Tivoli Audio whose products are extremely expensive in Australia compared to the USA is launching its first Bluetooth-equipped portable stereo radio, and an expanded selection of optional interchangeable cabinets for its Albergo tabletop radio.
Tivoli who have been gouging the Australian market for years is selling their Tivoli Audio Music System for $899 in Australia the same system can be purchased from Amazon for $599. Their Tivoli One radio sells for $269 in OZ in the USA it retails for $149.Now the Company is looking to gough more revenue from Australian consumers with a new premium range of DAB radio’s.
Sold primarily via specialist retailers in Australia the Tivoli range is sold via a Melbourne based distributor who marks up the products before it hits a retail store. Consumers buying the Tivoli product from Amazon.com get free shipping.
The company’s first Bluetooth-equipped portable Music System Three stereo radio is set to sell in the USA for $299. IN Australia the price is tipped to be over $450.
Tivoli will offer seven home and portable radios with built-in Bluetooth. All display music metadata from Bluetooth sources. To expand its selection of optional cabinets for the Albergo AM/FM clock radio, Tivoli plans next month to open a direct-to-consumer website with a selection of 16 slide-on cabinets.
The selection will grow to about 100 models by the end of the year. For each cabinet sale, Tivoli will give a commission to the dealer that sold the Albergo to the consumer.
ChannelNews has been told that the US site will not ship to Australian consumers.
The portable Music System Three, like the AC-only Albergo, will come with a plastic cabinet that can be tucked inside optional premium cabinets.
The Three’s plastic cabinet will be available in white or black, and the optional slide-on cabinets will be available in walnut, cherry and black ash through the online store.
Prices on the cabinets, which are hand-made in Italy, will be less than $100 in the USA but close to $200 in Australia.
The 16 optional Albergo cabinets initially available through the US online store next month will come in wood veneers, fabric-wrapped MDF, and leather-wrapped MDF.
In 2015, Tivoli will offer Albergo cabinets made of higher end materials, perhaps including Corian, and perhaps with optional engraving, said DeVesto. Though Tivoli already offers three interchangeable wood-veneer cabinets for the Albergo, opening a web store is the only ways to offer a wide range of cabinet options to consumers, Tivoli Audio president and CEO Tom DeVesto said.
When the portable Music System Three ships, it will feature built-in battery charger and rechargeable lithium battery that delivers up to 20 hours of playback time.
Other features include AM/FM tuner, RDS, RDS text display, built-in recess in back for carrying, bass and treble controls, wide mode, loudness and balance controls, aux in, headphone output and stainless-steel hardware for outdoor use. It also features dual alarms, variable sleep timer and snooze control but lacks CD playback. With its plastic cabinet and stainless-steel hardware, the Music System Three is suitable for use at the beach, and when slipped into an optional wood-veneer cabinet, it takes on a furniture look, DeVesto said.
