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(More customer reviews)Back in the day, actually before my time, televisions and stereos were designed to be both functional and beautiful - they were considered furniture, an essential complement to a well-designed room. Now, of course, function trumps form for most electronic gadgets, and most are ugly. With the advent of flat screen LCD televisions at least they don't look like the hulking monstrosities that overwhelm the room like the big TVs of the past couple decades, but it's still true that a decent sound system tends to be a box covered with buttons and indicators, and connected by endless wires to a range of speakers spread throughout the room.
That's not necessary if you've got one of these Geneva Sound L systems in the living room. It's an elegant blend of form and function - the sound is astonishing, especially considering that it all comes from a single wooden box. Did I mention wooden? The walnut variety, which is the one I've tried, is not just walnut coloring, it's actually encased in wood, and the metallic grating that covers the multiple speakers inside is just the right tint to match it perfectly. The whole system is small enough not to get in the way, but it delivers 100 Watts of stereo surround sound that can really fill a room for an immersive musical or theatrical sound experience.
Geneva Lab is known for setting an early high fidelity sound and design standard for iPod docking systems. This one is at the middle of their range -- they have one that's a bit bigger and one that's a lot bigger and a few smaller ones. I only have experience with this one and the smaller S model. For me and for my living room I can't imagine needing anything more. It feels solid and there is a serious heft to it - the system actually weighs about 40 pounds - it's not filled with cheap lightweight equipment that'll blow out when it gets loud. It can do radio and takes input from a television or other device, and there's a little, almost invisible, slot for CDs in the top, plus a panel flips open when you push it to reveal a universal iPod dock. It works perfectly with my nano and iPod touch. You can put it on the floor or a table, but Geneva Sound also sells a shiny and stable metallic stand that elevates it a couple of feet for optimum sound range. There's an LCD display that indicates the mode (radio with 6 preset buttons on the remote, iPod, CD or auxiliary), the CD track (will play CD-ROM and mp3 CDs as well as standard) and the volume (on a scale of 1-100) and the bass and treble values (each scaled from -6.0 to +6.0). All inputs, including the outlet plug, and L-R RCA input, are hidden beneath the box so that it looks good from behind -- and if you have the stand all cords can run from the device through the stand's support beam for simplicity and appearance.
Of course, it's the sound that matters most, and to my ears this really delivers. I've never really wanted a massive sound system in my living room but this one really fills the room with sound, both for watching movies and hanging out to music. While it's all in one box, there are actually two sets of speakers behind the screen - there's a pair of 1" tweeters and a couple of 5 1/4" woofers. While most of the sound is directed out from the front of the box, there's also a sound output slot in the rear, probably to help deliver a more expansive sound.The "sound test" CD that comes with the box is pretty amazing ... you drop it in and can literally hear sound coming from all directions, and this device is set to deliver that experience wherever the recorded input has the information. I didn't expect that level of "spatial differentiation" from a sound system that is this self-contained. I was also very impressed by the range -- even on a low volume it delivers what I can only describe as a "big" sound, that fills the room even without being "loud." But, I'm happy to say, it can get very loud without sounding "noisy" -- I've played jazz and hip-hop, rock and pop, and I'm very happy with the sound performance throughout, at various sound ranges.
There are a few problems, though, mostly minor but still annoying. One thing that bugs me about the design is that the buttons on the device itself (hidden along with the iPod dock beneath a wooden flip-up panel) don't do much. There's an on-off button a CD eject button and up-down volume buttons, and an input jack (for mp3 players that aren't compatible with the iPod Universal dock). What that means is that most functions on the system require use of the remote control -- and for me that is a drawback, both because in a house with kids like mine remote controls tend to wander around and are hard to find when you need them most, and because it detracts from the overall simplicity and ease. I imagine they left extra buttons off (pause, stop, song forward and back, mode switching, bass and treble adjust) in the interest of simplicity, but what that means is that the device itself isn't really self-contained, and so is inherently more complex -- to use it you have to have another thing lying around nearby. Of course it's nice to have the remote if you need it, but I like to consider a remote as an auxiliary rather than an essential. Why it's strange, too, is that there's plenty of room near the iPod dock for a few extra buttons that would still be hidden away and not detract from the aesthetics of the device. I like that I can play CDs here directly, and that it plays mp3 CDs, but I wish there was some more control in how it plays them. By default it plays them straight through (no random shuffle) and on repeat mode - and there's no way to change that. I tend to think that if a high end device like this supports a function (like playing CDs) it should support that function fully, not minimally as here.
Still, while I'd love to see an upgrade that fixes these annoyances, as a whole I think this is a beautiful device that delivers exceptional sound in an elegant and convenient package, and that's what it's all about.
About the video: I shot this as a quick illustration of the overall design of this device - shot against a green screen with a sky background because I like to play around with the green screen. One problem with that, as you'll see: there's a greenish tint on the sound system -- that's because I wasn't taking enough care to separate the lighting of the screen from the lighting of the device.
Click Here to see more reviews about: GenevaSound All-in-One Stereo for CD, iPod, iPhone, Radio, Line-in (Large-Walnut)
GenevaSound Large in Walnut is the first of its kind to feature genuine hardwood veneer. From Switzerland, GenevaSound is "furniture music" – a renewed fusion of home entertainment and home décor that brings technology and design full circle. Visually, Geneva is a classic design statement. But beyond its striking simplicity, Geneva's clean lines embody an advanced acoustical array that's won the highest marks from leading audio reviewers. One look at GenevaSound reveals why it's sold in leading design and fashion houses from Milan to Manhattan. Listen to Geneva Sound and you'll know why its patented audio engineering is found in recording studios that repeatedly win Grammies and Oscars. Never before have such a variety of functions been integrated into one compact cabinet - a complete, powerful hifi system with a slot-loading CD player, an iPod-iPhone dock, a radio tuner with digital presets, and line-in jacks. Leading reviewers say it's the easiest multi-function stereo ever. Geneva Sound Large delivers room-filling sound, thanks to the power of its four 25 watt amplifiers, for a total of 100 watts of Class D amplification, a new generation of extremely efficient, low-power-consumption amplifiers. On the top of the GenevaSound Large is a slot-loading CD player. Ahead of the CD slot is the 30-pin iPod+iPhone connector hidden under a flip-up lid. Embedded in the GenevaSound cabinet is a digital radio tuner; no tabletop radio has ever sounded this big before. Setting your favorite stations as a present in the remote control has never been easier. GenevaSound Large also has auxiliary line-in connections - 3.5 mm and also RCA. These can bring in sound from almost any audio device. The cabinet measures: height 11.5 inches, depth 14.2 inches, width 17.6 inches. It weighs 38 pounds. This model comes with brushed aluminum feet with rubberized footpads. There are optional floor pedestals.
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