 -0800 2007
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I gotta agree with you on the clock there - whilst mine is nowhere near as bad as yours, it's still not as good as it could be, especially for the price.

My alarm is a little difficult to set at a particular time, but once it's set, it's pretty consistent with the time it comes on. I don't like the hands being almost the same size, and the loud ticks the clock makes. Oh, and the LED that lights it up is far too bright - it's not bright enough to see during the day, yet it's far too bright and lights up my whole room at night.

I do, however, love the sound, and use it as a stereo with my iPod plugged in, playing Apple Lossless compressed music :D
 

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