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Tivoli’s Audio’s AUD$799 SongBook MAX speaker is an unusual but charming device that mixes retro styling with an unconventional combination of features. A premium execution of a left-of-centre proposition, the SongBook MAX is a niche piece of kit, but I thoroughly enjoyed my time with it.
Offering functionality as a Bluetooth speaker, DAB and FM radio, and—somewhat less successfully—a guitar amplifier, the SongBook MAX covers many bases, but users will primarily deploy it as a Bluetooth speaker. In that capacity, it works well, offering a rewarding listening experience.
Tivoli Audio SongBook MAX Sound Quality
The SongBook MAX offers some of the better sound quality I’ve encountered from a Bluetooth speaker. This is just as well, as its rather large dimensions mean portability is diminished in order to bring you this elevated audio. Don’t get me wrong, you can still take it to a picnic or the beach—it has a convenient handle that flips up and down at the top—but with dimensions of 38.1 x 28 x 15.2 cm and a 5.2 kg weight, it’s not something you can throw in your backpack.
The sound experience is customisable thanks to three old-school EQ toggles (Lo, Mid, and High) on the top-left of the SongBook’s front. These enable you to easily adjust the sound to better suit your tastes or your preferred genre of music. I appreciate this more direct approach to EQ adjustments, a function that’s often handled by fiddly companion apps these days.
The volume produced by this unit is considerable — I made the mistake of playing music at full volume in my apartment and had to race across the room to turn it down lest I incur the wrath of my neighbours. This generous serving of sound comes courtesy of a pair of 20W speakers and one 10W speaker — a 10.16 cm subwoofer, 10.16 cm Midrange driver, and a 1.9 cm Tweeter. The bass on offer is particularly formidable, and the overall performance is rich and delivers plenty of detail.
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Tivoli Audio SongBook MAX as Guitar Amplifier
This level of performance is present when using the SongBook MAX as a Bluetooth speaker or radio, but it’s less capable when it comes to using this device as a guitar amplifier. To be frank, I just don’t know why anyone would do it.
Not ignoring the fact that a guitar coming out in any social situation where the SongBook MAX might be in play would be a cringe-inducing faux pas, with the guitar-wielder in question in need of being shut down as soon as possible (“Anyway, here’s Wonder-” “NO!”).
More importantly, the SongBook MAX just doesn’t perform particularly well once you’ve plugged a guitar in. It offers a passable jangly sound for the most part, but it generates an unpleasant buzzing/crackling sound when hitting bassier notes. Perhaps it would fare better with a keyboard plugged in — not something I was able to try. However, given the SongBook MAX’s size, which is not incomparable to smaller guitar amps on the market, if you know you’re going to be pulling out a guitar at some point (again, I beg you to reconsider in most circumstances), you’d be better off going with something that has been designed for that specific purpose.
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Tivoli Audio SongBook MAX Design
Speaking of design (and on a more positive note), I really like the look of the SongBook MAX. My review unit featured the green finish, and that, paired with the overall retro aesthetic, makes it look like something that could have been blaring Creedence Clearwater Revival across a US army camp in a classic Vietnam War movie.
The speaker also comes in a cream and brown finish that offers a more sophisticated take on the retro vibe. With the aforementioned EQ toggles, a large tuning knob to adjust your FM frequency or DAB station, an extendable antenna, and a lo-fi digital display keeping things old school, it’s a striking device that stands apart.
Tivoli Audio SongBook MAX Specs
| Brand | Tivoli Audio |
| Bluetooth | 5.3 |
| Dimensions | 38.1 x 28 x 15.2 cm |
| Weight | 5.2 kg |
| Input | 6.35 mm auxiliary input |
| Amp Power | 50W |
| Driver output (driver spec) power | 2 x 20W (10.16 cm Subwoofer – 10.16 cm Midrange driver) + 1 x 10W (1.9 cm Tweeter) |
| Frequency range | 40Hz~20KHz |
| Battery life | Up to 10 hours |
| IP rating | IPX4 |
Tivoli Audio SongBook MAX Final Verdict
Tivoli’s SongBook MAX is a somewhat eccentric speaker, but one that I found charming. It looks fantastic, sounds great (as long as you’re not plugging a guitar into it), and I admire Tivoli Audio’s boldness in creating something so unique.
While it’s not as portable as other Bluetooth speakers, it offers audio quality that surpasses most, and I imagine it will find a cohort of music fans who cannot resist its vintage charms. At AUD$799, it’s not cheap, so this is one for slightly eccentric but well-funded music fans.
