iPAL
All my music is stored in an iPod, so I have been looking for a way to finish my dream of a personal portable jukebox. I needed something to turn the iPod from a private experience to a public one -- booming my selected library of songs loudly in the garage, at a cabin, or at a patio dance.
Several readers turned me onto the Tivoli PAL unit. This is a weatherized, rubber-coated radio/speaker that accepts an iPod (or any other music device with a mini-plug). The tiny PAL has an amazing rich and deep sound. You plug an iPod in, turn up the volume, and it uses its internal rechargeable battery to play your musical playlists longer than your iPod battery will last (I can get 8 hours on the PAL in one charge). Clear, marvelous sound from a small, rugged box that has survived rain and being dropped into a pool. That doesn't usually happen because it is carefully designed with handy finger grips and a grippy covering. It comes with an adapter for running on AC. You have a choice of many bright colors, among them on iPod-ish pearl white -- that version is now being sold as the iPAL (identical in all other respects to regular PALs.) With the same sonic guts as the Henry Kloss Tivoli One model, this cool unit gets rave reviews by audio snobs for its great sound. Its actually better than the built-in stereo in my office. And it serves as a highly sensitive FM/AM radio, too.
I rubber-banded my iPod to its top (it would be great if they added a bracket on the back) for the ultimate in a completely portable jukebox. The two are a match made in tech heaven.
[Suggested by Gordon Meyer, by Tom Ferguson, and by Keith Alexander]
-- KK
Tivoli PAL
$220
Amazon
Favorite (15)
middy
Mono? Really?
James
Yeah, one channel. Not stereo. Not intended to compare with home audio hi-fi, but instead, just an ideal "porch radio." The headphone/audio out *is* stereo, however. Sound quality is superb, because Tivoli Audio didn't skimp on the type of speaker, nor the built in equalization that compensates for the unit's small size.
I've had mine since 2004. Replaced the battery three times and wore off the rubbery covering. Now mine's covered in gaff tape, but sounds as excellent as the day I bought it. It's a wonderful radio. If I broke mine, I'd immediately buy another.