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Tivoli Audio's classic 2000 Model 1 table radio gets a complete makeover 17 years later. The Model One Digital, announced this week, adds Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connections to stream music from your smartphone, PC, or the Spider web. It still tunes FM directly, but Tivoli dropped AM radio. Calculation an optional second speaker (above photo) turns information technology into a stereo radio, and adding more speakers turns it into a multi-room system. The display is now digital. There's only one visible knob — the book command — and the circular bezel effectually the brandish is the tuning knob. The price is now $300, or twice what the archetype Model I radio currently costs. It ships March 20th.

In simplifying the Model I Digital, Tivoli says the design is ameliorate than e'er and more than streamlined. Perhaps. Information technology may also confuse the heck out of house guests if yous've got i in the spare bedroom, because it'southward no longer crystal-articulate how to turn it on, or melody, or switch from radio to, say, smartphone music.

Tivoli's original Model One radio ($150), left, and Model One Digital ($300).

More music sources than e'er

The original Model One has a aux-in jack to plug in, say, a Sony Discman CD role player. It's still at that place on the Model One Digital (photo inset). The big comeback comes from the addition of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. A smartphone app for iOS and Android directly tune Spotify, Deezer, Tidal, TuneIn, and QQ Music. Anything else can exist tuned on your PC or other device and streamed to the Model Ane Digital. For countries where it'south offered, the Model 1 Digital will melody DAB (digital audio broadcasting).

Tivoli says the audio electronics and tuner have been improved, every bit has the single speaker, now seen as a rectangle rather than circle. The digital display has smallish fonts; they may exist hard to make out equally a bedside radio for people who've taken off their spectacles for the night. The initial radios will come in walnut, blackness, or white wood finishes with Danish speaker grille fabrics.

ConX Wi-Fi transceiver ($60), gives legacy Tivoli and other products music streaming features.

Backwards compatibility with older radios

Over the years, the Tivoli Audio collection grew with multiple wood and faceplate types. In that location's the current version of the Model One without and with Bluetooth ($150, $180). There's the battery powered PAL BT (Portable Audio Laboratory with Bluetooth, $200), the stereo Music Organisation Three ($250) and the Model Iii BT clock radio ($300).

Self-powered Cube ($200) and Art Speaker ($250) speakers provide stereo and multi-room audio. With multi-room, Tivoli is trying to take on industry leader Sonos, the offset company to create wireless multi-room systems where the music was in sync in every room — no piece of cake trick unless the speakers are hard-wired.

Tivoli's $60 ConX box gives streaming sound capabilities to all its legacy systems. And so if you've got a Tivoli unit already, you can keep using it.

Contenders for high-finish, like shooting fish in a barrel-to-use radios and music players

Como Sound Ambiente

The Boston area spawned many audio companies that changed and simplified the process of playing music that sounded good. One was Bose, founded by MIT grad and prof Amar Bose and currently selling the Soundtouch Music System IV ($600). Another was Acoustic Research, co-founded in the 1950s by Henry Kloss, who went on to constitute or develop for KLH (which sold a Model 8 radio), Advent, Cambridge SoundWorks (which sold clock and tabular array radios besides every bit speakers). CSW founders left to found other audio firms. Kloss and CSW'due south Tom DeVesto found Tivoli Audio in 2000; Kloss died in 2002 and DeVesto left in 2016 to found Como Sound; like Tivoli, Como sells mono and stereo radio units ($300-$450) that tin can also stream music to 1 or multiple rooms. Another CSW offshoot, Zvox Audio, sells TV sound bars. It'south similar beefcake of a rock ring, without the groupies.

In that location are others, including Cue, Revo, Grace, Pure, Sangean, and the retro Crosley. If you're shopping, check for these features in case they matter to you: AM likewise equally FM, Hard disk radio, digital radio, and Wi-Fi for streaming. As well check that you, or a friend, can brand it work without ever opening the user transmission.