A Beloved American Audio Brand Gives Its Stunning Speaker a Vintage-Inspired Upgrade

Today, Tivoli Audio is best known for its retro-inspired tabletop radio and wireless speakers, but it makes some pretty stylish portable Bluetooth speakers, too … chief among them the SongBook and SongBook Max, both released in fall 2023.

The SongBook and SongBook Max are rather large portable Bluetooth speakers that — thanks to boombox shape and multiple tactile knobs, sliders and switches — have real vintage flair. They’re also pretty fancy, meaning they’re better to carry around the house than take to the beach.

For those in the market for such a speaker, the Boston-based audio manufacturer has revealed a special-edition version of its SongBook Max. And it looks even cooler than the originals.

Tivoli Audio

Leather and chrome accents

The new SongBook Max (new.ordinary Edition) is a joint collaboration between Tivoli Audio and new.ordinary, the production company and studio headed by Grammy-award producer Sounwave — who has worked with the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Taylor Swift, SZA and Beyonce.

While the original SongBook Max is available in two colorways, green or cream/brown, the special-edition version seems to run with latter option and give it some added flair — it has been upgraded with a leather wrap, chrome hardware and even deeper cream-colored finish.

According to the press release, the new look is inspired by “a love of vintage cars (the 1970s Porsche, to be exact), analog aesthetics, and vintage music gear.” The speaker has the new.ordinary logo, as well.

Tivoli Audio

Not your average Bluetooth speaker

Aside from the new look, the guts of the special-edition SongBook Max are the same as the original. The portable speaker features three drivers — a 10-watt tweeter, a 20-watt midrange driver and a 20-watt woofer — and promises a 10-hour battery.

And while the SongBook Max is designed as a portable Bluetooth speaker for your home, allowing you to bring music from room to room as you go, it’s way more than that.

The speaker has a built-in FM radio, which is cool. But more uniquely, it has a built-in preamplifier and a 6.35 mm aux input on its front panel. This allows you to use it as amplifier for an instrument (like an electric guitar or keyboard) or a speaker for your computer or turntable (so long as it has a built-in phono preamp).

As the two collaborating companies describe, it’s a speaker “designed by musicians for musicians.”

Tivoli Audio

Price and availability

This special-edition SongBook Max costs $650, which is a $50 increase over the standard SongBook Max, which Tivoli Audio sells for $600.

Only 60 models of these limited-edition speakers will be released. They’re available for preorder now … with an expected ship date of between 4 and 6 weeks.

Tivoli Audio

Tivoli Audio SongBook Max (new.ordinary Edition)

• $650 at Tivoli Audio

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