If you ’re a Sonos customer who has recently ( and painfully ) been reminded how frustrating it can be when your technologyutterly fails to work , I have the antidote : Tivoli Audio ’s $ 450 SongBook .
Asportable Bluetooth speakersgo , it does n’t get more stripped down than this . Mono auditory sensation , a undivided analog input signal , a bent of parallel pure tone controls , and a 10 - 60 minutes battery . There ’s no app , no Wi - Fi , no speakerphone , no representative supporter … heck , you do n’t even get a play - pause push button .
That make its $ 450 price severely to justify unless you place a high economic value on retro design , levelheaded timbre , and the SongBook ’s peculiar superpower : the ability to double as a guitar amp . I spend a few weeks with the SongBook , and here are my thoughts .
Pure Tivoli design
If you know Tivoli Audio , you ’re likely familiar with the company ’s two most iconic products : theand theof compact portable speakers .
Those products epitomize Tivoli ’s approach to figure and acoustic , with large , full-bodied picker and loudness controls , and a mono sound produced via a individual number one wood , protect by a perforated metal grill .
The SongBook mirror these cues , while putting its own twist on the formula .
wind entirely in high - glossary charge plate , you may choose between a two - tone brown / cream combo ( seen here on our review unit ) or a monochromatic commons that looks like it was plucked directly from an early ’ 70 kitchen .
Despite the two matching metal grilles , it ’s also a mono utterer , with a 3.5 - in full - cooking stove driver and a 3.5 - column inch woofer share the encumbrance .
Those drivers deal the front of the speaker with the ascendence : a set of match thickening for volume and input selection , a pair of alloy flip permutation for magnate and melody - in / ampere survival , and a triple bent of sliders to adjust the EQ ( more on that later ) .
As remark , the SongBook has no means to bet , pause , or path - omission when swarm from a Bluetooth machine . I suppose you could fence that this is merely one more path that the SongBook stick to the Tivoli story ( the Bluetooth version of the PAL does n’t have these controls either ) . And yet , unlike the crony , which has a built - in AM / FM radio , the SongBook ’s main mission is to be a Bluetooth talker .
Portable, but not protected
At 6.7 pounds , the SongBook is almost the precise same weight as aSonos Move 2 , and almost 3 pound light than the similarly pricedJBL Authentics 300 .
However , of the three speakers , the SongBook is the easiest to carry thanks to its relatively shallow depth ( just 5 inches . ) The thin , metal carry handle can scarcely be described as ergonomic , but it ’s comfortable enough for short haul from the car to the park ( or even just from the kitchen to the terrace ) . I like that the hinges let the handgrip evaporate into the top when not in exercise , giving it a much cleaner appearance than the Authentics 300 .
Tivoli Audio say the speaker hasIPX4 protectionfrom water , which means rainfall or the occasional dab of water should n’t gravel any problem — just keep it well away from the syndicate . Without any junk protection , you may want to think twice before take the SongBook to the beach .
In fact , you might think cautiously about moving the speaker in general . The glossy plastic looks expectant when you get it out of the box , but it cursorily becomes impair with fingerprints . It also scratches very easily .
Those metallic element grilles cater splendid protection for the drivers , but metal can indent . Our followup unit arrived with a very flimsy dent on the right - side grille , despite the publicity evidence no signs of shock .
PD power
Charging the SongBook is done via the USB - C port on the back control panel , and a charge cable is the one accessory Tivoli Audio includes in the boxwood . The port is hide out behind a small safety flap along with the speaker ’s Bluetooth pairing clit and a USB - A port wine that , woefully , is strictly for service - related uses .
you’re able to charge the bombardment from almost any USB - C port , but one with support for 15 - V USB - C PD will fill the barrage fire in as little as an hour .
Easy connections
get the SongBook paired via Bluetooth is dead simple — just prospicient - crush on the pair clitoris and then seem for the speaker unit in your Bluetooth gadget listing . However , it can take a few moment once you power the speaker on for it to ascertain and reconnect to your phone .
Once connected , the signal durability is excellent . I was able to put 50 feet between my phone and the speaker indoors , and more than 100 foot when alfresco .
uncalled-for to say , plugging an analog source into the SongBook is also easy , but I ’m disappointed that Tivoli did n’t admit a 1/4 - inch to 3.5 mm or stereo RCA transcriber . That deletion might make sense if the SongBook were intended to be just an official document A , but that extra power is perfect forturntables , while the line - in mode intelligibly speaks to other uses , like connecting a telephone set via a DAC / amp , or a certificate of deposit player . None of these devices typically come with 1/4 - in connexion on their cable .
Golden tone
Tivoli Audio fans cognise that the fellowship refuses to compromise on sound quality , and the SongBook stays rightful to that ism . Amplification is fabulously politic as you twist the volume knob from one extremum to the other . And as for distortion ? It ’s non - existing , even at the speaker unit ’s 40 - watt uttermost . It ’s certainly meretricious enough for even a gravid way when indoors , but if you desire something that will really rock an out-of-door gathering , you may want to deal more powerful speakers .
Out of the loge , with the EQ sliders typeset to indifferent , you get a balanced sound signature . The tincture produced by the two driver is fresh and clear , with just a hint of fondness in the small end . It ’s the perfect full complement to musical genre that emphasize vocalist ( call up Adele , Lenny Kravitz , or Rihanna ) or elaborate instrumental euphony like Spanish guitar , jazz , and classic .
Moving those slider , however , can have a striking core . knock the low to its high boost will produce a actual thump , while dial it down will let the mids and senior high school phone out with superfluous clarity .
There ’s something to be suppose for a set of analog EQ operate like this — I regain them much more cheering to work with than the digital / app - based adjustments on typical Bluetooth speakers .
I was n’t expecting the SongBook to impress as a guitar ampere , but for effortless playing , I thought it fathom great .
I ’m always happy to mind to mono Speaker , especially when I ’m moving around and ca n’t continue center in the sweet speckle of a stereo frame-up . And outdoors , mono will almost always be your best wager for systematically honorable sound . Still , at this price , the lack of stereo tomography can be bit tough to swallow if you need to use the SongBook as your way ’s chief speaker .
Battery life
Tivoli Audio claim the bombardment liveliness for the SongBook is 10 hours . That ’s based on a 50 % volume spirit level , so you may get long life history if you play quiet ( up to 12 hours ) , or as few as six hour if you go full blast . Curiously , using the Amp modality on the line - in comment does n’t affect these act .
As mid - sized portable speaker unit go , these numbers are on the low-toned side . Marshall ’s Tufton($399 ) is give away for 20 hours , theSonos Move 2($449 ) promises up to 22 hours , and theJBL Xtreme 4($380 ) offer a walloping 30 time of day . Still , it beats theJBL Authentics 300($450 ) , which can only last eight hour .
Who’s it for?
The Tivoli Audio SongBook is unlike most other portable verbaliser . It ’s expensive for what you get , but its design is unique . It sounds great , with a lovely tone that I ’ve become very fond of . But it ’s not as powerful as the challenger , and I would n’t go so far as to say it sounds significantly better than likewise price speakers .
Its amplified auxiliary input permit it double over as a insouciant jam box , which is doubtlessly nerveless , but I ’m not indisputable there ’s a ton of need for an ampere that has so few duplicate ( like increase , reverb , etc . ) . Moreover , you ’ll need to utilise an arranger if you ’re connecting anything that is n’t an instrument or mic .
And while the full want of extras ( Wi - Fi cyclosis , app - based preferences , stereophonic - pairing , multi - speaker grouping , Bluetooth playback control ) is novel in its simpleness , it also adds to the feeling that you ’re not get as much for your money as you would with other products .
Still , the Tivoli Audio SongBook deserves reference . It may be far-out and expensive , but it deliver on all of its promises , and its retro mode is reverberate to win some love , even if only within a consecrate interview . If you ’re in that crowd , this speaker might just make you very well-chosen .
