Dear Herculodge: Should I Get the Tivoli Songbook or the CC Radio Plus?

Dear Herculodge,

I'm looking for an upscale clock radio and I've been struggling between the modern Tivoli Songbook, a pricey $179 on Amazon, and the CC Radio Plus, a more reasonable $139. Which one do you recommend?

Dear Reader,

I recommend neither. I own and enjoy the Songbook as a "part-time" radio in the guest bathroom. It looks great. The sound is fine. Its reception is above average. But for $179 it's performance is lagging. Additionally, it won't make a good clock radio for you. No illumination and it tips over. The Songbook is a decorative piece mostly.

I've never owned a CC Radio Plus, but reviews abound about its notorious LCD light malfunctions.

I recommend you save your money and buy the $85 Boston Horizon Solo or if you want even bigger sound shell out another $110 or so on the Duo version. You can't match the sound and the tuner is superb rendering excellent reception on AM and FM.

Comments

[Paul]

If you are in Chicago you can get the CC Radio Plus, used, for $25!

http://chicago.craigslist.org/wcl/ele/835492791.html

[jeffrey McMahon]

Just make sure the LCD screen works.

[Ed]

I always had reception problems in my office with the CC Radio. Needs an external antenna.
I wish the BA solo/duo were less of an ugly duckling...I must see about getting those color grills!

[Paul]

I actually think the Solo looks very good; if it only were smaller, I'd get one for the bedside. I may still get one, but reports of software bugs are keeping me away.

[jeffrey McMahon]

I'm in the middle of you two on the Solo's looks. Neither great looking nor offensive.

Its bugs haven't been a problem for me. Of course, I don't use sleeper or alarm function.

[Michael S]

Why do you recommend the Solo, which is not portable, over the CC and Songbook which are? Seems to me that is not a fair comparison.

Also, the iSongbook (the one with iPod dock and 2nd speaker and lists for $399!) is available online from Sears for $149.99.

[jeffrey McMahon]

If you want portability, the CC CSW is fine, not the CC Plus, which is a table radio.

That $149 price sounds great for what is retailed way too high.

In general, Tivolis are overpriced and the CC Plus has too many reliability problems.

But that Sears sale sounds too hard to pass up.

[Michael S]

OK, but the CC Plus does operate on batteries so that is why I still consider it a portable radio.

[jeffrey McMahon]

I didn't know people used the CC Plus as a portable. For the same price, I'd get the CC CSW. Reception on both units is probably similar with AM being a bit better on the CC Plus but not much better to justify the LCD problems. The thing's notorious for those.

Songbooks shot up to $229 on Amazon, but I guess they weren't selling because now they're down to $179. Their reception is above average but inferior to the aforementioned radios.

[Michael S]

I realize the Tivoli does not get as good reception as the others, but which portable radio has the best sound quality? You seem to always choose reception quality over sound quality, which in the age of iPods may not be a priority for a lot of people.

[jeffrey McMahon]

By sound quality do you mean the speaker sound combined with reception? If so, my CCrane CSW was amazing yesterday as I washed my wife's car. Even 710 AM, which has a birdy background noise, was absent outdoors. Other AM stations and all FM stations are fine on the CSW indoors.

I put 6 D rechargeables in the CSW and one button recharges them. So this is the best radio I have for portability, sound, and reception.

The speaker sound is even louder than my Tivoli PAL, which suffers signal fade.

Some however find the CSW to sound a bit harsh. Perhaps. But on balance my best portable.

There are no pretty sounding radios that are portable in my opinion. Now if Boston Acoustics made a portable, that would be something to get.