My Blue Tivoli PAL Is Replaced Under Tivoli Warranty

First posted in October of 2008:

My 4-year-old blue Tivoli PAL, which I purchased for $130 back in 2004, developed a gooey coating, presumably from sun exposure. No amount of washing could get this gooey crud off. A reader alerted me that this problem was under warranty and that Tivoli would replace my "melted" PAL with a new one. 

That reader was correct. In the most affable, encouraging manner, Tivoli made the exchange process easy and they offered me the choice between white and black. I opted for the latter, but wished I had gone with white because it appears it is not rubberized material that tends to go all gooey on you. Would the black replacement, which now retails for $229, be made of the same material as my old blue one?

The short answer is I'm not sure but I tend to think not. The black PAL feels more like a hybrid of plastic and rubber, if that's possible. In any case, I'm going to risk it and use my new black PAL as an outdoor radio, especially when I wash my car. I tend to think Tivoli changed the composite of the radio's exterior. It was obliged to: It markets the PAL as a "weather resistant" radio. 

Reception:

Both FM and AM are sensitive, especially off the rechargeable battery. Moving the telescopic antenna can make you "switch" from 89.3 to 89.9 and vice versa. 103.1 is hard to find, but once you find it and play with the antenna you can get it well enough. It is no Eton S350 on FM, but it is above average.

AM for me is excellent. You can easily rotate the brick-shaped PAL to maximize AM reception. 

Sound:

The 2.5 speaker is full and loud, one of the PAL's biggest strengths. Both music and voices come though with rich fidelity and intimacy. 

According to the manual, the speaker is magnetically shielded, which permits you to use it near a computer or television without compromising the images on the TV or monitor. 

Features:

1. automatic battery recharge for a sealed pack of 6 NiNH cells, called an MA-1 battery pack.

2. auxiliary input so that you can hear other audio through the speaker.

3. headphone output for a male mini plug. 

Ease of Use:

The analog tuning dial is easy to use, of course. Less easy is pinpointing your desired station since there is no digital read-out.

The rechargeable battery automatically recharges. You can't get easier than that. The manual says a full charge takes 3.5 hours if the radio is off. 

The radio is a 6-inch tall, 3.75-inch wide brick and is easy to carry. 

Conclusion:

The strong sound and more than adequate reception combined with the PAL's easy portability and long battery life make it appealing for that purpose. But the jury is still out on how "weather resistant" it is. I will update this matter in the following months, perhaps years. 

So now we've arrived at the bottom-line: Is the PAL worth the $229 price tag? Remember, I bought mine in 2004 for $130. To be truthful, I doubt I would spend nearly $100 more for it. I'd probably buy an Eton/Grundig S350, which, depending on sales go for $60-100 and use it off 4 "D" batteries. 

On the other hand, Tivoli doesn't market its high-end radios for budget-seekers. Tivoli has made an elegant, strong-performing radio with a very appealing speaker. If you need to play a portable radio off the batteries for extended hours and don't mind forking out the high price and are confident that the new composite material won't melt into goo, then the PAL is a compelling choice for an outdoor radio.

Update: I received an e-mail from another Tivoli owner, Dan, who had to make the same exchange. The new model does indeed have a new composite, as this e-mail explains:

"I returned Kyle's {The Tivoli rep} call, told him I preferred black, and asked if the black PAL would develop the same gummy residue that my green PAL had experienced. Kyle told me that the new PAL cabinets are made of a different material, and I shouldn't have a stickiness issue with the new radio."

 

First posted in October of 2008:

My 4-year-old blue Tivoli PAL, which I purchased for $130 back in 2004, developed a gooey coating, presumably from sun exposure. No amount of washing could get this gooey crud off. A reader alerted me that this problem was under warranty and that Tivoli would replace my "melted" PAL with a new one. 

That reader was correct. In the most affable, encouraging manner, Tivoli made the exchange process easy and they offered me the choice between white and black. I opted for the latter, but wished I had gone with white because it appears it is not rubberized material that tends to go all gooey on you. Would the black replacement, which now retails for $229, be made of the same material as my old blue one?

The short answer is I'm not sure but I tend to think not. The black PAL feels more like a hybrid of plastic and rubber, if that's possible. In any case, I'm going to risk it and use my new black PAL as an outdoor radio, especially when I wash my car. I tend to think Tivoli changed the composite of the radio's exterior. It was obliged to: It markets the PAL as a "weather resistant" radio. 

Reception:

Both FM and AM are sensitive, especially off the rechargeable battery. Moving the telescopic antenna can make you "switch" from 89.3 to 89.9 and vice versa. 103.1 is hard to find, but once you find it and play with the antenna you can get it well enough. It is no Eton S350 on FM, but it is above average.

AM for me is excellent. You can easily rotate the brick-shaped PAL to maximize AM reception. 

Sound:

The 2.5 speaker is full and loud, one of the PAL's biggest strengths. Both music and voices come though with rich fidelity and intimacy. 

According to the manual, the speaker is magnetically shielded, which permits you to use it near a computer or television without compromising the images on the TV or monitor. 

Features:

1. automatic battery recharge for a sealed pack of 6 NiNH cells, called an MA-1 battery pack.

2. auxiliary input so that you can hear other audio through the speaker.

3. headphone output for a male mini plug. 

Ease of Use:

The analog tuning dial is easy to use, of course. Less easy is pinpointing your desired station since there is no digital read-out.

The rechargeable battery automatically recharges. You can't get easier than that. The manual says a full charge takes 3.5 hours if the radio is off. 

The radio is a 6-inch tall, 3.75-inch wide brick and is easy to carry. 

Conclusion:

The strong sound and more than adequate reception combined with the PAL's easy portability and long battery life make it appealing for that purpose. But the jury is still out on how "weather resistant" it is. I will update this matter in the following months, perhaps years. 

So now we've arrived at the bottom-line: Is the PAL worth the $229 price tag? Remember, I bought mine in 2004 for $130. To be truthful, I doubt I would spend nearly $100 more for it. I'd probably buy an Eton/Grundig S350, which, depending on sales go for $60-100 and use it off 4 "D" batteries. 

On the other hand, Tivoli doesn't market its high-end radios for budget-seekers. Tivoli has made an elegant, strong-performing radio with a very appealing speaker. If you need to play a portable radio off the batteries for extended hours and don't mind forking out the high price and are confident that the new composite material won't melt into goo, then the PAL is a compelling choice for an outdoor radio.

Update: I received an e-mail from another Tivoli owner, Dan, who had to make the same exchange. The new model does indeed have a new composite, as this e-mail explains:

"I returned Kyle's {The Tivoli rep} call, told him I preferred black, and asked if the black PAL would develop the same gummy residue that my green PAL had experienced. Kyle told me that the new PAL cabinets are made of a different material, and I shouldn't have a stickiness issue with the new radio."

 

Comments

[Val]

Hi Jeff!
Did you tried to compare Tivoli AM reception with Sangean PR-D5 or C.Crane CCR-2.Just for curiosity Tivoli has 3.5 inch ferrite antenna and Sangean or C.Crane 200mm ferrite antennas. How far Sangean or C.Crane go with reception?
Thanx

[Chris]

http://cgi.ebay.com/Grundig-700-Shortwave-radio-AND-Sony-ICF-2010-radio_W0QQitemZ290344435929QQcmdZViewItemQQptZShortwave_Radios?hash=item4399e080d9&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

Killer deal for someone.