There are a lot of buzz about HD radio being the wave of the future. I tried an HD radio, and let me tell you, this internet radio has HD completely beat! I live in an area with poor reception for local stations, and I was tired of having to listen my favorite station through my laptop. Within minutes of taking the radio out of the box, I was connected to my favorite station but then I started exploring. I couldn't believe what I found! The radio connected to my Pandora account seamlessly. I've added stations to Pandora on my laptop and they appear on the radio within seconds! Controls on the radio link to Pandora for "thumbs up" or "down." Fantastic. But the really amazing thing is the intuitive interface that provides access to countless (there must be tens of thousands) of radio stations from around the globe! The interface is so intuitive that the stations can be selected either by region or by genre. All with no buffering! Incredible! For these features, I am deleriously happy with my purchase.
For all of its exceptional qualities, the sound quality is disappointing. With one speaker, the bass is truly lacking (and I don't like heavy bass). The sound doesn't seem "full." There are jacks in the back to connect stereo speakers but I'm not sure how that would work or whether I want to go through the effort. I bought this radio based on a review in the Boston Globe. They mentioned the Squeezebox Boom as having the highest quality sound. Of course, that radio was significantly more expensive and doesn't have Pandora controls. Neither radio has an iPod connection and they don't have back-up batteries. Neither has iTunes tagging (seriously?!).
All in all, I'm very happy. When they develop a radio with audiophile-quality sound, I'll be in line to buy one. Hopefully, wifi/internet radio will really take off. I'd love to have a receiver for my home stereo (since that sends sound throughout the house).
January 2010 edit: I keep this radio in my home office. I still love, love, love it. Recently, I bought a Squeezebox Radio for my bedroom. This edit is to compare the two. I love both of these radios, but for different reasons. The Livio has quality throughout. The two standout features are the controls and the link to Pandora. The radio is so easy to set up and use! The controls are clean and uncluttered. The Pandora Thumbs-Up/Thumbs-down is easier on the Livio than it is on the computer. I also love the interface to find stations by genre. It just works so intuitively for me. On the negative side, it does not have an alarm clock built in. Otherwise, I would have bought one for the bedroom as well.
Now, the Squeezebox Radio: Also easy to set-up. The interface is a bit more daunting than the Livio. More options = more controls to tweak. As other reviewers have mentioned, the presets disappeared the first time the alarm went off. After resetting it, things have been fine. The alarm clock works well. Although the specs don't mention a back-up, I have found that if the router is out of commission, the alarm will still go off, just to a tone from the radio, rather than from the internet radio station. Other people have mentioned that the clock gets too dim at night. Not for me! I am so grateful that my bedroom is now reasonably dark at night! My old clock lit up the joint to the point that I used to cover the clock. Now, it's just right. Plus, the brightness level can be manually adjusted. Funny, someone elses complaint is one of my favorite features. The interface and controls are also more baffling than the Livio. Still OK, I just prefer the very clean controls on the Livio.
As for the sound, this would be a matter of preference. The sound in the Livio is a bit flatter. It seems to be missing some mid-range and higher range. The Squeezebox sound is bright and bold but is lacking in the low range. All in all though, I really like the sound on the Squeezebox. Especially for a small radio. I hope that these comments are helpful to someone looking at these two radios. Livio Internet Radio Featuring Pandora (WiFi and Ethernet, Silver)
if you can connect to the internet, you can use Pandora to create your very own "radio station" which will play the kinds of music you like, (you select it from a huge library of all recorded music, from the earliest days of radio until now). and if you can create a Pandora account, you can not only play your favorite music on your computer, but (and especially if you have a laptop with those tiny, little tinny speakers), you can improve on your computer speakers by buying and using an "internet radio" to listen to the music.
an "internet radio" uses your internet connection (it makes a wireless connection to your main computer or it makes a network connection -- via an ethernet cable connected to your main computer -- to SHARE your internet connection just as another computer might). then, as long as you remain connected to the internet, you can play music (as, for example, from Pandora) as long as you wish. you can use the single (but effective) speaker in the Livio Radio or you can connect the radio to your home music system via a stereo cable.
in addition to Pandora (where you, in effect, create your own radio station -- but may, in the future, have to pay a nominal monthly fee for copyright purposes), there are thousands (yes, thousands) of FREE internet radio stations that you can use this radio to listen to (by connecting you to these stations from all over the world via the internet). the livio comes with a small remote control, an internal "program" for easily setting up the radio to connect to your Pandora account, another for connecting to "Reciva" and all those free internet radio stations, volume controls, mutes, etc.
the radio is well-built and, after a few weeks of using it, i have no complaints whatsoever. it's a delight. one of the best investments i've ever made. oh yes, it also has a headphone jack and when it's powered up but not connected to the internet, it displays the time. all in all, a very well-thought-out device. i listen to it for hours every day while i'm doing my work (and play) on the internet. there are other "internet radios" out there (some cheaper, some more expensive), but i have yet to find a better one. - Livio - Wifi Radio - Livio Internet Radio - Pandora'
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