AARP Hearing Center
The father who regrets throwing out his old reel-to-reel tape deck or obsesses over a record collection gathering dust can still receive an ideal gift that combines yesterday's craftsmanship with today's high-tech features. Here are a few ideas.
FM radio with streaming technology
If you remember brands like Nordmende and Grundig, then you'll appreciate the retro design of the wood-encased Tivoli Model One Digital (Generation 2) tabletop FM radio. Its cloth-covered speaker evokes the high-fidelity stereo systems of the ‘60s. Resembling a small piece of furniture, it's available in a variety of veneers.
Tivoli has updated this FM radio with streaming technology. It can connect to your home Wi-Fi network to stream online music or to a smartphone via wireless Bluetooth.
Once online, the time automatically updates, so you'll never see a flashing 12:00 again or miss an alarm because of daylight saving time. Along with listening to local FM radio, you can beam any music source from your phone to the Model One Digital, including Apple Music, Pandora, Spotify or any of the thousands of radio stations streaming online from around the world.
To match its appearance, the Tivoli radio delivers a rounded sound. It has no ragged edges on high notes, and the bass is never overwhelming. Throw on some Doors songs or tracks from Bread and this radio's buttery sound will take you back to a time when Sunday mornings meant pancakes, maple syrup and FM radio.
Price: $350
Ultramodern headphones
Made by a family-owned audio company based in Brooklyn, New York, Grado Reference Series RS2e headphones look like they're straight out of a 1930s spy movie. But these on-ear headphones produce state-of-the-art sound that will please any music lover.
The antithesis of the popular plastic Beats headphones that are all bass and no subtleties, Grado's headphones are handmade with mahogany wood enclosures and leather headbands. The open-back design makes listeners feel like they're sitting with the band.
