Sometimes an audio component punches so far above its weight that even the snootiest critics must acknowledge it. That happened back in 2000, when a small Boston startup called Tivoli Audio launched the Model One. Stereophile voted it a runner-up in its sacred “Analog Source” category. This monaural tabletop radio was shockingly good at locking in tightly spaced signals and pulling in low-power college stations—a cell phone chip provided the ultra-sensitive reception—that hi-fi geeks patched its stereo signal through the preamp of their pricy rack rigs, and used the thing as a bargain-basement tuner.
Sometimes an audio component punches so far above its weight that even the snootiest critics must acknowledge it. That happened back in 2000, when a small Boston startup called Tivoli Audio launched the Model One. Stereophile voted it a runner-up in its sacred “Analog Source” category. This monaural tabletop radio was shockingly good at locking in tightly spaced signals and pulling in low-power college stations—a cell phone chip provided the ultra-sensitive reception—that hi-fi geeks patched its stereo signal through the preamp of their pricy rack rigs, and used the thing as a bargain-basement tuner.
This digital refresh of the classic Tivoli Model One radio pumps out a lot of dBs with surprisingly low distortion. Small footprint. The design will please Buddhist monks and shelter porn editors.
A serious lapse in build quality will rankle some. The ridiculously high gear ratio of the jumbo tuning wheel makes FM surfing tedious.