Tivoli Audio Albergo+ review

A nicely performing radio, if a little expensive

What Hi-Fi? Verdict

A nicely performing radio, if a little expensive

Pros

  • +

    A warm sound

  • +

    Good with voices

  • +

    Ease of use

Cons

  • -

    That warm sound may be too much for some

  • -

    No presets without the remote control

  • -

    A bit plasticky

Why you can trust What Hi-Fi? Our expert team reviews products in dedicated test rooms, to help you make the best choice for your budget. Find out more about how we test.

The Albergo+ is a solid, comfortable-sounding DAB/FM radio alarm.

It seems to be aimed squarely at the hotel market (at least that’s what we infer from a glance at the product page on Tivoli’s website), with the emphasis on ease of use and a mellow sound.

Tivoli is convinced that such strengths ought to translate to the domestic situation as well. And it’s probably right.

Design

So what do you get for your £200? A nicely constructed, solid (if a little plasticky) unit in a choice of five finishes: blue, red and green have recently been added to the white and graphite in the shops from launch.

There are FM and DAB tuners, and Bluetooth streaming to go along with a 3.5mm input, and a credit-card style remote control unit.

There’s also the facility to add another speaker (£80) to create a neat little stereo system.

And Tivoli is right: this is a simple-to-use, intuitive unit. Pull up the telescopic aerial, push the button on the top to get things going, select your input and away it goes, scanning the airwaves for stations.

Sound quality

The sound is typical of a good radio – weighted to the midrange to enhance the human voice. It has surprisingly meaty bass for a compact box – indeed we found the need to fiddle with the settings to dial this down a little.

Treble is clean, clear and nicely balanced. But it’s the midrange that draws the listener’s attention.

The controls on the front are clearly labelled and carry out the major functions of tuning, source input and alarm setting. The remote control carries out the other, more tweaky stuff.

Tivoli Albergo+

Tivoli Albergo+

This works perfectly well as a control system, but it does mean you’ll have to be careful not to lose the slim remote control. Without it, you will have no access to the station presets or the tone controls, for example.

And you will probably want to have a tinker to get the unit sounding right for you – we found there was a definite thickness in the lower/mid area.

You’ll soon find you can have too much of a chocolatey velvety sound. Tone things down a bit with the controls, though, and you’ll be able to hunker down for a good long session.

The Bluetooth function works nicely. Set-up is simple and the sound is consistent with what we found with radio reception.

Verdict

There’s much to like with the Albergo+. Its problem is that there are rivals out there that sound as good but are cheaper, or have more features for the same price.

This neat unit deserves to be on a shortlist, though. Its mellow tones might be just what you’re looking for.

MORE: Best DAB radios

Follow whathifi.com on Twitter

Join whathifi.com on Facebook

Find us on Google+

What Hi-Fi?

What Hi-Fi?, founded in 1976, is the world's leading independent guide to buying and owning hi-fi and home entertainment products. Our comprehensive tests help you buy the very best for your money, with our advice sections giving you step-by-step information on how to get even more from your music and movies. Everything is tested by our dedicated team of in-house reviewers in our custom-built test rooms in London, Reading and Bath. Our coveted five-star rating and Awards are recognised all over the world as the ultimate seal of approval, so you can buy with absolute confidence.

Read more about how we test