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Great sound and creative design from Geneva Sound System Model S
The Geneva Sound System Model S is a stylish, attractive iPod speaker dock and function actually follows form in this case as it sounds as good as it looks but it comes at a high price.
In terms of design it’s basically a box measuring around 24 x 15 x 17.5 cm so it’s not very big. The small size in combination with the stylish design means the Model S would fit in well in most rooms, whether they are living rooms, offices are something else. You can place it directly on a surface or on the included circular-base stand, which raises the Model S about eight cm from the surface. The Model S that I received for testing was white, but the system is also available in bright red or black.
On the top of the Model S is a touch-sensitive power button. Powering on the unit lights up the on-board controls, which are similarly touch-sensitive buttons arranged much like the classic iPod Click Wheel controls.
One cool but not particularly functional characteristic of the Model S is the iPod/iPhone dock. When you turn on power a piece on the top of the Model S turns around and reveals the dock. Turn power off after taking out the iPod/iPhone and it turns back into the enclosure again leaving the top almost completely smooth.
Smooth is also a keyword for much of the rest of the design of the Model S. It’s beautifully void of the knobs, dials, displays etc. that tend to clutter competing products. The metal-grill face covers two speakers. In the top left corner of the front, behind the grill, sits a small LED display showing the time, radio station frequency and a few other pieces of information.
The only other things you’ll see on the back are the plug for the included AC adapter and a 3.5mm line-in jack for connecting another audio source.
Sound quality is quite simply excellent and I struggle to find anything to complain about in terms of sound. The sound is rich and despite its small size the Model S easily fills quite a large room. Clearly, given its limited size, you won’t get much separation of left and right but that’s to be expected. That means that even though the Model S has an input for external sound it won’t be suitable for using with a TV or other similar audio-visual source.
At 1800 Dhs the model S isn’t cheap. But it sounds much better than many cheaper competitors and just about as good as many more expensive ones. The motorized tray is a bit of a gimmick but the whole unit looks striking. Most importantly, the sound it produces is very good.This article originally appeared in Khaleej Times. The articles are published here one week after they appear in print. You can find all my Khaleej Times articles here.
