Tivoli Audio iPAL Portable Audio Laboratory AM/FM Radio, Silver/White
by Tivoli Audio
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List Price: Our Price: $219.00 You Save: $0.99 (0%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: CE See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Tivoli Audio iPAL Portable Audio Laboratory AM/FM Radio, Silver/White
Customer Review: Incredibly rich sound, but Mono
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this speaker knowing full well that it was mono, but I wanted the battery, the radio, the good sound quality, and the relatively small size.
I was shocked at first at how small it was when I opened the box - (especially after reading about how big it was on other reviews) it's a dinky little bookshelf speaker - how could it possibly get good sound? But it does. Volume is controlled both on the speaker, AND on the iPod, and cranking it up all the way made it quite loud, and no hint of distortion was to be found. Very rich sound.
However, it *is* mono, and it's noticeable that the sound is coming from only one source, and it's less "dimensional" than a stereo system. A hint - the sound is better if it's coming from in front of you, so that you can hear it equally in both ears.
I still gave it 5 stars, because it's not *supposed* to be a stereo system - it's meant to be easily moveable from room to room, or tossed in a backpack (but not a briefcase), or whatever, and still provide EXCELLENT quality sound, and it delivers perfectly.
Customer Review: Ideal computer speaker, iPod/MP3 pal and radio
Summary: 5 Stars
I've fooled around with two many speaker systems for iPods/MP3 players and computers. I now realize the iPAL/PAL from Tivoli is just about ideal, especially if portability is key. I'm using it right now as a computer speaker at work with Slacker. I used it at home via an in-house FM transmitter system to listen to audio streams or iTunes, or on the deck with an iPod connected. It's not stereo and you can't adjust the treble or bass, but the battery charge is decent and the sound is very good. No throbbing bass, but often bass on small units is boomy and unnatural. I recently bought an iHome OutLoud speaker for work because it was waaay reduced. Shoulda known why: OK, flat-ish sound, vaguely disconcerting. The PAL's sound is just right. It's perfectly attuned for normal listening. Pleasantly pleasing. No bombastics or overkill. It's versatile, easy to tote around, operates easily, and the radio tuner/antenna deliver excellent reception. Instead of buying a boombox, computer speakers, iPod speakers, get one or two of these and you'll be in the don't worry, be happy zone.Customer Review: Review for the non Ipod user
Summary: 5 Stars
I just got this little speaker for Christmas with a creative zen touch and I am incredibly impressed with the quality and the sound. The built in extendable antenna can reach quite far and radio channels are clear with no static.
When I plugged this baby into my zen touch and turned it on, I was so impressed by the sound quality. It is almost as good as my 5.1 stereo!!!!!! I am not joking. I actually had my mom confused because she was convinced that the sound was coming from our large stereo and she couldn't find any evidence that the stereo was on. I also felt that it could get quite a lot louder then I had expected.
The iPal is much smaller then it appeared to me online, as well. It's really small! I actually felt kind of ripped off when I took it out of the box, because I had paid quite a lot for such a dinky little thing. It is very portable.
A word of caution: the iPal does NOT come with a audio to audio cord to plug a mp3 player into the AUX jack with. It really comes with nothing other then itself and a power cord.
Customer Review: Pretty Darn Good
Summary: 4 Stars
I'm not sure what I was expecting when I bought this thing. Based on the reviews I was expecting something to compete with my iPod Hi-Fi in a package one tenth the size, but that isn't what this thing is about.
What I found was that it does indeed have good sound, esecially when used on FM. With my iPod though I had to pay more attention to the settings to get the right sound and sometimes it didn't seem as loud as the FM and easily distorted with certain types of music.
None the less, I consider this to be a wonderful personal portable radio. Great for the office, bedroom, kitchen, or on the table during dinner. In a lot of ways the sound is just right. Just the right volume and clarity to give it many uses without being overpowering. Overall I'd give it 5 stars for the radio and 4 for the iPod. I'd also give it 6 stars for the built in rechargable battery which combined with it's very small size adds a huge amount of flexiblity to it.
Customer Review: Very Accurate
Summary: 5 Stars
Being an audiophile, I'm extremely picky about sound; and let me tell you, nothing delivers cleaner sound than this little box for the price. Even high end audio magazines give Tivoli praise, and it is deserved. The sound is clean and accurate. I've never wished this unit had bass or treble controls, because it doesn't need them--this is a perfectly tuned little speaker. If you're looking for huge bass, you won't get it, but you get accurate bass and treble; so accurate, that even at its diminutive size, it exploits bad quality recordings, like low bit rate mp3s. Yes, it's mono, but when you have a micro sized portable system with stereo, it really doesn't matter, you can't get the separation you want. I'd rather have one really good speaker than two average speakers.
If you're into massive bass for hip hop and such, this may not be for you, but if you're into accurate sound that's pleasing to the ear, there is no better small speaker portable.