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Tivoli Audio The SongBook incorporates a highly sensitive digital AM/FM tuner for clear and precise reception, as well as an adjustable, telescoping FM antenna and built-in AM antenna. Stations may be tuned manually or via five favorite station preset buttons; and for travelers who may not know what local stations are available, the radio also features a 'seek' function to automatically search for signals in any country around the world. lts weather-resistant cabinet is perfect for outdoor use.

Review:
Tivoli Audio has made waves in the audio field with the retro look of models such as the Model 0ne Henry Kloss Table Radio and the iPod-inspired iPAL Portable Audio Laboratory AM/FM Radio. The SongBook AM/FM Radio breaks that mold slightly, opting for a simple, yet fun, look and feel. And like all Tivoli Audio products, the SongBook deserves accolades for the surprisingly rich sound it is able to produce despite its compact size.

The Tivoli Design
The first thing that called our attention was the SongBook's brilliant color and unique texture. This is a radio clearly designed to make you feel happy by just looking at it and holding it. With the options of several, bright elementary colors (Black, Blue, Red, Silver, White, Green, Yellow) that make you want to reach for your crayons, the SongBook truly makes a statement. lt's a radio that you'll definitely want to take to the beach, and it's a radio that makes you long for summer days all year around.

But Tivoli Audio knows that good design involves far more than color. The radio is coated with a unique, rubberized texture, and the dials and displays are all sealed so that a sudden rain shower or a little sand won't interfere with performance. We're not suggesting that you surf the waves with your SongBook, or bury it in the walls of your sand castle, but a little of Mother Nature here and there won't bother this baby.

Weighing in at three-and-a-half pounds, and with dimensions slightly smaller than that of a hardcover book, the SongBook is designed with portability in mind. The minimalist front-face design -- a round, metal mesh covering the (surprisingly robust) 2.5-inch driver, and several rubberized button and knobs are the only elements in view -- harkens back to early portable radio designs. Five presets, two tuning buttons, a rotary volume control, a function knob (0FF/AM/FM/AUX), and buttons for the alarm, sleep, time set, and back light functions are all clearly and conveniently laid out. The radio's LCD (with an on-demand blue back light) sits directly above the speaker. Meanwhile, three standard 3.5-millimeter inputs are set on the radio's side -- an auxiliary line-in port for plugging in your iPod or other music device, a port for AC/DC power, and a headphone input. All the ports feature strong, attached rubber plugs that keep out the elements when they're not in use. A rear keyhole cut-out for wall hanging is set into the back, and a single telescopic metal antenna is set into its own groove on top of the radio.

Because the SongBook is designed for the elements, the battery compartment is tightly sealed and requires a coin or screwdriver to open. 0nce opened, you can easily access the two switches (alkaline/rechargeable and 9k/10k) that offer options for the battery source. You can also choose U.S. or international AM reception here. The only design element missing is a handle, but Tivoli offers an optional, color coordinated SongBook Carry Bag to make up for that.

Giving it a Listen
As with other Tivoli products we've reviewed, the sound of the SongBook is remarkably strong for such a small unit. Granted, you don't get stereo sound, but competing designs that offer stereo speakers in a small package don't offer that much stereo separation anyway. Reception came in loud and clear on all the area AM and FM stations, with both AC and DC power. The only glitch, which we were able to repeat in two separate locations, was occasional outside interference that broke up broadcasts with a brief screech. All in all, though, we were happy with the sound of every genre of music we listened to, as well as talk radio. The auxiliary input was great, too, for listening to MP3s from a portable music source.

ln addition to good sound quality, we found the presets, time set, alarm, and tuning/search functions impeccable. Everything was so intuitive that we barely needed to consult the manual. Another bonus we liked: The SongBook comes with a handy internal recharger, so you have the option of using rechargeable batteries without the inconvenience of having to carry around a separate recharger.

Tivoli clearly decided early on not to reinvent the wheel with respect to portable radios. lnstead, they put their energies into making an easy-to-use, rugged, yet playful, radio. Audiophiles, beach-goers, and general radio listeners of the world should unite in praise.

Pros

• Rugged yet playful and colorful design
• Simple, intuitive functionality

Cons

• lt's a radio with the price-tag of a much more advanced device
• Lack of a handle somewhat limits its portability

Piece Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours

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Buyer's feedback: - * So far Tivoli gives great music! ...
I just purchased this radio in white. I bought it to use around the house, not for travel. Also since I just unpacked and plugged in the radio today, I have not had an opportunity to use the alarm clock or battery charging functions. Other reviews on this radio spoke of the quality of sound and of good reception. I had tried without success to listen to a favorite FM radio station where I live. The signal could be picked up in my car but not in radios inside our house. The Tivoli Songbook did the trick! I can now hear my favorite music! Although I am not quite the audiophiles that some reviewers are, the quality of sound is fine for me! Also I like the radio's design. It's sleek -- cool! The fact that it has the rubberized casing and is water resistant is icing on the cake. I also like the option of hanging it on the wall although mine will likely be sitting on a table or dresser instead. The station pre-sets are very convenient. Very nice job, Tivoli!

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Buyer's feedback: - nice way to listen to ipod
Great tuner. Pre-sets are very nice. Great way to listen to ipod. Need to buy connector wire to plug ipod into aux input, and can't charge ipod using this device, but speaker is fine and nice to have option of switching from ipod tunes to excellent radio tuner.

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Buyer's feedback: - * Top Quality .... But at a Price. ...
Super sound, well thought-out controls, and more rugged than you might imagine. This is one fine radio. It has provided excellent performance in daily use since purchase six months ago. Only negative? Tivoli Audio's restrictive pricing policy on merchants.

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Buyer's feedback: - Almost Perfect
When my nearly 20 year old Sony Dream Machine cube style alarm clock radio finally gave out I decided to go in search of the best night stand alarm clock radio money could buy. The requirements were design style, sound quality, reception, ease of use, and a back light that goes completely off so that I can sleep at night. After a good deal of research I zeroed in on the Tivoli SongBook ($159) and the Sangean Sonido ($99). After trying both, here's what I've found:

The Tivoli SongBook has very attractive, modern styling (I prefer the black model), exceptional sound quality (like having a $1,000 Bose next to my bed), terrific reception (I don't even need to extend the antenna to get my favorite radio station clearly), very easy to set/update the clock and alarm times, and a back light which thankfully goes completely off. I took one star off for the SongBooks negatives - the alarm must be turned on everyday buy pushing down and holding the alarm button for a few seconds (easy to do, but I fear the day that I forget), no alarm snooze (I just turn the volume down), and the display, with or without it's beautiful blue back light turned on, is small and difficult to read, even from only a foot or so away while lying in bed.

The Sangean Sonido looks nice, though not as attractive a design as the SongBook, cost's $59 less than the SongBook, has a more readable screen than the SongBook (with back light that goes completely off), has an alarm snooze, and has an alarm that stays on from day to day. While I haven't made my final decision yet on which to keep, I'm strongly leaning toward the SongBook given the Sonido's shortcomings - to get my favorite station clearly I must extend the antenna directly upwards creating an unsightly mess, while better than a Sony Dream Machine the speaker audio quality is only about half as good as the SongBooks (I think this is what spoiled it for me), and even though the display is nicer when the radio alarm sounds the display shows the radio station number, not the time!

I hope Tivoli will improve the alarm functions in a future SongBook model update, until then I think it's still worth the $159 price tag (as long as I'm not late for a meeting because I forgot to turn the alarm on!)

Update: In the end I decided to go with the Sonido. I exchanged my first unit and the replacement had much better audio quality (though still not as good as the SongBook). The reception remains less than stellar, but while using the SongBook I was late for a meeting because of it's lack of full alarm function features, so it had to go.

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Buyer's feedback: - * Travel radio? Not really. ...
Cool design, good sound quality, but if your travel plans require a passport, definitely not the radio for you. Not mentioned anywhere on the product specifications is the fact that this radio (as seemingly do most, if not all, Tivoli products, including the expensive iSongBook "travel" radio) requires a standard US external power source, so if you were to try to plug it in, say, in your hotel in Europe, most likely you'll have one less thing to worry about when packing to return home. And of course the warranty will not cover any damages from such "improper" use. Which makes me wonder whether advertising it as a travel radio and trumpeting its AM/FM radio features made specifically "for North America AND Europe" isn't a bit misleading, if not downright fraudelent. Look elsewhere if you really need a radio to travel with.