When Tivoli Audio was sold by founder and legendary audio pioneer Tom DeVesto, we wondered what the company would do to maintain its legacy. Now we have the answer: the Tivoli ART line of speakers, the Cube and the Orb. ART is an acronym for 
“Audio Reimagined Together.” Go figure. We tested out the Cube, which, as its name implies, is a perfect cube, 4 1/2 inches on each side. It is done in a choice of several furniture-grade finishes including walnut, black ash, and white. The Cube comes with an attractive fabric grill cover. For a small speaker, this delivers a big sound. For its size, it has a booming bass and solid mid and upper range 
performance. It is attractive enough to put in any room, though it’s really good if you have a tight space. You can create a stereo pair by adding a second speaker. Or you can add more units to create a whole house music system.
To make it truly portable, you can add an optional rechargeable battery for $20. That will give you about eight hours of playback time. The Tivoli ART Cube will work with both Wi-Fi networks as well as Bluetooth. We had some challenges in setting it up on Wi-Fi using an iPhone, but then we’ve had similar issues with iOS setup on a variety of other whole house music systems including those from Raumfeld and Libratone. It was easier with Android.
The Cube offers a variety of connectivity options in addition to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. It has a 3.5mm audio jack input as well as a micro USB input. Collectively they give you the option of playing your music from just about any source, whether it be a smartphone with Spotify or Tidal, or your own music library. Price is $200.
While the Cube is designed to sit on on a shelf, the other product in the ART Line, the Orb, is a nine inch circle begging to be mounted on a wall. So you’re really going to need that otherwise optional $20 battery. Finishes are the same as those for the Cube. Connectivity is the same. Price for the Orb is $250.
By the way, Tivoli creator Tom DeVesto, who had long partnered with iconic speaker designer Henry Kloss in several ventures, has since gone on to start still another audio company, Como Audio, with a first group of products that look suspiciously like some of the classic Tivoli designs.
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