Bose table stereo v. others?

[Zeke]

Did the search and found one thread where several bashed the Bose table system as expensive and not that good. Then there were the positive comments, but that didn't help the price any.

Dottore mention Tivoli. Looked at them and they're ugly. But if they're the kind, I'll get one.

Here's what I want:
Compact
Good sound, fill at least one room
Nice design, not to boxy if I can help it, color options would be nice
CD, maybe changer
Remote
A dock or at least a port for the iPhone
Yeah, maybe a USB port for all kinds of devices
Radio, meh, take it or leave it

What else is out there?
And, what classification are these? "Tabletop" is not helping me.

[Zeke]

This seems kinda cool.

[RWebb]

you are going to have to listen to them in YOUR room using YOUR program material

Dr. Amar Bose is a genius and the inventor of many psycho-acoustic "tricks" to make cheap crap sound better.

I like Tivoli - designed by another genius... KLH ring any bells?

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by Zeke

This seems kinda cool.

When it comes to audio I'm old school "bigger is better" kinda guy (5.1 Pioneer in the living room... and gigantic stereo in my garage that is bigger/badder/ louder than what most people have in their house)

However my inner tech/geek/gadgetboy finds that very VERY cool!

[cairns]

Tivoli is better than the Bose (almost anything is) Do you want just Ipod or CD and FM?

I bought a B&W Zeppelin and was amazed. Cambridge Soundworks, Boston Acoustics and Polk Audio also make systems that I'm sure would provide better sound and value than the Bose. The Bose really is a paper coned over priced gimmick.

[DARISC]

Originally Posted by RWebb

...I like Tivoli - designed by another genius... KLH ring any bells?

Henry Kloss. I bought a Tivoli Model One for my art studio about 10 yrs ago; had a KLH system in grad school, still have the KLH Model 5 speakers in my LR, acoustic suspension still good after decades of use (never re-coned). Great equipment.

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by cairns

Tivoli is better than the Bose (almost anything is) Do you want just Ipod or CD and FM?

.

I thought the list covered about everything.

OK, this looks fancy, but why no stereo?




Oh wait, no CD.

Then I found this:



Never heard of Sangean: Sangean DDR-63 All-in-One Table Top with WiFi Internet, FM-RDS/Aux In/ CD/USB/iPod Cradle in Acoustically Designed Wooden Cabinet

[TimT]

I have a Tivoli PAL radio... it sounds great for what it is, a little portable mono radio...

The internal battery can power it for a a days worth of use... I often bring it to the track and sit it on the step of my trailer and listen to tunes during off time..

It accepts an auxiliary input whether it is from a droid, cd player, iphone etc...

Small form factor, big sounds.. not audiophile snob quality of course..



Tivoli makes a cd player



Then of course you can get all sorts of Tivoli goodness all wrapped up in one nice looking package

Tivoli Platinum music system

[Zeke]

I'll bet that Tivoli in the 3rd pic is awesome. But I'd have to cover that with a bag, it's so ugly. What century are those guys living in design wise? Don't say mid century because the bauhaus crowd would puke.

That thing is a 70's Viet Nam era nightmare in design. I actually like some of that stuff, too.

Sorry, that's not coming to my house. I do have some aesthetic principles.

[cairns]

geez zeke you said i was on the rag today. c'mon you asked we answered.

while i agree beauty is in the eye of the beholder what you're after should appeal to your ears and your wallet first, right? Personally I (and a lot of others who are in to this stuff) find the bose wave to be 70s chic hard plastic and the tivoli to be a lot more bauhaus than out house. but listen to the thing before you dismiss it on looks. it's a singer next to a mazda.

the tivoli (and many of the others recommended) sounds better and it will hold up.

just a suggestion.....

[enzo1]

couple more to consider, 1 from Target and 1 from Sam's Club: Sonos Play:5 Wireless HiFi Player and Soundfreaq Sound Step Bluetooth Wireless Audio System - Sam's Club

[RWebb]

I have 3 of the portable Tivoli radios, and 1 AC unit - Mono is fine for most things, and they are very high quality.

Maybe Ian knows of something higher quality in this genre - you could pm him if he doesn't check in and spot this thread.

Another option is to wire up an Alpine car stereo for use on AC. Alpine is pretty high quality and has its own D > A decoder so you don't have to use the one in an ipHone.

[JAR0023]

I like the Boston Acustics Duo.

J

[sc_rufctr]

This is cool stuff but not cheap.

Symbol Audio | TABLETOP HIFI



Do you still play vinyl? You can also see the table top hifi in the back ground.
(although I'd question the need for tubes when playing vinyl)

[sc_rufctr]

Another view.

[intakexhaust]

We have some Bose radio /CD without the iPod dock in another room but rarely used. Have no idea how it got there... wifey CC and never told of the cost?? Sounds good for the small size. I named it the Bozo system after plugging a bluetooth receiver into a rear aux and send streaming audio from a tablet or one of the PC's.

Listening way too much to talk AM these days... thats whacked and I need help. One of these days I feel like dragging all my old Marantz, Pioneer 70's 80's big stuff out, play some Ted Nugent scratchy LP's and lighting up the neighborhood.

[Dottore]

I am very suspicious of companies that put crap on the market, and "crap" is the only way to describe the sound of the Bose system in my 997. It sounds like the drive- thru speaker at McDonalds. Stay away from Bose.

BTW the retro look of the Tivoli is deliberate. I read the designer wanted the look to hark back to the days of quality hi-fi equipment. We have a rosewood Tivoli set that looks incredibly elegant. The Tivoli is of course no substitute for a real stereo. But it is great for basements, kitchens, spare rooms, man caves etc.

[Langers]

B&O do some good small system stuff. Worth a look.

[DARISC]

Originally Posted by Dottore

...retro look of the Tivoli is deliberate. I read the designer wanted the look to hark back to the days of quality hi-fi equipment...

Back in grad school I bought this KLH Model 27 stereo AM/FM tuner/amp and KLH Model 5 acoustic suspension speakers. KLH, I believe, invented the acoustic suspension system: KLH Twenty-Seven Stereo Receiver

From the link:

"FM-AM receiver, all transistor; AM/FM vernier dial tuner. Designed by Henry Kloss in the mid 1960s.

Power output was rated at 30 watts RMS per channel.

A 1970 ad from Audio Lab in Cambridge has this unit on sale at $252,
Kist price was $325."

The measly 30w/channel drove the highly efficient Model 5 speakers, producing BIG sound from a unit less than half the size and weight of it's bells and whistles laden competitors.

I still have the speakers in my LR, original cones/acoustic suspension rings.

Edit: re the speakers, "The acoustic suspension woofer is a type of loudspeaker that reduces bass distortion caused by non-linear, stiff mechanical suspensions in conventional loudspeakers. It was invented in 1954 by Edgar Villchur, and brought to commercial production by Villchur and Henry Kloss with the founding of Acoustic Research in Cambridge Mass."

[whiskyb]

Another vote for the Sonos. Although I don't have the above mentioned piece I have 6 of there wireless amps and love them