Great Bedroom or Lounge radio, in legendary Tivoli Fashion!

Summary:
Great compact radio. The Tivoli Audio "Model Satellite" is functional, simple to use and is a great complement to the bedroom, a nice lounge, or a small office. Since Jan 2006, has been reliable and still sounds and looks great. Sirius is great complement to radio. Breathtaking FM performance. This is one radio that I don't mind waking up to, every morning!

Technical Abilities:
The Model Satellite has Four Input Settings: a) the Sirius Satellite Radio (subscription req'd), b) FM tuner, c) FM tuner, d) Aux Input. The Sirius Satellite Radio functions through the large blue backlit LCD, and the various buttons on the left side. The FM and AM tuner work by the large handy rotary dial on the right. The Aux Input allows you to plug in other audio devices like the Apple iPod, or your mp3 player, or even your computer.

Sound:
The sound is very good for such a compact unit and works wonderfully with the optional subwoofer. Even without the subwoofer, sound is unusually rich for a box this size. The cherry wood box supposedly creates some of this audience; I don't know, but don't dispute that claim. The 3" driver and the small bass port are more than enough to drive some very loud noise, and rarely distorts at high volumes. For my use, I turn the volume setting at about 30%.

The optional subwoofer is about $99, plugs right in, a pretty easy install although you will have to worry about two more wires to hide. I hide it in the bottom shelf in my nightstand and find that complements nicely to Dance stations and even Classical music. The subwoofer extends the bass range of the little bassport at the back of the model satellite, and I think it is a worthy addition, especially if you want that more oomph to your system.

I have not had the chance to use/buy the stereo speaker for the Model Satellite. They come at various prices, from $49 to $100, depending if you want the speaker to be front mounted or top mounted, or with an alarm clock.

Ease of Use:
Menus for choosing stations, genres, or by songs could not be any easier or more clear. The clock even sets itself using the satellite signal! For the Sirius side, there are 5 presets, accessible both on the box and the supplied remote control. There are also various menus to set an alarm clock to wake up to the radio, set the Sleep mode, and to adjust the Display Brightness settings.

One of the neat things is the Tivoli's ambient light sensor. When the room is dim, the Satellite Radio will dim its LCD according to the dimness of the room; this is perfect for bed side nighttime use.

FM & AM tuner is much simpler to use, there are only two controls: the volume dial and the tuning knob. The tuning knob is geared, which means that turning the inner knob will only move the outer knob by a miniscule amount. That means you can finely find the station you are looking for. The adjacent LED shows you whether you have "locked" onto the station; it glows brighter when better tuned. This is apparently the "legacy" of the Model 1,2,3 that have been passed down to the Model Three.

Speaking about the FM Tuner, the FM reception is really out of this world (has an internal FM antenna as well as a supplied external FM antenna) and sounds amazing... Dare I say as good quality as or better than digital radio. Is that really FM??? But, with the Sirius content, I find myself keeping the switch on Satellite.

One of the compromises with the design of the model satellite is that the FM side (inherited from Model 1,2,3) and Sirius side (new stuff) are essentially separate. The remote really only works with the Sirius side, ie changing the Sirius channels, setting the alarm and LCD. The remote cannot adjust the volume nor change the FM tuning. Not a bother for me since Sirius does not have commercials, and has steady sound levels between songs.

Looks:
Hey, it doesn't look too bad in the cherry wood. It's boxy, which isn't a bad thing. Blue backlight makes LCD readable. Also can change LCD Text Size to Extra Extra Large, so you can read it across the room. Remote is very slim and looks good too. But, radio's button labels have been compromised in the name of design: they are too dim and buttons need to be learned by touch. (no biggie). Otherwise, OK by me.

Reliability:
In Early 2005, I purchased the radio on tivoliaudio.com , almost right after it was available for purchase. I bought it because it was the only home radio and I was a big Sirius fan. At that point, I was not familiar with the Tivoli brand. Even with such an early model and moving it around often, the device has worked as described without any problems or rattles. Knock on the cherry wood...