Tivoli NetWorks Radio review

The NetWorks radio is as pleasing on the eyes as it is on the ears. Its solid wooden carcass not only looks attractive, but helps eliminate any trace of clatter or distortion from the 3.5in speaker that’s housed elegantly within (set aside another £70 inc VAT if you want the optional stereo speaker).

Music is delivered with both delicacy and drive, not to mention impressively cavernous bass. It’s equally adept with the spoken word, with every rasping syllable of the Stephen Fry podcasts kept perfectly intact.

Aside from DAB and net radio, there’s an FM tuner and the option to stream audio from other networked PCs in the house. A USB port on the rear allows you to plug in drives stuffed full of MP3 or WMA files.

Alas, the rear is where the rest of the Tivoli’s controls are awkwardly housed (bar the volume control on top), and although a credit-card-sized remote control is supplied, it’s an irritating victory for form over function.

Attention to detail is lacking in other areas too: such as needlessly devoting an entire line of a restricted three-deck display to the name of the radio – which is printed mere inches beneath. For a radio costing a staggering £460 inc VAT, such imperfections are hard to forgive.

Author: Barry Collins