Addressing the post about the bluetooth Tivoli models coming out soon, Dan writes:
Did you follow the link and read about the "BlueCon" Tivoli is foisting on consumers for $150? It is nothing more than a dressed up Bluetooth dongle. I purchased my Bluetooth dongle for $30 off Amazon. Tivoli was a good company back when Henry Kloss was associated with them but now their products are inferior and overpriced especially when compared to what Sangean offers.
I should also mention that I own two Tivoli Pal's and one Model One. I gave the Model One to a friend since the FM reception was ok but not outstanding. The two Pal's never did charge properly. After three years both Pals suffered from a wonky on/off.am/fm selector switch which you have to wiggle to get it playand now one Pal is completely dead.
The reception on my Sangean U3 is miles better in addition to being more powerful and reliable. There are so many better choices on the market now.
E-Bay 271046934972 Tivoli got you down? Go old school then.
Absolutely fantastic radio. I have one. The one in this auction seems to be a scratch and dent---but the price is right. Or, look for one in better condition. But this model is definitely a keeper. Some Sears radios were crap----I guess depending on who was building them. This one is heavy-duty and very well put together----good sound too, at least the one I have.
Posted by: Angelo | September 02, 2012 at 05:17 AM
Real table radios glow in the dark and smell like burning dust. Sure some of the new ones look cool, and some of them may outpull their ancestors, but to me there's just something..well... not quite right about a solid state table radio...something artificial.
I say if you want a table radio why not get a real one from the past? Just swap out the caps, and usually you're in business.
Posted by: Drive-In-Freak | September 03, 2012 at 05:00 AM
DI Freak: I have bought several old tubers----haven't changed out the caps since I don't know how----and they sound wonderful. Rich, deep, clear sound. I love them. And some are available for very little money if you are patient on E-Bay and not too picky about the brand/year. My experience is that if they are working, they sound good.
Posted by: Angelo | September 03, 2012 at 04:02 PM
It's not as complicated as it sounds, but I should warn everybody that those old tube chassis can be VERY DANGEROUS because depending on what direction you put the plug in the wall (they didn't have polarized plugs back then) the metal chassis itself could be and often is LIVE WITH 120V running through it.
Always unplug those old sets before you even think about taking the back ofr or touch any of the screws at all. IT COULD KILL YOU.
Posted by: Drive-In-Freak | September 04, 2012 at 04:35 AM
I love tube radios, but IMHO some of the late 60-early 70s table radios--that transitional period just before hi-fi and stereo systems consisting of separate components becane widely popular--sound just as good. I'm thinking of several Panasonics, Sonys, RCAs, one of the made-in-Korea Zeniths. Of course tube radios from the 40s and 50s have retro-cool visual appeal, especially the ones with wooden or Bakelite cabinets.
Posted by: Keith Beesley | September 04, 2012 at 10:14 PM
Over the years I've had a couple of old Sony solid state table sets that sounded quite good, but I gave them away.
The best I've ever head was a set a friend of mine had years ago. It was a rather odd set up from right before multiplex FM stereo came to be. He had two "twin" radios...one AM and one FM. Both had 6x9 speakers in them and the AM one had a wide switch that brought out the high frequency sounds (but of course killed the selectivity). The set-up was "Silvertone" (Sears), but I have no idea who built it. Whoever it was really got it right.
Some of them can sound quite good and really pull the stations in, but to be honest I never really got the point of them. Back in the tube radio era it made sense, but since the transistor days they're kinda pointless to me. It's tethered to a wall socket and has to stay on top of the refrigerator, table, or whatever yet isn't a stereo or communications receiver. Also being connected to a wall socket means there's going to be static/r.f. noise coming down the line directly into it...especially in this day and age of computers. All in all it seems to me like they're too many no longer necessary disadvantages. Why not just use a good portable, or (if space is that much of an issue) a small stereo system?
Posted by: Drive-In-Freak | September 05, 2012 at 04:18 PM
The GE P780 is an old solid state radio that sounds like a tube radio. Warm, full----bassy.
Posted by: Angelo | September 05, 2012 at 04:50 PM