Tivoli Audio iPAL Portable Audio Laboratory AM/FM Radio, Silver/White by Tivoli Audio
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Our Price: $219.99 Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Category: CE See more digital camera details and other models |
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Digital camera reviews of Tivoli Audio iPAL Portable Audio Laboratory AM/FM Radio, Silver/White
Digital camera Review: Best reception I've found
Summary: 5 Stars
Just received the Tivoli iPal. Another review said, "don't be surprised, it's small, but has great sound." They were right on both counts. But, since we live in a rural county, for me, I needed a radio that could pull in a signal. I've tried several with no luck... The iPal delivers! We don't even have to use the antenna!
I'm amazed at the sound quality from such a small speaker and the smooth analog dial is first class.
It's good to see a product that exceeds expectations. Kudos!
Barnwell, SC
Digital camera Review: Best tuner in the business
Summary: 5 Stars
To me, the most outstanding thing about this radios is its tuner. It brings in clear sound from stations that my other radios cannot receive at all. If a signal is not clear, the sound quality doesn't matter. This baby has both great sound and amazing tuning capability.Digital camera Review: Big sound, small box
Summary: 5 Stars
It may only be mono, but the iPal is an excellent sound source for the bath, or for carrying into the garage or onto the patio. Locking tuner is great.Digital camera Review: Brilliant, but flawed.
Summary: 3 Stars
This is a great little radio, but it has an annoying design flaw.
In order to make things supposedly more simple, the designers decided that the OFF/FM/AM switch should also be a battery charging mode selector switch. If you plug it into the mains when the radio is switched on, the battery will be charged slowly (also known as "trickle" charging). If you plug into the mains when the radio is switched off, the battery will be charged much more quickly (and can fully charged within three hours).
Unfortunately, this makes is far too easy for a not-technically minded person, like the person I gave one of these radios to as a gift, to overcharge the battery. The manual states:
"Once the PAL has been charged using the Fast Charge Mode, do not plug it and then immediately plug it back it in again as this will restart the Fast Charge Mode even though the batteries are fully charged. Doing this repeatedly will damage the batteries."
So this radio (which is otherwise brilliant) has no form of battery over-charge protection/circuitry?!
What if someone (like this not-technically minded person) leaves the radio plugged into the mains all of the time and is always turning the Fast Charge Mode on whenever they turn the radio off? No wonder people are complaining about short battery life and batteries not lasting as long as they should...
I've told the not-technically minded person to turn the volume right down instead of turning the radio off because there is no way that they are going to remember to only plug the radio into the mains whenever the batteries have completely discharged.
If I had known that this radio had such a stupid design flaw beforehand, I wouldn't have bought it.
Digital camera Review: Excellent personal portable radio
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought Tivoli Audio iPal several months ago. I was looking for a small personal radio that I can listen to within a range of 2-10 feet.
So far it has exceeded my expectations:
Sound quality is very good - better than I expected from its relatively small speaker. I listen mostly to talk radio, classical music, and jazz. The listening range is about what I expected: 2-15 feet.
Reception (I listen exclusively to FM) is excellent, much better than any other radio I ever had, and I had quite a few of them. The telescopic antenna is convenient and does improve reception considerably when in use.
I like very much the simplicity and convenience of the controls. Finally, we have a radio which is just that - a radio. There is no need to read the manual because it does not have a built-in cuckoo clock, a microwave oven, and a garden hose.
I was not sure initially about the unusual square foot-print of this set. Now I like it very much and consider it a must have for any portable radio. It makes this radio much more stable than other, traditionally shaped portable radios.
Overall, it is a very well-designed quality product for its intended use as a portable personal radio.