Expert’s Rating
Pros
Cons
Our Verdict
UPDATE : Ten days after this review was published , Chestnut Hill Sound lowered the price of the George from $ 549 to $ 499 ; the company also announced a promotion that includes the $ 50 remote - charging stand .
We ’ve been looking forward to reviewing Chestnut Hill Sound ’s $ 549Georgesince we give a prototype one of our Best of Show awarding at January ’s Macworld Expo . Taking the desktop audio system several step beyond a pair of speakers and an iPod dock , the George promises an enticing combination of innovative feature , audio quality , and expressive style . And for the most part , it hold out up to those promises .
The basics
At first glance , the white - with - gray - trimming George looks much like other desktop iPod speaker scheme , if a bit flatter and deep at approximately 14 inches encompassing by 5 inch improbable by 9 column inch deep . On the front panel are left and right speaker unit ; interestingly , these practice a coaxal design , each with a 3.5 - inch midrange machine driver in back and a 1 - inch tweeter in front . In between the speakers is a removable , wireless control panel , which I ’ll cover in depth below . On top is a Universal iPod dock with a pitch - up dust cover . ( Chestnut Hill let in five dock transcriber for older dockable iPods ; newer iPods include their own Universal adapter . The iPhone is compatible with the George , although if you do n’t turn on AirPlane Mode , you ’ll on occasion get audible feedback thanks to the iPhone ’s wireless features . ) The bottom of the organisation hosts a ported , 4 - inch “ subwoofer . ”
The back of the George allow for the organization ’s AC jack ; an accessory - stimulation minijack ( for hear to an outside audio frequency source ) ; a pre - amp - yield minijack ( for tie the George to a big stereo system ) ; a headphone minijack ; a USB connective ( for software updates , not for synchronize your iPod with your electronic computer ) ; AM- and FM - feeler connecter for the George ’s radio ; and a bass control knob . miss , compared to many other current iPod loudspeaker system systems , are a video - out jack for display video and photos from a capable iPod on a TV , and a way to sync your iPod with your computer .
But it would be a fault to think of the George as but an iPod speaker system , as it offers much more than just iPod playback . It ’s really a desktop stereo system that happen to offer excellent iPod desegregation .
Upgrades and makeovers
One area where the George differs from canonic iPod loudspeaker system system is in the areas of expandability and customization . As mentioned above , the system ’s software system is upgradeable by connecting the George to your computer via USB and then run a software updater on your computer . In our metre testing the system , Chestnut Hill Sound relinquish several updates that supply new feature , summate selection for existing mise en scene , and fixed hemipteran . ( The update process is simple , although one finicky update expect several tries before it was successful . )
But the George ’s hardware is upgradeable , as well . Specifically , the iPod sorrel assembly on top is obliterable , and the underlying connector is contrive to accommodate succeeding expanding upon or upgrade modules . harmonise to the company , the first such module , for HD Radio , should be available later this year for under $ 200 . This design could also , in theory , allow Chestnut Hill to add compatibility with next iPods , or medium players from other companies , that do n’t use Apple ’s current dockage connector . It ’s unclear whether you ’ll have to interchange between the iPod dock and other modules , or if you ’ll be able to get at both audio sources at the same time .
you’re able to also customise the look of the George : the front engagement grille , the wrap - around side panels , and the top panel are all obliterable , allowing you to supersede them with different coloration and finishes . Alternate grill covers in scarlet , bootleg , or puritanic will be available by the remainder of October for $ 29 ; real - wood top and side venire ( which Chestnut Hill callsskins ) with coordinated grilles — black - stained birch with black grille , natural walnut with brown grilles , and natural cerise with charcoal grilles — will be available at the same time for $ 99 a set . ( The company says additional colors and finishes will be added in the future . )
Take control
The flagship feature of the George is its remote control . Unlike most compact stereo systems , which feature a hardening of controls on the system itself and another , more limited , set up on a remote control , Chestnut Hill has put all the ascendance — and there ’s an wide array — on a removable control panel . When inserted into the control condition “ sorrel ” between the loudspeaker , the remote looks and function as if it ’s simply another part of the system . But pull gently on the top of the venire and it pop devoid , extend full control — viaZigBeeradio - frequence ( RF ) wireless technology — from up to 30 feet away . ( A nifty feature is the Quiet button on the back of the dock area that permit you quickly mute the George ’s sound [ or suspension playback when your iPod is playing ] if you ’re near the main unit but the remote is elsewhere . Although I would have liked volume controls here , as well . )
The remote is an impressive small-arm of technology . The screen is magnanimous and easy to read , despite some minor ghosting , and include an adjustable backlight that can automatically dim or brighten depending on the ambient twinkle ; you even get all right ascendancy over how brilliant the display should be in a dark room , a nice soupcon for bedroom utilisation . Just below the covert are eight total , backlit buttons , which Chestnut Hill calls Jump Buttons . Below those is the principal control area , containing Menu , Play / Pause , Back , and Forward buttons , along with a enceinte , safe - coated Volume / Navigation knob that also acts as a “ quality ” push . Finally , on the top of the remote control is a large , wide Snooze / Mute / Pause clitoris . The remote is fairly full by remote - control banner — it measure out 3.75 inch across-the-board by 4.4 column inch eminent by 1 column inch thick ( not include the protruding knob)—but is evenhandedly comfortable to hold in your mitt . ( One minor charge I had is that because the Mute button is so heavy , if you pick up the remote off a tabular array or other 2-dimensional surface , you have to remember to grab the remote ’s sides ; if you grab the top and bottom , you ’ll often entreat the Mute button accidentally . )
The remote provides the same substance abuser - friendly — and , for most the great unwashed in the George ’s target mart , familiar — menu user interface as an iPod . agitate the Menu button and the George ’s configurations menus appear ; go around the knob to sail to a menu or scope , and then press the pommel to take it ; squeeze Menu again to move back up the computer menu hierarchy . A salmagundi of useful preferences are usable : you may adjust audio levels at 8 unlike frequencies ( guess an 8 - band EQ ) ; set the metre ; commute the radio part ( which change the frequency “ stairs ” ) ; transfer the ZigBee wireless groove to void hindrance ; choose whether the default display is the meter or the audio source ; choose the timeout time ( the time of inactivity after which the covert returns to the default exhibit ) ; and more .
Another useful feature is that the Jump Buttons are contextual . For example , when in wireless mode , they act as predetermined push , and a matching onscreen gridiron expose the absolute frequency tie in with each button . But when the screen prove its main metre - showing position , the top four buttons dissemble as source selectors , with each button ’s map ( iPod , Radio , Alarm , or Aux ) exhibit on the cover just above the button . ( tending To Detail Award : in this mode , only those four button are backlit ; the other four are dim . ) The remote ’s concealment also provides utilitarian feedback ; for lesson , if you switch to iPod modality without an iPod connected , the cover reads , “ George need your iPod ” ; if the bombardment is get broken , instead of a tiny crushed - battery image , you ’ll see the subject matter that “ George needs to send the remote soon . ”
The company ’s range estimates are fair ; I was indeed able to control the George from approximately 30 feet forth ( unobstructed ; sticking a wall in between reduced that range ) . However , it ’s deserving noting that once you draw end the maximum length , the remote control ’s computer menu - navigating performance slows because , unlike with most remotes , information course both ways between the remote and the master social unit . For example , the contents of each iPod - navigation card , covered below , are actually store in the George itself , and are sent to the remote when you access each bill of fare .
The one veridical downside to the remote is its stamp battery life-time . Although the remote direction when place in the George , a full heraldic bearing provides only a few hours of frequent use . During my examination , this brusk shelling aliveness meant that I had to remember to put the outside back in its dock after use ; if I leave it on my desk or on the coffee board between the States — for model , overnight — the battery would often break down during the next usance . ( The barrage does go into a slumber mode that lets it last for a day or so between charges if you ’re not actively using it ; and all of your setting and information are stored in the master unit , so you do n’t misplace them if the remote control ’s battery dies . )
Because of this electric battery - life limitation , if you tend to use ( and keep ) your remote control across the way from the main building block , or if you desire to take advantage of the organization ’s warning equipment - clock feature ( covered below ) , I urge purchasing Chestnut Hill ’s optional $ 50 charging viewpoint , which is record in the image above . This clear - and - ashen accessory admit its own AC adaptor and provide a ready to hand moorage station that holds the remote in a usable and visible posture . It actually pull in the remote a enceinte alarm clock for your nightstand . ( If you regularly store and file the remote in this stand , Chestnut Hill let in an attractive , speaker - grille - equal mesh instrument panel to report the George ’s own dock surface area . )
iPod onscreen
Although the remote control ’s menu plan makes it easy to adjust setting and insure the system , it ’s when playing medicine from an iPod that the distant really shines . And that ’s because the George effectively lay your iPod ’s menus on the remote ’s filmdom : When you place an iPod in the George ’s iPod dock , the system downloads information about every track on the iPod and make that information uncommitted to the remote . The mental process can take a while , depending on the size of your iPod and how much message it check ; on my 80 GB iPod with around 9000 item , it took nearly 3 minutes for the first sync . However , after this initial central of information , subsequent synchronizations are much quick . A utile AutoPlay mode , found in the configurations screen , can mechanically get playback — of either a particular play list or shuffle mode — after the sync finishes .
( A couple notes about this sync process : If you absent an iPod from the George and later exchange itwithoutsyncing it to iTunes in between , the George will use the previously - stored selective information about that iPod and wo n’t need to rescan it . However , if you sync your iPod with iTunes in between , the George will rescan the iPod the next meter you plug into it . likewise , whenever you put a different iPod in the George , the organisation will forget the late iPod ’s contents and scan and stack away info about the new iPod . )
you could then navigate , on the remote ’s covert , menus that nearly replicate those found in an iPod ’s Music menu : Playlists , Artists , Albums , Songs , Podcasts , Genres , Audiobooks , and preferences ( shuffle and repeat ) ; as well as Shuffle Songs and Now Playing command . The navigation node , its center Select button , and the Menu release together ferment much like an iPod ’s own Click Wheel , letting you pilot the menus just as you would an iPod ’s ( although the remote ’s menus do n’t accelerate with quicker turn like those on an iPod ) . serve it to say that if you ’ve used an iPod , you ’ll palpate in good order at home shop your music ingathering on the George . ( Note that you ca n’t expend your iPod ’s own controls when it ’s docked in the George ; in addition , because the George has no video production , you wo n’t be able to browse video or picture menu . )
To make sail long list of item ( artists , album , songs , etc . ) easier , the function of the Jump Buttons changes during iPod playback so that each corresponds to several letters of the ABC , displayed in a representative onscreen grid : abc , def , ghi , jkl , mno , pqrs , tuv , and wxyz . Pressghionce and the list jumps to items beginning with the letter G ; press it again , and you go to particular begin with H ; and so on . The remote control ’s fare are also circular ; if you seek to scroll “ preceding ” the end of a tilt , it does n’t stop scroll , as an iPod ’s menus do ; the list wraps around to the other close . This can be disorient with light menu , but it ’s utilitarian for cursorily getting to the other goal of a long list .
That ’s not to say the remote control ’s iPod - browsing menus are staring . For exercise , it can take a second or two for each menu to come along ; for instance , when selecting an record album , there ’s a fragile delay while the album content are sent from the George to the remote . And if you switch from iPod playback to another beginning — for exercise , the radio — the remote does n’t remember the last menu you were viewing , or even the last song you were playing
The remote control ’s Play / Pause , Back , and Forward buttons mould just as you ’d expect them to , let you pause and resume playback and skip or scan through tracks . ( Scanning was add in a late software update . )
While number to music on an iPod , the clock display shows the artist , track , and record album names for the current track ; the iPod display lists that same information at larger sizes , but provides additional selective information such as the raceway sentence , play mode ( shuffle , repeat ) , and cart track numeral . In iPod mode , the top four Jump Buttons allow you quickly return to the Playlist , Artists , Albums , or Songs menu .
One-band band
If you ’re the law-abiding eccentric , you may have noticed that there ’s only a single Radio audio recording source , rather than separate AM and FM buttons . That ’s because the George has only a exclusive wireless band — one that tunes both AMandFM . ( Chestnut Hill holler this Bandless Radio , although SingleBand might be more accurate . ) When tuning FM frequence , if you endeavor to go up from 107.9 , the next frequency is 520 on the AM musical scale ; similarly , if you ’re at 1720 on the AM “ circle , ” increase the relative frequency submit to you FM 87.9 . This works in both directions .
You choose a station by pressing the control knob once to accede wireless - tune up mode and then turning the knob . ( you’re able to use the Back and Forward buttons , as well , although the thickening is much fast for traversing a with child belt of frequencies . ) you could also preserve up to 24 presets for any compounding of AM and FM Stations of the Cross . These gibe to four bank of Jump Buttons ; in each coin bank , the six Jump button on the unexpended correspond to six presets and the two on the right role as Previous Bank and Next Bank clit . My favored feature here is that , as I remark above , the Jump Button display on the screen shows the existent frequency to which each preset button corresponds .
I appreciated this excellent preset functionality , peculiarly since I ’m not quite convinced of the restroom of Bandless Radio . On the one deal , it does reduce the number of audio source , making overall military operation dim-witted ; on the other paw , it requires more effort than a standard wireless to switch from , say , FM 97.7 to AM 1080 . Having presets spaced throughout the tuner spectrum helps , as these presets let you rapidly jump to a frequency near the one to which you ’re really prove to get .
The George ’s FM receipt was first-class in my testing , pulling in all but the weakest FM station using the include single - wire antenna ; this was one of the few FM radio set practiced enough that I did n’t palpate the need to connect a powered or high - end peaceful antenna . AM reception , on the other hand , was mediocre ( although , to be fairish , I do n’t see many integrate AM radios with decent reception these days ) .
Alarming features
Although not push as an alarm clock , the George is nevertheless a very good one , offering a stock slumber timer andfourdifferent type of alarms . The sleep timer can be rig to rick the organization off after anywhere from one bit to 23 60 minutes , 59 minutes , although after activating eternal sleep mode , the remote ’s video display does n’t allow you bonk how much time is left .
The first two alarum , Alarm 1 and Alarm 2 , are routine version ; each can be localize to a dissimilar sentence , and for each warning signal you’re able to pick out a separate volume storey and audio source — a shade , the radio receiver , or your iPod . If you choose radio , the George will switch over to the radio and let you choose a place ; if you choose iPod , the system will switch to iPod mode and let you prefer a particular Sung to awaken to . When you ’re done , the scheme will return to whatever sound recording you were previously listening to . ( If you need to wake to whatever you happen to be listening to when you set the dismay , a commodious Now Playing selection automatically sets that source — a tuner station or an iPod play list , for example — as the alarm . )
The other two alarms are One Time and Nap Timer . One Time works just like Alarm 1 and Alarm 2 , except that it does n’t repeat each 24-hour interval ; it ’s a handy way of life to put a one - time alarm without affecting your everyday alert(s ) . Nap Timer lets you set up an alarm to voice after a certain amount of time — the inverse of sleep mode . ( Like sleep modality , you may set the Nap Time alarm ’s fourth dimension for anywhere from one instant to 23:59 . )
All four alert allow you doze — for a time you specify , from one to 60 minutes — by tapping the large snooze release on top of the remote , by pressing the nap Jump Button , or by pressing the Quiet button on the chief unit .
Listening in
Chestnut Hill advertises the George as an audiophile - quality desktop system , and as stocky desktop systems go , it ’s certainly among the best I ’ve listen . The George ’s overall sound is impressively flat — so much so that those used to loudspeaker system with accentuated bass or boosted treble may ab initio see the George to be , well , boring , because no part of the audio spectrum stand out . But after mind to the George over an extended period , you begin to notice something : a lack of the listening weariness that often accompanies lesser systems . The George wo n’t “ wow ” you with big basso or sparkly treble , but the longer you listen , the more you ’ll apprize that fact . ( And if you personally find oneself that youwanta snatch of accent , or de - emphasis , somewhere , there ’s that 8 - band EQ . )
On the other hand , the George does have several minor audio flaws . The first is its lack of stereo breakup , although that ’s unmanageable to get in a compact system with speakers so close together , so it ’s hard to fault the George here . The 2nd is that the George sounds best when you ’re straight off in front of the speakers , both vertically and horizontally , and there ’s a noticeable change when you wander from that position . This means that the George is well placed at least a few feet forth from you ( rather than on the desk in front of you ) and at a height close to hearing - capitulum - degree ( although the farther forth from the George you sit , the less all important this is ) .
ultimately , thanks to its comparatively small woofer and enclosure , the George does n’t have much bass part elongation . On the other paw , the basso it does have is tight and well - delimitate ; the George forfend the boomy down destruction you get with systems that prove to give the illusion of powerful bass by accent the limited bass they do have . In other word , the George knows what it can do and does n’t seek to do more , which is refreshful if you ’re interested more in accurate sound than in stir the room . ( Although you’re able to getsomeboom by cranking the George ’s freshwater bass - level knob and all the lower banding of the remote ’s EQ to their maximum levels . I do n’t recommend it . )
In terminus of intensity , the company says the George was design to fill a 400- to 600 - square - metrical unit room ( assuming an 8- to 10 - foot ceiling ) with eminent - quality audio , and that shaft with my own testing . In such a room , the George can easy accomplish uncomfortable hearing grade without distorting , and sounds skillful even at garish volumes . On the other handwriting , in big room the George start to exhibit distortion before attain similar volume level . In other word , it wo n’t pit organisation such asApple ’s iPod Hi - FiorLogitech ’s AudioStationfor pump out party - level sound recording . But it was n’t designed to .
The Lowdown
The George is an telling package of engineering , a enceinte iPod loudspeaker system system , and a very good background stereophonic . It provides splendid sound quality , is easy to apply , and put up unequaled feature film not find out on any other audio system we ’ve seen . The fact that it ’s get room to develop — in terms of both software and hardware — means it should n’t be disused in a year or two . ( Although , given its encompassing functionality and the fact that it go so good , I often found myself wishing it had a CD player to make it a unfeignedly unadulterated compact organization . )
The George ’s biggest drawback is its Mary Leontyne Price : at $ 549 — plus $ 50 for the remote charging stand — there are few desktop audio systems even unaired to the George ’s price tag . Several standard screen background iPod systems ( namelyJBL ’s RadialandLogitech ’s AudioStation ) volunteer level-headed quality that ’s nearly as salutary for much less money . And at the George ’s price , it ’s bonny to look at alternative solutions . For case , if you ’ve already got a salutary desktop stereoscopic picture system , or a good full - sizing stereoscopic picture , you’re able to get some of the George ’s functionality — namely , the iPod - like onscreen menu system — via something like Keyspan ’s $ 179TuneView for iPod . Similarly , there are several $ 150 accouterment out there that let you use your iPod itself as its own remote , send its sound recording via Bluetooth to your stereo . ( The downside to these systems is that Bluetooth compresses audio frequency , but even with some compression artifacts , some people will favor this solution because , when used with a full - size stereophony , you ’ll get full - range sound and good stereo breakup and tomography . ) Finally , if your audio system includes a TV , there ’s also Apple ’s own $ 300 Apple TV .
Then again , none of these solutions will fit out neatly on a desk , dressing table , or counter , and none will give you exactly what the George offers : a compact but great - sound organisation with a singular and compelling combination of features . You ’ll have to decide for yourself how much that ’s deserving .
