diff --git a/public/src/page-reader.js b/public/src/page-reader.js
index de322b9..9b8ca00 100644
--- a/public/src/page-reader.js
+++ b/public/src/page-reader.js
@@ -30,8 +30,8 @@ export async function readPageWithHermes(button = null) {
 
 	const processedContent = await processContentWithHermes(content);
 
-	// Get voice preference from settings (format: "model:voice", e.g., "tts-1-f5:atlas")
-	let voice = "atlas";
+	// Get voice preference from settings (format: "model:voice", e.g., "tts-1-f5:foxhop")
+	let voice = "foxhop";
 	let model = "tts-1-f5";
 	try {
 		const savedVoice = localStorage.getItem("uncloseai_selected_voice");
diff --git a/public/src/tts-modal.js b/public/src/tts-modal.js
index 2ba6c03..0239eeb 100644
--- a/public/src/tts-modal.js
+++ b/public/src/tts-modal.js
@@ -103,7 +103,8 @@ async function populateVoiceDropdown(voiceSelection) {
 			'ruby', 'sage', 'sofia', 'amber', 'brooke', 'cora', 'diana', 'eden',
 			'faye', 'gemma', 'hope', 'ivy', 'atlas', 'caleb', 'felix', 'hugo',
 			'jasper', 'kai', 'leo', 'marcus', 'owen', 'theo', 'archer', 'blake',
-			'cole', 'dane', 'ezra', 'finn', 'grant', 'heath', 'ivan', 'jude'
+			'cole', 'dane', 'ezra', 'finn', 'grant', 'heath', 'ivan', 'jude',
+			'foxhop'
 		];
 		const defaultVoices = F5_VOICES.map(voice => ({ model: 'tts-1-f5', voice }));
 		renderVoiceOptions(voiceSelection, defaultVoices);
@@ -116,10 +117,10 @@ function renderVoiceOptions(voiceSelection, voices) {
 	voiceSelection.innerHTML = ''; // Clear existing options
 
 	// Get saved voice preference (vault first, fallback to default)
-	let savedVoice = 'tts-1-f5:atlas'; // Default
+	let savedVoice = 'tts-1-f5:foxhop'; // Default
 	try {
 		if (typeof window !== 'undefined' && window.UncloseVault && window.UncloseVault.isUnlocked()) {
-			savedVoice = window.UncloseVault.get('uncloseai_selected_voice', 'tts-1-f5:atlas');
+			savedVoice = window.UncloseVault.get('uncloseai_selected_voice', 'tts-1-f5:foxhop');
 		}
 	} catch (error) {
 		console.warn('Failed to read voice preference:', error);
@@ -134,54 +135,47 @@ function renderVoiceOptions(voiceSelection, voices) {
 		groupedVoices[v.model].push(v.voice);
 	});
 
-	// Create radio buttons grouped by model
-	Object.keys(groupedVoices).sort().forEach(model => {
-		// Add model label
-		const modelLabel = document.createElement('div');
-		modelLabel.className = 'tts-model-label';
-		modelLabel.textContent = model;
-		voiceSelection.appendChild(modelLabel);
+	// Render as a single <select> with <optgroup> per model. This was the
+	// original intent (see this function's docstring): the prior radio
+	// grid grew to 40+ rows and pushed the Play button off-screen.
+	const select = document.createElement("select");
+	select.name = "tts-voice";
+	select.className = "tts-voice-select";
+	select.setAttribute("aria-label", "Voice");
 
-		// Add voices for this model
-		groupedVoices[model].forEach(voice => {
-			const label = document.createElement('label');
-			label.className = 'tts-voice-label';
-			const radio = document.createElement('input');
-			radio.type = 'radio';
-			radio.name = 'tts-voice';
-			radio.value = `${model}:${voice}`;
-
-			// Check if this is the saved voice
-			if (`${model}:${voice}` === savedVoice) {
-				radio.checked = true;
-			}
-
-			// Save selection on change (through vault)
-			radio.addEventListener('change', () => {
-				try {
-					if (typeof window !== 'undefined' && window.UncloseVault && window.UncloseVault.isUnlocked()) {
-						window.UncloseVault.set('uncloseai_selected_voice', radio.value);
-					} else {
-						console.warn('Vault locked - voice preference not persisted');
-					}
-				} catch (error) {
-					console.warn('Failed to save voice preference:', error);
-				}
+	Object.keys(groupedVoices)
+		.sort()
+		.forEach((model) => {
+			const group = document.createElement("optgroup");
+			group.label = model;
+			groupedVoices[model].forEach((voice) => {
+				const opt = document.createElement("option");
+				opt.value = `${model}:${voice}`;
+				opt.textContent = voice;
+				if (opt.value === savedVoice) opt.selected = true;
+				group.appendChild(opt);
 			});
-
-			label.appendChild(radio);
-			label.appendChild(document.createTextNode(voice));
-			voiceSelection.appendChild(label);
+			select.appendChild(group);
 		});
+
+	// Persist selection through the vault (no-op if vault is locked).
+	select.addEventListener("change", () => {
+		try {
+			if (
+				typeof window !== "undefined" &&
+				window.UncloseVault &&
+				window.UncloseVault.isUnlocked()
+			) {
+				window.UncloseVault.set("uncloseai_selected_voice", select.value);
+			} else {
+				console.warn("Vault locked - voice preference not persisted");
+			}
+		} catch (error) {
+			console.warn("Failed to save voice preference:", error);
+		}
 	});
 
-	// If no voice is checked, check the first one
-	if (!voiceSelection.querySelector('input[type="radio"]:checked')) {
-		const firstRadio = voiceSelection.querySelector('input[type="radio"]');
-		if (firstRadio) {
-			firstRadio.checked = true;
-		}
-	}
+	voiceSelection.appendChild(select);
 }
 
 export function openTTSModal() {
@@ -310,18 +304,25 @@ export function openTTSModal() {
 	resultDiv.id = "tts-result";
 	resultDiv.className = "tts-result";
 
-	// Content container with padding
+	// Content container with padding (scrollable middle row)
 	const contentContainer = document.createElement("div");
 	contentContainer.className = "tts-modal-content";
 	contentContainer.appendChild(textArea);
 	contentContainer.appendChild(voiceSelection);
 	contentContainer.appendChild(speedControl);
 	contentContainer.appendChild(modeControl);
-	contentContainer.appendChild(playButton);
 	contentContainer.appendChild(resultDiv);
 
+	// Sticky footer holds the primary action so the Play button stays
+	// visible even when the voice grid pushes the content past the dialog
+	// viewport. Matches the article grid's third `auto` row.
+	const footer = document.createElement("div");
+	footer.className = "tts-modal-footer";
+	footer.appendChild(playButton);
+
 	article.appendChild(header);
 	article.appendChild(contentContainer);
+	article.appendChild(footer);
 	modal.appendChild(article);
 
 	// Safari <15.4 lacks native <dialog>; fall back to a positioned overlay.
@@ -347,12 +348,12 @@ export function openTTSModal() {
 			return;
 		}
 
-		const selectedRadio = document.querySelector('input[name="tts-voice"]:checked');
-		if (!selectedRadio) {
+		const voiceEl = document.querySelector('[name="tts-voice"]');
+		if (!voiceEl || !voiceEl.value) {
 			alert("Please select a voice first");
 			return;
 		}
-		const selectedValue = selectedRadio.value;
+		const selectedValue = voiceEl.value;
 		const speed = parseFloat(speedSlider.value);
 
 		// Parse model:voice format (e.g., "tts-1-f5:aria" or legacy "aria")
diff --git a/public/src/tts.js b/public/src/tts.js
index fe772b5..babfebc 100644
--- a/public/src/tts.js
+++ b/public/src/tts.js
@@ -349,7 +349,7 @@ function cleanTextForTTS(text) {
 
 // Function to read text using TTS - for Read Page button (uses Hermes).
 // Multi-chunk uses pipelined playlist: playback starts as soon as chunk 1 lands.
-export async function speakText(text, voice = "atlas", rate = 0.9, model = "tts-1-f5") {
+export async function speakText(text, voice = "foxhop", rate = 0.9, model = "tts-1-f5") {
 	try {
 		const spokenText = await extractSpokenTokens(text);
 		const chunks = splitTextIntoChunks(spokenText);
@@ -414,13 +414,13 @@ const LEGACY_OPENAI_VOICES = new Set([
 ]);
 
 // Normalize a model+voice pair: remap legacy / unknown models to F5, and
-// remap legacy OpenAI voice names + aria (which has loud F5 phantom bleed) to
-// "clara" which produces clean audio per multi-voice transcription test.
+// remap legacy OpenAI voice names + phantom voices to "foxhop" (self-recorded
+// default).
 const PHANTOM_VOICES = new Set(["aria", "luna", "sage", "cole", "jude"]);
 export function normalizeModelVoice(model, voice) {
 	const isQwen = !model || model === "tts-1" || model.includes("qwen");
 	const normModel = isQwen ? "tts-1-f5" : model;
-	const normVoice = LEGACY_OPENAI_VOICES.has(voice) || PHANTOM_VOICES.has(voice) ? "atlas" : voice;
+	const normVoice = LEGACY_OPENAI_VOICES.has(voice) || PHANTOM_VOICES.has(voice) ? "foxhop" : voice;
 	return { model: normModel, voice: normVoice };
 }
 
@@ -449,7 +449,7 @@ export function primeAudioPlayback() {
 
 // Direct TTS function for modal - no Hermes preprocessing.
 // Multi-chunk uses pipelined playlist: playback starts as soon as chunk 1 lands.
-export async function speakTextDirect(text, voice = "atlas", rate = 0.9, model = "tts-1-f5") {
+export async function speakTextDirect(text, voice = "foxhop", rate = 0.9, model = "tts-1-f5") {
 	try {
 		const cleanedText = cleanTextForTTS(text);
 		const chunks = splitTextIntoChunks(cleanedText);
@@ -477,7 +477,7 @@ export async function speakTextDirect(text, voice = "atlas", rate = 0.9, model =
 // Streaming TTS function - plays audio as chunks arrive using MediaSource API
 // Returns immediately with audio element; done promise resolves when stream completes
 // Automatically chunks long text and streams each chunk sequentially
-export async function speakTextStreaming(text, voice = "atlas", rate = 0.9, model = "tts-1-f5") {
+export async function speakTextStreaming(text, voice = "foxhop", rate = 0.9, model = "tts-1-f5") {
 	const cleanedText = cleanTextForTTS(text);
 	const textChunks = splitTextIntoChunks(cleanedText);
 	console.log("TTS streaming input preview:", cleanedText.substring(0, 100) + "...");
@@ -794,7 +794,7 @@ export async function generateTitleForTTS(text) {
 // Handle TTS - respects streaming mode setting
 // Caches audio blobs in memory so replay doesn't regenerate
 // Cache is keyed by text+voice+model and clears when the tab closes
-export async function handleTTS(text, voice = "atlas", rate = 0.9, model = "tts-1-f5") {
+export async function handleTTS(text, voice = "foxhop", rate = 0.9, model = "tts-1-f5") {
 	try {
 		const cacheKey = `${model}:${voice}:${text}`;
 
diff --git a/public/src/uncloseai-modal-builtin.css b/public/src/uncloseai-modal-builtin.css
index d311a2f..75f48c4 100644
--- a/public/src/uncloseai-modal-builtin.css
+++ b/public/src/uncloseai-modal-builtin.css
@@ -667,10 +667,24 @@ dialog#tts-modal {
   overflow-y: auto;
 }
 
+/* Sticky footer holding the primary Play action */
+.tts-modal-footer {
+  display: grid;
+  place-items: center;
+  padding: 12px 20px;
+  border-top: 1px solid #e0e0e0;
+  background: white;
+}
+
+dialog#tts-modal .tts-modal-footer .tts-play-btn {
+  margin: 0;
+}
+
 /* TTS modal article */
 .tts-modal-article {
   display: grid;
   grid-template-columns: 1fr;
+  grid-template-rows: auto 1fr auto;
   height: 100%;
   overflow: hidden;
 }
@@ -730,6 +744,19 @@ dialog#tts-modal {
   cursor: pointer;
 }
 
+/* Single <select> with <optgroup> per model (replaces the radio grid).
+   Spans all tracks of the surrounding .tts-voice-container grid. */
+.tts-voice-select {
+  grid-column: 1 / -1;
+  width: 100%;
+  padding: 10px 12px;
+  font-size: 15px;
+  border: 1px solid #ccc;
+  border-radius: 6px;
+  background: white;
+  color: #333;
+}
+
 /* Speed control */
 .tts-speed-control {
   margin: 16px 0;
diff --git a/public/src/uncloseai-modal-pico.css b/public/src/uncloseai-modal-pico.css
index 89f9032..adee09c 100644
--- a/public/src/uncloseai-modal-pico.css
+++ b/public/src/uncloseai-modal-pico.css
@@ -741,6 +741,19 @@ dialog#tts-modal {
   overflow-y: auto;
 }
 
+/* Sticky footer holding the primary Play action */
+.tts-modal-footer {
+  display: grid;
+  place-items: center;
+  padding: 12px 20px;
+  border-top: 1px solid #e0e0e0;
+  background: white;
+}
+
+dialog#tts-modal .tts-modal-footer .tts-play-btn {
+  margin: 0;
+}
+
 /* TTS modal article */
 .tts-modal-article {
   display: grid;
@@ -804,6 +817,19 @@ dialog#tts-modal {
   cursor: pointer;
 }
 
+/* Single <select> with <optgroup> per model (replaces the radio grid).
+   Spans all tracks of the surrounding .tts-voice-container grid. */
+.tts-voice-select {
+  grid-column: 1 / -1;
+  width: 100%;
+  padding: 10px 12px;
+  font-size: 15px;
+  border: 1px solid #ccc;
+  border-radius: 6px;
+  background: white;
+  color: #333;
+}
+
 /* Speed control */
 .tts-speed-control {
   margin: 16px 0;
diff --git a/public/src/vault.js b/public/src/vault.js
index 67c343b..e3737c0 100644
--- a/public/src/vault.js
+++ b/public/src/vault.js
@@ -409,7 +409,7 @@ const UncloseVault = {
       // Model selection
       selectedModel: null,
       selectedEndpoint: null,
-      selectedVoice: 'tts-1-f5:atlas',
+      selectedVoice: 'tts-1-f5:foxhop',
 
       // Custom API
       useCustomAPI: false,