The Tivoli Music System

Simple. Elegant. Affordable.

The original Tivoli radio range has grown to include many add ons &ndash CD player, stereo speaker, clock, alarm and subwoofer. So it makes perfect sense to combine all these items in one highly engineered, good looking package. If the Tivoli Model One has always been a little over-performer, offering a surprisingly great sound from a compact case, then the new Tivoli Music System at NZ$ 1,499 takes this equation to the logical conclusion. And Tivoli, being the perfectionists that they are, have done much more than just equaling the performance of the separate pieces.

You can directly compare the performance of the Tivoli Music system with more costly component systems. It has one of the finest tuners available at any price. While it is no surprise that the radio reception is their best yet, the CD playing part is also considerably better than in the little player we have matched with the Model 2 and 3. Like all Tivoli Audio products, the Music System stereo is compatible with iPod and other players. And the little remote control manages to be both cute and easy to use with all the most needed features included.

You can attribute much of the improved sound quality to the solid construction, including the trade mark furniture grade wood cabinet. Think of the Tivoli Music system as a loudspeaker and it starts to make sense &ndash you have carefully chosen drivers &ndash including a down firing subwoofer, housed in an optimized, solid and well damped enclosure. And the internal amplifiers are dedicated to these speakers, so you effectively have an active speaker system. That’s exactly what it sounds like &ndash detail and control, with a sense of scale that belies the box size.There is a bit of smart audio manipulation in there as well. While it would be nice to have a greater physical separation between the speakers, Tivoli take care of this by incorporating a wide mode which makes for a much more spacious sound that bog standard stereo.

The Music System is also the slickest clock radio you’ll ever wake up to. There are dual alarms so you’ll be able to deal with varied wake up times. The display can be dimmed which is very important in a bedroom and the sleep function makes the other end of the day easy to deal with. In fact it works so well and sounds so good that you’ll just want to spend more time in bed (which is sometimes not such a bad thing). Most importantly, while the is user-friendly. Tivoli keep all their sophisticated audio tricks hidden inside. A cinch to operate. Wired - Editors Pick

As long time Tivoli users &ndash we have PAL in the kitchen and wake up with a Model 3 every morning &ndash the Music System looks hugely tempting and if we had more of them in stock then I’m sure one would find it’s way home with us. But don’t think that we see it as just a secondary system or compromise. If we tried to put together a selection of separates to do the same things for a similar price, we can’t even come close. In fact, nothing short of one of the new Arcam Solo system combined with good speakers will better the abilities of the Tivoli, so we are saying something. That said, if you want something very good for your office, or are lucky enough to have a holiday home somewhere, the Tivoli Music system is ideal.

We also see the Music System as the antidote to TV - Music, information and entertainment all available anytime you want and if you are part of the ever growing National Radio demographic it’s commercial free. Music 101 on Saturday afternoons sounds particularly good via the music system &ndash it’s got the capabilities to make the most of live recordings. And there is nothing to stop you plugging in your laptop to listen to any of the podcasts of programs that you might have missed. Classical listeners will love the rich tone of the Tivoli when tuning into the Concert program.

There is a bit of retro in the Music System despite all the up-to-the-minute capabilities. The look isn’t a million miles removed from a 50s radiogram and the wooden cabinet reinforces this. On the other hand the black and silver version is undeniably modernist. It’s familiar yet original at the same time.

So all in all, the Tivoli Music system is hard to fault. As they promise, it is simple, elegant and affordable. It will be your best friend and will quite probably get more hours of use than any other piece of electronics you might own. And sound just great while doing so.

And would you like a Dolphin with that?

Purchase a Tivoli Music system from us and we’ll give a worthwhile donation to the World Wide Fund for Nature’s Hectors Dolphin program. And you’ll get a cute and furry little dolphin to sit on top of your Tivoli to remind you that you have helped a good cause. We promise it will make the system sound even better.