skonopa Posted April 4, 2003 Share Posted April 4, 2003 I went and did a little shopping tonight. I got myself a nice little toy for the office at work. I went and bought one of these. Yes, that is the Tivoli Model 2 radio. I even got the little subwoofer that goes with it. I got the one with the brown face and cherry cabinet (yes that is real wood). I did not realize it at the time, but I see they even have a CD player that you can use with the thing. However, at my office, I plan on hooking it up to my PC using the Aux input, thus I already have CD playback as well as MP3 playback capabilities, otherwise, I would gotten the CD player for it also (which, by the way, you could use in your full-sized setup - I wonder how well it performs - may still have to check it out sometime). I went and set it up just to try it out here in my den. I am impressed with the sound quality of this little thing! It has a very nice warm sound. It is suprisingly detailed and images very well. The subwoofer is very tight and accurate - not boomy and "farty" as those small subs sometimes tends to be. I honostly think it sounds much superior to the Bose Wave Radio, especially considering the Model Two, with the sub, costs only half of what Bose wants for that Wave Radio. Add the CD player, it would be as much as just the basic Wave Radio (without CD). Also, this thing seems to be able to pull in stations from Mars! I have been finding stations around here I did not know even existed! The big analog tuner dial is very smooth and easy to operate. You can very finely tune in a station to get the best signal. I have wanted a small radio for my office for awhile, but I just did not care for the $40 Walmart special boomboxes that everybody else seems to have around there. The other shelf systems I have seen were just too big, bulky, hideous looking (any of you remember that "giga-tube" thread? - I don't want something that looks like it was ripped off a cheap sci-fi set in my office, such as this!), crappy sounding, or expensive (many of those miniture "executive style" systems are over $500 - at least the good ones!). That Model Two radio is just sooo perfect for what I want to use it for. I also like the very clean, classic look of the unit, complete with a very handsome wood cabinet. The only downside is that the speakers are not magnetically shielded, which is a concern for me since I do plan on using it around a PC. I hope in later revisions, they make it magnetically shielded. If you are in the market for very nice small desktop radio, this is definitly worth checking out! (I have seen the topic appear on here every now and again.) Got me thinking though, would it be cool if Klipsch could put out something like this? The speakers would look like miniture Fortes, with a horn tweeter and a small woofer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prodj101 Posted April 5, 2003 Share Posted April 5, 2003 I've been kinda lookin at these things latley myself. they seem like theyd be nice, but I haven't had a chance to use one really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skonopa Posted April 5, 2003 Author Share Posted April 5, 2003 ---------------- On 4/5/2003 12:51:33 AM prodj101 wrote: I've been kinda lookin at these things latley myself. they seem like theyd be nice, but I haven't had a chance to use one really. ---------------- When I first heard about them, I was skeptical of thier performance. I figured it was just another overpriced gimmick - playing on peoples desire for that "classic look". I'll admit the simple classic look of the Model Two did catch my eye when I did first seem tham in a Crutchfield catalog. Enough to want to read the product description and keep it tucked in my mind when I went shopping for a small, but decent, radio to use at work. When I finally got a chance to play with one, I was quite impressed with the sound. Also, the unit is very solidly built - it does not feel chincy as alot of those others are, including the Bose Wave radio. It is not surprising that somebody would be skeptical. Look at the abundance of cheap boomboxes that all claim exceptional performance. Also look at how many claim to have "Mega Bass" or "Bass Boost". All that is some cheap equilization trick to try to improve bass performance. If you want to improve bass performance on the Model Two, you can get the matching subwoofer, thus giving you a real bass speaker, not some electronic tricking of the signal. Then you have outfits like Bose touting thier radio is the greatest thing on earth. I don't care what others say - the Bose Wave radio is not worth the $400-$450 or whatever they are asking for it! I'll admit that it is a far better performing radio than all those cheap boomboxes you see at Walmart or Best Buy, as well as having a nice sleek look (I like the charcol colored one myself) but still - $400??!!?? Also alot of those, such as that JVC "Giga-Tube" are boomy as hell! I guess they figured the kids like that kind of stuff (look at all the boomboxes on wheels - to borrow a phrase from TheEARs - "all boom and no go!". Also how many times do I have to hear somebody crank up the bass to overdriven in the car stereo demonstration area at Best Buy (not to mention, I must have turned down every subwoofer in the HT speaker listening area - they where all set to maximum gain!)? Do these people honostly think that sounds good? - but I digress...) If anybody ever asks me for a recommendation of a good quality desktop radio, I'll whole-heartly recommend the Tivoli Model Two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m00n Posted April 5, 2003 Share Posted April 5, 2003 Right on, that looks like a nice little unit Sconapa. I wouldn't mind hearing one of those myself. I am guessing you have an office with a door and not just a cubie... Yes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justin_tx_16 Posted April 5, 2003 Share Posted April 5, 2003 They do sound very good but don't get very loud, but that is ok for an office. I almost got one but decided I would be better off with another Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 which I got for $89 at SamGoody I really do like the look and sound of those Henry Kloss radio's, the were originally made JUST for Tweeter I beleive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1stcav Posted April 5, 2003 Share Posted April 5, 2003 Wonder what PWK thought about Henry Kloss and all his theories and designs? I'm sure he must have had some respect for Kloss. I like the Model Two radio as well, but I don't have a need for it when I have this old 1950 vintage Zenith Model H724 AM/FM vacuum tube radio beside my desk. I took this jpg image on my Olympus digital camera with a fog and diffuser filters in front of the lens, using the Sepia mode to make the photo look old. Pretty neat, huh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skonopa Posted April 5, 2003 Author Share Posted April 5, 2003 ---------------- On 4/5/2003 12:15:54 PM m00n wrote: Right on, that looks like a nice little unit Sconapa. I wouldn't mind hearing one of those myself. I am guessing you have an office with a door and not just a cubie... Yes? ---------------- Yep, I have an actual, honost-to-god office. I am not in a cube-farm. Yeah, the Model Two does not get real loud, than again, I don't want anything that gets real loud. It does get plenty loud enough for my office, though. I hooked up my ProMedia V2.400 in my office once - that was way overkill! JT - That was pretty cool. I actually thought that was an old picture taken from an old catalog or something. Neat old radio - I bet it has a nice warm sound to it. Pretty cool what you can do with digital photography now-a-days, eh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1stcav Posted April 5, 2003 Share Posted April 5, 2003 Yes sir. skonopa, the Olympus is just as creative as the user, but it took awhile for me to get used to it (I'm from the old school totally mechanical, all manual, auto-nothing 35mm Olympus OM-1n camera and lenses). The Zenith does have a glorious warm sound, and with it's simple wire loop antenna on its back (and a 10' wire for FM), it amazingly pulls in alot of stations crystal clear. The local NPR station in Tampa sounds especially sweet when a big orchestral work is playing. (who says mono can't sound just as good?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skonopa Posted April 5, 2003 Author Share Posted April 5, 2003 ---------------- On 4/5/2003 6:40:53 PM jt1stcav wrote: The Zenith does have a glorious warm sound, and with it's simple wire loop antenna on its back (and a 10' wire for FM), it amazingly pulls in alot of stations crystal clear. The local NPR station in Tampa sounds especially sweet when a big orchestral work is playing. (who says mono can't sound just as good?) ---------------- I went and tuned into the local NPR station here with that Model Two radio I just got. Very impressive sound with the big orchestral works for such a small device. Check out this site if you are interested in the old vintage radios. That Zenith model you have seemed to have been very popular. I was amazed at all the difference colors and styles of that thing they have made during the time, even some with wood cabinets similar to the very modern Model Two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1stcav Posted April 5, 2003 Share Posted April 5, 2003 Thanks for that site. The Zenith is the only vintage AM/FM radio I have. Other tube radios are an early '50's Zenith AM clock radio, a little Bakelite 1947 Philco Transitone, a wooden '46 Crosley, a wooden 1940 Emerson AM/SW radio, and a 1934 Emerson Model 25A miniature wooden mantle radio (cute as hell). It's my small but budding tube radio collection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnA Posted April 6, 2003 Share Posted April 6, 2003 I got a Model 1 for Christmas. It IS a great radio. In fact, I have the best radio in the office! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skonopa Posted April 6, 2003 Author Share Posted April 6, 2003 ---------------- On 4/6/2003 12:35:58 PM John Albright wrote: I got a Model 1 for Christmas. It IS a great radio. In fact, I have the best radio in the office! ---------------- After seeing and hearing how good the Model 2 was, I am tempted to go get myself one these PAL radios for taking on camping trips and such. That is basically a ruggadized version of the Model 1. It also has its own rechargable internal battery so you don't need to plug it in. I like the blue one myself . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkrop Posted April 6, 2003 Share Posted April 6, 2003 I'll bet you got a better price than what they are selling these for in the Sharper image and Harrington and other uppity catalogues! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skonopa Posted April 6, 2003 Author Share Posted April 6, 2003 ---------------- On 4/6/2003 1:24:31 PM bkrop wrote: I'll bet you got a better price than what they are selling these for in the Sharper image and Harrington and other uppity catalogues! ---------------- Yeh, I just got mine at the local Tweeter. Total cost, including the little subwoofer, came out to just over $200. I probably could have saved a few bucks by going online, but by the time shipping is added in and than having to wait for it (and hoping the shipping company does not destroy it), it would have just about came out the same in the end anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curmudgeon Posted April 6, 2003 Share Posted April 6, 2003 I bought a Tivoli Model One for my mother for Christmas 2002. She has had nothing but praise for it and listens to it more than she does her main stereo system (out of convenience, the fewer knobs something has the better!). She lives in rural KS and has no problem pulling in distant radio stations. The Tivoli products show just how much of a genius Henry Kloss really was - he was very adept at building great quality into low and mid-priced electronics. Another legend (like PWK) that is now gone and will be missed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1stcav Posted April 6, 2003 Share Posted April 6, 2003 Amen, brother! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregorius Posted April 7, 2003 Share Posted April 7, 2003 I bought one of these at the local thrift for $10 including the extra speaker. It's a Fisher 100 table radio Solid State and weighs about 14lbs. My wife uses it in the kitchen. Mine is in better shape than this one that was on epay. Geez, this one went for $177.50. Maybe I should sell it! Regards, Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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