clock radios

I'll mildly disagree with the other reviewer - yes, the effect is subtle, and while it's a pleasant enough add-on, it's not really worth investing in. I really wanted to keep the overall visual impact of the system to a minimum. To be honest, for $80, it doesn't do enough to warrant being the largest single element in the system. Yes, you can toss it on the floor or next to the couch, but it's still littering up your area someplace, and the ever-so-slight improvement of low-end bass isn't really worth the price. It's actually a credit to the Kloss line that this thing is fairly extraneous; I get very good bass performance out of the existing Model Two/Model CD setup I have, and I guess I was expecting that if they could extract that much low-end tone from the M2 speaker, they'd really punch out some bass from the subwoofer. Not the case. Try the M2 setup first; if you're really starved for more bass and have a spare $80 burning a hole in your pocket, give it a try, but I'd let the stock M2 setup grow on you first. Not a bad product; just not up to the standard set by the rest of the HK line.

The Tivoli Model Two radio sounds great all by itself, but the Model Subwoofer gives it just a touch more oomph at the bottom end that makes it even better. I had serious doubts about the performance of a "subwoofer" with just a single 5.25" speaker, but this little thing really works. Lows have more volume and impact, but the subwoofer doesn't call attention to itself, or misbehave by sounding tubby.

The effect is subtle, and won't necessarily show up on all material, but in my installation, music from Robert Cray to Mannheim Steamroller to David Sanborn benefitted from the sub's contribution. The small cabinet is easily hidden if need be, but looks good enough to be placed out in the open, too. The volume control is useful for tailoring the sound to its location.

You can get along quite well without the Model Subwoofer, but once you listen to it, you'll be glad you spent the eighty bucks.